Five Tips for Winter Horse Care

It’s well known horses adapt quite well to cold weather as long as they have shelter from the wind and wet weather. For horse owners a few important topics to go over in the winter are: Feeding, Water, Blankets, Winter Riding, and Footing.

#1 Feeding
When temperatures drop, the best source of heat for your horse is a little extra hay, not grain, since digestion produces a lot more heat from hay. Most of us already have a large supply of hay to last until next year’s hay crop. Because of this, - we run the risk of moldy hay. Make sure to keep all your hay dry and covered. Typically we find ourselves feeding in the dark both morning and night during the winter; because of this we can’t see the hay so anything that doesn’t smell right set aside to look over on the weekend when you have daylight. Also, as you feed shake the hay so you can remove any dust.

Our goal is not to let our horses lose any weight in the winter and even a few extra pounds won’t hurt as we battle the cold months. When horses are pastured together and eat together make sure to put a few more piles of hay out than you have horses. This allows the Alpha horse to move piles without causing some horses to miss out on a meal.

Make sure to schedule a dental exam with our one of our vets. This will insure your horse can grind his/her food properly and absorb all the nutrients he needs to stay healthy and warm. Also do a bi-monthly check on your horse’s weight. Heavy winter coats and blankets can disguise weight loss. Run your hand over his ribs; you should be able to feel the ribs and some slight padding but not see the ribs.

#2 Water
Horses require a lot of water to digest their dry feed. It is very important to make sure horses have unfrozen clean water all winter long. If you use large stock tanks, a horse safe tank heater is a great way to keep the water unfrozen. If you use buckets, then consider using rubber buckets. They are easiest to knock the ice out of and will not shatter in cold temperatures like plastic buckets can. Horses can not get by on snow alone, so always make sure your horse has fresh unfrozen water available throughout the day. Remember horses drink 8 to 12 gallons of water a day!

#3 Blanketing
There is a big debate on whether to blanket a horse or not in the winter. Obviously if your horse is stabled, clipped, and under lights year round then you will want to keep blankets on during the winter and especially during any turn out. However, if you have outside horses, nothing can beat a horse’s very own thick full winter coat. In the winter the hair will stand up and trap warmth close to the body and act as a thermal blanket. The winter coat will also get greasier and help repel snow, ice, and sleet. You will want to keep the ear hair, muzzle hair, and hair around the fetlocks for insulation and added warmth.

If you have a stabled horse that is blanketed, make sure to take it off regularly and look for any signs of irritation. And remember that a blanket that is not warm enough is worse than no blanket at all because it forces the hair to lay down causing a loss of insulation. So it is very important to make sure you have the right type of blanket for the weather your horse will be in.

#4 Winter Riding
We have all seen the beautiful commercials of horses in the snow. Winter can be a wonderful time for riding by keeping a few things in mind. During the winter months maintain and stick to your hoof care plan. This will help the horse stay sure-footed on the wet and snowy ground. Check horses hoofs regularly. You don’t want snow to build up and have your horse walking in “high heels”. You can also coat a non-shod horse’s hoof with non-stick cooking product or Vaseline to keep the snow from balling up in his hoof. If the ground is frozen, which can end up being as hard as concrete, don’t go any faster than a walk. The best footing is a few inches of snow. This provides your horse with a great cardiovascular work out. The act of pulling his feet out of the snow at even a walk will give your horse a great workout. Remember to dry a horse after riding to prevent chill. You can use a cooler to do this and then a blanket until the horse is all the way dry; if your horse has a full winter coat this can take about 30 minutes.

#5 Footing
Winter in the Pacific Northwest usually means a lot of rain, and with rain comes one of the biggest challenges in horse keeping: mud. One of the biggest problems with mud is skin issues. When horses spend extended periods in wet thick mud their skin becomes very moist and the protective layers are abraded by the coarse particles in mud. Bacteria, and other fungi, now have the opportunity to enter these susceptible areas on the pasterns causing inflammation. This leads to scratches, grease heel, and mud fever which are all bacteria infections characterized by scaly, crusty and scabby skin. The best way to fight theses infections is prevention. If you don’t have access to a mud-free turn out, a few simple daily tasks can help fight these infections.  Daily grooming will help you notice any change in your horse’s skin condition, and knocking off any mud helps reduce the risk of scabs. Once the legs are clean and dried rubbing mineral oil on them will act as a barrier to mud accumulation. Adding horse safe wood chips around watering troughs and highly traveled areas will help cut down on the mud; putting gravel and stall mats in run-in sheds will give horses another place to get out of the mud and wet. Gutters on barns can also reroute a lot of the water keeping the area around the barn less muddy for horses. Mud isn’t all bad; it does have one benefit to horses. When horses are in mud for short periods of time the mud will accumulate in the hoof and create a “mud-pad”. This decreases concussion and protects the hoof from damaging rocks and debris. This, of course, is assuming your horse has a stall in the barn where he spends time or is on large acreage, where he/she is less likely to be standing in mud all day and coming in contact with harmful bacteria.