Horse Owners: Keeping Your Horse Healthy In Cold Winter Weather

This is a contributed post. 

As a child I used to ride horses, so I am happy to offer this article about their physical care in the winter months. Also practicing Pet Reiki has reinforced to me how much spiritual care our animals need as well.

They say that this winter is set to be one of the coldest on record, which means that it’s vital that you know how to keep your horse healthy in cold weather. When it comes to winter horse care, even the most seasoned riders make silly mistakes with their horses, leading to them having to call out their vet. To ensure that your horse stays healthy this winter, here’s what you need to do:

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Don’t let their water freeze over

In the colder winter months, the chances are that your horse’s water will freeze over. If your horse doesn’t have access to clean water, not only will they begin to dehydrate, but their risk of impaction colic will also increase. So it’s important to ensure that you’re regularly checking your horse's water, to prevent it from freezing solid. There are various heating devices made for horse water troughs that you could consider investing in. These will prevent it from freezing up, ensuring that their water doesn't freeze up.

Increase their food

As the weather becomes colder, your horse will begin to burn more calories. This is because it takes more energy for them to stay warm in the colder months. So come winter, it’s important to up your horse's daily food amount, to ensure that they’re getting the calories that they need. If you’re unsure of how much this should be, talk to your vet for advice. While horses need more food in the winter months, the last thing you want is to overfeed them.

Ensure your horse has shelter

Although your horse shouldn’t spend the entire winter inside, it’s important that they have access to shelter. As otherwise, they could get too cold. If you don’t have a suitable stable for your horse, it’s important to have one built. To find out more about having a custom stable built, use resources like the Vale Stables website to read up.

Don’t fail to exercise them

In the winter months, it’s tempting to exercise your horse less as the weather is incredibly cold. However, just like we need to exercise regularly to stay healthy, so does your horse. So it’s important to exercise them on a regular basis, to ensure that they don’t end up getting out of shape.

Don’t let your horse overheat

Often, on cold days, we throw a couple of blankets over our horses to keep them warm. While it’s important not to let your horse get cold, it’s also important to prevent them from overheating. This means being careful of how many blankets you’re putting on them. If you’re not sure how many blankets this should be, ask your vet for advice.

It’s important to ensure that in the cold weather that your horse is well looked after. This means knowing how to keep your horse warm, healthy, and in shape. To do that, take note of the tips above, and implement them in your horse’s care routine. If you're confused about anything, don't hesitate to ask your vet about it.