Preparing your horse for winter

As the weather turns cold, it is easy to become relaxed in our horses’ daily care
since they are not being used as often. Horses require as much or even more
care and attention throughout the winter.

Colder temperatures, wind and wet conditions cause a higher demand on the horse’s body
for heat production. The amount of body condition a horse loses depends on the
severity of the environmental changes and the amount of energy the horse uses
to maintain temperature. All warm-blooded animals have a “critical temperature”.

This is the temperature below which the
animal must produce heat to maintain normal body temperature. The
body does little to regulate heat generation and heat loss when the
environmental temperatures are within ranges of the animal’s comfort zone or
the “thermal neutral zone.” As environmental temperatures fall below the
minimal temperature of the comfort zone or “critical temperature,” heat
production is increased by the body by speeding up chemical reactions which
produce heat.

Mature horses with a average Body Condition
Score have a critical temperature around 30° F during early winter. After
developing a heavy winter coat and gaining 100 pounds, the critical temperature
can drop to 20° F. Younger horses, geriatric horses, horses in lower body
condition and those that have not developed a winter coat, often have a
critical temperature around 40° F.

If wet or windy conditions are present, the
critical temperatures will also be higher. In order to produce extra body heat,
an increase in feed energy is required. Horses will require an estimated 15 -
20% more calories for each 10° F the ambient temperature falls below critical
temperature. Horses that go into winter with a lower body condition and horses
with short hair may need even greater increases in dietary intake to maintain
normal body temperature.

It is important that horses come into winter
carrying enough body condition. The additional body fat serves as insulation
and energy reserves in times when the thermometer dips below the critical
temperature. Once cold weather sets in, it is difficult to put weight on
horses. Thin horses get colder and use so much energy trying to stay warm,
there often aren’t enough calories left for weight gain. Young horses and
broodmares in late gestation, may not be able to consume enough of a high fiber
diet, such as hay, due to restrictions in digestive system capacity.

These horses must have access to good
quality, highly digestible feeds in order to meet the additional energy requirements
due to cold weather and higher production levels.

Estimates
for the lower critical temperatures for horses are given in Table I.

A horse with a heavy winter hair coat has an estimated critical temperature of 30 degrees
F (Table I). If the wind chill is 20 degrees F, the horse would have an
increased energy requirement of 10 percent or 2,000 Kcal/day and should consume
approximately two additional lb of hay per day (Table II). This 1,000 lb
horse should already be consuming approximately 15 lb of hay per day, and now
should consume 17 lb of hay to avoid any loss of body condition. Wet weather
combined with wind greatly increases a horse’s energy needs (Table III).
A horse in 32 degree F weather, without shelter and subjected to rain and 10 to
15 mph wind, would need to consume an additional 10,000 to 14,000 Kcal/day or a
total of at least 25 lb of hay!! Some horses would not be able to consume this
volume of feed in hay alone.

An increase in hay in the diet is often a more desirable way to meet a horse’s
elevated energy requirements. Forages contain a higher fiber content than
grains. Fiber is digested through bacterial fermentation within the cecum and
large intestine. Much more heat is produced in bacterial fiber fermentation. This results in a greater amount of heat being
produced through the utilization of forages than utilization of grain. Thus, a
horse’s increased energy requirements are better met by providing horses all
the forage they will consume without waste.
In extreme weather, the horses simply cannot physically eat enough hay
to meet their increased energy requirements.
Therefore, horses maintained in extremely cold conditions for an
extended period, with minimal shelter will often need an additional increase in
their grain ration to meet their energy demands.

Preconditioning horses before the onset of cold temperatures helps to reduce the effect of cold
weather on nutritional needs. Fat cover acts as an insulator and provides
energy reserves during stress. It may be difficult for horses to increase body
condition during extremely cold weather. Additionally, during long bouts of
freezing temperatures, most horses will experience some loss of body condition,
no matter how well they are fed.

Monitoring water intake is another very
important consideration during winter weather. Mature horses in moderate
temperatures will normally drink from 5 – 8 gallons of water per day.
Increasing the amount of hay in the diet should cause the horse to increase water
consumption, up to 9 or 10 gallons of water with an all-hay diet. During cold
weather, water intake can decline dramatically. Increased hay intake combined
with decreased water intake leads to a mild dehydration which contributes to
the risk of impaction and colic. This is especially a problem when horses are
kept in stalls for several days due to inclement weather because confinement
tends to slow intestinal motility.

1) Try flavoring the water. You can use sugar free Kool-Aid packets. Try
several different flavors until you find the right one.

2) A few alfalfa cubes left to soak in water can encourage more water intake.

3) Experiment with water temperature. Some horses prefer water that is lukewarm
and will drink more from a heated bucket or trough.

4) If you use any sort of electrical water heater to avoid ice formation, make
sure it is properly grounded. Free voltage will drive horses away from the water.

5) Have a salt block or mineral block available.

