Winter – The Joys of Living in the Great White North.

Although winter has given us a break up until now, chances are that this will change soon.  Horses are very well adapted to cold weather, and the feral horse population in the Northern hemisphere survives without blankets and snow pads.

Researchers found out that the Prezwalski horse “Equus ferus Prezwalski”, which is a very close relative to our modern horse  “Equus caballus” has, apart from a thick hair coat, the ability to down regulate its metabolic rate in order to conserve energy when food is scarce in winter. Despite that, during the extreme cold winter 2009/2010 in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia the re-introduced wild P-horse population crashed dramatically.

The wild horse population in North America is also well established and makes it through the harsh winters out West. While the population survives, the unlucky individual animals who are, for whatever reason weakened, will perish in the cycle of life and death according to the laws of natural selection and survival of the fittest.

We took care of natural selection by breeding performance horses that can jump, do fancy dressage moves, or race around barrels. I am not going to start a “to blanket or not to blanket” discussion, but the fact that we did take control of the breeding selection of our horses, means that we also have to take control of our horses’ comfort requirements (not only) during the cold season:

• shelter from wind chill,
• keeping horses dry, 
• meeting the horse’s energy requirements,
• water supply,
• and foot care.

Shelter Size  
According to the University of Minnesota, a general rule-of-thumb for run-in or open-front shed size is 240 square feet for 2 horses (i.e. 12 x 20 feet), and 60 square feet (i.e. an additional 10 x 6 feet) for each additional horse. These recommendations assume horses housed together get along well.

Keeping Them Dry  
These are the UoM suggestions and guidelines to blanket a horse if:

• There is no shelter available during turnout periods, and the temperatures drop below 5°F, or the wind chill is below 5°F.
• There is a chance the horse will become wet (not usually a problem with snow, but much more of a problem with rain, ice, and/or freezing rain).
• The horse has had its winter coat clipped.
• The horse is very young or very old.
• The horse has not been acclimated to the cold (i.e. recently relocated from a southern climate).
• The horse has a body condition score of 3 or less.

Proper blanket size and fit is important, in order to avoid rub marks or even injury. The proper type of blanket according to outside temperature is essential, a rain sheet alone has no insulating properties and can make it even worse, by compression of the insulating air-cushion formed the horse’s hair coat.

Feeding Requirements
The temperature below which a horse needs additional energy in order to maintain body warmth is called the lower critical temperature. This lower critical temperature in a horse with winter hair coat is about -7°C, for a clipped or horse with summer hair coat, it is about +7°C. The energy demand will increase about 1% per degree below that temperature.

In young horses their growth can be “put on hold” at low temperatures with a lack of nutritional energy.

Sometimes a thick hair coat can mask a poor body condition, especially in older ponies,

Water
Unfortunately, we see an increased number of impaction colics at this time of the year. Horses consuming winter feeds, have increased water requirements. Hay and grain normally contain less than 15% moisture, while in contrast, pastures possess 60 to 80% moisture. Even if quality feed is offered, horses will consume less if not drinking enough water. Fecal contents must maintain adequate moisture levels. If fecal material becomes too dry, intestinal blockage or impaction might develop. A horse will most likely not develop an impaction in one day, but can over several days to several weeks of inadequate water consumption.
The water in the waterers needs to be heated above freezing, adding one or two tablespoons of salt per adult horse is a good idea, as this will stimulate drinking.
Waterers should be cleaned regularly, and clean, fresh water needs to be always be available, regardless of temperature.
Foot care
Snow pads are absolutely necessary if your horses are shod and there is snow on the ground, as snow will otherwise ball up under the shoes and sole, creating a significant injury risk. If bare foot, please consider that frozen ground can lead to sole bruises and foot concussions.

Having said all this, let’s hope it is going to be a short one!