HORSES AND WINTER WORRIES As winter approaches, new issues arise and old or chronic issues reappear. These issues can be with one or all of your horses, as well as with your barn and/or paddocks. By preparing now for the wintry weather, you can minimize some of the stress and discomfort that you and many of our horses deal with each winter. The winter season magnifies many of the issues senior horses have. Sub zero temperatures wreak havoc on old, thin skin; frozen water buckets can be a serious problem to an aged horse with decreased kidney capacity; competition for hay or food from younger, healthier horses hay put the older horse at risk for malnutrition; and when to blanket and which blanket to use can be very confusing. The following report will help get you started with the things every horse and barn owner should consider doing for and throughout the winter. Our aim with this report is to apprise you of the sort of issues and things you may to need to look at now, before the winter hits with its full force. Hopefully, this report will help you make better decisions about your horse and winter worries. If you like this report, feel free to pass it on, or have your friends contact us to receive their own report. We cannot escape winter, but we can prepare for things and reduce the stress and worry the winter season brings. Page 1
TOP TEN STRATEGIES TO PREPARE YOUR HORSE FOR WINTER 1. Perform a barn inspection. Ensure outlets are clean and safe, safe for use with extension cords. Check and make sure there are fire extinguishers hung up and ready for use. All barn personnel should be trained in proper fire extinguisher use (Pull pin, Aim at fire, Squeeze trigger, and Sweep across the fire = PASS). Check barn windows for broken glass and missing panes of glass. Make sure stall and barn doors which may not have been used for the past few months are functional and safe to house your horse(s). Also inspect and clean the loft, removing as much dust and cobwebs as possible now while you can still open loft doors and windows to remove dust and debris. 2. Inspect and clean all blankets. Skin diseases, especially ringworm (a fungal infection), is seen much more commonly in the winter when horses are wearing more blankets and have longer hair coats. Damp, matted hair and shared blankets allow skin fungal infections to establish a stronghold and then get passed throughout the barn. Damaged or torn blankets can lead to injuries if clips or straps get caught on fences on stalls, or if stepped on. Blankets are typically not required unless temperatures fall below freezing (or your horse has been body clipped). If your horse must be outside during wet weather, a waterproof blanket should be worn and he/she should be dried off as well as you can when he comes in. Page 2
Avoid leaving a blanket on a horse when inside a warm and dry barn as it may make your horse sweat which may lead to skin problems or other systemic problems. 3. Make a plan for providing fresh water and for dealing with frozen buckets. Your horse requires water for heat and circulation. By maintaining hydration, his or her blood will circulate normally, delivering essential nutrients and heat throughout his or her body. Monitor the water temperature as horses often will not drink very cold water. Heated water buckets are a convenient way to keep water from freezing, but do require an outlet within reach of the cord. Heaters can be hooked on the side of water buckets in the paddocks to prevent water from freezing, but theses also require electricity to work. Adding Apple Cider Vinegar to water will lower the freezing point of water, thereby allowing water to exist in subfreezing temperatures for a bit longer. 4. Talk with your farrier about winter shoeing options based on your horse s needs and the ground conditions. Anti-slip devices can be utilized to help with traction and to minimize snow and ice accumulation inside the shoes. Borium and caulks can be added to shoes to increase traction on frozen or slippery ground; snowball pads and snow rim pads can be added under shoes to reduce snow and ice accumulation on the bottom of the feet. Many horses have their shoes pulled for the winter. If you are not exercising them regularly and they do not have a requirement for shoes, this can be an option for your horse. They will still need frequent trimming (every 5-8 weeks), though. Page 3
Be sure to continue with daily foot care picking out the soles of the feet, and monitoring shoes and foot growth. Packs of snow and ice can create excessive stress on the soft tissues of your horses legs and feet. Horses feet grow at different speeds throughout the year due to seasonal influences and activity levels. By picking them out daily, you will know when a trimming may be necessary, regardless of when the calendar says they are due. 5. Assess your horse s joints and body condition now. As the cold, damp weather approaches, some of the minor joint aches can become more painful with decreased exercise and colder temperatures. Topical anti-inflammatories, systemic antiinflammatories, as well as joint health products may be necessary to provide comfort for your horse in the cold months. Remember your older horse s arthritic joints may be more sensitive to the cold weather (just like his owner!). This is also a good time to investigate those nagging lameness issues from the past season. With the winter layup pending, it is often a good time to evaluate, diagnose, and make a treatment plan for those issues that have not gone away this past season. Knowing 2 4 months of winter rest may be available is an ideal time to look into what may be causing those nagging soreness issues. Many of these issues will still be there come springtime if not assessed now. Page 4
