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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You start every winter with the best of intentions. This year, I’m going to keep riding all winter, no matter how bad the weather gets!

You’re a tough equestrian, right? You’re not going to let a little snow (wind/sleet/ice) stop you from spending time in the saddle.

But then deep winter sets in, and you struggle to simply keep up with the regular daily barn chores, along with the myriad of winter-centric tasks (shoveling, de-icing, shoveling, then some more shoveling). Throw in some winter weather advisories and what seems like two hours of daylight per day, and it’s no wonder that you ultimately decide that spending some downtime indoors sounds like a pretty good idea.

Winter downtime is one thing, but you also don’t want to go stir crazy. And horses are your thing—you want to learn, grow, explore—without freezing for hours on end outdoors.

The good news is there’s so much more to the equestrian lifestyle than time in the saddle, and winter is a great time to invest your energy into activities that will make a positive impact on your involvement with horses.

The following are a few ideas to get you started.

Read Horse-Related Books

We always tell ourselves we’re going to make time to read … and then we don’t.

This winter, make it happen. Set aside some of your downtime to explore an assortment of horse-related books, both fiction and nonfiction. Revisit childhood favorites and enjoy them with a new perspective. Explore new subjects that interest you—maybe training young horses, equine nutrition, or the history of your favorite breed.

Check out vintage horse books. Try some biographies of pillars of the industry. Read old breed association yearbooks. Catch up on your pile of magazines.

You’ll learn a lot, and you’ll have the satisfaction of making a dent in your TBR (to be read) pile. If you don’t have a TBR pile, get in the habit of keeping a list during the fair-weather months on your phone’s notepad app. When a book strikes your fancy but you don’t have time to read it, just jot down the title.

Explore New Skills

Quiet winter weekends are a great time to explore new skills. Have you always loved taking photos but wish you understood the nuances of equine photography? Do you wish your horse show videos weren’t so shaky and choppy? Maybe you daydream about creating beautiful artwork or sculptures of your horse.

Daydreaming is great, but you can take action by pursuing your ambitions: sign up for some art or photography classes, find a mentor who can give you some guidance, and practice, practice, practice! You’ll be surprised at how quickly you can make progress when you carve out regular time to pursue your passions.

Learn More About Your Horse

You love your horse and all of his endearing habits and mannerisms—but this winter, why not learn as much as you can about him?

Start with his pedigree, if available, and begin researching his ancestors. Look for photos, gather info, and find out more about your horse’s background.

Learn the basics of equine coat color genetics and discover how your horse came to be the color he is, as well as how and why he inherited his white markings (or lack thereof).

You can also explore breed registry resources to learn all you can about the history of your horse’s breed, or send off a DNA test if your horse’s ancestry is unknown.

Study for Certification

Do you have long-held ambitions that you’ve always wanted to pursue? Winter is the perfect time to take the first steps.

Check out educational courses and programs, then find out what it takes to become certified in the field you’re interested in, whether it’s judging, training, instructing, horsemanship, equine appraisal, massage, or another related area.

Fulfilling all of the requirements for certification can take a long time (in some cases years), but you can take advantage of the winter months to get the ball rolling. The time will pass either way, so you might as well be making progress toward your goal!

Stay in Shape

When it’s cold, chances are you’re craving comfort foods. Of course, comfort foods get most of their comfort from the gazillion calories they contain. And when you combine that with decreased activity levels during the winter, the result leaves you in something less than tip-top physical shape.

But it doesn’t have to be that way—staying in shape during the winter not only feels great, but it also gives you an advantage when the weather improves and you can get back in the saddle on a regular basis.

Your specific method of staying in shape will depend on your individual circumstances, but might include walking, swimming, yoga, visits to the gym, et cetera.

Make Plans for Warmer Months

There’s no better time to make plans than during the winter. Evaluate the upcoming year and begin to set goals and plans.

Which horse shows will you attend? Can you pencil in some weekends for trail rides? Add in dates of clinics, horse expos, breed association meetings, and local club events so it’s all on the calendar from the start of the year.

Then determine the training goals you want to accomplish with your horse this year. What farm improvements would you like to make? Are there any important purchases you need to consider this year? Start tackling the logistics now, while things are quieter and less chaotic than in the summer.

Get Organized

Wintertime is the ideal season to work on getting organized. Who wants to deep-clean a tack trunk in the middle of a crazy show season? Or sort a box with 43 nylon halters when it’s 98 degrees?

Use the quiet time and the cooler working conditions to make some cleaning headway in your tack collection, show clothes, and trailer. You can get organized slowly, at your own pace, without the rush-rush-rush of the summer schedule on your mind.

Set a Budget

Just kidding. Budgets are for New Year’s resolutions!

Tackle Repairs & DIY Projects

Feeling handy? It’s time to work on some of those long-overdue repair projects you’ve been avoiding.

From little things like repairing tack, fixing buttons on shirts, and replacing laces in paddock boots—all the way up to bigger DIY projects like repainting jump standards, building window boxes, replacing the flooring in the bathroom at the barn—you can tackle these projects during the winter months and feel relaxed and ready to roll when spring arrives.

