Tag: horses and winter

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Winter Care for Horses: Ensuring Adequate Water Intake

Winter Care for Horses: Ensuring Adequate Water Intake

One of the most critical—and often overlooked—elements for maintaining a horse’s health and vitality is ensuring adequate water intake during winter. You might be surprised to learn that horses can suffer from dehydration just as easily in winter as they can in sweltering summer heat.

By understanding the challenges and implementing effective strategies, horse owners can help their animals stay hydrated and healthy throughout the winter months.

Common Issues with Water Intake in Winter

  • Frozen Water Sources

Low temperatures can cause water buckets and troughs to freeze, making it difficult for horses to access water.

  • Reduced Thirst in Cold Weather

Horses may not feel as thirsty in colder weather, leading to decreased water consumption. Additionally, many horses are less active in winter months due to confined spaces or shorter daylight hours, leading to decreased thirst signals.

  • Dehydration Risk

With less water intake, the risk of dehydration increases, which can lead to serious conditions such as impaction colic.

  • Limited Access to Natural Water Sources

Snow or ice-covered streams and ponds may become inaccessible, further limiting water availability.

  • Unappealing Water Temperature

Cold water may be less appealing for horses, discouraging them from drinking enough.

  • Increased Need for Water with Dry Feeds

Horses fed on dry hay during winter require more water to aid in digestion, but if water intake is inadequate, it can lead to digestive issues.

Strategies to Ensure Adequate Water Intake

  • Provide Warm Water
  1. Offer water that is slightly warmed (45-65°F or 7-18°C) as horses are more likely to drink it compared to cold or freezing water.
  2. Use heated buckets or water heaters to maintain a consistent water temperature.
  • Prevent Water from Freezing
  1. Use heated water buckets or automatic waterers with built-in heaters to prevent water from freezing.
  2. Insulate water troughs or containers to reduce the chances of freezing.
  3. Regularly check and break any ice that forms on open water sources.
  • Encourage Drinking
  1. Add a small amount of salt to your horse’s feed or provide salt blocks to stimulate thirst.
  2. Consider adding electrolytes or flavorings (like apple juice) to water to make it more appealing.
  3. Offer water frequently, especially after feeding hay or during exercise.
  • Regular Monitoring
  1. Check water sources multiple times a day to ensure they are not frozen and are adequately filled.
  2. Monitor your horse’s drinking habits and be alert for any changes in water consumption.
  • Ensure Easy Access to Water
  1. Make sure water sources are easily accessible, especially if there is snow or ice in the area.
  2. Clear paths to water sources to ensure horses can reach them easily.
  • Feed Moist Feeds
  1. Soak hay or feed warm mash to increase water intake through the diet.
  2. Provide fresh forage or wet feed to supplement water intake naturally.

Conclusion

Making sure your horse drinks enough water in winter will help prevent dehydration and stay healthy. To do this, tackle common issues like frozen water and reduced drinking by offering warm water and monitoring hydration. These simple steps will keep your horse comfortable and well-hydrated throughout the cold months.

Further reading: The Importance of Water in Winter | Ranvet

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Rugging Horses in Winter

Rugging horses

Rugging horses can be a valuable asset when the weather turns cold. 

Horses that are well-nourished and kept warm in cold weather are less likely to suffer from illness or injury.

Some people also keep rugs around their horses’ stalls to help them stay comfortable and dry. 

But before deciding to rug your horse there are some important factors to consider first. 

Factors to consider when rugging a horse

  • Horses are very adaptable to different climates

The horse is a warm-blooded animal. It tries to keep its central (core) temperature close to 38°C irrespective of what the environmental conditions around it are. So, horses can be active all year round, and their activity does not decrease when it’s cold or hot.

But the disadvantage is that it must take in a lot more energy to generate the heat to keep the body at the optimal temperature. And it must use energy to cool itself down when the weather is hot.

Environment also plays a large part in the rugging decision. If horses are in large paddocks that have a variety of undulation they then have the ability to move into warmer or less windy locations by choice. In those situations rugs will often not be needed at all as the horses can regulate themselves.

Wind shelter is the most effective element for allowing horses to regulate their own conditions.

  • Don’t rug horses based on how cold you feel!

In general, horses are comfortable between 5-25℃, whilst humans are comfortable between 25-30℃. That means that we feel cold before horses do, but horses feel hot before we do.

Outside of the horse’s thermoneutral zones (5-25℃) is when the horse must use other means to keep warm or cool.