Cold and wet weather can also cause concern for your horse s skin. Exposure to wet and cold weather will make skin brittle and sore. Matted hair is not only irritating, but can also harbor skin infections beneath the matted areas which do not completely dry out. Be sure to inspect your horse s skin periodically, clean any concerns with a mild soap (Ivory Soap) and keep them as dry as possible. While horses can live outside year round, they do need some sort of shelter to find escape from the cold/wet weather. 6. Ensure your horse is up to date with appropriate vaccinations. Horses traveling south for the winter months must be vaccinated appropriately for Eastern and Western Encephalitis (EEE, WEE), as well as West Nile Virus. Often this means additional vaccines before traveling south. All horses should receive at least twice annual Flu and Rhino vaccines these are respiratory diseases well controlled with vaccines. Coughing and sneezing become more prevalent in barns that are closed up in the cold months, (just as in humans). These respiratory droplets and sneeze particles from one horse can travel up to 30 feet (3 stall lengths). By ensuring your horse is protected against infectious respiratory viruses, you can minimize fevers and discomfort in your horse. 7. Have a Nutritional Assessment and Consultation done for your horse(s), especially now that any grazing will be minimal. Try to match your horse s energy intake with his/her Page 5
energy expenditure. If winter brings decreased work or exercise, an appropriate reduction in calories may be necessary. But a basic metabolic requirement of energy demands cannot be overlooked. Underfeeding horses can lead to weight gain or weight loss depending on the metabolism of the individual horse. Horses will use energy from forages (hay) to maintain body temperature in the cold months. Often just increasing the amounts of forage to 1.5 2.0 % of body weight is all that is necessary in the winter, with adding a vitamin and mineral supplement appropriate for each horse (based on protein and calorie requirements). If you haven t had your horse s teeth floated yet this year, this is a great time to do so. Chewing is the first stage of digestion; if there are any issues with chewing, discomfort and/or weight loss may result. Overweight horses are more prone to development of problems such as certain types of colic, laminitis, joint soreness, decreased performance, etc. An easy way to determine the horse s normal weight is to use the ribs as a guideline: Normal horses: the ribs are not visible but are easily palpable (felt with fingers). Overweight horses: the ribs are not visible and are not palpable. Underweight horses: the ribs are always visible. 8. Assess your hay storage capabilities. Be sure you have at least a one month supply of hay stored at all times. Blizzards or heavy snow may prevent a hay delivery truck from Page 6
reaching your barn for an extended period of time. Have a plan for getting more hay if you are unable to get a full load delivered in a timely fashion. You should also avoid storing hay in open lofts above your horse(s). If hay storage must be above your horses, place a tarp on the floor of the loft to minimize dust and mold spores from continually showering the horses beneath with particles that can damage their lungs and make it harder to breathe. Inflammatory Airway Disease and Recurrent Airway Obstruction ( heaves ) are much more common in horses shut in dusty barns, especially in the winter with the addition of cold air which can further constrict airways. 9. Check your snow removal equipment. Snow plows, snow blowers, and shovels have all been sitting for an extended period of time. Act now to get them inspected and/or serviced before repair centers get busy and behind on repairs and maintenance. In addition, snow shovels may be available at reduced prices at this time of year before the first snow forecast. You also should plan on where to put the snow as you remove it. Be sure to consider the snow may be at that location for some time and more snow may need to be added. As the spring weather approaches and the pile melts, does the water run-off go to an appropriate place? Also, make sure you can back your truck up to your trailer. Ensure you can get at your trailer at any time for your horse s health in the event of an Page 7
emergency requiring you to transport your horse. 10. Ensure proper air ventilation in your barn. Horses prone to chronic airway disease (Recurrent Airway Obstruction or Heaves ) typically have a harder time when stalled inside barns for prolonged period of times. Along with the above guidelines of updating respiratory vaccines, reducing the showering of airway irritants from hay storage, and checking windows, make sure known respiratory patients are outside of the barn during and for at least two hours after the stalls and aisles are cleaned, swept or blown. This will help to minimize fine dust and particles from being inhaled by these horses. Often times, just wetting the hay to minimize dust and mold spores from being aerosolized. A five to ten minute soaking is all that is needed, and will also not remove any of the nutrients from the hay. You may be surprised to look in the bucket after you remove the wet hay and see how much dirt and debris has been removed. By working as a team with your feed and hay suppliers, farrier, barn staff and veterinarian you can prepare for many potential winter worries. Individual horses will have particular needs, but safety for the entire herd is of utmost importance. If you would like to discuss with us in person any portion of this report or would like more help, do not hesitate to call us at: 781-585-2611 or visit our website, for additional information about winter worries and your horse. Page 8