How to prepare your horse for Winter! My tips & tricks!

If you live in the United States, you are probably very aware of the unbelievable cold weather we have been experiencing lately, so early in in the year. It important to know when, how, and where to prepare your horse for winter! Lets start with when.....

It important to start preparing your horse for winter at the first sight of freezing weather. Typically in October the temperatures start to get low and your horses hair starts to thicken. When you notice freezing weather, the first step is up the feed! I try to up my horses feed about an extra half scoop. So if she's getting one scoop, she gets one and a half in winter. If she's getting two scoops, she gets 2 and a half in the winter. It also important to add hay to your horses diet. If your horse already eats hay daily, then your going to need to up the amount of hay. Round bails can be a good option for when the grass dies, but they can often cause mud spots in the pasture.

We have already covered when and how, so lets talk about where.

Horses need a good environment when winter comes. They need a shelter, not necessarily a stall, but a run in of some sort. Something to block the wind and rain on freezing nights. A pasture with grass is recommended, but most grass dies and horses are required to eat hay or forage throughout winter. Spreading old, wet or uneaten hay on the dirt spots of your pasture through winter will help treat the soil for when the spring grass comes in. It will be greener and richer for the horses when you treat the soil properly. I would recommend having a summer/spring pasture and a fall/winter pasture. So when fall comes, you move the horses to the winter pasture and treat the spring pasture with composted manure, grass seed and/or hay. Then do the opposite when spring rolls around! If you are financially able, I would recommend adding beet pulp or alfalfa to your horses daily feeding! This helps put on fat for cold nights when they burn their energy staying warm. I absolutely love beet pulp and so does my mare. If you are like me and spoil your horse, you can even soak the forage in boiled or hot water before feeding and horses love it! Just make sure it is at a safe temperature for them to eat!

Side note: water heaters are critical in winter as your horse cannot break ice in their trough

I hope you enjoyed this read and feel free to leave any questions in the comments or message me with the little icon in the bottom right corner!

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-One paint mare