How you decide when to blanket—or not blanket—your horse can depend on many factors, including climate, coat length, access to shelter, his individual internal thermostat, health, age, and weight.

Understanding A Horse’s Coat

You’ve probably noticed that blanketing can be a controversial topic.

“Everybody has an opinion, but nobody seemed to have the science to back it up,” says Michelle DeBoer, Ph.D., an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin River Falls with a research interest in horse blanketing. She began her research with the goal of improving horse welfare and reducing stress for owners making blanketing decisions.

To understand how to blanket horses, we must understand how their natural coats work. According to DeBoer, a horse’s coat provides warmth using piloerection. Piloerection, which occurs in many kinds of animals, works when the hair stands up on end. When you see your horse’s coat “puff up,” it is actually creating air pockets underneath the hair follicles, which traps warmth.

Weather conditions may impact your horse’s ability to fluff up. For example, a wet coat cannot use piloerection, which creates a risk that your horse can become cold. According to the website for Mid-Rivers Equine Centre in Wentzville, Mo., snow can often be kept at bay by a thick coat. Heat can stay trapped within, resulting in snow simply sitting on top of the coat.

If the snow begins to melt, it may indicate that your horse’s coat is not insulating properly. On the other hand, heavy rain that breaks through the top layer of a horse’s coat and soaks down to the skin poses a risk in cold weather.

“Flattening the Coat”

Many owners are concerned about blanketing because they fear it may damage a horse’s natural coat and insulating ability.

A blanket should not have a significant negative impact on the natural coat’s insulation. According to Fernando Camargo, DVM, Ph.D., an associate professor at the University of Kentucky and Sarah Coleman, executive director of the Kentucky Horse Council, there is no research that indicates that putting a blanket on a horse will make them colder by flattening their coat.

If you’re concerned that blanketing today means your horse will need to be blanketed more in the future, there is little need for concern, according to DeBoer. It takes approximately five to 12 weeks to see a change in a horse’s coat due to blanketing, and the changes don’t seem to have long-term effects.

In other words, if you decide to blanket one winter, it does not doom you to blanket the same way next year and beyond.

Thermoneutral Zone

At what temperature should you start blanketing? This depends on the individual equine and weather conditions. However, DeBoer states that horses have a “thermoneutral” zone where they don’t use any extra energy to stay warm (or cool).

This temperature varies greatly depending on the horse’s climate. DeBoer says that horses adjusted to colder areas don’t start burning additional calories until it is 5 to 18 degrees Fahrenheit, while horses that are accustomed to warmer regions need to produce extra heat at around 41 degrees Fahrenheit. If wet, horses begin producing extra heat at around 59 degrees.

Similarly, Rutgers University’s Netti R. Liburt, Ph.D., and equine extension specialist Carey Williams, Ph.D., state that 59 degrees Fahrenheit is also the approximate bottom of the thermoneutral zone for a body-clipped horse or one with a summer coat.

Weight and Health

A heavier horse has a bigger insulating layer of fat, which will keep him warmer when the temperatures drop. An underweight horse, on the other hand, may feel colder sooner than other horses in the same weather conditions.

An overweight or healthy weight horse could perhaps stand to burn some of the extra calories it takes to stay warm in cold conditions, while a horse that is underweight, a hard keeper, or in poor health may not be able to spare the same calories.    

Hay Use

A horse’s digestive system creates significant amounts of heat while breaking down fiber in the hindgut, kind of like an internal wood stove, so forage is an important part of keeping a horse warm.

According to DeBoer, this also means that blanketing can help reduce hay use during the winter. In her study on horse’s dry matter intake and condition, she found that “blanketed horses had a reduced hay intake compared to non-blanketed horses.”

If barns and owners are experiencing a winter hay shortage, or don’t have good access to places to put lots of forage in their fields, this may be an option to consider. It also can be important for horses who are stalled overnight, and therefore may go longer periods without forage.

Shivering and Ear Check

Sometimes an owner may worry that they can’t tell if their horse is too cold. DeBoer says that shivering is her No. 1 way to check.

“If a horse is shivering, he is too cold,” she says. “While they can shiver for short periods of time and be OK, if they are required to shiver for a long period of time as a way to stay warm, it can lead to weight loss and health problems for the horse. I most often see shivering when it is wet and windy.”

DeBoer also suggests that a more subjective way of gauging your horse’s temperature is checking the base of his ears.

“This can be an indicator of your horse’s condition, as a cold horse will reduce blood flow to extremities in an attempt to conserve heat by keeping the majority of blood within the core of the animal,” she says.

DeBoer notes, however, that this is not an “end-all, be-all” method.

All of these factors can feel like a lot to consider, so it’s important to observe your horse for yourself. Is his weight dropping, is he shivering, or is he sweating and hot in his blanket? When it rains, does his undercoat remain dry, or is he immediately soaked through?

When you take the time to observe your horse, you will eventually develop an idea of how he reacts to different weather conditions.

“If you choose to blanket, you need to be more vigilant in managing your horse, but if you don’t, you want to make sure he has the resources to stay warm on his own, primarily adequate or extra hay and a shelter,” says DeBoer.

Blanket Away! (Mindfully)

Blankets are useful tools, and you may use them for a variety of reasons. In real-world situations, it may not be possible to constantly micromanage your horse’s warmth. Most unclipped horses that are a healthy weight can manage winter on their own, especially with good shelter access.

Throwing a heavy blanket on a horse and then leaving it on when the temperature rises again could potentially be just as harmful as a horse being cold.

“When we over-blanket, it can trap too much heat underneath the blanket,” says DeBoer. “Besides the obvious concern of making the horse uncomfortable, if he gets so warm he begins to sweat, this can create an environment that fosters skin infections or rain rot.”

When blanketing, always consider when you will next be able to check on your horse and switch his blankets. Consider your resources and time when deciding how to blanket.

Further Reading
◆ Best Horse Blanketing Practices
◆ Feeding Your Horse in the Winter
◆ Winter Horse Care FAQs
◆ Keeping a Horse Blanket Clean

This article about the science behind blanketing horses appeared in the November/December 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post The Science Behind Blanketing Horses appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Ignoring any part of a horse’s nutrient intake can threaten digestive health, immune system support and overall wellness, but a lack of water for even a short amount of time will quickly lead to significant health risks.  

With water intake, however, it’s not just about drinking. A horse’s hydration needs will vary according to diet, nutrition needs and performance demands. 

“The right nutritional balance starts with high-quality hay and pasture. That essential fiber supports proper digestive function and sustains hydration and electrolytes that a horse needs, especially a performance horse,” said Kristyn Sturken, Sentinel® Product Manager. 

Though using diet to influence hydration starts with hay and forage, it doesn’t end there. The type of feed you provide can also positively impact your performance horse’s water intake. 

Guidance for Keeping a Horse Hydrated 

Simply giving access to water does not guarantee a horse will drink enough. Water taste, smell and temperature all affect a horse’s desire to drink, and diet must also be considered. For example, a horse that is eating a lot of pasture, with a high moisture content, may drink less than if he’s consuming primarily hay, which is drier and could induce thirst. 

With that in mind, here are some tips for making sure a horse stays properly hydrated: 

• Offer water: Encouraging a horse to drink can help stimulate thirst. 

• Monitor sweat loss: High temperatures, humidity and intense exercise make a horse sweat, which might require adjusting electrolyte supplementation to offset what’s been lost. 

• • • A horse that is sweating normally will have a lightly moist, shiny coat, particularly under the saddle. 

• • • Sweat will spread to the neck, chest and legs in a horse that is exercising harder. 

• Supplement with electrolytes: Giving a horse a well-balanced electrolyte supplement can help replenish minerals lost during exercise. 

• Forage: Forage provides a significant source of potassium, which can help horses maintain water balance.  

Additionally, it’s essential to know the signs of dehydration. While fatigue, illness or reduced performance are worrying, if dehydration is not tended to promptly, it could result in grave health issues. 

