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Home » Donkeys » It's freezing….but is my horse cold too?

It's freezing….but is my horse cold too?

Posted by on Jan 7, 2009 in Donkeys, Horses, Welfare | 4 comments

Temperatures throughout France and the UK this week have hit the lowest this winter, but is your horse feeling the cold too?

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With temperatures plummeting down to as low as -10 at night and  barely past freezing in the day, you may be wondering whether your equine friend needs rugging..more rugs adding.. stabling..or bringing into the house (only joking folks!). 

An age old technique is to feel at the base of his ears or armpits to feel his temperature, also notice if he is shivering or if his coat is standing up. Horses can actually withstand very cold temperatures, it’s when they get wet in cold temperatures that they really feel the chill. Obviously we don’t want them to lose condition through the winter so you may want to rug up depending on age, condition,breed etc of your equine. One of the best ways though to keep your horse warm is to feed more hay, not hard feed, as hay is digested in the cecum and colon resulting in heat production by bacterial fermentation. Concentrates are digested quickly in the small intestine so not producing so much warmth.

Often overlooked at this time of year, but a real threat just the same, is dehydration.This is caused by a combination of breathing in dry winter air and a reluctance to drink icy cold water. Obviously water is needed to keep the digestive system flowing so try and encourage your horse to drink , if possible, by offering warmed water to him, or if this isn’t possible  ensure your water butts/buckets are topped up and ice smashed. Adding salt to the water will not be effective, plus too much salt is not good for his health…and will make him more thirsty!

If you’ve had snow, like us, and your equine looks like he is walking on stilts, try generously smearing something greasy like cooking fat, petroleum jelly or glycerin around the inside of the hoof and hoof walls to prevent the snow compacting.

You may want to take a look at our December posting on Winter equine care here or check the weather forecast for your area of France here.




4 Comments

  1. Craig McGinty
    January 7, 2009

    Hi guys,

    Not sure if it is horse safe or not, but a football in the water trough will help in stopping it freezing over.

    reply
  2. Beckie Roques
    January 5, 2010

    I find Zinc and Castor oil very good for preventing mud fever – I use it on the kids and horses!

    reply
  3. Tina
    January 6, 2010

    Do you soak the hay first? And the football – it a good idea! It works. However, in the morning I also put hot water in and my mules love to drink luke warm water!!!

    reply
  4. Lizzie
    January 9, 2010

    Old ponies with stiff joints can find it difficult to get up on frozen ground if they roll. Ours have their stable rugs removed so we can give them a good strapping with a stiff brush before they are re-rugged to go out. This gets the circulation going and they dont roll when turned out as all those itchy places have had air and tlc all ready.
    Hot mashes a.m + p.m. along with plenty of fibre keeps them warm and happy.

    reply

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