Go Horse Shopping

Buying a new horse is a surefire way to have fun this winter and make the most of the seasonal downtime, right? Of course, even if you’re not in the market for a new horse, it never hurts to browse some listings or watch a few YouTube videos of horses for sale.

Window shopping can be almost as much fun as actual shopping, plus it’s a lot less expensive.

Get Crafty

Why not put your crafting skills to good use? Maybe you’ve always wanted to make a ribbon quilt with your keepsake show ribbons.

Or maybe you love to crochet—why not start making crocheted ponies for the kids in your life or to give as prizes at next summer’s horse shows?

Volunteer Your Time

Breed associations and local horse clubs are almost always in need of volunteers to help with events, to serve on committees, and to handle the details of various programs. Your assistance will be gratefully received, and you’ll have the satisfaction of being a vital asset to these organizations.

Perks of Trying Winter Equestrian Activities

After you’ve put the winter months to good use, you’ll be more than ready to greet the coming spring from the vantage point of the saddle. But you’ll also have the satisfaction of knowing that you put your time to good use even on the coldest, windiest, and snowiest of winter days.

This article about winter equestrian activities with less time for riding appeared in the November/December 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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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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For many equestrians, winter means a change in routine. Bitter cold winds, freezing hands, thick mud, and icy roads can have the potential to make riding dangerous, inaccessible, or just downright miserable. Even those who live in more favorable climates may find the dwindling daylight cramping their riding schedule.

And saddle time is often replaced with extra-grueling barn chores. Aside from making sure our fur babies are taken care of, it may be tempting to put all unnecessary movement aside and curl up under a thick blanket and wait for spring to come. But neglecting winter fitness could mean increasing your chances of injury and setting you back on your riding goals come spring.

What is Injury?

In the equestrian world, the word “injury” may conjure up frightening images of fractures and concussions, but small muscle strains are also a type of injury. These tears are sometimes caused when too much force is exerted on a weak muscle after a long period of inactivity.

These sorts of injuries can affect even those who are committed to a regular fitness routine. It can feel like a sudden pain in your back after bending the wrong way or reaching up too high.

Particularly in cold temperatures, blood tends to leave the extremities to keep the core temperature regulated, decreasing the pliability of ligaments and increasing the chance of a tear. These injuries can also pop up when the weather warms again if we’ve been inactive and our muscles have become weak.

The good news is that these imbalances can be avoided with a bit of body awareness and a few changes to your routine. If you apply these guidelines to your day, whether at home or at the barn, you will achieve a more balanced musculature and decrease chances of injury during the colder months.

Equestrian Winter Fitness Tip 1: Always Warm-Up

Just as it’s important to warm your horse up prior to any exercise, warming your own body up before activity helps avoid injury.

While “warming up” is a bit of a misnomer since your internal temperature is already warm, doing gentle cardiovascular activities, such as walking in place, further increases blood flow to your muscles.

This is important for everyday activities like bending down to unload the dishwasher in the morning, but even more so with activities that require more force, like lifting a 50-pound grain bag.

A great starting point is a brisk three-minute walk or jogging in place, followed by gently mimicking the motions you will be performing later.

Equestrian Winter Fitness Tip 2: Recognize Your Dominant Side

If you do your own barn chores, winter signals the return of certain tasks. While it may have been months since you’ve done these chores, your body’s muscle memory enables you to pick up those activities where you left off. This is great for getting the job done quickly, but bad for creating muscular balance and avoiding injury.

If you tend to rotate to the left to shovel a frozen pile of manure into a wheelbarrow, one side will become very strong, and the opposite very weak. But even if you don’t do barn chores, using your non-dominant side during everyday activities will promote balance.

To put this into practice, start by recognizing your dominant side when you open a door, throw the ball for the dog, carry groceries, or groom your horse. Then switch to the other for a few repetitions or minutes, slowly building up frequency over several days.

Equestrian Winter Fitness Tip 3: Keep Moving

You’ve probably heard Sir Isaac Newton’s first law of motion, that a body at rest tends to stay at rest, and a body in motion tends to stay in motion. He was talking about physics, but the idea holds true with our health habits.

Winter can be a time where we not only fight the weather and shorter days, but sluggishness and holiday overindulgence. If we set very small goals to stay in motion throughout the day, we are more likely to continue with even more movement and not sink into sedentary habits.

Using larger, oxygen-hungry muscles throughout the day not only promotes good circulation with nutrient rich blood, but it helps improves your mood, energy levels, and sleep quality throughout the winter. Staying active can be a challenge for those who have more sedentary jobs, but it doesn’t require much time. Scheduling several short three-minute walks around the office building is one way to keep your body in motion.

Key Takeaway

You may not be able to control the changing seasons, but you can control decisions regarding your health. By making these simple changes, you will increase your body awareness, decrease potential injuries, and—who knows—you may even find yourself looking forward to next winter!

This article about equestrian winter fitness tips appeared in the November/December 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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The winter months can be tricky. It’s hard to keep your horse from getting bored with the repetition of ring work, especially in places that rely on small indoor arenas. These two exercises are simple to set up and useful for riders of all horse sports, including pleasure riders!

