“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.

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!

The post Feeding Your Horse in the Winter appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Keeping weight on a senior horse can be difficult any time of year, but with the challenges of cold weather right around the corner, dental issues requiring soaked feed can create twice the headache. However, with a little planning and these feeding and nutrition tips, your senior horse can sail through the winter months in good weight and glowing health.

Focus on Forage

Grass hay, cubes or pellets help maintain weight and keep your horse warm by raising his internal body temperature. This means he can use the calories to maintain (or add) weight, rather than burning calories to stay warm in cold weather.

Aim to feed at least 1.5 to 3 percent of your horse’s body weight per day in forage, or work with your veterinarian on the right amount for your senior horse.

Using a slow feeder or small-hole hay net will help prevent hay wastage as mud and snow pile up. These have the added benefit of mimicking grazing, which decreases stress and helps keep the horse’s digestive system working well.

Soaking Feed for Your Senior in the Winter

If your senior has lost teeth or has other dental issues that prevent him from eating hay (you’ll start to see wet wads of partially chewed hay near the feeder), feeding a soaked diet will provide the right nutrition and calories to keep weight on your senior through the winter. However, wet feed can freeze, making winter feeding doubly challenging. Here are a few tips.

One of the best hay replacements is unsweetened beet pulp. With a similar protein content to grass hay (8 to 12 percent), it also has a high level of digestible fiber. Many horses like it plain, or you can make it more palatable by adding hay pellets, cubes, or a quality senior feed, and soaking them along with the beet pulp.

Even if a horse can eat hay, supplementing with soaked beet pulp is a great way to increase calories and help maintain weight.

Beet pulp pellets need to be soaked for several hours before feeding, and a common ratio is using twice as much water as pellets. To keep the soaking pellets from freezing, it’s ideal to soak them in your house or other warm place. One easy way to do this is to have one bucket soaking overnight for the morning feeding, then let the evening feeding soak during the day.

An easier, quicker solution is to feed shredded beet pulp instead of pellets. Shreds need minimal soaking time, and less water depending on your horse’s preference. These are also big benefits if your horse is boarded.

NOTE: Straight beet pulp is high in calcium and low in phosphorus, so work with your veterinarian to balance the minerals. Adding a fat source, like stabilized flax meal, increases the calorie density of each meal.

Winter Feeders

Placing a feeder of soaked food on the ground will lead to freezing more quickly, so try to find a way to elevate the feeder off the ground. An easy solution is nesting a smaller feeder into a larger feeder, or building an insulated feed box that holds the bucket.

It’s also good to rotate feed buckets so frozen feed doesn’t accumulate in the feeder.

As with feeding extra hay in the winter, try to feed only the amount that your senior can eat in 30 minutes or so. Adding smaller, more frequent feedings during the day can help your senior get the calories he needs without the feed freezing before he can eat it all.

If your barn has electricity, you can try using a heated bucket for soaked feed. Like with a water heater, be sure the cord is horse-proof.

Helping your senior horse maintain a good weight during the winter can be challenging. The good news is that with some planning and simple horsekeeping and feeding tweaks, you can laugh at old man winter and your senior horse can welcome spring in good weight and maybe even a spring in his step

This article about feeding senior horses in the winter appeared in the October 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Feeding the Senior Horse in the Winter appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

It’s finally getting cold outside and you’re bundled up, possibly with a hot cup of cocoa or coffee in hand. But how does your horse handle the chill of winter? Let’s take a look at some answers to commonly asked questions about cold weather horse care.

Also read – Senior Horse Care in Winter

1. How do horses cope with cold?

An adult horse’s “comfort zone” is lower than most people think. An acclimated healthy adult horse can remain reasonably comfortable in temperatures that dip into the 20s (Fahrenheit) and below, as long as the horse stays dry and can escape wind.

Certain physiological factors help: The most obvious is a horse’s ability to grow a thick winter coat. This natural coat works to preserve warmth by trapping warm air tightly against the horse’s body, creating a layer of insulation that is remarkably efficient at buffering cold external temperatures.

Another factor in fighting the chill is the horse’s unique digestive system. The microbial fermentation of fibrous feeds taking place in a horse’s colon creates enough internal heat that your horse’s gut acts as a type of furnace to keep him warm.

2. Do blankets flatten hair and make a horse colder?

Although a horse’s natural winter coat is meant to trap warm air against his skin, placing a blanket on top of this hair does not negate the warmth. Instead, a blanket acts as an added physical layer of insulation.

While blankets do indeed physically flatten a horse’s hair, their layers take the place of the horse’s natural coat. Air trapped between a horse and the layers of blanket now act as insulation.

If you want to feel for yourself how this insulation works, pay a visit to your horse in the pasture one winter day and place your bare hand between his shoulder and the blanket to get a sense of the heat trapped in there.

There are, however, other aspects to consider when choosing to blanket your horse. Blankets are necessary for horses that are thin, sick, or older; these animals typically struggle to maintain a core body temperature in the face of harsh environmental elements. Horses that have been clipped in the winter will need some level of blanketing, as well. All other adult horses may or may not need a blanket; the blanketing debate rages on, because it depends heavily on the individual horse and his immediate external environment.