Look for these signs of dehydration and take action immediately if found:

• Elevated heart rate or pulse exceeding 40 beats per minute  

• Changes in gum color or loss of moisture on the gums 

• Loss of skin elasticity; pinch along the neck in front of the shoulder to test—it should retract without delay 

Helping a Horse by Soaking Extruded Feed 

Extruded feed is different from pelleted feed; it is pressure cooked with moisture, which produces light, airy nuggets that encourage more chewing and, subsequently, more saliva production. Slower chewing and increased saliva production help maintain the precise nutrient balance healthy horses require and can support hydration. 

In addition to easy digestibility making nutrients more accessible to the horse, extruded feeds can be easily soaked and prepared as a mash. This can be done much quicker than it takes to soak pellets and can provide extra hydration in horses who are not drinking enough water, which can also help prevent choke. 

Getting a horse to drink more water may help prevent certain digestive upsets associated with high-stress, high-intensity conditions performance horses might experience. 

High-Quality H2O and Electrolytes 

Performance horses are particularly susceptible to electrolyte imbalances because of significant fluid losses from sweat. Electrolytes are minerals that, when dissolved in water, are vital for a multitude of bodily functions, including nerve transmission, muscle contraction and fluid balance.  

Competitive horses face an increased risk of fatigue, reduced muscle efficiency and worsened nerve function if their electrolytes are not replenished. In severe cases, serious health complications can arise. 

Key electrolytes and their function: 

• Sodium (Na): Regulates fluid balance and is essential for nerve impulse transmission. 

• Chloride (Cl): Works alongside sodium to maintain fluid balance and is a component of stomach acid, aiding digestion. 

• Potassium (K): Crucial for muscle function and helps maintain the body’s acid-base balance. 

• Calcium (Ca²): Necessary for muscle contractions, nerve function and blood clotting. 

• Magnesium (Mg²): Involved in muscle relaxation and energy production. 

Supplementing Electrolyte Intake 

You can buy supplements to help restore your horse’s electrolyte balance. These are available as additives for your horse’s water, or even as an oral gel or paste. When using, always follow the label instructions. 

Providing salt is another way to help maintain electrolyte balance. In addition to acting like an electrolyte, salt can also stimulate thirst and encourage a horse to drink more water. 

Whichever method you choose, your horse needs free access to water. Electrolytes can encourage your horse to drink water. 

Also keep in mind that some horses do not like water with additives in it, so when adding electrolytes to their drinking supply, make sure to have a separate, fresh water source available. 

Keep a Horse Hydrated for His Health and Wellness 

A horse must stay well-hydrated to maintain proper nutrient balance and support his diet, workload and lifestyle needs. It’s important to recognize the signs of dehydration and understand what behaviors and conditions increase the risk. There are many effective strategies to help keep your horse hydrated. By actively managing your horse’s water intake, you can help prevent serious health issues and ensure they stay healthy, comfortable and performing at their best.  

This article is a web exclusive for Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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When you’re training toward a goal, consistency is important, but be mindful when you ride to avoid overheating—or worse. For practical advice on summer riding, we turned to veterinarians in two hot—but very different—regions, the Southeast and Southwest.

Hot and Dry

Summer temps in the desert Southwest can easily climb to 120° Fahrenheit, so riding between mid-morning and late afternoon is strongly discouraged.

“Ride early and be done by 10 a.m. or break it into two sessions,” advises Christine Staten, DVM, a large animal veterinarian and owner of Adobe Veterinary Center in Tucson, Ariz. “[You can] ride early in the morning and late in the day, instead of one long session.”

In addition to shorter rides, don’t hesitate to head for the shade for quick breaks.

“In dry environments, just getting under shade can reduce the temperature by 20 degrees,” she notes.

“This advice is as much for riders as it is for horses,” says Staten. “We see more heatstroke in riders in the middle of a hot day than in horses. Every year in Tucson, we have people die from heatstroke on the trail.”

Hot and Humid

Heat and humidity alone can be challenging for horses. Add exercise to the equation and health risks increase.

“The coastal humidity in Florida multiplies the heat index substantially because it reduces the body’s ability to dissipate heat through evaporation or sweating,” explains Caitlyn Henderson, DVM, of Peterson Smith Equine Hospital in Ocala, one of Florida’s largest equine clinics. “It’s akin to trying to breathe and cool yourself from under a hot, wet blanket.”

In addition to not riding during midday, Henderson always advises having a shaded area where horse and rider can take short breaks. Keep buckets of cool water available so the horse can drink. When humidity climbs, it helps to add a misting fan if the area has access to electricity.

Quick Math

For a simple assessment on riding safety, add the air temperature to the humidity percentage.

When the combined total is under 130, a healthy horse can effectively cool himself. When the combined total is between 130 to 150, the horse’s ability to cool himself is decreased.

If the combined total is over 150, this ability is greatly reduced. Once the combined total is over 180, conditions can be life threatening for any horse under physical stress.

A good rule of thumb is to avoid riding if the air temperature and humidity combined total over 150.

Horses at Risk of Overheating

Certain horses are more vulnerable to overheating. These include:

• Old or very young
• Not acclimated to climate
• Out of condition
• Heavily-muscled, thicker body types
• Diagnosed with an endocrine disease, like PPID (Cushing’s disease)
• History of equine asthma
• Recovering from a recent respiratory challenge
• Diagnosed with anhidrosis (partial or total inability to sweat)

“If your horse shows any signs of heat stress, have your veterinarian evaluate him to determine if there are underlying issues,” says Staten. “If this is happening, there’s probably something going on that needs to be addressed so we can come up with a plan to remedy it.”

Acclimation

Whether you live in a hot, arid region or where it’s hot and humid, it’s critical that your horse be acclimated to those conditions before strenuous exercise.

After 25 years of equine practice in Tucson, Staten has never seen a healthy, acclimated horse have heatstroke. The problems she sees are in horses that have recently moved to the area or have an endocrine disease, like PPID, or have anhidrosis.

Staten finds the best season to move a horse to the desert Southwest is fall or winter, as this gives the most time to acclimate. If you move in spring, expect acclimation to take at least a couple of months.

“Dark-colored horses struggle more when trying to acclimate to our weather. If a horse is still shedding a winter coat in spring, that can make it rough on them,” she cautions.

“It’s recommended that human athletes take six weeks, minimum, to acclimate to a new climate, and no less than that should be afforded to our equine athletes,” says Henderson.

She finds it easier for horses to gradually acclimate to heat and humidity if they’re introduced to it in early spring, at latest.

Proceed with caution if you’ve just moved to an area where it’s significantly hotter and more humid than where your horse lived previously.

“I see a lot of riders who come here from New York and New Jersey and just want to ride, but to do this in the summer months is going to be more of a challenge,” says Henderson.

She recommends giving the horse a full week to recover from travel. Then return to light work under saddle, exercising at the coolest time of the day for at least six weeks as the horse acclimates.

She encourages riders to take it day by day, because some horses need more time than others to adjust.

Keep Horses Drinking When It’s Hot

Hydration is critical for horses in hot weather.

Electrolyte loss due to exercise or simply sweating can lead to metabolic stress and decrease the horse’s thirst response, which can result in dehydration and overheating.

In addition to access to salt (plain or trace mineral), horses may need electrolyte supplementation to replenish the sodium, potassium, calcium, and chloride lost through sweating and urination.

Henderson tells riders to prepare for summer temps by introducing electrolytes to the horse’s diet earlier in the year. The goal is to encourage water intake year-round, so horses are always well hydrated before exercising.

“If you’re at a show, offer water between classes,” says Staten. “If you’re on the trail and there’s a place to drink, let them. A horse should always be allowed to drink, even when he’s hot.”

