Winter Horse Care

Winter Horse Care
For most of us Winter and Summer mean totally different routines with our horses.

The change from 24 hour turnout to a mix of stabling and turnout can be as disruptive to you horse as it is to you, so keeping it interesting and workable for both is important.

Find a routine that is manageable for you; your horse will adapt, so don’t set yourself goals you cannot achieve.

Enlist the help of other riders, friends and family – dark nights and early mornings can get pretty tiring by the end of Winter and it’s nice to be able to take turns to have a night off or a lie in.

Try to do as much as possible when you have spare time, as leaving things until the last minute does not allow leeway for the unexpected.

I always make my feeds up in the morning, then if I get held up, someone can put a feed in for me, rather than end up with an agitated horse wondering where her tea is.

Fresh air and/or good ventilation are major requirements for horses. They can tolerate considerable cold if they can move around and are dry. Avoid drafts, but allow sufficient air exchange to move stale air, humidity, and ammonia out of the horse's environment.

Keeping the stable clean will keep ammonia levels low and there are some very good products available that destroy ammonia without harming your horse, even if ingested. I use a fresh smelling product that can be sprinkled onto the rubber matting or mixed in with the bedding. It not only reduced the bacteria but smells nice too.

Try to turn your horse out as much as possible. The lucky ones will have an area for adequate exercise well drained or with a hard standing area and access to a shelter. Most of us however will probably make do with a muddy paddock, but that can be better than standing in for hours. Remember to still have your horses hooves checked regularly, and pick out mud and stones when they come in as they will be uncomfortable and potentially cause damage to your rubber matting if you have it.

You may need to clip your horse according to how much exercise it is getting but then you will need to rug up to compensate. My horse usually has a full clip at the end of Autumn then a blanket re-clip later in Winter, as she grows a very heavy coat and is a hot horse when exercising.

Don’t neglect your grooming just because your horse is rugged up. It’s a good idea to take rugs off daily and check for any rubs or damage. Dry mud will brush off easily with a stiff brush and I find that applying a bit of coat shire mud repellent lotion really helps. I find it very soothing to have a chat with my horse whilst grooming her – she’s a great listener and it makes up for the reduced time we spend riding.

The change of diet from grass to hay/haylage can cause colic or digestive upsets, so try to make the change gradually. As Autumn sets in the grass will probably be very sparse anyway so you could start to put out some hay/haylage in the field. Keep an eye on your horse’s condition through the Winter and adjust the quantity or type of feed, depending on whether your need to increase or decrease your horse’s weight. Better to keep it under control, than to have to suddenly make drastic adjustments. Be particularly careful if you have a horse that could be potentially laminitic.

Ensure that you horse has access to drinking water, particularly when temperatures drop and external water supplies may freeze. I have read that warming water to at least 60 degrees F will increase water consumption by 40 percent to 100 percent. Dehydration (lack of water) is apparently the chief cause of impaction colic in horses.

Try to maintain a programme of exercise for your horse that fits in with your lifestyle. You may be restricted to road work, but a good brisk walk will do wonders for your horse’s fitness, and avoids risking damage from too much trotting on hard ground. Do plenty of flexion exercises at the walk and trot using leg yield and shoulder in if you can find a safe quiet lane. If you have access to a schooling area, use the time to do some groundwork exercises, lunging, free schooling or long reining.

Remember to warm your horse up slowly and thoroughly before asking for serious work. You may need to use an exercise sheet to keep the hind-quarters warm, and they have the added benefit of providing protection from the rain and if you use one of the fluorescent ones, aid visibility to other road users.

Hot horses need to be cooled down thoroughly then brushed to stand the hair up again before turning them back out. Fluffy hair traps air and keeps the horse warm; hair plastered down flat or wet lets body heat escape.

Adapting your routine to take into account weather changes, work schedule, turnout schedule, and feeding programs mean that there is no reason not to enjoy your horse as much in Winter as in Summer.

Nancy Griffiths
2007