If you’re questioning whether to blanket your horse in the winter, consider his physical characteristics (e.g., body condition score, overall health status, acclimation to his environment, age, and clipping status), the winter weather you’re expecting, and whether the horse will have access to shelter in the field for protection against wind and precipitation.

3. Is it dangerous to ride a horse in cold weather?

Just as you wouldn’t run a 5K in winter dressed as if it were July, winter riding requires specific preparations, but that doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t enjoy hacking through the snow. One of the trickiest aspects of winter riding is preventing post-ride chills in a sweaty horse.

If you know you’ll be riding regularly throughout the winter, consider clipping your horse. With several partial clips to choose from, you can tailor your horse’s “nakedness” to your anticipated level of exertion.

The benefits of clipping are two-fold: A clipped horse doesn’t sweat as much, plus he will dry much faster after a workout than a horse with a full winter coat. However, with the convenience of clipping comes the responsibility of blanketing. Removing a horse’s natural cold-weather barrier means he will need a blanket to help keep the chill away.

To shoe or not and how are other considerations for winter riding. Regular horseshoes have poor traction on ice and snow. For this reason, some people elect to pull their horses’ shoes in the winter.

However, if you think you might ride a reasonable amount in snow or icy conditions, consider talking to your farrier about studs for traction or snow pads to prevent the buildup of ice balls under your horse’s shoes. Walking on uneven packed ice also tends to bruise a horse’s soles, which is another reason some riders elect to use snow pads.

4. Can a horse get enough water by eating ice and snow?

Most domestic horses, unless already acclimated to a severe winter environment where water is scarce, have lost their natural ability (or inclination) to consume adequate amounts of ice or snow in amounts large enough to satisfy their daily water requirements. Leaving a horse to consume only ice or snow places him in a constant state of dehydration, thereby putting him at risk of impaction colic.

Frozen water alone isn’t the only problem in winter. Horses can be picky drinkers, and many will turn their noses up at water that is deemed too cold. Studies have shown horses prefer water between 45 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit to drink. Heated water buckets and troughs are the easiest solution for winter water woes.

Decreased water intake not only increases a horse’s chance of impaction colic, but also impacts his feed intake—when a horse drinks less, he also eats less. This then further affects his ability to keep warm.

While bran mashes and other methods of adding a bit of liquid to a horse’s meal may seem like a good alternative to increase your horse’s water intake in the winter, these methods typically don’t provide enough moisture. A horse’s average water intake can vary widely due to many factors, but on average, an adult horse will drink between 5 and 10 gallons of water a day. When grazing, a lot of this water is consumed within grass.

In winter, however, hay does nothing to help with water intake, which is why it is vital to make sure your horse has continual access to clean, non-frozen (and preferably warmed) water in cold weather.

5. How should I change my horse’s diet in the winter?

Although grain has more caloric density per pound than hay, it’s actually roughage that helps keep your horse warm in the winter. Therefore, when temperatures plunge below freezing for extended periods, increase your horse’s hay ration.

Because blankets and thick winter coats easily hide a horse’s body condition, it’s important to regularly monitor his body weight, either through evaluating his Henneke body condition score (BCS) or by using a weight tape. Although tapes are notoriously inaccurate, they do catch significant changes up or down.

These objective measurements will tell you if he’s taking in too few (or too many) calories. Evaluating body weight monthly through the winter should give you a good idea about the adequacy of your horse’s diet.

Most horses do not require any further alterations to their diet during the winter. Mineral and vitamin needs stay the same as in the summer, although if your horse is a voracious salt consumer, he may appreciate some loose salt instead of a frozen salt block to lick.

This article about cold weather horse care appeared in the November/December 2021 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Winter Horse Care FAQs appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Winter horse keeping can be a real pain in the neck, no matter where you live and what challenges come with your climate. Whether your winter weather is cold, snowy, rainy, icy, or even balmy, here are tips and hacks from fellow horse people to make your horse care and riding more enjoyable and get your horse through winter.

Snow Belt

Jenny Alsberg is a hunter/jumper trainer who also runs a boutique boarding operation geared mainly toward retired show horses. Her 40-acre facility, Gold Crest Sport Horses in Kiowa, Colo., is in an area known for big snow storms and long, cold winter.

Lower-Maintenance Blanketing

When healthy horses are allowed to grow a good winter coat, they’re often comfortable, even in freezing temperatures.

“As a hunter/jumper trainer, I was an avid blanketer and used to run around changing horse clothes all day long,” she says. “One winter when I was pregnant, I didn’t blanket and was shocked at how well the horses did when allowed to regulate their own body temperatures.”

There are times, though, when blanketing is a good idea: for senior horses, for those that tend to lose weight or are new to a cold environment, and for extreme weather. If you blanket, be sure to use a waterproof turnout, as these are designed for rugged, outdoor use.

Feed More Hay

Feeding additional grass hay (not alfalfa) has multiple benefits. It keeps horses warm, helps them maintain weight and facilitates a healthy digestive system.