Cool Down

Many people think the best way to cool a hot horse after exercise is just to walk him in the shade. However, research shows that the most efficient method is to continuously shower a stationary horse with cool (79° Fahrenheit) tap water. In a recent study, this method decreased the horse’s core temperature in an average of just two minutes.

“Focus water on the jugular vein and the large veins inside the legs,” says Staten, noting that this helps cool the horse’s core temperature.

Finish cooling out by slowly walking the horse until his respiratory rate and body temperature are normal. Movement helps remove lactic acid from the system and keeps muscles from tightening up.

Always allow the horse to drink during recovery. Research shows that horses voluntarily drink more within the first hour after exercise when water is about 68° Fahrenheit.

Offer half a gallon of water at a time throughout the cool-down process until the horse doesn’t want to drink any more. Make sure there is plenty of water in his stall/corral to drink after he’s totally cooled out.

Summer Travel

Any time you trailer during the summer, pick the coolest part of the day to travel. Increase air flow by opening all vents and windows, but for safety’s sake, do not let horses put their heads outside the trailer.

“Hot metal is like an oven, so get them out of the trailer as soon as you get where you’re going,” says Staten.

Common Sense

So, is it ever too hot to ride?

“If you think you are going to struggle to get through a ride due to the heat, so will your horse,” says Henderson. “If there’s ever a time you think it might just be too hot to ride, you’re probably right. Go with your gut feeling and take your horse’s health into consideration. It’s never wrong to delay a ride for a cooler time of day for the safety of your horse.”

This article about when it may be too hot to ride a horse appeared in the July 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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How Fly Spray Works

Although fly spray is a familiar product to horse owners, you may not have given much thought to how it works or what’s in the bottle.

“Fly repellents work by either repelling flies or killing them upon contact,” says Erika T. Machtinger, Ph.D., assistant professor of entomology at Pennsylvania State University in State College, Penn. “Repellents contain active ingredients that emit an odor or taste that flies find unpleasant and will try to avoid. Some fly repellents work by combining both repelling and killing properties. These repellents contain a combination of active ingredients that repel flies and contain insecticides that kill them upon contact.”

Active Ingredients

Most companies will list features and benefits on the front of the label, says Casey White, an entomologist and senior director of technical services and innovation for Central Life Sciences, Farnam’s research and development division.

“If it’s something that kills and repels, it’ll say ‘kills and repels’ or ‘insecticide and repellent.’ Often, it’ll call out major species of insects or arthropods, such as ticks, that the product is effective against.”

The small print is where you should pay attention to the listed ingredients, including the number and type of active ingredients and their percent concentration. The active ingredients are what give the product its killing and repelling power.

Active ingredients can be either natural or synthetic. Pyrethrins are a natural insecticide derived from the chrysanthemum flower. These offer knockdown benefits but break down quickly when exposed to sunlight. Pyrethroids are synthetic versions designed to have longer-lasting action; these include permethrin, cypermethrin, tetramethrin, and others.

Essential oils such as citronella, geraniol, eucalyptus, thyme, cedar oil, lemongrass, rosemary oil, and clove oil are natural options to repel insects. Fatty acids are another type of natural repellent, including octonoic, nonanoic, and decanoic acid.

Other ingredients include synergists, which work to amplify the active ingredients to provide greater killing power and/or longer-lasting protection. One of the most common is piperonyl butoxide (PBO). Others include butoxypolypropylene glycol and n-octyl bicycloheptene dicarboximide (MGK 264).

Comparing Products

Looking at the list of active ingredients and their percentages is one way to compare products and select the one that you think will work best for your needs.

“Formulas that use newer technology and a higher level of active ingredients cost more to make,” says Amy Cairy, vice president of marketing for W.F. Young, makers of Absorbine. For these reasons, you can expect many of the best-selling fly sprays to come with a higher price tag, she notes.

Along with comparing the levels of active ingredients, it’s also important to look at the recommended application rate, says White. A product may look like it’s half the concentration of a comparative product, but if you have to apply twice as much of it, he points out that you’re essentially applying the same amount of active ingredient—just in a more dilute form.

Fly Spray Formulation

In addition to the active ingredients, a product’s formulation is another difference to consider. Most fly sprays can be categorized as oil- or water-based, and there are pros and cons to each type.

Oil-based sprays have staying power, but can attract dirt and dust and may be irritating to horses with sensitive skin. If you see “contains petroleum distillate” on the list of ingredients, that’s the tipoff that it’s an oil-based spray.

Water-based sprays are non-irritating and less of a magnet for dust, but will likely need to be reapplied more frequently.

Many horse owners prefer all-natural formulas using essential oils and plant extracts as an alternative to chemical sprays.

Long-lasting sweat and water-resistant formulas contain ingredients that help the product stick to the hair shaft. These are designed to hold up well to rain and sweat under normal turnout and working conditions, says Cairy.

However, she notes that if you rinse your horse with a hose, sponge him off, or bathe him with shampoo, you are removing the product from the horse’s hair and should reapply the fly spray afterward.

Coat conditioners and sunscreen are other bonus ingredients you might find in a fly spray.

Choosing the Right Fly Spray

The right fly spray can depend on several factors.

“First, consider the type of flies that are prevalent in your area and choose a spray that targets those specific types of flies,” says Machtinger. “Next, consider your horse’s individual needs, such as any skin sensitivities or allergies. It’s also important to consider the spray’s effectiveness and how long it will last, and finally the ease of application and whether it requires dilution or not.”

The local climate and weather conditions, such as heat and humidity, as well as what you are doing with your horse also influence your choice of fly spray. You may want to have a few different kinds in your kit with different features and formulations. The fly spray you use right before you go in the show ring might be different than the one you’d use to turn your horse out in the field.

“For example, if you have a horse that is easily bothered by a wide variety of flies or is reactive to insect bites, you’ll want to find a long-lasting, broad-spectrum fly spray that both kills and repels insects,” says Cairy. “Or if you live where it’s hot and humid or have a horse that is prone to heavy sweating, you’ll want to reach for a fly spray that binds to the horse’s hair shaft and won’t sweat off.”

Not Enough

One of the biggest fly spray mistakes is simply user error. Either not applying enough, not using the product according to the directions, or selecting the wrong type of product for the insect species you are dealing with.

How do you know if you’re applying the recommended amount of fly spray? Cairy suggests counting sprays and measuring how many it takes to reach the recommended amount, then using that for future reference. (About 45 sprays is what she has found it takes to reach a typical 2-ounce application.)

Pest Resistance

If you find that your go-to fly spray doesn’t seem to be as effective, there may be a reason for that.

“In addition to the method of application, the effectiveness of these products can depend on the toxicity of the active ingredient to flies, and local pest resistance,” says Machtinger. “Flies can quickly develop a resistance to the active ingredients in many fly sprays (or already are resistant to them), reducing or in some cases eliminating their effectiveness.”

Pesky house flies are among the most affected by insecticide resistance. Fortunately, Machtinger reports, newer fly spray formulations using natural ingredients such as fatty acids and plant extracts have proven to be effective and longer-lasting in laboratory tests. The 2019 published study she led also suggests that formulation differences among pyrethroid products can significantly affect their efficacy.

“We do see some resistance to fly sprays, particularly permethrin,” says Cairy. “When horse owners start thinking, ‘My fly spray isn’t working the way it used to,’ we recommend that they rotate to one with a different formulation.”

When rotating products, look for something with an active ingredient that works differently than what you have been using, such as a different chemical class, advises White.

“Many of the on-animal sprays have the same mode of action, which makes incorporating other fly management tools even more important.”

Other Fly Management

There are many other things horse owners can do to help keep fly populations down, including good sanitation and manure management, and taking steps to eliminate fly breeding habitats and disrupt their life cycle.

“Scatterbaits, fly traps, feed-through larvicidal products and larvicides applied directly to fly development areas are other options that should be incorporated into a good integrated pest management (IPM) program,” says White.

It might seem like a fly is just a fly, but it’s important to try to identify what fly species you are dealing with, because they aren’t all created equal when it comes to fly control.

