Keeping your horse warm and happy in the winter can take a lot of careful planning and preparation. But with some rugs and careful planning, you can keep them warm in the stable as well as when they are out on the field grazing. Here, we are providing you with tips and tricks on how to keep your horse warm in the winter months.
Maintain A Healthy Diet To Ensure Accurate Weight For Your Horse
Whether you have recently changed their feed, or you have begun to notice a drop in their weight, it is important to maintain a healthy balanced diet to ensure that your horse is at the right weight. This will not only help to prevent laminitis and other common illnesses, but this will also help to keep them warm when the weather takes a turn for the worst.
Opt For Plenty Of Rugs And Winter Blankets
If there is an extreme cold snap but you are still looking to turn out your horse, keeping them warm can be challenging. Not only can they lose weight by shivering, but this can cause other health problems. However, using turnout rugs can help to prevent this and keep the horse as warm as possible when out in the fields. In addition to this, there are a number of other rugs available that are both thicker and thinner, allowing you to cater this to the weather conditions allowing you to
care for your horse all year round with ease.
Use Dust Free Bedding
Adding additional bedding to the barn can also be used as a way to keep your horse warm, however, it is important to use high-quality bedding that is dust-free. This is a must as this can then help to prevent colic and stable cough. Though the bedding being dust-free will help, it is also important to ensure the stable is well ventilated, as this will allow your horse to breathe easy without leaving them to cold throughout the day. This will not only help to make the stable more pleasant for the horses but also you when caring for them.
Exercise Your Horse Regularly Throughout The Day
Just because the weather is cold, it does not mean that it does not need to be exercised. It, in fact, needs exercising regularly to prevent weight gain. Though this can be challenging, heading out in the day the sun can help to keep your horse warm as well as get them used to the environment. However, it is important to be vigilant when out in high winds as this can spook your horse and lead to the ride being difficult, therefore it may be beneficial to either wait until the wind dies down or go
for a short ride for a little while.
Whether you are a fan of horses or you are someone who has just got their first horse, we are sure that you will be able to keep your horse warm all winter without spending a small fortune.
