Water, Water Everywhere, but None to Drink

Impaction colic becomes more common during the winter months because horsesoften drink less water, either due to a layer of impenetrable ice in their waterbucket, or near freezing water temperatures that make the water unpalatable.

Luckily, this is easily prevented. While breaking up ice in water bucketsranks near the top of the list of most irritating winter barn chores, it isvital to your horse's well being. Water buckets must be checked several times aday, especially in the morning after cold nights.

Depending on just how far north you live, even if no ice is present in thebucket, the water may be quite cold, and the horse will still drink less thannormal. To save yourself a lot of grief, you might want to consider purchasing aheated water bucket. Generally these have a built-in thermostat with a heatercontained within the walls of the bucket. Prices run between $40-$45.Considering the cost of colic surgery ranges between $3,500-$10,000, a heatedwater bucket seems a worthwhile investment. If you do purchase the bucket, makesure that the water doesn't get too warm, which may be unappealing to your horseas well. And as with any electric apparatus in the barn, make sure all cords aresafely out of reach of curious horses.

If your horse lives outside or somewhere else where electricity is notavailable, be vigilant in checking buckets, removing ice, and adding warm waterif necessary.

Feed - Little and Often

As we all know, the horse is an animal designed to spend most of its timeforaging for food, eating steadily over the course of the day. For horses atpasture in areas where there is little to no grass during the winter, goodquality grass hay should be available as much as possible, with grainsupplementation if necessary. In cold temperatures your horse must utilize extraenergy to stay warm, so make sure he is getting enough calories to support theseefforts.

If your horse will be mostly stall bound and spend less hours in work incomparison to the rest of the year, while he will still need extra calories tokeep warm, this may be offset by the decrease in exercise. If you havedrastically cut back on riding/exercise time, decrease his grain rationsaccordingly, but monitor him closely to make sure he doesn't lose condition. Tocombat boredom for horses spending more time indoors than usual, feed smallamounts of grain spread throughout the day, and have good quality grass hayavailable as well. While this is a good feeding strategy any time of the year,it is especially important during the winter as it will give your horsessomething to occupy their time, as well as help them maintain a healthy bodytemperature.

Ventilation

In an effort to keep ourselves and our horses warm, sometimes we close up ourbarns a little too well. Horses are comfortable at colder temperatures than manyof us realize, so don't worry if there's a chill in the air. Instead, make surethat fresh air can move throughout the barn, while preventing any drafts. Goodventilation helps prevent disease transmission and lessens the occurrence ofrespiratory problems.

Also, keep stalls as clean as possible. Inclement weather may force yourhorses to remain in their stalls more than normal. If stalls aren't cleanedthoroughly and often, ammonia levels from urine can build up in the barn,especially if proper ventilation is not maintained.

Turnout

Turnout is important to a horse's mental and physical state?just bereasonable in your respect of the weather. Turning horses out on to ice slickedpaddocks is never a good idea; we've all hear the horror stories. Nor is puttingthem out into a cold, wet, and windy day without at least the shelter of arun-in shed and proper blanketing.

But don't forget that under the right conditions, slopping around in the snowand slush can be a lot of fun for your horse. Just take into consideration hispersonality, the terrain, and the day's weather particulars before making yourdecision. For horses that live primarily outside, a three-sided run-in shed witha roof is very important. You can trust that they will use the horse sensenature provided them and head there when necessary.

If turnout isn't an option due to bad weather, try your best to get yourhorses some sort of exercise. If you have an indoor arena, consider yourselflucky (though I'm sure you pay mightily for the privilege), and ride as often aspossible. Remember though that your horse may need more time to warm-up,especially if he's got a previous injury, some arthritis, or is getting up therein years. If the weather is especially frigid, utilize more slow and steady workand leave the strenuous stuff for a less chilly day. On days where you're ableto have a good workout and your horse is a bit sweaty, make sure to end yourride at a walk for at least a few minutes. Then thoroughly cool him out byuntacking, fluffing up any damp hair with dry straw or a dry rag, throwing on acooler, and then hand walking for as long as needed. It is important that he bedry and cool before you put on his regular winter blanket, otherwise you'll trapthe dampness under the blanket and he could catch a chill.

If you don't have time to ride and the arena is empty of both horses, and ifpossible, equipment (poles, jump standards, tractors, etc.), you might want toturn your horse loose for a bit of fun. Just make sure anyone else in the barnknows that there's a loose horse in the arena so they don't accidentally let himescape.

To Clip or Not to Clip

If you're planning to continue your training and conditioning effortsthroughout the winter months, you should consider clipping your horse. There areseveral different clip patterns you can use, depending on the work you'll do andyour personal preference. The idea is to remove his insulating layer of fur sothat when you ride, he is less likely to sweat excessively, thereby decreasingyour cooling out efforts after your ride.

Remember though that by clipping you've removed your horse's cold defensesystem. It is now your responsibility to ensure he is kept warm until spring. Amyriad of blanket selections exist, depending upon your needs and budget. Themost important factors to remember are fit and protection. An ill-fittingblanket will cause friction rubs at pressure points, especially the shouldersand withers, which if left untreated can turn into open sores and derail yourtraining schedule. A horse with a blanket rub on his withers will beunderstandably unhappy with your attempts to place a saddle on his back. So,after measuring your horse, head to the tack shop, tack catalog, or on-linestore and investigate your options. If your horse has special conformationissues (high withers, very broad chest, etc.) take those into consideration whenmaking your choices. Unless your horse is very small (i.e. mini) or very large(a super sized Warmblood or draft), you should be able to find a blanket thatfits. Make sure of the return policy, in the event your original choice doesn'tquite work.

For protection, if your horse will be spending any time outside in elements,the blanket he wears while out there must be waterproof and well made (toprevent leaks). The array of space age materials used by blanket manufacturersis quite impressive, as are the strap, Velcro, and snap systems to make sure theblanket stays in place.

If you will only ride occasionally, it might be best to allow your horse togrow his natural hair coat. Nature provided for our horses quite well, and ifleft to their own devices they are equipped to handle most of the snow, wind,and rain they will encounter. If you do leave your horse unclipped, make sureonly to blanket him when it is really necessary, otherwise you take the chanceof flattening his hair coat under the blanket, which will actually work againsthim (the horse's insulation system works by fluffing up the hair coat, whichtraps a layer of warmth, and at the same time individual hairs themselves repelmoisture, keeping the skin underneath dry). If your horse is happily hanging outin the pasture during a snowy winter day, munching on hay and looking content,then you shouldn't worry. If on the other hand it's windy and sleeting, and he'slooking unhappy, it's time to bring him, get him warm and dry, and wait forbetter conditions.