“To prevent flies on horses, it’s important to first understand which species of fly is the pest,” says Machtinger. “Each species will have different methods of control that are effective.”

She emphasizes the need to use a variety of tools in combination, such as good stable management and hygiene, fly masks and sheets, and species-specific fly traps.

Flies are a nuisance, but armed with the right knowledge and tools, it’s possible to fight back.

Further Reading
◆ Hoof Problems Caused by Fly Stomping
◆ Flies, Worms and Yucky Things
◆ Using Parasitoids for Fly Control
◆ Understanding Fly Spray Labels

This article about fly spray appeared in the July 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Fly Spray 101 appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

“There’s a high caloric demand on the horse’s body to stay warm,” says Dr. Abby Geick, an equine veterinarian with New England Equine Medical & Surgical Center in New Hampshire. “Sometimes their previous feeding regime just can’t keep up, and that’s when you start to see some ribs or muscle loss, or they blow their winter coats.”

One of Geick’s go-to solutions is Sentinel Extruded Horse Feed. She says it’s a great option for many horses because of the fat and fiber content, and the extruded nuggets can easily be soaked and made into a mash, if needed. Horses tend to like it, and it takes them longer to eat, which provides additional digestive benefits, she explains.

The Importance of Forage

The foundation of any horse’s diet should always be good-quality forage, which provides the necessary fiber to keep your horse’s digestive system working properly. A typical 1,000-pound horse usually consumes about 20 pounds of hay per day, but in colder weather that amount may rise to 25-30 pounds.

“Fiber digestion is key to keeping a horse warm,” says Dr. Randel Raub, Director of Research and Nutrition for Sentinel Horse Nutrition. “When horses digest fiber, they produce body heat.”

Bran Mash: A Warm Winter Treat

Bran mashes are a good option if you’re trying to increase water intake, especially during the winter. Another great way to increase water intake is to make a mash out of your horse’s regular meal. Sentinel’s extruded formulas can be very easily turned into a mash to ensure a horse gets adequate water without mineral imbalances.

Water and Salt Prevent Dehydration

As temperatures drop, water consumption can decrease, so it’s vital that horses always have access to fresh water that’s not too cold. Offering a trace mineral salt block or supplementing your horse’s feed can encourage water consumption, lowering the risk of health concerns like colic.

“Horses need to drink plenty of water to keep their digestive system running smoothly,” Raub notes. “You should check your horse’s water sources at least twice per day to ensure they’re not frozen, and using an insulated trough and tank heater is a great option to keep water accessible.”

Winter Riding Care

While proper nutrition is the cornerstone of winter horse care, paying attention to other factors, like exercise, shelter, ice and mud management, are also important.

If you ride or work your horse in winter, plan for more care time both before and after rides. Bits should be warmed before you put them in your horse’s mouth. Wait until it’s no longer cold to the touch before asking your horse to accept it.

Horses that sweat during winter rides need to be dried out completely. A thick winter coat can hold moisture for a long time, and drying can take a while. Horses can be dried by rubbing with a towel, feeding hay or keeping the horse under cover and applying a water-wicking cooler. Once the horse is dry, fluff up their hair before turning out, which will aid the insulating effectiveness of their coat.

Shelter Is Integral

Horses also need shelter from the elements. Trees and low places act as a natural wind barrier and can provide some protection from precipitation. A three-sided shelter provides the best protection from winter weather. It’s also important to ensure the shelter offers adequate space for your animals, allowing for their natural behavior and accommodating their hierarchy so that even the lowest horse in the pecking order has access to shelter.

“Mud is inevitable around feeders, waterers and gates, but with enough space, your horse can usually move to drier areas,” Raub says. “To manage this, I recommend using durable rocks that can handle heavy traffic and improve drainage. It’s a simple way to reduce mud and prevent erosion in high-use areas.”

Horses and other livestock can become mired in especially muddy areas. Check your horse’s legs regularly for mud or ice buildup and monitor hooves to ensure they’re free of ice that could cause slipping.

Many horse owners choose to blanket their horses during the winter months. A horse living outside that doesn’t grow a thick winter coat could benefit from this, especially during cold snaps. Also, horses that don’t have access to shelter will appreciate a proper turnout blanket during inclement weather.

Be sure to take your horse’s blankets off regularly during the colder months to monitor body condition. It’s important to physically assess how they’re maintaining their weight.

“Winter care is all about setting your horse up for success,” Geick says. “By adjusting their diet and care to match the season, you’re taking a great first step.”

If you’re unsure if your current feed is meeting your horse’s winter nutritional needs, ask your veterinarian if a Sentinel extruded formula could be right for them.

Further Reading:
◆ Winter Horse Care FAQs
◆ Feeding the Senior Horse in the Winter

This article about feeding horses in the winter is a web exclusive for Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Expert Tips for Feeding Healthy Horses All Winter Long appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Professional equine grooms Cat Hill and Emma Ford believe there are no hard and fast rules about blanketing. The lifelong horsewomen have managed barns and horses for top riders in all disciplines, including Olympians. Together they run World-Class Grooming and share their expertise through clinics and books, including the top-selling equine title World-Class Grooming.

“The biggest rule is that you have to remember that horses are individuals just like people,” says Hill. “There are many horses that grow great coats and are really comfortable being unblanketed in many climates, all the way up to Alaska. But there are also horses that really struggle without being covered in some way.”

How Horses Stay Warm

Horses can weather winter quite well in most situations.

“Horses are well equipped to handle the cold, provided they are able to acclimate and stay dry enough to fluff the hair,” says Karen L. Waite, Ph.D., who serves as coordinator of the Michigan State University (MSU) Horse Management Program in East Lansing, Mich. She is also the director of undergraduate education in the MSU Department of Animal Science. “Horses stay warm in several ways: through the digestion of forages like hay, which produces body heat; by growing a thick winter haircoat, which starts to develop around August or September as day length starts to shorten; and by fluffing up their hair coat as the need arises.”

That “fluff factor” traps warm air against the skin, allowing the horse’s hair coat to provide natural insulation, much like a cozy down comforter. However, if the horse gets wet, that ability diminishes.

“A wet horse in 45-degree weather may be more uncomfortable than a dry horse with a full winter coat would be in sub-zero temperatures,” says Waite.

Additionally, a horse that moves from Florida to Minnesota in the middle of winter may not have a hair coat extensive enough to handle that level of cold.

“Most horses don’t actually need blankets to stay warm if they are allowed to develop a winter coat suitable to conditions,” says Waite. “The exception would be horses without adequate body condition or hair coat development, and occasionally older horses.”

Hill emphasizes the need to keep a close eye on senior horses.

“Just like older people, horses lose the ability to thermoregulate,” she says. “A horse who has lived without a blanket his entire life may suddenly need blanketing to retain condition when he gets into his 20s. He may not necessarily look cold. He may grow a huge, thick, heavy coat. But [some horses] really start to drop weight in the wintertime, and that’s because their body is burning energy to keep them warm.”

Hill recalls the story of an Arabian mare who lived at her family’s farm in upstate New York.

“Until she was in her mid-20s, she’d never worn a blanket and had always been very comfortable, happy, and hardy living out 24/7 with a run-in shed,” she says. “And then she got to a certain age where we really struggled with her weight in the winters. We bought her a heavyweight blanket that we put on her once it was consistently below freezing, and we had another 10 years of happy, healthy life with her. So as your horse ages, you may need to re-evaluate his blanketing needs.”

Why You May Consider Blanketing Your Horse

In addition to the weather and your horse’s age, coat and health status, there are a variety of other factors to consider in your blanketing decision.

An extreme temperature swing may warrant blanketing even for horses that normally go au naturel because they are not acclimated to that level of cold.

“If the horse has a full haircoat and is generally healthy, I would only blanket if temperatures were extreme, and outside the normal ranges for the area, unless he was old or had issues with body condition,” says Waite.

