Winter Horse Care Tips

The cold winter months can be tough on any animal, even horses housed inside a sturdy stable. It’s important to make sure your horse is properly cared for, as the lower temperatures can affect their immunity system, and the weather conditions will most certainly mean less chance for exercise than in warmer times of the year. The suggestions below will help ensure your horse will stay healthy and be ready to ride when that first great day of spring arrives.

Food

Because horses don’t hibernate, they’ll need to be fed during the colder, less active months. Talk to your veterinarian to determine the proper diet with adequate fiber, because digesting fiber helps keep a horse warm. Be sure you stick to the diet, because overeating, combined with less activity, can lead to serious health problems.

Water

Hydration is essential all year round to prevent colic and other intestinal issues, so make sure your horse’s water is at an adequate temperature for drinking. Use a heated feeder or a de-icer to make sure the water doesn’t get too cold or frozen. The reasons are simple: If it’s too cold, your horse won’t want to drink it, and if it’s frozen, your horse won’t be able to drink it. A salt block will also encourage your horse to drink more water.

Grooming

A horse has natural insulation, thanks to its coat and a layer of fat beneath the skin. Therefore it’s important to properly groom your horse so that the coat can do its work. Pay extra attention to the hooves during the colder months as well; besides actively growing, constant contact with frozen ground and other terrain can do their share of harm. Pick the hooves regularly to remove dirt, mud, and ice chunks that can accumulate.

Blankets

A horse’s built-in insulators can only do so much to keep the body and muscles warm. Turnout blankets and sheets are also important year-round, so make sure you have a wide variety of well-maintained blankets in different weights on hand to suit different temperatures and conditions. Keep in mind, also, that not all blankets are waterproof, which is key if your horse isn’t inside a watertight shelter.

So even if you can’t ride as much as you like when it gets cold, between feeding, watering, and grooming, you can still spend plenty of time bonding with your horse. And that will make that first ride all the more enjoyable.