09/01/2025
Horses and cold weather, quite a vast topic and many different view points, here are SOME of the key considerations and tips for managing horses at this time of year!
- Access to forage: Horses at all times of year should have access to forage as the main bulk of their diet. In the winter, this is even more important, as it is one of the ways that horses naturally keep themselves warm. Whilst grass intake is likely to be reduced at this time of year, supplementing with hay or haylage can help to ensure your horses forage needs are being met.
- Rugging: Always a key topic for horse owners at this time of year. Many owners treat their horses as big pets and worry that because they as humans are cold, their horses may be cold too and pile on rug after rug. Each horse is different; has the horse been clipped? Is the horse in exercise? Do they live in? Do they live out? Do they have access to shelter? Are they a big hairy 'thick skinned' breed or are they a finer 'thin skinned' breed? Do they have any health condition? Do they need to lose weight? Do they need to gain weight/maintain their weight? The number of considerations on this topic are vast... my advice... use common sense, you know your horse better than anyone else, remember horses have a greater thermoregulation zone than humans, for a healthy horse this falls approximately between 5-25 degrees Celsius.
- Monitoring water intake: Horses may not want to drink as much this time of year as water tends to freeze. Adding warm water may encourage more drinking, sloppy feeds and mashes may help to increase water intake, consistent monitoring is important to help reduce the risk of impaction... you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink... there are however ways to encourage drinking.
- Enrichment: Although not ideal, many horse owners are unable to keep their horses out 24/7, particularly at this time of year, whether that is due to personal choice or lack of facilities it is important to ensure your horses is mentally stimulated. Using enrichment such as different feeding methods; hayballs, treatballs, water buffets, toys, licks, turnout (even partial), in hand walks, hacking, schooling, socialising with other horses, grooming, music, mirrors. Although not all suitable or possible for all horses, there are many options to choose from when keeping horses entertained through the winter months.
- Exercise: If owners decide to continue working horses through the winter months it is important to consider ground conditions; the ground may be much harder or more slippy than other times of the year. It is important to consider the risks associated with this, the impact the hard ground is going to have through the joints and other structures of the legs the potential injury risks present. Other considerations include a sufficient warm-up and cool-down routine before and after exercise, ensuring this is gradual through the gaits and complexity of movements begin very simple until all tissues are sufficiently warmed. When work is complete, allow the horse to stretch and slowly cool down, this may include providing a cooling rug to wick away sweat to avoid horses getting a chill.
- Feed alterations: Depending on horse requirements feed may need to be altered through winter months, for 'poor-doers' this may include increasing or altering 'hard feed' intake to ensure they keep weight on. It is important that you consult with your vet and/or nutritionist and that any changes to diet are done gradually whilst ensuring forage remains the predominant part of the diet.
I have not even covered a fraction of the detail I could go into on each of these topics but I am hoping to produce a blog series on some of these key areas which will be found at www.alphaanimalphysio.com/blog