They’ll help keep you motivated to keep going through the colder months and keep your horse’s brain and body engaged. Plus, you just need eight poles and four cones (or other objects), so setup is simple.

Exercise No. 1: Transitions and Accuracy

Whether you’re preparing to trot down the centerline or take on the trails come spring, nailing your transitions is a perfect winter goal to get you ready for the sunnier days ahead, and this versatile and easy-to-set-up exercise will come in handy. If space is very limited, it can even be set up on a 20-meter circle or expanded into a larger oval for greener horses and riders.

What You’ll Need:

◆ Eight poles
◆ Four cones or other marker objects (we used fake rocks here)
◆ Set up four trot poles, evenly spaced around 4.5 feet apart
◆ Set up four canter poles, evenly spaced, around 9 feet apart
◆ Set up four cones or other objects in a rectangle, around 3 feet wide by 8 feet long to make a “halt box.”

The goal of the exercise is to create responsive and prompt transitions. However, putting the entire exercise together in one go can be tricky, so it’s best to start by separating the parts and build on your new skills.

Start by trotting through the trot poles and cantering through the canter poles separately. Then practice a square halt in the space between the cones (or other markers). Once you and your horse are comfortable with all parts of the exercise separately, it’s time to put everything together.

It’s simplest to start in the halt box. Next, pick up your trot and trot over the trot poles. The goal is to canter before you get to your canter poles, then halt again in the box.

It takes a lot of fine tuning to get your transitions prompt enough to be accurate, so don’t worry if it takes a number of tries to put it all together.

You can also try the exercise in reverse, starting in the halt box, asking for a canter transition, and then trotting before your trot poles before once again halting in the halt box.

One of the best things about this exercise is how it can be adapted for all levels of horses and riders. If you aren’t ready to canter your horse yet, you can trot through both sets of poles.

If halting in the halt box is too much of an ask, you can try a walk transition in this space, or just keep cruising through the box without a transition at all.

If your horse’s halt-to-canter transition isn’t spot on yet, you can adapt the exercise by walking a few strides, picking up your trot, and then ask for your canter just before the canter poles.

Essentially, the three different elements of the setup are markers for transitions, but which transitions you do are up to you! Just don’t try to canter through the trot poles (they are spaced too closely for a canter stride).

Also Read: Maintain Your Winter Riding Goals

Exercise No. 2: Nail Your Leads

The second exercise focuses on asking for the correct lead and quickly identifying what lead your horse is on.

What You’ll Need:

◆ Eight to 10 poles
◆ Set up four trot poles, spaced evenly, followed by a 9-foot gap to another pole.
◆ Set up two more poles lightly to the right and left of the 9-foot-spaced pole, three to four canter strides away.
◆ Optional: Three sets of cavallettis or standards. You’ll need a little more space for this setup, but it’s still perfect for a smaller indoor and can easily fit in a dressage ring.

Start by trotting through all of the poles, then trot straight ahead between the two offset cavalletti. Once you and your horse are comfortable, try asking for a canter after the four trot poles, before the 9-foot spaced canter pole.

Next, it’s time to incorporate the two bending lines to work on your canter leads. There are two ways of doing this:

1. Go through your trot poles and canter over the canter pole, letting your horse pick which lead to land on. If he picks the right lead, head toward the pole to your right. If he lands on the left lead, head toward the left pole. See how fast you can tell which lead your horse is on—you don’t have many strides to make your decision!

2. After trotting through your trot poles, cue your horse specifically for the right or left lead canter. Carry on to the coordinating second pole. Alternate which lead you aim for, keeping both yourself and your horse on your toes and focused.

Extra Challenge

After the second canter pole, ask your horse to pick up the opposite lead (for example, if you cantered over the right pole, ask for the left lead), then loop back toward the start of the exercise to pop over the other pole option in the opposite direction.

This exercise can easily be adjusted for lots of different levels of riders and horses. For greener horses, everything can remain poles on the ground. For more experienced pairs, the canter poles can become cavallettis. If you want to mix things up a little more, you can also incorporate larger jumps (in place of the poles/cavallettis) into the exercise to add an extra challenge.

The Slide Exercise

This pole exercise is called “The Slide.” It takes the shape of a variation of three standard trot poles but only two of the poles overlap and one of the poles is separate, creating a slide pattern. Each pole is parallel and one trot stride apart from the next. If you are riding alone, you could wedge the poles with the surface of the arena so they don’t move as much when you are riding over them.

In this video from Ridely, Tania Grantham demonstrates plenty of exercises that you can try with your horse over this setup of poles. The different exercises test straightness, transitions and medium trot. You can ride the exercises in either trot or canter and adapt them to what you need to work on with your horse.

Register for Ridely PRO to access 450+ other useful training videos.

Keeping yourself and your horse active and busy this winter will set you up to be ready to get back into the show ring, on the trails, or in the outdoor arenas as soon as the warmer weather is back!

Special thanks to our models, Ashley Anderson and her horse Global Jedi, for demonstrating these exercises.

This article about exercises for your horse in small riding spaces appeared in the November/December 2022 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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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!

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