Access to shelter from wind and rain is another deciding factor in a horse’s blanketing needs.

“Rain is one of the hardest things for horses to handle without adequate shelter, because that squishes down the hair,” explains Hill. Even a healthy horse struggles when he can’t get away from the wet, she says.

Standing in wet or muddy conditions can also increase the need for blanketing, says Hill.

“When horses’ legs get wet, they struggle to bring their body temperature back up,” she says. “If a horse is standing out in a muddy field, you may need to put a warm blanket on him. Not just something to protect his back from the rain, but something with insulation as well.”

Horses that have been fully or partially body clipped will require blanketing. Hill and Ford firmly believe that if you have done any sort of partial clip, you still need to blanket. As Hill points out, the reason we clip particular areas such as the neck and chest is because they have underlying large veins, which help to cool the horse.

“When you get a cold wind over those veins, you’re putting a lot of stress on the horse’s body. So even if you just clipped up his neck, you really need to put some sort of protection back over the horse to help keep him at a [warm] base temperature,” says Hill.

Another reason you might want to blanket in winter is cleanliness. There’s nothing wrong with blanketing for the convenience of keeping a horse tidy, say Hill and Ford. If you have limited time and you live in an area where mud is a real issue in the winter, blanketing can make things easier on both you and your horse.

“Your horse is going to have a healthier and happier winter if you blanket him so that you can groom the areas that are exposed, but you’re not having to spend an enormous amount of time getting the mud or dirt out of his coat,” says Hill.

However, blanketing must be managed appropriately, which requires time and commitment. You’ll need to keep a close eye on the weather forecast, consider temperature fluctuations, and blanket accordingly.

“The biggest factor that people need to consider is that blankets need to be checked daily and changed as needed,” notes Waite.

Considering the Denier and Fill of Blankets

Blankets come in a mind-boggling variety. The first step is to select the right blanket type for your horse’s lifestyle. Any blanket that will be worn outdoors must be waterproof; wearing a soggy blanket is uncomfortable and will make your horse cold.

Turnout blankets are waterproof, durable and can be worn inside the barn or out in the elements. Stable blankets are not fully waterproof, and are meant to be worn indoors only.

When it comes to blanket shopping, the technical terminology can get complicated, but to help clarify the basics, Lauren Donohue, assistant merchant and horse clothing product expert with Dover Saddlery headquartered in Littleton, Mass., says to start by understanding what denier, fill and material you need.

“Denier” refers to the toughness of the fabric, while “fill” refers to the weight and warmth a blanket offers, measured in grams (g).

“The highest standard denier we typically see on the market is 1680d, and that’s meant for horses that are really rough on their blanket; the higher the denier, the tougher the outer material is,” says Donohue. “Sheets with 0g fill won’t offer any insulation—it’s just like putting on a raincoat. The more fill a blanket has, the warmer it is.”

Outer material also affects the durability of the blanket, which can be made of polyester, polypropylene, or ballistic nylon.

When building a blanket wardrobe, horse owners should look for versatility that will keep most horses comfortable in most situations. Donohue recommends starting out with a turnout blanket, noting that the two most popular fill weights are 50g (lightweight) and 200g (medium or midweight).

“The 50g can be worn when it’s a little warmer, [such as if] you get a summer rain, and it can be nice for those fall days when a horse might be feeling excited in turnout,” she says. “The 200g can be worn in a lot of scenarios. I keep my horse’s 200g blanket on until deep winter in New England comes around.”

Because a blanket and even a sheet has weight to it, Hill points out that it can flatten the horse’s haircoat. For this reason, she is a fan of using a 150g turnout versus a turnout sheet with no insulation.

“Sometimes it can be counterintuitive that adding a lightweight rain sheet or blanket can actually make a horse colder because they can no longer ‘poof up’ their coat,” she says. “We’re huge fans of the 150g-weights as rain sheets, because the light insulation does a great job of keeping the horse warm and dry and reversing the effects of the flattening of the hair. That really hits the sweet spot for those horses that need just a little bit of blanketing.”

Hill and Donohue both recommend having a neck cover as well. For colder climates, adding a heavyweight blanket (300g-plus) should build a basic wardrobe.

Too Hot, Too Cold, Just Right

Knowing which blanket to put on your horse can be tricky. World-Class Grooming has a blanketing chart (see below) that goes from below 30 degrees Fahrenheit to above 60, for wet or dry conditions, from full body clip to hairy beast and everything in between. Still, it’s important to know your own horse and consider each horse’s needs individually to blanket appropriately.

How do you know if your horse is comfortable in his blanket? Shivering or sweating can be obvious signs that something is amiss. Putting your hand under the blanket can help tell you if a horse is overly warm (if you detect tackiness or sweat). However, a method Hill prefers to assess if a horse is warm enough is to feel his extremities: legs, ears and face.

“If those areas on his skin feel cool, then your horse is cold,” she says. “If the tips of his ears are cold under the hair, he’s cold. The tips of their ears and their legs should feel the same temperature as the rest of the horse if they are properly blanketed.”

If you’re unsure of the appropriate weight blanket for the weather conditions, Waite advises that you may want to err on the side of less, given that overheating and dehydration can also cause significant problems.

Healthy Blanketing for Your Horse

Improper blanketing can lead to a variety of health problems.

If blankets get wet, they need to be removed, as hypothermia or skin infections (such as rain rot) may develop, notes Waite.

“If horses or blankets get wet, that causes more issues than anything else,” she says.

Waite also emphasizes the importance of proper blanket fit, as sores may result from blankets rubbing. A blanket that is too small may result in the horse being unable to move about or rise normally, while a blanket that is too big can also cause injuries if the horse becomes tangled in it.

Because the constant weight of wearing a blanket can cause rubs and pressure points, Hill and Ford like to do what they call a daily reset. They take the blanket off and put it back on to make sure it’s sitting in the right place, while at the same time checking underneath for any sore spots, swelling or rubs.

“The most problematic areas are the withers, points of the hip, and points of the shoulders,” says Ford.

If you’re not careful, it’s possible to cause more harm than good with blankets.

“If you can let the horse grow a full haircoat and shed naturally, that causes the fewest issues in the long run,” says Waite.

If you opt to blanket your horse, she agrees that it’s critical to check underneath blankets daily, and to check body condition regularly. Consistent grooming is also needed to keep horses healthy.

While the main reason for blanketing should be for the horse’s health and wellbeing, Hill acknowledges that it can also be a horsekeeping issue—to keep the horse clean and make grooming and riding easier—and that’s OK if it’s done mindfully.

Safe Blanketing Procedure

Getting your horse properly dressed for winter weather requires some small but important details that are often overlooked.

There’s a correct “order of operations” to putting a blanket on and off safely. According to Cat Hill and Emma Ford, authors of World-Class Grooming, you should always secure a blanket from front to back: first chest straps, then belly straps, and finally leg straps. If there is a neck cover, secure this last.

When removing the blanket, reverse the process: neck cover; leg straps, if any, should be undone and hooked back up while not around the leg; then belly straps; and finally, chest fasteners.

“If the horse spooks or runs forward, you don’t want the belly or leg straps still on while the chest is undone, because the blanket can slide back and cause a panic situation,” says Hill. “A horse can get seriously injured from getting tangled in a blanket that way.”

Remember, too, that you must train a horse to wear a blanket, just like any other piece of equipment. Go slow, says Hill. If you don’t know that a horse has been blanketed before, having a helper halter him and hold the lead rope is beneficial.

One of Ford’s biggest safety concerns is leaving a blanket’s leg straps undone during the blanketing process. She emphasizes that you should always hook them back up so that they’re not dangling down when you’re putting the blanket on or off a horse.

