- Breeding
- Horse Breeding: Covering a Mare
- Horse Breeding, Part 3: Birth and Care of a Foal
- A Brief History of Horse Breeding
- General Horse Articles
- The Missing Equine Link: How the Modern Horse Came to Be
- The Riding Tree: Coordination Of The Aids
- Developing Balance: Using Your Horse’s Feedback
- Horse Feeding
- A Look at Horse Feed
- You’ve Got the Right Feed, Now What?: Proper Feeding Practices
- 5 Horse Feeding "Don'ts"
- Horse Grooming
- Keeping Your Horse Beautiful with Horse Products
- An Overview of Horse Grooming
- eZall Shine & Detangler Transforms Ratty Manes and Tails Into Flowing Tresses
- Horse Health Issues
- Horse Dental Problems and Prevention
- Bulging Out and Falling In
- A Look at Horse Vision
- Horse Training
- Help Your Stiff Horse Bend
- Training Mythunderstandings: More Early Lessons for the Green Horse
- Starting Early: Training the Foal
- Horses & History
- Horsing around the Sierra Madre - 1974 Style.
- The History of Horse Breeding
- The Missing Equine Link: How the Modern Horse Came to Be
- Horses & Sports
- Nearly $7 Million Generated Annually for the District of Columbia
- How to Prepare for Your First Equestrian Competition
- In Defense of Horses in Sport
How to Care for Your Horse in the Winter
03/23/2009
With a little care, your horse can stay strong and healthy, no matter how cold it gets outside.
Just as with humans, winter is a tough time for our equine companions. Frozen ground, bitter temperatures, and lack of fresh food can negatively affect equine health, which is why it is important to make proper preparations. With a little care, your horse can stay strong and healthy, no matter how cold it gets outside. In many ways, the human needs and the equine needs aren’t so very different in the winter: it’s all about appropriate food, shelter, and clothing.
Food
Horses must build up a thicker layer of equine fat during the winter to maintain their body warmth. Since hay is the most important cornerstone in the equine diet, it’s important to increase the amount of hay you feed a horse. At the same time, do not substantially increase the amount of grain in an equine’s diet, as it may cause digestion problems. Every two weeks or so, give your horse a hands-on inspection by touching the equine flanks and back. Thick winter equine hair can mask a skinny horse, so ask for professional advice if you’re unsure. If you feel hips or the backbone, beet pulp can help add equine fat quickly. Ask about equine beet pellet treatments at your local supply shop.
An interesting fact about the equine diet is how central water is to a horse’s health. While the equine body can eat snow to get water, it also wastes a terrific amount of body heat. Make sure your horse can digest properly by having a tank of fresh, unfrozen water available.
Shelter
While it’s healthy for many horses to walk around outside in the winter, proper equine shelter is still essential. Wind, rain, sleet, snow can prove to be a real danger for many horses, weakening the equine immune system and in extreme cases, leading to death. Depending on where you live, your equine shelter could be as simple as an open stall, or as elaborate as a sealed and heated barn. The important thing is that our equine friends won’t have to suffer in extreme conditions. Regular equine exercise is extremely important in the winter, so be sure that after equine exercising, your horse is suitably dry before you leave the shelter (and never exercise a horse in extreme cold).
Clothing
Equine blankets can be a necessity in some parts of the country, and a vanity in others. I say vanity because some people use blankets to keep their horses from developing a thick layer of equine hair for aesthetic reasons. Of course, there are practical reasons as well for wanting to curb equine hair growth. If you house your horse in a warm barn, and ride in a heated area, equine “fur” can cause your horse to overheat. However, if your horse is housed outside, allow the equine hair to grow thickly, and only use blankets in the most extreme cold weather conditions.
Another important item of equine “clothing” is the horseshoe. While a shoe may protect a horse in spring and summer, an equine metal shoe is disastrous in the winter. If you choose to allow your horse to go barefoot, check the equine hoof for chipping, and consult an equine veterinarian on ways to prevent further barefoot damage. If you choose to use equine ice shoes, be sure the pads don’t thrush and the equine hoof doesn’t bruise (known as coronary band lacerations). If your horse struggles with ice shoes or bare feet, consider equine bell boots.
