Caring For Your Horses in Winter Time
Winter brings with it the difficulty of cold temperatures, wet weather, and depending on where you live in Australia, even ice and snow. This can all prove challenging to many horse owners, so be sure to maintain a happy, healthy horse in the winter by following these winter care guidelines.
-Make water readily available and attractive.
Horses drink less in the winter, and this can cause intestinal and nutritional problems. Make sure that your horse always has ice-free water available for drinking. You can buy a small tank heater to keep the water from icing. Keep a hose in the garage where it will not freeze to make the daily chore of watering easier.
-Help your horse gain and keep some extra winter weight.
Horses need additional body mass in the winter because they use a lot of extra energy to keep themselves warm. In the late summer and early autumn, begin to build your horse’s weight by adding an extra 5% to their mid-summer body mass.
If temperatures drop below freezing at night, feed your horse extra rations of hay. For each 10 degrees below freezing, add 10% more hay to your horse’s diet.
To ensure that your horse is maintaining a healthy weight, regularly check the horse’s ribs with your fingers. Don’t be fooled by a fluffy winter coat, which makes even a sickly horse look bulky and plush in the winter. If you’re looking at horses for sale in the winter, be particularly careful about this.
-Keep your horse warm and safe from the elements.
Horses need some form of shelter in the winter months. It need not be fancy: a lean-to or three-sided stall that blocks the wind will work fine. Make certain that the sheltered area stays dry and free of waste.
A horse will naturally grow a winter coat that provides optimal warmth and protection. As your horse begins to grow this coat in autumn, do not trim it. When winter sets in, resist the urge to over-groom your horse. The hairs on a horse’s body stand up because of natural oils, and form a mat which traps in heat and provides warmth. Too much combing can thin these hairs and remove essential oils.
If your horse is exposed to high winds, wetness, or coldness that is more severe than usual, you may want to use a blanket. If so, groom your horse daily to prevent the blanket from causing damage and infection. A water-resistant blanket keeps your horse from being perpetually damp.
-Protect your horse’s feet.
In cold or icy conditions, horses need trimmed hooves to avoid slipping and sliding. You’ll also want to pull any compacted snow and ice out from the horse’s hooves on a regular basis.
Fussing with icy buckets, adjusted feeding plans, and wet shelters can be difficult, but properly caring for your horse through the winter results in a healthy horse that is ready for your first spring ride.
If you’re passionate about horses and are looking to give horses a great new home, you can search for ponies for sale online at HorseZone.
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