“I feed more hay than my horses need when it’s bitter cold,” says Alsberg. “When I see a tiny bit of hay left over at the next feeding, I know my horses had access all day or all night, and it helped them stay warm.”

Maintain Access to Fresh Water

Providing unfrozen water in freezing weather is essential to a horse’s health—and a big challenge. Without enough water, horses are prone to colic and other health risk.

“Most of my water tanks don’t have heaters,” says Alsberg. She hasn’t installed automatic waterers because she prefers to be able to monitor how much her horses are drinking.

“Each morning and evening, I break a basketball-sized hole in the ice in each tank,” she says. “I’ve found that the horses have access to water longer than if I break up all the ice and it refreezes. Plus, I haven’t seen that the horses drink more or less depending on the temperature of the water.”

She also adds a dash of salt to her horses’ grain rations to encourage them to drink adequate amounts of water.

Provide Room to Move and Shelter

Horses are meant to walk around all day, and frequent movement helps them generate body heat and also helps with digestion. If possible, let your horse live outside in a run, paddock or pasture with access to shelter from the wind.

“More than the cold, it’s the wind that’s the worst element for horses in the winter,” says Alsberg. “This is especially true if it’s wet and windy. If horses have a place to get out of the wind, their coat can dry and insulate them better.”

Get Yourself a Headlamp

Winter days are long and dark, and many horse chores happen before sunrise and after sunset.

“I can’t live without my headlamp,” says Alsberg. “It’s a great way to keep my hands free while I’m doing any sort of outdoor horse care.

Rainy Season

Michelle Hinds grew up with rainy, snowy, icy winters, and she later worked at dressage and eventing barns where the horses were mostly kept outdoors in pastures and paddocks in parts of the country with heavy rain all winter. If you live in the Southeast or Southwestern U.S., winter weather is basically the rainy season.

“As the British say, ‘If you don’t ride in the rain, then you don’t ride!’” she says, summing up how it feels to have horses in rainy areas like New England. “You learn to grin and bear it—and do things anyway.”

Gear Up

In wet weather especially, choosing the right gear is essential.

“A great waterproof riding raincoat makes all the difference,” Hinds says.

Also important are good gloves that maintain grip and stay warm when wet. Waterproof riding pants and quarter sheets help keep horse and rider warmer when riding outside.”

“Tall muck boots are essential for a few reasons,” she adds. “They keep your feet dry, can double as riding boots when it’s raining, and they won’t get sucked off in deep mud like paddock boots will.”

Hoof Traction

When wet footing and trails freeze, they become treacherous.

“One way to ride during the winter is to work with your farrier to apply studs or other traction devices if your horse is shod,” says Hinds.

Unshod horses can wear boots designed to provide traction.

Horses are meant to walk around all day, and frequent movement helps them generate body heat and also helps with digestion. If possible, let your horse live outside in a run, paddock or pasture with access to shelter from the wind.

Get Ready for Mud

Horses that live outdoors in rainy areas will be living in mud; it’s inevitable. Even if humans create a dry area and shelter for horses to use, often they’ll choose to be out in the rain and mud anyway.

Having rain gutters that divert water away from the barn will help, as will building the barn on land with a slight slope or at a high point rather than in a low spot.

“But no matter how much sand we bring into a paddock, with enough water, it will become deep muck,” says Hinds.

Instead of trying to fight it, do the best you can. For example, clean out hooves every day and apply thrush products when necessary. Groom regularly to help prevent rain rot and other skin conditions.

“Some horses will be happier living inside, while others will want to be turned out no matter what the weather,” she says. “When we can allow our horses choices, they’ll generally be happier and healthier.”

By implementing a few hacks and tips, you and your horse can survive—and even thrive—no matter what winter throws your way.

This article on how to get your horse through winter originally appeared in the December 2019 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

Further Reading

• Tack and Gear: Winter Barn Gear
• Winter Wellness for Horses
• Winter Feeding Made Easy
• 10 Winter Health Care Mistakes to Avoid

The post Winter Survival Guide: How to Get Your Horse Through Winter appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Feeding in Winter: Hay is for Horses

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 very 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 as much of the hay from being wasted.

Feeding in Winter: Hay Alternatives

If you don’t have the 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 doesn’t get a commercial concentrate feed, which is already fortified with vitamins and minerals.

Most importantly, 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.

Feeding in Winter: Hydration Nation

Last but not least, 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 an impaction colic. Although these are often the easiest type to resolve with a vet’s assistance, any 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.

Weight Maintenance

Many horses tend to shed pounds in the winter if the climate is cold, 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). This boosts the calories per pound of hay, while still ensuring enough forage is in the diet.

As long as you are prepared for the challenges of winter feeding, you won’t be taken by surprise when Mother Nature throws you a curveball this season.

Managing Editor HOLLY CACCAMISE has an M.S. in animal science with a specialization in equine nutrition and exercise physiology.

This article originally appeared in the December 2017 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Winter Feeding Made Easy appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.