Our -10 Winter

We are now into our second week of it being too cold for horses to go outside. Not only is today’s high just one digit, but the low last night was in the negative double digits. Today will be another day where the horses will not be able to go out.

Two weeks stuck inside won't kill them. In fact, the barn is heated so going outside in this weather could potentially do more harm than good. The inside horses are released into dry lots that often ice over when weather gets bad. Outside, there’s no source of shelter to hide from high winds or snow. Many of the horses that go out individually would lack the protection and warmth another horse would bring.

Currently, my mare Sally is quite happy in her heated stall. She’s not one to want to go outside if it’s snowing, hot, too sunny, or if there’s a lot of wind. She would be quite happy down south rather than here in Wisconsin where the wind nips. Being 22 years old, she also gets stiff in winter due to the lack of stretching her legs when she is outside and there is ice.

So how do I handle winter with my horse? One way is, when I clean her stall, I let her loose in the indoor arena. Many times she does not go off running, but enjoys the time just walking, rolling, and sprinting. This time allows her to stretch out her legs, other back muscles, and tendons that get stiff and sore from lack of use. She also gets time to play and let her release energy and calm down.

PC: Jaksen Curtin

Other things I do to keep her happy is bed her down thick! She’s going to be doing a lot of standing, especially when her stall gets dirty before I clean it. During a normal week she will get two bags of shavings in her stalls because she’d be out during the day. During a cold spell like this I will bed her with four or five bags to assure she is comfortable. Keeping her stall clean is also very important during long weeks inside. My mare often lays down and I want to keep both her and the stall clean so that she isn’t laying down on manure or anything else that’s unhygienic. If her stall gets too dirty or wet she could potentially slip when trying to get back up and hurt herself.

During the cold spell I make sure to brush her coat as much as I can. She has a very heavy winter blanket on and her hair can easy matt underneath. Her skin also gets a bit dry and so sometimes I apply products that work as a dry shampoo. It’s important to brush her each day during the dry spell because her blanket could start to rub her hair off. Many times the horse’s blankets rub on the shoulders and need to either have another slick blanket put on underneath or a slippery product like condition or detangler on the rubbed area.

Winter can surely not be very fun when you have horses. It can be bitter and windy and force the animals to stay inside. Yet there are many ways to keep them happy and healthy such as making sure they’re warm, allowing them time to exercise in an indoor arena, keeping their coat brushed and clean, and making sure they have extra bedding in their stall.