  • Rugs can prevent sunlight from reaching the skin which is necessary for the generation of Vitamin D.

An hour a day exposure without a rug should be enough.

  • It is best to start with lighter rugs and move to thicker rugs as it gets colder.

Especially because over rugging may cause your horse to be too hot and sweaty. Sweating causes the skin to become hyper-hydrated and more prone to damage and infection.

  • Older horses, young horses, thin horses and clipped horses will need rugs first

Young horses are smaller and often have less body fat and will lose heat more rapidly. Older horses can have a reduced ability to control their body temperature. Thin horses may not have enough body fat to insulate against the cold weather. Clipped horses have a shorter coat which may have less ability to retain heat.

  • Weather, breed, coat, diet and shelter also have a contributing factor 

Horses in small enclosures without access to windbreak shelters will need thicker rugs as the temperature drops.

Tip: Some horses cope better with cold than others. So whilst there are general rules, it’s still important to observe the individual horse.

How to determine your horse’s temperature?

A good spot to determine is by placing your hand under the rug behind the withers. If it feels cold then you may want to consider a thicker rug. If it feels damp then you may want to consider removing the rug as it’s likely your horse is too warm. 

Conclusion

 It is evident that horses can be rugged during the winter months with the proper care. By following a few simple tips, horse owners can help their horses stay healthy and comfortable during the cold weather.

 

Reference sites

https://www.facebook.com/ponyclubaustralia/ 

https://horsesandpeople.com.au/the-science-of-rugging…/ 

Image by Penny from Pixabay

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Laminitis risk in horses increases as it turns cold

laminitis in horses in cold weather
We humans struggle with cold weather and so too can our horses if they are at high risk of developing laminitis. The cold can lower the blood supply to the hoof which may compromise hoof health. Add to this frost which causes the grass to stop growing and to concentrate its sugars close to the roots. When the horses eat the short grass the intake of high sugar and starch content skyrockets. This combination adds a significant risk factor of the horse developing laminitis.
 
Laminitis is an inflammation of lamellae inside the hoof that may cause your horse to be in pain or discomfort if not addressed immediately. Horses may move around less due to the cold weather anyway so the onset of laminitis is not easy to notice. There may be changes in how they move, or in the health of the hooves. Being observant of these changes can be critical to early diagnosis of a bout of laminitis. 
 
If you notice your horse reluctant to move then this could be a strong warning sign of laminitis.
Other indicators could be:
  • shortening stride,
  • unwilling to lift its hoof,
  • showing lameness,
  • having hot hooves,
  • unbalanced standing,
  • display growth rings in the hooves,
  • increased digital pulse pressure,
  • or separation of the hoof wall from the hoof.
Immediate action is needed as laminitis is a serious condition. It is always best to consult your vet to discuss management and treatment strategies.
 
Your horse doesn’t need to suffer from laminitis. You can help them to avoid that. And I’m sure that’s what you wanted for them. So, what are the steps to take to avoid this problem?

Steps to avoid laminitis

  • Proper dietary management – this is especially important because overweight horses are prone to laminitis. Maintain your horse with a body score of around 3/5 to allow them their systems enough capacity to cope with seasonal fluctuations in grass sugar levels.
  • Grazing management – control the intake of sugar and starch as this is the common risk factor of laminitis. Where possible opt for grasses that are naturally low in sugar. Otherwise limit grazing time from late night to early morning, and provide low sugar grass hay, or soaked hay.
  • Enough exercise – providing a track system for your horses to encourage movement is one of the best natural exercise prompters.
  • Provide them practical care routines – let nature help with a system reset over winter by leaving rugs off and allowing them to reduce weight levels. 
  • Be vigilant with hoof care – shedule regular visits with the farrier or trimmer. 3-4 week intervals work best for most of the year.
  • Provide the right supplements – Copper and zinc are vitally important minerals for hoof strength. Combining these with magnesium and biotin helps support the metabolism.

HoofXtra contains these essential ingredients along with selenium, pyridoxine and folic acid to provide optimum support for laminitic prone or insulin resistant (IR) horses.  https://myhorsesupplies.com.au/product/laminitis-rescue-mix-carol-layton/ 

Note: Horses vary from one another and what works for one horse may not work for another. If you’re considering what to supplement your horse with, we recommend speaking to either your vet or an equine nutritionist to ensure you’re feeding the best option for your horse. 

Consult your vet regularly – they are more equipped with regards to horse health problems and can easily identify signs of problem

Image by jplenio from Pixabay