“They basically turn into flying weapons,” she says. “Many of them are on elastic; when you go to put the blanket over the top of the horse they get caught on stuff, the horse can step on them, they can whack into the horse’s legs, and all sorts of things. They should always be connected to both rings, and the only time they come off is when you’re unclipping them and putting them around the leg and hooking them back on.”

Since horses like to itch and rub themselves against things, Hill and Ford warn that any snap on a blanket that is facing away from the horse has the potential to be caught on something. When the blanket is on, it’s important that the “trigger,” or opening part of the snap, should face inward toward the horse.

Best Blanket Fit

Fitting blankets is like buying jeans—every brand has its own fit and shape. Brands that work for some won’t work for others, says Lauren Donohue, assistant merchant and horse clothing product expert with Dover Saddlery. Here is her best advice on fitting a blanket.

The two major measurements to consider are the length and drop of the blanket. Horse blankets are usually sized based on the length of the horse’s side measurement, listed in inches or sometimes centimeters. To measure the length, start with a fabric tape measure from the middle of your horse’s chest. Go across the shoulder to the middle of the tail.

The drop on a blanket is measured from the middle of the spine to the bottom of the blanket (on one side).

“Each brand will have their own drop measurement for the blanket, and this will differ by brand. If your horse is [round and] well-sprung in the ribs, you will want to ensure the drop length of the blanket is sufficient coverage for your horse,” she says.

If your horse is on the line between sizes, Donohue says to consider whether you will be layering underneath the blanket at all, and if your horse is prone to rubs. If the answer is yes to either of these, she recommends sizing up.

It may take some trial and error to find the blanket that fits your horse the best.

“All of these tips for fit are helpful, but my biggest secret is to buy from a retailer with a return policy!” shares Donohue.

Blanketing Horses at Home vs. Boarding Barns

Hill and Ford have worked in barns large and small, with blanketing recommendations for each scenario. Blanketing options vary when it comes to keeping horses at home or at boarding barns, and for the policies a boarding barn may offer.

For people who care for their own horses and are not blanket-changing multiple times throughout the day, they recommend one of the interchangeable blanketing systems as a good cost-effective option. These typically include a waterproof outer layer with liners that clip in. The liners are usually less expensive than a blanket, and you can swap them out to keep them clean and dry.

“A clean blanket is really important to keep a horse warm, because if the polyfill absorbs oil from the horse’s coat and packs down, it no longer has air pockets and is no longer is warm,” explains Hill. “I always talk about ‘clean underpants’—we like to keep a sheet on the horse next to the skin. I keep two cheap cotton sheets that I can wash easily because then I don’t have to wash my big, heavy blankets as often.”

If barn staff are the ones blanketing and unblanketing your horse, it’s important to be considerate.

“If you keep your horse at a large boarding barn where somebody other than you is in charge of changing 20 horse blankets in a day, the blanketing systems are a pain for them because they have to take the whole thing off, change the layers, and put it back on,” says Ford.

In that situation, she recommends having a lightweight (100g or 150g fill weight), a medium, and a heavy because you can layer between those three. The barn worker can put these on or off as needed, and they can go in whatever order.

“At the end of the day, what is most convenient for the staff is going to mean your horse is blanketed appropriately if you’re not the one in charge of it,” says Ford. Ask them what they prefer and works best for them.

Key Takeaway

While there is no one-size-fits-all solution to blanketing, understanding your horse’s individual needs is key. Blanketing can be beneficial, but it certainly requires attention to detail. By following these best practices, blanketing can be a useful tool to help your horse thrive during the winter months.

This article about horse blanketing practices appeared in the November/December 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Horses are naturally equipped to handle the colder months; summer heat tends to cause them more trouble than winter temperatures. As soon as the days begin to shorten in the fall, hormones responsible for coat growth kick into action by beginning to produce longer and thicker hair as well as a thicker undercoat. In addition to daylight, temperature plays a role: thermoreceptors will perceive a cold autumn and trigger the growth of a thicker coat. If a horse is kept indoors or blanketed, horses adapt by producing less winter fur.

As soon as the days begin to lengthen in December, horses will stop producing warmer coats, even if January brings extreme cold. This isn’t something to worry about, as horses who have spent the seasons in the same place will have a well-established coat—even a sudden hard frost won’t be an issue. (This is why it’s best to transition a horse from an indoor situation to your outdoor stabling in spring or summer.) However, it’s important to have well-fitting blankets on hand in case a horse develops a problem regulating his temperature due to illness. I’m not a fan of preventative blanketing for outdoor horses, but this doesn’t excuse irresponsibility. Each horse should have at least one insulated blanket and a waterproof sheet, even if they both gather dust for years. At the end of the day, it’s better to have an unnecessary blanket in your closet than to have a shivering, wet horse out in a blizzard. Calling a vet at night is a much greater inconvenience and expense than finding good blankets for your horses.

One of the most frequently asked questions in the early days of outdoor horse keeping was whether horses were cold living out in the winter, and the answer, more often than not, was: they’re horses, not people… they’re fine! But many caretakers, especially with purebred horses, saw the exact opposite: simply put, their horses were cold. It doesn’t always require the coldest temperatures, but sometimes just a quick drop from warm to cool. Cold, wet weather can really have an impact on a horse’s well-being. Wild animals have far more options when it comes to finding shelter from the wind and cold. They can find shrubs, tree cover, or uneven terrain to protect them from wind gusts.

Maintaining an optimal body temperature is an absolute necessity for any warm-blooded organism. A constant body temperature ensures the normal functioning of bodily processes. The heat that a horse receives from his environment, together with the heat he produces, must be in equilibrium with output. If this equilibrium is disturbed, overheating or excessive cooling can make a horse very uncomfortable and even quite sick.

A horse’s muscle mass is excellent at retaining the heat produced by processes like digestion (fermentation of fiber in the intestines) and producing heat through exercise. A horse’s core isn’t subject to temperature changes based on his surroundings (because horses are warm-blooded), but the peripheral parts of the body (ears, hooves, skin) behave much like a cold-blooded animal’s would: they partially adjust to the ambient temperature, helping to maintain a stable core temperature. This is why you can’t tell whether a horse is cold by feeling his ears!

Temperature Management

Horses are excellent at regulating blood flow in the subcutaneous vascular network, which significantly influences temperature management of the entire body. Heat loss can be managed by vasoconstriction: blood flow is reduced in areas where blood would be cooled by being close to the surface of the skin. Horses are also able to cool off through vasodilation: by expanding these same blood vessels, surface contact is maximized and excess heat is transferred through the skin.

Skin, subcutaneous tissue, and fat act as powerful insulators. For this reason, it’s a good idea to have horses go into the winter season with a few fat reserves—they will be far less bothered by the cold than a skinny or underweight horse.

Also, a well-made shelter can help protect a horse from the worst weather—an animal protected by a shelter can save up to 25 percent more energy reserves than an unprotected one. This is no small thing on difficult days! Horses that aren’t as cold on a windy, heat-robbing day will consume hay at a more relaxed pace as well, saving some strain on your wallet. A well-thought-out shelter, whether you build new or rebuild by converting an existing building, is an investment which will pay you back over time.

Shivering

Some take a shivering horse as the definitive signal that it’s time to blanket. Others believe that because shivering produces heat, the horses are warming themselves and are actually fine. So what’s the real story?

Peripheral thermoreceptors are activated by the skin becoming cold. As soon as a horse’s usual defenses fail to maintain a comfortable temperature—hair bristling (increasing the coats’ ability to insulate against the cold) and vasoconstriction (narrowing of the subcutaneous blood vessels)—the horse will begin to shiver. Using muscle tremors, the body will be able to increase heat production by about 30 percent. But there’s a catch—this only works for a short time, and it uses a great deal of energy.

Unfortunately, the first horses to begin shivering are usually somehow compromised: skinny, sick, old, or recovering from illness or injury. These horses are the ones with the smallest energy reserves, but even a fat, healthy horse can’t produce heat for long by shivering—the energy necessary for such demanding work is exhausted early. Although the body has other defenses against the cold as well (accelerated metabolism, for example), their effectiveness is limited. Shivering should be considered a sign that your horse is headed toward hypothermia—don’t take it lightly.

