Top Tips For Maintaining Your Horses Condition Over Winter
Ah Winter. It really is set to try us. Whether we are knee deep in sticky mud (that somehow manages to seep over the top of our gumboots), or if we are completely drenched to the very depths of our soul in the pouring rain – looking after our horses can become quite the trial.
The freezing winter months are certainly not my friend that’s for sure (the only positive I can draw from this time of year, is the close to zero risk of bushfires!).
And for our trusty horses, Winter poses the risk of many tricky health ailments too. One of the biggest conundrums with caring for horses over winter, is how the hell do you weight on them?!
Particularly if you have a Thoroughbred or Arab(!).
But with a little basic know-how, some extra effort and vigilance – there is no reason why your horse can’t thrive (and you able to ride!) over the winter months.
So here are our top tips for making sure your horse maintains his/her condition ALL winter long.
Check Your Horse Regularly!
It might seem obvious, but it really is crucial that you keep a close eye on your horses condition over winter, so you are aware of any changes.
Particularly if you keep your horse rugged for much of winter – and you don’t always get the chance to ride – make sure you take the time to remove your horses rug frequently, so you can physically SEE how much condition your horse has at any given point in time.
When the rain is pouring and it’s freezing cold, it can be really easy to get a little lazy, and just throw your horses feed over the fence, and race back to the house or car.
Particularly if you have work or school and/or your horse is agisted and not kept at home – it’s easy to get into this fast-feeding habit. But before you know it, weeks have gone by, and you haven’t seen your horse without his rug covering him for quite some time.
But it really is crucial you take a horses rug off AT LEAST once per fortnight, and preferably once per week (or ask whomever looks after your horse to do so!).
That way – if you notice him/her dropping weight, you can do something about it sooner, rather than later. Because as we all know, early intervention when a problem is minor, is a much much easier than trying to rectify a more massive problem later on.
This regular check-in also gives you the chance to ensure that your horses rug isn’t rubbing any sore spots, their skin is in good shape and that the rug is still fitting ok.
Increase Your Quantities
This also might seem obvious, but it is important to note that winter feeding is dramatically different to summer feeding.
In cold weather, a horse needs A LOT MORE feed to maintain it’s condition. This is purely because a horses system is naturally designed to burn up its own fat stores to keep him warm.
And yes, providing him with a warm rug will assist, but it still won’t replace the need for more feed.
So as the weather gets cooler, you generally will need to increase the quantities of feed you are providing – as they will burn through it quicker. Whether that is hay, or hard feed, or both.
Just keep in mind though, that there is a limit to the size of each feed that you should be providing your horse at any given time.
A horses stomach is relatively small.
So don’t go too crazy with bucketloads of chaff, as he physically won’t be able to fit it all in. Or if he does manage to stuff it all in – his body just won’t be able to utilise it properly.
The general rule therefore is: smaller feeds, more often, where possible.
When it comes to hard feeding, concentrate on the concentrates!
By that I mean, if he really needs a pelleted or pre-mixed feed, you will increase that, but not necessarily the chaff that goes with it.
But then you can provide him with hay separately, preferably ad lib (or just grass if you are lucky enough to have it!).
What to do if your horse DOES need more weight?
Now this one, can be a little subjective. Different horse owners tend to have certain preferences as to how slender or how fat (or rotund!) they like their horses to be. And this might differ between different competitive or pleasure pursuits and different breeds as well.
So it’s good to use a condition chart, to score your horse accurately, and be aware that horses are naturally designed to drop a little bit of condition over winter.
(A quick Google search will provide you with a horse condition chart without too much of a drama)
You don’t however want your horse too fat! Too fat can be just as bad as being too skinny!
If you notice that your horse starts dropping weight quite noticeably however, and you aren’t happy with where they are at, it’s time to look at boosting their feed intake and calories.
Your first thing to look at, is just how much hay they are getting. Hay is generally the best place to start, as its relatively cheap and will help to keep a horse warm.
Secondly, you may need to look at what pre-mixed feed you are feeding. You may need to change to something with higher protein and fat levels.
Thirdly, if needed, add an extra fat source. You can feed this as either straight oil, such as the Hygain RBO Oil, or a high fat pellet, such as Hygain Tru Gain or Coprice Rice Bran Pellets.
Which you choose, will depend on your preferences and what the horse will eat. Obviously, more pellets will increase the quantity of feed you provide – which could make the feed too large. But some horses won’t always tolerate eating too much plain oil.
And if you do go down the oil route, we tend to recommend that you use a horse specific oil rather than the supermarket varieties.
Yes I know it IS very cheap from the supermarket. However it is thought that these oils (sunflower, rice bran oil, corn oil, vegetable oil etc) have an incorrect Omega 3 & 6 ratio, which can be inflammatory. The horse designed oils tend to have a better balance – so are safer and healthier to feed.
Keep An Eye On The Oldies
Older horses tend to struggle more and more over winter. As a horse ages, their metabolism slows down – just like ours. Their teeth also can deteriorate which can complicate feeding even further.
So often it becomes even more important to feed smaller feeds, more often as they age. Particularly if your oldie starts to struggle, the ideal circumstance would see you feeding him/her 3 – 4 times each day – in order for them to get the most benefit.
If 3 – 4 feeds per day is impossible for you, a bare minimum of twice a day, plus roughage, would be required.
As mentioned earlier, it’s certainly easier to catch any weight loss or other health issues early, rather than to wait until they are really struggling!
And if your oldie drops weight really really quickly, or starts scouring, or having any other issues – GET THE VET ASAP!
So there you have it. That should give you the basic knowledge you need to maintain your horses condition over winter.
Obviously there can be a lot more complexity when it comes to feeding your horse correctly over winter. So please always consult your vet or an equine professional for personalised assistance.
We also recently launched a new eBook on horse feeding, called the Easy Peasy (& Cheap) Horse Feeding Guide. You can grab a copy here: http://bit.ly/2y6Oz3X
Or just hit reply. Our team are pretty handy at helping to feed horses. We aren’t nutritionists, but we are experienced horse owners – and can at the very least point you in the right direction.
Your (ultra-friendly) One Stop Horse Shop Team
P.S Keep an eye out, as we have will more handy winter horse tips coming at you shortly :)
