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.

“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!

The post Best Horse Blanketing Practices appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

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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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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Winter is here, and that lovely horse of yours—the one who looked gorgeous at the summer shows—is now hiding in a wooly mammoth coat. But even if the two of you plan to lay low this winter, don’t assume that you’re off the hook for regular grooming.

Besides keeping your horse looking good (or as good as fuzzy can look), regular winter grooming provides health benefits, too. A dirty coat isn’t as effective at keeping your horse warm, so it’s important to stay on top of major mud stains and dirt year-round.

But what if it’s 25°F and bathing your horse is out of the question? Here are a few grooming tips for your horse this winter so that you can keep him looking his best, even during the coldest months of the year.

1. Loosen the dirt

Long coat or not, you can easily (well, sort of easily) remove a great deal of the dust, dirt, and dried mud stuck in your horse’s long coat.

◆ Start with a curry comb or grooming gloves. While a basic curry comb is a good tool any time of year for removing muddy debris and dust, elbow grease is essential in the winter for removing dust and dirt from deep in your horse’s coat. Grooming gloves are similar, but they allow for a closer feel of your horse’s curved surfaces and can also be used on the face and legs.

◆ Try a shedding blade. The same shedding blade that comes in handy during your horse’s spring shed-out also works well to etch off those big dried mud stains.

2. Remove the dirt

But simply loosening the dust and dirt isn’t enough; you need to remove it as well.

◆ Brush with a flicking motion. A stiff-bristled dandy brush can be quite helpful for removing most of the dust you shook loose with the currycomb. Use your wrists to flick away all that dust. Softer body brushes can also be useful, and their gentle touch is required around your horse’s legs.

◆ Try a vacuum. If he’s cooperative with the idea (and it may take some careful training to get him there), using a horse-safe vacuum can be an excellent—and dry!—way to remove more dirt than you could probably achieve with brushing alone.

Some horse vacuums come with brush-like attachments to help you safely whisk away the dirt. This just might be your ideal winter bathing replacement, especially if you plan to attend a winter show, clinic, or other event.

3. Use a spot stain remover

During the summer, we often break out the hose to deal with things like sweat stains and green manure spots. If the temperatures are too cold for that, you may still be able to perform some spot cleaning without getting your horse very wet.

◆ Use a commercial product. Sometimes called a “waterless bath” or “waterless shampoo,” these products are (obviously) still moist, so you may have to avoid applying them on frigid winter days. But for mild winter days, these products can be a great way to clean your horse without soaking his entire coat, and they’re often quite effective at removing unsightly stains.

This technique may be more effective on clipped horses or those with naturally short winter coats, rather than super-fuzzy animals. After application, dry the spot with a soft towel.

◆ Try a home solution. For small stains, you might be able to clean them with a small towel dipped in rubbing alcohol, but you don’t want to overdo this method as it can dry out the horse’s coat.

4. Maintain manes and tails

Regular mane and tail grooming regimens apply to your horse in the winter just the same as the summer, but there are a couple of extra tips for preventive measures you can take:

◆ Try a mud knot for tails. Depending on your climate, mud can be a significant issue in the winter, but you can help protect your horse’s tail by using a simple mud knot. It will protect his tail and save on grooming time.

◆ Keep his mane shorter. If it’s too cold to use mane detangler, try to keep your horse’s mane combed frequently. You can make the job even easier by shortening his mane during the winter to limit the amount of mud and debris that it entangles.

5. Think about hooves

Locations that experience prolonged temperatures below freezing may develop hard, frozen ground. This can be very difficult on your horse.

◆ Talk to your farrier. If the frozen ground is uneven and painful for your horse to walk on, your farrier may recommend making temporary adjustments, such as shoeing a normally barefoot horse or adding borium for traction to steel shoes.

◆ Watch out for snowballs. When bringing your horse into the stable after turnout, be sure to remove any packed snow that has developed on his soles; this can be quite uncomfortable for him to walk on. This happens particularly with shod horses—look into having your farrier add snow pads if this is a frequent problem.

6. Be a weight watcher

Keep in mind that a thick winter coat can make it much more challenging to estimate your horse’s body condition.

