Winter Woes For Horses - An Overview On Caring For Your Horse In The Cold Winter Months

Caring for your horse during the cold winter months can be seem challenging, especially once you realize that horses need just as much exercise and care in the winter months as they do in the summer months. Here are some techniques on how to properly care for your horse in the winter.



Many people do not consider some crucial things about caring for a horse during the winter months. For instance, the amount of water intake a horse needs during the winter months is an important consideration. The winter months are cold and often dry. As a result of this combination, a horse will actually need just as much water during this time of year than in the summer. Most veterinarians would most likely agree that this is a major winter concern-the amount of water intake that a horse consumes in winter.



Not drinking enough liquid in winter months can also cause other serious health problems for your horse. A horse can easily end up with impaction colic if the horse does not drink enough water. Impaction colic is a condition characterized by severe abdominal pain and in the intestinal area. You can prevent these problems simply by making sure your horse gets enough fresh drinking water.



Keep your horse drinking its water by providing him with plenty of clean, fresh water in a sanitized water basin. Place the water in a sunny location so that it will not freeze up in the cold winter weather. In the event that the water does freeze up, break up the ice with a large hammer and dispose of it.



Another way to keep the water from freezing is to add a bucketful of hot tap water to make sure that the water stays warm. Scrub water buckets and keep them in a room where they can warm to room temperature. If your horse becomes accustomed to warm water, he will be more eager to drink this water than if it was cold and frozen.



In such intemperate weather, it would be nice of you to prepare your horse a nice hot homemade meal. Try warming up a nice plate of bran mash, which can be made with warm tap water and then served directly to the horses. Horses will love this bran mash, especially if you make it with high quality bran sweet feed, chopped apples, sliced carrots and a bit of molasses. Search Pedlar.com for more articles that have horse recipes like this one.



You should also make sure that your horse has plenty of access to salt, hay, and grain, all of which are essential for the health of a horse in good proportion. Hay produces fiber that can help a horse's gastrointestinal tract work smoothly. The hay also helps to produce heat, which can also help keep a horse warm during the winter months.



Of course, you should make absolutely sure that your horse has adequate shelter in the wintertime to help keep it warm. The stall or barn should be draft free and have a door approximately 12 feet wide so that your horse can easily walk in and out of the shelter unit. Make sure to close most of the doors and windows when appropriate.



In general, you will not want to close all the windows of your horse's shelter because the barn will get too stuffy. In the wrong conditions, your horse could potentially develop an upper respiratory disease or other sickness. The shelter you find will need ventilation so that the horse can breathe. Avoid shutting the doors too tight around the shelter so that dust, mold, and other buildup do not take place. Adequate airflow is particularly important during the winter months.



With more than one horses, you should make sure that the shelter has adequate space for all of them. Ideally, you will want a door facing the south. Facing south will help your horses to bask and be warmed by the midday sun.



Another way to keep your horse warm is to cover the horse with a large blanket or long coat. This will prevent freezing and will also reduce the amount of exposed sweat into the air that can result in frost. Wool is perhaps the ideal material to use when you are shopping for a horse blanket.