Here are tips in four different areas of horse management to help your horse not only survive, but thrive during cold weather so you have a healthy and willing partner when warmer temperatures return.
Nutrition
Forage, or hay,
Whether winter means a well-deserved break for your horse or the start of the “snowbird circuit,” your horse’s hooves might need some special “seasonal” attention. Exactly what adjustments you’ll want to make depends on the type of winter weather
A horse’s nutrient requirements increase with cold weather; he needs more calories to generate heat to keep warm. Mature horses in good condition usually don’t need grain, however, if they have good winter pasture or grass hay.
During winter the horse needs additional forage to create more body heat, clean unfrozen water, and some kind of shelter or windbreak. In some climates he may need blanketing if his winter hair coat is inadequate.
Come the days of long shadows, when the sun lies low in the sky, jeweled leaves crumble and fade away, and the wind’s crispness hints of the cold, gray days on the way. The pasture dies down. It’s time to start getting extra fuel into your
If you live where you have changing seasons, winter is a challenge. While you might be partial to winter weather and the recreational pleasures it provides, you probably also appreciate the many problems it creates for you at the
The Polytrack experiment at Turfway Park was deemed a success–especially for safety reasons–at the conclusion of the 22-day summer/fall meet, though the Northern Kentucky racetrack expects to get a more accurate picture of the synthetic surfac
Most outdoor horses are better off without blankets, but a blanket can help keep a horse comfortable when trailering, during a severe winter storm, or when a horse is sick and having trouble staying warm.
A horse’s nutrient requirements increase with cold weather; he needs more calories to generate heat to keep warm.
Give your horse longer warm-up and cooling-out time in cold weather to prevent tendon injury. Frozen ground, cold temperatures, and stiff tendons (not warmed up) can result in damage or even a bowed tendon.
Some of the skin problems that can plague a horse in winter are ringworm, lice, and mites.
Summer might still be going strong where you are, but we all know that sooner or later winter will be on its way, bringing shorter days, colder temperatures, and in many regions, snow and ice. For horse owners, winter is a true test of one’s
Have you heard of horses getting colic from frozen sweet feeds?
It is well-accepted that the foal losses and other problems seen in several states in the spring of 2001 were triggered by environmental factors, meaning weather. Farmers and livestock managers have known for years that weather conditions affect the
How can you tell if you horse has frostbite, and what should you do if your horse has frostbite?
It will be late January when you receive this issue of the magazine. Winter already has been tough on many of us, and on our horses.
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