To “winterize” your horse and help protect them against cold stress, you should:
g) a, c and d
Horses fight cold weather by using energy to stay warm. As a general rule, a 1% increase in energy requirement is needed to replace energy loss from cold weather for each degree the temperature falls below the horse’s critical temperature. Critical temperature is the temperature below which a horse starts to expend additional energy to provide warmth. This temperature for individual horses will vary because of fat cover, hair thickness, acclimatization of the horse to cold, haircoat wetness, and windchill. For example, horses clipped during the winter months will have a much higher critical temperature and will have to be blanketed to help thermoregulation. You can tell if a horse is losing too much heat if snow melts on its back instead of accumulating on top of its hair; shivering can also be an indication.
To help horses decrease their critical temperature, one needs to precondition them for cold weather. Making sure horses carry enough weight to use as energy and insulation is a good way to go into winter. Provide free choice grass hay during the winter months, which will allow the horses to always produce enough internal heat through gastrointestinal fermentation. Providing shelter from wind, rain, and cold is important. If you have a horse that is not allowed in the shelter with other horses it is a good idea to provide a blanket, especially when there is freezing rain. Be sure blankets are waterproof. A wet blanket may cause a horse to lose more heat than it would if it were not blanketed.
To learn more about reducing stress for your horse, read the November 2008 e-Tips.