◆ Use your hands to “see.” Use your regular grooming sessions to examine your horse’s body weight by using your hands to feel for areas around his hips or ribs that might not have enough body fat coverage.

Not only will an underweight horse suffer more in cold temperatures, but it can also be difficult to increase his weight when he’s using extra calories just to stay warm. It’s better to catch winter weight loss early.

Just because your horse is a little woolier this time of year doesn’t mean you should forego regular grooming sessions and health checks. A little bit of routine work can go a long way toward keeping him looking good. Before you know it, he’ll be shedding out that winter coat—and you’ll be covered in it instead!

Horse Grooming Tips for the Winter Rider If you ride during the winter, you have another set of challenges to deal with. Groom the right spots: Take extra care to remove any dried debris or mud from your horse’s saddle, girth and bridle areas. This will help your horse avoid any uncomfortable chaffing. Cool out properly: Because the insulating hairs of the winter coat prevent the heat from escaping effectively, expect to find sweat marks under your horse’s girth and saddle pad even when the thermometer dips below freezing. Be sure to put a cooler on your horse until he’s dry to prevent him from becoming chilled. Consider a body clip: If you ride heavily in any climate throughout the winter, your horse will sweat a lot and probably take too long to dry without hours of work. In this situation, a partial body clip (like a trace or blanket clip) is the way to go. Partial clips leave some natural coat for the cold weather and remove the areas that sweat most. Keep these tips in mind for body clipping: ◆ Make sure to use clippers that are specifically designed for body clipping, not small face and leg trimmers. ◆ Have one or two freshly sharpened or brand-new sets of blades ready to go. ◆ Start with a squeaky-clean horse: bathe with shampoo in a heated wash rack, or bucket bathe with heated water. To bucket bathe, scrub back and forth against hair grain with well wrung-out towels, switching out frequently for clean ones. Make sure your horse is completely dry before clipping, and have winter blankets ready for stabling and turnout. Check out this article for more detailed steps to a great body clip.

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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!

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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.

Dress Appropriately

A big factor in staying warm when riding in the winter, is dressing appropriately. “You can’t be too bulky when you ride, so we always use layers,” said Krishona Martinson, a University of Minnesota Equine Extension Specialist and mother of two horse-loving daughters.

Living in Minnesota, she gets an average of 51 inches of snow each year. While Krishona doesn’t ride as much in the winter, she still is outside taking care of the horses with her daughters.

Krishona likes very thin thermal layers under riding clothing. When doing barn work, her family bundles up with lined coveralls, heavy winter coats, a couple of pairs of gloves, and boots that are meant to keep your feet warm to 60 below zero F.

Alena Meacham, director of riding at the University of Connecticut, pointed out that you shouldn’t allow yourself to get sweaty and then stand around in the cold.

Cotton clothing, especially, will hold the sweat next to your skin, making you chilly. The layer of clothing next to your skin should be a moisture-wicking material to keep you dry. Vests are nice because they let heat escape through your arms but keep your core warm.

The right layers will let you take clothing off as you get warmer and then put them back on when you cool off again.

Krishona and Alena both use quick-heat hand and foot warmers for less active time spent outdoors.

Eat Well

Another factor in staying warm while riding is eating well through the winter months. You feed your horse more in the winter so he can stay warm and maintain his proper weight, and the same idea applies to you.

“Drink water and eat a good meal with protein before standing out in the cold,” says Alena.

In the winter, you still sweat—especially when doing barn chores—but it’s easy to forget to drink water because you naturally don’t feel as thirsty as you do in the summer. Eating is important, too, because the energy created by digesting the food makes 10 percent more heat inside your body within an hour than when your stomach is empty!

Practice Patience

Remember, frigid cold, low wind chill, or heavy snow can make it dangerous for you to spend too much time outside.

“To be honest, on those incredibly cold days, not much happens—just the minimum,” Krishona admits. It’s OK to get by just doing the minimum; feed and water your horse and clean his stall, but skip the riding that day. These days are your opportunity to get in some reading and horse-treat baking.

As winter roars in this year, be smart about your wardrobe, your nutrition, and your daily plans so you can still fit in barn time.

This article about staying warm while riding originally appeared in the November/December 2017 issue of Young Rider magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post How to Stay Warm When Riding in the Winter appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.