6) Regular exercise can help with water intake and with increasing GI motility.

Blanketing
horses can be necessary for horses who are not allowed to grow a heavy winter
coat. A winter hair coat is a horse’s natural
defense from the cold. When allowed to grow, a horse’s natural hair coat acts
as a tremendous insulator and provides as much warmth as the best blankets.
Horses that are to be maintained outside should be allowed to grow a long hair
coat. Cold weather causes the hair to stand up, trapping and retaining body
heat.

Blanketing is necessary for horses that will be clipped or kept
under lights during the winter. If you
will be riding heavily during the winter months, you may have a difficult time
drying your horse after exercise if he has a long winter coat. People often choose to maintain a shorter
hair coat with supplemental blanketing. If you are going to blanket your horse,
you have to make a commitment to do it properly. Loose
straps or tears can be hazardous if your horse or another horse gets tangled up
in them. Poorly fitting winter blankets can severely
chafe or cut a horse’s skin. If winter blankets aren’t made of breathable
fabrics, the horse can sweat underneath and become uncomfortably wet. A wet
blanket is worse than no blanket. Also,
horses left blanketed when the weather turns mild will be uncomfortable.

A long fuzzy hair coat can also make it difficult to monitor a horse’s body condition.
The most accurate assessment of body condition is done through feeling the
condition over the horse’s ribs, plus visual inspection of overall condition.

Staying inside of a barn is not necessary for all horses, but some protection from the
winter elements is needed. Horses acclimate to winter conditions extremely well
but must be able to escape the bitter winds and wet weather. A small,
three-sided shed is sufficient shelter for pastured horses that have become
acclimated to the winter temperatures. The shelter will help them to minimize
the effects of strong winds and snow or ice. Horses who have access to shelter will
require less feed, can more easily maintain body weight and are less stressed.
These effects make the cost of sheds and windbreaks more attractive by reducing
feed bills and reducing stress-related illness.

Sheds should be located so they have adequate drainage. If horses are to be indoors
throughout the winter, stalls must be cleaned daily and the bedding kept dry.
Good ventilation is crucial. Damp stalls, ammonia buildup, and poor ventilation
all can lead to respiratory problems in horses.

Hoof care must be kept on schedule throughout the winter. Any horse to be maintained
outdoors should have its shoes removed. Shod feet can become ice packed,
increasing the chance for slipping on snow and ice. Hooves should be routinely
trimmed to prevent cracks and breakage, but some horses can go longer between trims
in the winter than in the summer. Care should be taken not to trim them too
closely to prevent bruised or sore feet from the frozen ground. Laminitis can
occur from trauma to the sole due to walking on rough, frozen ground. If hooves
are not maintained throughout the winter and allowed to break off, it may be
difficult to have the horse shod when spring comes.

Some horses need to wear shoes throughout the winter months. This includes horses that wear therapeutic
shoes due to a lameness or medical condition.
Some horses have such a poor
quality hoof way that they need to wear shoes year-round to simply keep their
feet from falling apart.

Maintain a relationship with an experienced farrier and ask for his help in
determining which type of winter hoof care is best for your horse.

Sanitation and management practices should be used to assist in controlling internal parasite
infections. All intestinal parasites use manure as the means of spreading the
infection. Transfer stages of these worm parasites do not actively seek the
host to complete the infection process. Instead, they rely on chance to be
picked up and swallowed.

A checklist of sanitation and management practices that have been found effective in reducing
numbers of parasites includes the following:

1. Proper manure
   disposal.

• Stable manure — compost before spreading on pasture, or
  spread on cropland and other ungrazed areas.
• Small corrals or paddocks — pick up all manure and compost
  or dispose as above.

1. Pasture management.

• Practice frequent mowing and chain harrowing.
• Avoid overstocking.

1. Rotate grazing as
   much as practicable.

• Graze young animals separate from older horses.
• Follow horses with cattle or sheep before returning to
  horses.

1. Feed.

• Provide mangers, racks or bunks for hay and grain.
• Do not feed off the ground.

1. Water

• Provide clean water supply.
• Avoid sources contaminated with feces.

1. Removal of bot eggs
   — clip egg bearing hairs or sponge affected areas with warm water.
2. Regular deworming
   of horses should be practiced under the supervision of a local veterinarian who
   is familiar with local geographic differences in parasites.

The best routine deworming program that could be used for any particular management system
should be designed around individual client/horse requirements and may differ
depending on the number of horses on a pasture, amount of time spent at pasture
compared with time spent in a stable, availability of alternative pastures (for
rotational grazing), age, etc. Your veterinarian’s services can include a
microscopic examination of fecal samples for an indication of the kinds and
relative numbers of worm parasites in your horses. This, along with other
information such as numbers and ages of animals, type and amount of pasture,
provided the veterinarian with a rational basis for the selection of drugs and
frequency of treatments for the particular situation.