Winter is here in my area, and that means some extra care for our horses! Below I've listed some things that I have discovered can cause problems in the winter, so you might want to keep an eye out if you are in these situations!



1. Foot Care- keep an eye on your horse's feet, whether they have shoes or go barefoot. Here are some tips and reasons why:
  • Barefoot Horses: Ohio winters in my area can go from deep mud to frozen solid in one night, leaving the ground in the pasture uneven and difficult to walk on. Keep your horse's feet trimmed during this time, because long toes or heels can break off more easily on frozen, uneven ground.
  • Shod Horses: check your horses feet very frequently if they don't use pads with their shoes, because snow can very easily ball up inside shoes and it may not pop out by itself.
2. Ice Balls - This term may sound funny, but horses that are pastured 24/7 will get balls of ice stuck to their feathers (long hair on their ankles) very quickly. You might want to consider using a pair of scissors to trim these off so that they don't get too uncomfortable for your horse.

3. Blanket or Not? - Most of us think that adding a nice, warm blanket to our fuzzy horses will keep them even warmer - however, this is not always the case. If you horse has it's full, natural winter coat, smashing it down with a blanket can actually work against them and make them colder. The hairs in their coat stand up when they get cold and keep a layer of heat close to their bodies, even under ice and snow.

4. Water - One of the most important things you can do for your horse is to provide plenty of ice free water. Water helps regulate the body temperature, so it is very important for your horse not to get dehydrated in the winter.

5. Roughage - Although grain is helpful in providing heat to horses in the winter, don't forget the utter importance of lots of roughage (hay or grass). Horses are natural grazers, and roughage is much more important to their diet, and healthier for their digestive system, then grain.