Winter Horse Care Tips - In Three Parts
Posted by Kelly Bridges on Mon, Feb 22, 2010 @ 12:18 PM
Part 2: Feeding & Watering
Before the cold weather really sets in, you should make sure to get your horse a dental checkup - horses need to chew well to get all the nutrients out of their food especially in the winter. Eating and digesting is part of what keeps horses warm in winter, especially if they are outside. Food is energy and energy creates warmth so keep hay available 24/7 to help your horses maintain their warmth from digesting. If your horses are in stalls rather than outside and you choose to use hay nets, be sure to keep them low so that the hay dust isn't a problem for your horse's respiratory system.
Remember, winter coats can hide ribs so keep an eye on your horses - increase feed immediately if you start to see weight loss - increase hay portion not grain - timothy hay, orchard grass and long stem hay are great for keeping the gut working, generating heat and keeping weight on. It is much harder for horses to gain weight in winter so, try to maintain their weight with an abundance of hay all season. Also, keep an eye on pasture mates as some can get possessive of their food and won't let others eat - make sure that each horse has their fair share of the available food.
Keep water always available in stalls and in the pasture. When horses don't or can't drink enough, they can have problems with impaction colic and other concerns. To help with keeping outside water troughs from freezing, put a large ball in it (like a soccer ball or basket ball). This will help to easily break up any thin layer of ice that might build up when the horse pushes the ball to get a drink. Experience shows that rubber water troughs are tough and won't crack easily like inexpensive plastic ones so you can easily break up frozen water and refill. Be careful of frozen water buckets in stalls, check them often and refill with fresh water as needed. If your horse isn't consuming enough water, to help work the hay they have eaten, put a salt block out where they can easily access it and this will help keep up their water consumption.
Part 3 will cover Hoof Care / Blanketing / Bathing so be sure to check back.