01/29/2019
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TIPS! ❄️ 🥶🐴
Good afternoon concerned horse owner, trainers, and riders of all levels!! While we are all preparing and hopeful for the warmth and fun of spring, we find ourselves once again in the midst of another chilling winter weather advisory, with windchills predicting to be in the -20’s this week. Here are a few reminders to prepare yourself and make sure our four-legged friends are safe and warm.
1. Water: It is important to remember that horses still need a considerable amount of water (~10-20 L a day) in the cold weather. Horses are at risk of colic due to intestinal impactions with a decreased water intake, so our goal is to provide access to clean, fresh water at a comfortable temperature at all times. This may look different for every farm, but with temperatures in the negative degrees, water heaters are a must! If you have an automatic water system, take the time now to thoroughly inspect your waterers to make sure everything is working properly before the cold really hits.
*Proving free choice salt and mineral (both loose and block) will help stimulate your horse to drink.
*Adding a sprinkle of table salt to their grain is another way to stimulate drinking.
* If offering an electrolyte mixture, always an unaltered water source as well.
*As a friendly reminder, it is a good idea to double check the condition of your heater before using it - a stray electrical current is worse than frozen water*
2. Food: Horses are usually very tolerant of colder weather, but with the extreme weather we are looking at this week, our friends are going to need some added calories to keep themselves warm. Adding 1-2 more flakes daily this week may be needed. For our geriatric friends who don’t handle roughage well, adding 1-2 more lbs of a complete pelleted feed (like Equine Senior), may be what they need. If your horse tolerates a mash and you have warm water available, soaking their grain for 30 min and making it a mash is an easy way to get more moisture into them during this weather.
*Some horses simply will not eat a mashed diet, so if the mash turns them off, then forget it – calories are important right now.
3. Shelter: With high winds already coming through, providing horses a shelter that at least breaks the wind will help keep them warmer. Moving them into a safe indoor facility temporarily (arena, stall, etc) may be required this week. If no indoor area is available, a smaller pen with a shelter that has at least 3 sides will greatly help them! In addition, especially horses that are in outdoor shelters, adding more bedding (shavings or straw) will help keep them warm both when they are standing and when they lay down.
4. Blankets: If your horse will tolerate a blanket, now is the ideal time to utilize one! Make sure it is in usable condition and an appropriate size. If they are not use to wearing a blanket, make sure they are going to be safe with one on and that they do not have access to fencing or hazards that they can get caught up in. If you do not have access to one or your horse will not tolerate one, than place more emphasis on tips 1-3!
Some great links for further reading can be found at:
a. The Horse Magazine: Horses Need Extra TLC During Cold, Wet Winter Weather. https://thehorse.com/165566/horses-need-extra-tlc-during-cold-wet-winter-weather/
b. The Horse Magazine: Preparing Horse Farms for Winter Weather Disasters. What to do when electricity goes out, roads are closed, etc
https://thehorse.com/120617/preparing-horse-farms-for-winter-weather-disasters/
c. The Horse Magazine: a short (3 min) podcast on tips to prevent impaction colic due to decreased water intake. https://thehorse.com/138294/how-do-i-prevent-impaction-colic-during-winter-weather/
d. As always, feel free to contact us or your regular veterinarian for more information!
Pine Valley is a full service boarding barn. Hunter/jumper trainers on site but others are welcome! Pine Valley is currently welcoming new boarders to our barn!