Tip: If you aren’t sure whether your horse is cold, place a hand by the elbow of a front leg. If this area is cold, your horse is cold enough that he’s uncomfortable.

This excerpt from Keeping Horses Outdoors by Iveta Jebáčková-Lažanská is reprinted with permission from Trafalgar Square Books.

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Depending on whether you and your horses live in Maine, Kentucky, Montana, or California, winter in each area manifests itself differently. Each region has unique patterns; winter pastures in Montana look whiter than those in Northern California, which might be soggy and green. Experts tell us one principle is the same for winter horse pasture management no matter where you live: Overgrazing and allowing horses on soggy, wet soils are the bane of winter horse pasture management.

The Off Season

“There is always an ‘off season,’ no matter where you live,” says Jay Mirro, senior resource planner for the King Conservation District outside of Seattle, Wash. Mirro develops farm plans for horse and livestock owners; farm plans are basically a road map for managing land and animals.

His tenet for winter horse pasture management is to never graze on wet soils and never graze below 3 inches of forage stubble height—the height of a plant after grazing or mowing.

“The off season is when you don’t put horses on pastures out of concern of degrading the health and productivity of your pasture,” he explains.

Wet Soils + Grazing = Compaction

“Ideally, it’s best for the pasture if you don’t do anything to it in the winter when the ground is wet and not frozen,” says Mirro. “Grazing ground that is saturated and soggy creates compaction. Compacted soils don’t drain as well and have less oxygen for plant roots to respire, creating an environment that promotes weeds instead of grass.”

All this reduces soil health, microbial life, and nutrient cycling of manure and urine, explains Mirro, who is himself also the owner of a 34-acre farm with seven acres of pasture for his beef cows, sheep, and goats.

“Grazing when the soils are wet makes for a higher chance that horse hooves will physically damage sod, tearing the grass out of the ground,” creating depressions and uneven pock marks in the soil surface, he says. “Next summer when you mow the field, you will curse because the ground is so uneven.”

Compacted ground is a bad deal if your intention is to grow a productive pasture. Compacted soils are much less absorbent, which causes water to run off, carrying soil sediment along with nutrients and pathogens from manure and urine. All of this is labeled as non-point pollution, and it can potentially harm waterways and the animals that live there.

“If the ground is wet enough that you wouldn’t consider driving [equipment] on it, then it’s too wet for animals to use it,” explains Marty Chaney, an agronomist and pasture management specialist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Olympia, Wash. She was named Pasture Conservationist of the Year in January 2023, and is fondly known as “The Grass Whisperer.”

The Cutoff Point

Northern climes that experience a white winter still need to be careful when grazing pastures.

“Snow insulates the soil,” says Chaney. “It’s possible that there is a layer of wet, unfrozen soil under the snow, which can be damaged. Even if there is no snow, frozen plant crowns can be subject to injury [from overgrazing].”

Pasture grasses do not grow during the winter months, so care must be taken to avoid animal consumption of available grass, as grass won’t grow back for months.

“By allowing horses to graze and harvest forage, you are reducing the insulation that grass provides, causing further chilling of the soil. Spring regrowth will be slower,” she explains, because of the required warming of the soil, which will be necessary after the lack of insulation during cold weather.

“If a pasture gets grazed down to the ground, it takes longer to regrow” once spring rolls around again, says Chaney. “Most grass species don’t like to be grazed below 3 inches.”

Confinement Areas

In the winter, you’re basically trying to protect the soil and plants. The two together will give you a healthier pasture throughout the year.

“Instead, create a good confinement area,” says Mirro. “This provides a great solution to horsekeeping in the winter.”

The confinement area becomes your horse’s outdoor living quarters, and it’s where you keep your horse when pasture growth has slowed, so your pastures don’t get grazed below 3 inches.

“A confinement area, roughly 1,000 square feet per horse with 6″ of a well-draining gravel product [for footing], will have stability,” he says.

Guidelines for Limited Grazing

This doesn’t mean no pasture in the winter.

“There are still opportunities when horses can graze in the winter,” says Mirro, as long as you are careful to keep horses off wet soils and keep turnout times short.

He offers a few guidelines for judicious winter grazing:

◆ Limit turnout time to 30-60 minutes max.

◆ Besides the concern for overgrazing or compacting wet soils, also be aware of significantly changing your horse’s diet, which can upset his gut biome, leading to metabolic disorders like colic.

◆ Choose your highest and driest fields.

◆ Be mindful of the weather; if it’s been dry for a few days, that’s the best time to do some limited turnout.

“If you absolutely have to use the pasture, it’s just 30 minutes twice a day,” Chaney agrees. “When you are starting to think about rototilling your garden” in the springtime when the ground is firmer, that is the time to slowly begin integrating pasture back into your horse’s diet.

Getting Help for Winter Horse Pasture Management

Both your NRCS office and your local conservation district can offer free, non-regulatory education and technical assistance (see “Know Your Resources” below).

Two other sources of information can also provide management guidance:

◆ Soil Type: The Web Soil Survey is an online database operated by the USDA that provides information about the unique properties of each landowner’s soil.

“The front page is self-explanatory, and they have links that explain characteristics of soils,” says Chaney. Some examples include texture, ability to drain, parent material, and distribution over a landscape.

◆ Soil Nutrient Testing: “It’s good to get one done every few years to see what’s going on,” says Chaney. “Most labs will provide advice, too, on how to manage your pasture based on your soil testing results.”

Contact your conservation district or NRCS office for more help.

“Take a walk regularly in your pastures to see what’s happening,” Chaney suggests.

She often tells landowners to photograph a section of their land and compare it over the years.

“You will more easily see the changes in types of plants and productivity, both positive and negative, this way. This will give you feedback on how your management is affecting the field.”

Winter Horse Pasture Management: Key Takeaways

“We need to balance the needs of the horse with the needs of the pasture,” says Mirro. “Many horse and livestock owners treat pastures as turnout exercise areas, and we don’t want to get to the point where we don’t have any grass in a pasture, because that’s not ecologically sustainable.

“We need to be thinking about pastures with their effect on soil health, runoff, and the local environment. There are ways we can graze in the winter, but you just want to be mindful that you aren’t doing damage or increasing potential problems,” he concludes.

“Pasture plants in more northern climates actually start their annual growth in the fall, so how you manage them in the winter will have a significant effect on how they perform the following spring and summer,” adds Chaney.

Winter horse pasture management is critical to maintaining both healthy horses and thriving pastures, no matter where you live. While it’s important to provide winter grazing opportunities when appropriate, careful attention must be paid to soil and forage conditions to prevent harm to both the pasture and the horse’s health.

This article about winter horse pasture management appeared in the November/December 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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1. Manure Management

Probably the single most important way of fly control is proper disposal of horse manure. Stable flies, the most annoying of all the biting flies that bother horses, breed in manure. Houseflies also prefer manure for reproduction.

The best way to keep these fly numbers down is to frequently remove manure from your horse’s stall or paddock. Barn aisles, turnout areas and riding arenas should also be cleaned. Clean at least once a day; more often if you can.

Once manure is scooped up, it should be taken to a manure pile far away from the barn or stored in a covered dumpster until you can remove it from your property.

Soiled bedding is another favorite spot for flies to lay their eggs. Remove wet shavings or straw from your horse’s stall every day to keep the fly population down.

2. Moisture Control

Flies love moisture and seek out wet areas to breed. Search your property for leaks from faucets, sprinklers and pipes. Look for areas where rain water gathers, too.

If your horse has a favorite spot in his stall or paddock to urinate, you can bet that flies are laying their eggs there. Put down moisture-absorbing materials to help soak up the urine. In box stalls, keep urine to a minimum with frequent cleanings and by using highly absorbent bedding.

