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As the days grow shorter and the temperatures start to drop, it’s time for horse owners to start thinking about how to best care for their equine friends through the winter months. With the right preparation and proactive steps, you can help ensure your horse stays healthy, comfortable and thriving all season long.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll share five essential cold weather horse care tips straight from the experts at Holistic Horseworks.Whether you’re dealing with freezing temperatures, icy conditions or relentless mud, these strategies will help you keep your horse happy and healthy through even the harshest of winters.
As the temperatures start to dip, it’s important to pay close attention to your horse’s comfort and ability to stay warm. If a horse has to shiver to stay warm, they are burning extra calories just to maintain their body heat.
This can be especially problematic during the winter months when hay and grain prices are already high. By providing a blanket for your horse at night when temperatures drop below 45 degrees, you can help them conserve that precious energy.
Of course, the ability to blanket at night may depend on your specific situation. Some horse owners who board their horses or have multiple pens may find it challenging to put blankets on and take them off each day. In those cases, investing in an automatic, heated water trough may be a better solution.
The key is to monitor your local temperatures and your horse’s behavior closely. If you notice shivering or other signs they are struggling to stay warm, a lightweight blanket at night could make a big difference in their overall health and comfort through the winter months.
Another critical component of cold weather horse care is making sure your equine friend has access to unfrozen, lukewarm water at all times. Not only is this physically uncomfortable for the horse, but drinking ice cold water can actually discourage them from drinking enough. Horses that don’t consume adequate water are at higher risk of impaction colic, as the lack of hydration causes the digestive system to slow down.
But it can be a real hassle to constantly break through ice that forms on top of water troughs, especially if you have multiple pens to maintain. To combat this issue, try investing in some type of automatic, heated water trough. This will keep the water temperature around 45-50 degrees, making it much more palatable for your horse. You can also try adding a bit of salt or electrolytes to their water, which can further encourage drinking.
For those times when you can’t provide heated water, offering a warm mash can be helpful. The warm, wet feed will help increase your horse’s overall hydration levels. Just be sure to monitor their water intake closely during the winter months.
In addition to ensuring access to lukewarm water, I like to offer my horses a warm mash as part of their winter feeding routine. This can be an effective way to get more fluids into their system, especially if they are reluctant to drink enough on their own.
One of my favorite recipes is mixing a warm mash with ingredients like shredded beet pulp, timothy hay pellets, and a bit of an electrolyte supplement like Dynamite Dynaspark. The warm temperature and added electrolytes can help stimulate thirst and keep the digestive system functioning properly.
For older horses or those prone to impaction colic, you can even try adding a small amount of Epsom salt or sea salt to the mash. This can help draw more water into the intestines and prevent blockages. Feeding a warm, hydrating mash a few times per week, especially before any strenuous exercise, can be a game-changer for your horse’s winter health and comfort. Just be mindful not to let the mash freeze before they can consume it.
While keeping horses warm and hydrated is essential during the winter months, it’s also important to maintain hoof health, even in the face of challenging, wet, and muddy conditions.
I’ve seen horses’ hooves just rotting away due to constant exposure to unsanitary, moisture-laden environments. To combat this in the past, I’ve resorted to using a diluted bleach solution to help kill off harmful bacteria and thrush. Around 1 teaspoon, into a 16 oz water bottle as a makeshift hoof treatment solution. However, now I would use a more natural solution, my Hoof, Hand, and Ting Miracle Spray.
For horse owners facing similar muddy situations, I suggest being extra diligent about regular hoof picking and cleaning so you don’t get to that point. You may also want to consider using a topical hoof treatment or ointment to help protect the delicate frog and prevent further deterioration. The Hoof, Hand, and Ting Miracle Spray is also great for this.
Neglecting hoof care can quickly lead to lameness, infections, and other serious issues. So be sure to make this a top priority, even when the weather makes it an unpleasant chore.
It’s important to keep horses horses active and moving during the winter, especially older horses. As horses age, they can become stiffer and less inclined to get up and move around as much.
However, maintaining that circulation and movement is crucial for their overall health and well-being. The “frog pump,” or the natural pumping action that occurs when a horse walks, helps move toxins out of the legs and keep the blood flowing.
To encourage horses to stay mobile, here are a few strategies:
– Provide a warm, comfortable place for them to rest that is off the cold, wet ground
– Incorporate light exercise and movement into their daily routine, even if it’s just walking around their stall or small paddock. You could also try the horse yoga routine.
– Offer 
supplements or treatments that can help reduce joint stiffness and pain like Dynamite Free and Easy.
By making a conscious effort to keep horses active, you can help prevent circulation issues, muscle atrophy, and other problems that can arise from prolonged inactivity in the winter months.
As the temperatures start to drop and winter approaches, it’s important to take proactive steps to ensure your horse stays healthy, comfortable and thriving through the colder months. By following the five key tips outlined in this article – from blanketing at night to maintaining proper hoof care – you can help your equine friend conserve energy, avoid dangerous health issues like colic, and generally weather the winter season with ease. Remember, every horse is unique, so be sure to monitor your individual animal’s needs and adjust your care routine accordingly. What works for one horse may not be the best solution for another. With a little extra time and attention, you can help set your horse up for a safe, healthy and comfortable winter.
Equine Musculoskeletal Unwinding is our Level 1 program that will get you off to a great start with horse care! Along with many physically supportive techniques, this course goes over balancing chakras and aligning acupressure meridians, along with techniques in “listening” so that you can finally hear what it is your horse has been trying to tell you!
Horse 101: Everything You Wish You Had Known Before You Got Your First Horse
DISCLAIMER: This is not intended to be a substitute for professional veterinarian advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your veterinarian with any questions you may have regarding the medical condition of your pet, and always consult them in the case of an emergency.
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