Winter is here! Regardless of what the calendar says, we have snow on the ground, frozen water and nasty icy patches lurking in the shadows!
Equine management in the winter brings its own set of challenges but proper preparation and planning can make the tasks easier.
One of the questions facing horse owners is whether or not to blanket your horse. In my case, my horses live outside all the time with lots of area to roam about. I do not blanket unless the conditions deteriorate to the point where the horses cannot maintain their own body heat. This can happen with heavy, wet snow followed by freezing temperatures – once their skin gets cold and wet, it becomes difficult to maintain their body temperature. If it is cold and the snow accumulates on their backs without melting and their skin still feels warm underneath, no blankets are required. I will dry them off, put an absorbent fleece blanket on covered by a waterproof, insulated blanket. Once conditions improve – the blankets come off. Sometimes well meaning owners are too quick to rush out and blanket their outdoor horses thus interfering with the way the horse manages its own comfort. Flattening out the insulating hair reduces the horses’ ability to keep warm. Incorrectly fitted blankets with poorly maintained straps can actually be hazardous to the well being of the horse. Putting a blanket on for days without checking it on a horse living outdoors roaming about can be a recipe for disaster – on more than one occasion I have seen horses out in the field with dangling straps, blankets askew or blankets hanging in shreds.
Another owner decision is what to feed your horse in the winter. In the accompanying photo, Kipper is looking for his next meal to be served! My horses get all the hay they need morning and night with a mid-day snack of vitamins and minerals mixed in with a small amount of complete feed. The horses can roam about during the day scrounging in the pasture – keeps them active and healthy but feeding hay insures they get their required nutrition. There is lots of entertainment out there in the field – last week we had a large moose hanging about and we always have quite a few deer dashing about! The social interaction within the horse herd is also fun to watch for me!
Water is important during the winter. Eating snow is not an adequate supply of water for horses – they need a source of clean water. My horses have access to automatic horse waterers but those waterers need to be closely monitored during the winter to insure nothing critical freezes. If you don’t have waterers, there are other options such as heated buckets or heaters in water tanks.
So get on out there and enjoy the winter season with your equines – I will be getting my sleigh ready to go dashing through the snow!