3. Biological Controls

An eco-friendly way to combat flies is to use biological methods. Tiny parasitic wasps are widely available, and work by destroying the fly larvae before it can hatch. Signing up for a monthly delivery of these predatory insects during fly season can help keep the fly population down at your barn.

Harmless to humans and so small you can barely see them, the wasps are shipped still in the egg stage. Once a few of the wasps hatch in the plastic bag after delivery, you sprinkle the contents in and around your horse’s living area.

4. Traps

Available in a variety of different types, fly traps work by attracting flies, either through color or scent. Once the fly lands on or enters the trap, it can’t escape and eventually dies.

The simplest type of fly trap uses a sticky surface to capture flies. The flies are drawn to the color—usually orange or yellow—and land on it. The glue-covered surface sticks to their feet, keeping them from flying away. Other traps use bait to lure the fly inside. Some traps have water inside, and the flies drown because they can’t escape. Others simply trap them inside the container, where they die due to lack of food and water.

Sticky fly traps can be hung anywhere flies congregate, but should be safely out of reach of curious horses. Baited traps should be placed far from stalls since they will initially attract more flies to the area before the insects become trapped.

5. Barn Fans

Flies tend to be less active when there’s a strong breeze, as wind affects their ability to fly. So create your own wind! Barn fans hung from the ceiling over each stall and in the barn aisles can do wonders for keeping flies out of the area. Freestanding fans can also be used in barn aisles.

6. Stable Management

The environment surrounding your horses can have a big effect on the number of flies at your facility. Practicing good barn keeping will keep flies to a minimum.

Start by making sure all garbage cans are securely covered. An open trash can will draw flies from near and far. Keep feed storage containers covered as well since some grains and sweet feeds can attract flies. Clean up spilled feed right away, especially if it’s wet.

Be sure to dispose of any rotting hay on the property since this is the perfect breeding environment for flies. The combination of moisture and organic material is a haven for these pests. Also, avoid using straw as bedding since wet straw is a magnet for flies.

7. Fly Sprays

Both insecticidal sprays and repellents discourage flies from landing on your horse.

Oil-based sprays have more staying power on horses than water-based products, and both are best used in conjunction with other types of fly control. They should not be used in the vicinity of parasitoid wasps, however, since the beneficial insects are also susceptible to insecticides.

When applying fly sprays, be sure to use an adequate amount as directed on the label. If you don’t coat the horse’s hair with the spray, flies can still land and bite. For applying around the eyes, ears and muzzle, spray the product onto a washcloth and wipe it onto the horse’s face. You can also use a roll-on insecticide for these delicate areas.

8. Cover-Ups

No matter how good your fly control methods, it’s impossible to get rid of every single fly. To protect your horse from these biting pests, use cover-ups.

Fly masks are the most effective way to protect your horse from flies. Face flies are notorious for feeding on the mucus in your horse’s eyes, causing irritation and potentially spreading disease. You can also use a mask with attached ear covers to keep biting gnats out of his ears.

A fly sheet prevents flies from landing directly on your horse’s body. The lightweight mesh blanket protects your horse’s chest, back, sides and hindquarters from biting flies. Add mesh leg wraps to protect the lower legs, and flies will have a hard time finding a place to bite your horse.

By using these methods, you can make a big impact on the number of flies that live on your property and pester your horses.

9. Spray Systems

In a barn environment, an overhead fly spray system can be effective at keeping fly populations down. Spray systems release a repellent or insecticidal mist periodically throughout the day. The spray comes down onto the horses and prevents flies from landing and biting. The system can be designed to spray directly into both stalls and barn aisles.

After installing a spray system in your barn, choose the type of insecticide or repellent you want to use. If you are concerned about introducing chemical fly products into the environment, opt for natural formulations.

10. Supplements

Supplements designed to prevent flies from breeding in manure or to discourage flies from biting are another option for your horse. Insect growth regulators (IGR) are chemicals that disrupt the fly’s ability to reproduce by affecting the pupa stage in the life cycle. When the active ingredient in the IGR is present in the horse’s manure, the fly larvae can’t develop to adulthood.

A feed-through product containing an IGR is added daily to the horse’s food, and then passes through the horse and is deposited with the manure. The IGR has no effect on the horse, but wreaks havoc on the fly population.

Natural supplement formulas containing garlic, apple cider, yeast and other ingredients with natural fly-repelling properties are reported to discourage flies from biting. These products must be fed daily to be effective.

Further Reading on Fly Control for Horses and Barns

◆ Natural Insect Repellents for Horses
◆ Flies, Worms and Yucky Things

This article about fly control for horses and barns appeared in the July 2015 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post 10 Ways to Banish Flies from the Barn appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

As temperatures drop, feeding your horse presents a new set of challenges. Instead of grazing all day on nutritious green grass, he’ll probably be switching to a diet of hay. Many horses lose weight without access to unlimited pasture. In addition, impaction colic due to dehydration presents a very real risk. Read on to stay ahead of these risks this winter.

Hay Keeps Your Horse Warm in the Winter

Not only does hay meet your horse’s forage needs, it also helps keep him warm. The process of digesting fiber in the hindgut produces tremendous amounts of heat, almost like carrying around a little wood stove. Don’t believe anyone who tells you to feed corn to keep your horse warm—it doesn’t!

While round-bale hay presents a convenient method of feeding many horses for a long time in the winter, be picky about quality when buying it. Many are stored outdoors, which is OK for cattle use, but hay for horses must be stored under cover to avoid mold spores that cause respiratory disease and illness.

Additionally, cattle-quality hay is very stemmy and tends to be unpalatable and wasted through trampling. Shop around for round bales that resemble your small-bale hay quality. Using a bale feeder will help prevent much of the hay from being wasted.

Hay Alternatives

If you don’t have room to store hay for the entire winter and find yourself faced with a hay shortage, there are some alternatives available. Beet pulp, senior feed, hay cubes and hay pellets are all good ways to provide forage and stretch your hay supply. Keep in mind that none of these provide long-stem forage, so start using them to stretch your hay supply before you run out completely.

Vitamins & Minerals

Without access to green grass, horses may become deficient in vitamins A and E, which are the first to go after grass is baled into hay and stored for long periods. A ration balancer or vitamin/mineral supplement are options to consider for winter feeding if your horse isn’t fed a commercial equine grain mix, which is already fortified with vitamins and minerals.

Additionally, your horse should always have free access to salt. Since ice-cold salt blocks can become unappealing to lick, the best option is a feeder with loose salt. Horses tend to regulate their salt intake very well, and this also keeps them drinking plenty of water.

Hydration Nation

The most important nutrient in your horse’s diet is water. Without staying properly hydrated, the contents of the intestines can dry out as they pass through, causing impaction colic. Although this is often the easiest type to resolve with a vet’s assistance, every horse owner would prefer to steer clear of a case of colic.

If your temperatures regularly fall below freezing, check water troughs at least twice a day, breaking up any surface ice. Better yet, use insulated buckets or float a trough heater in the water. Although horses will drink very cold water, they will drink more if it is in the 40 to 65-degree Fahrenheit range.

Be extra-careful about trough heater cords, making sure they’re wrapped in wire or conduit so mice and horses can’t nibble on them. Stick your hand in daily to check for any wayward electric current, which will stop horses from drinking immediately.

Winter Weight Maintenance for Your Horse

Many horses shed pounds in the winter as they burn more calories to maintain their core temperature. Be prepared for this and have extra hay and grain on hand if you need to increase rations.

You may also consider switching to alfalfa hay or supplementing your grass hay with it (as opposed to adding more grain). Alfalfa boosts the calories per pound of hay, while still ensuring enough forage is in the diet.

If you are prepared for the challenges of feeding your horse in the winter, you won’t be taken by surprise when Mother Nature throws you a curveball this season.

This article about feeding your horse in winter appeared in the November/December 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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