Assess Horse Needs This Winter

Keeping horses safe and healthy during cold, winter months is important. Steps horse owners need to take in order to do so depend on where their horses will be during the winter.

Horses do just fine outside during the winter, provided they have enough feed and their winter coats are growing. Still, some shelter should be available for those times of bitter winds and wet conditions. Shelter can be a belt of trees or even a three-sided shed, just as long as the horses have a place to go to escape the harsh elements.

Horse hair grows naturally in the winter, so horses will have enough hair to keep them insulated and warm if they are outside. If horses are in stalls inside, cover them with blankets. Place them under artificial light to fool them into thinking it is still summer if shorter hair is wanted.

Feeding habits for horses in stalls shouldn't change much, but the hay amount for horses outside should increase. Pastures are drying up in the winter and they don't have much nutrition within them, so increasing the amount of hay available is important. Horses produce more body heat when they digest hay than they do with grain, therefore keeping them warmer. Horses in the pasture could also use plenty of salt and mineral.

Be aware of rodents in barns, too. Opossum feces can cause horses to develop Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis. Watch out for rats and mice in feed and keep out rodents as much as possible.