To keep your horse comfortable and healthy through the cold winter months, it is important to try to forget what is comfortable to you as a human and consider what works for horses in the wild. While every horse has a different level of cold tolerance, your care regimen year-round should follow nature as much as possible.
Horses are hardy animals. Most adjust very well to the cold temperatures. But there is a limit! Find out what it is.
How Cold Can Horses Tolerate?
Horses will start feeling cold below certain critical temperatures. For a clipped horse, or one with a summer coat, the average critical temperature is 40°F. For horses with a thick winter coat, the critical temperature can be as low as 18°F. Once a horse’s coat becomes wet, the critical temperature will increase by anywhere from 10°F to 15°F. For example, a dry horse will stay warm until the temperature goes below 18°F, while a wet horse will begin to get cold at 33°F.
Because of their size, horses are better equipped to cope with low temperatures than we are. In fact, what we call cold, might not even feel cold to them. Tolerable temperatures would be without wind and precipitation. With shelter, such as a run-in or stable, your horse can manage in as low as -40° F. This is dependent on the horse though. Factors like weight, coat size, and age all come into play.
In the winter, a horse’s coat will stick straight up, creating additional insulation to help them stay warm. They also utilize tactics like standing together in groups and keeping their backs to the wind to stay warm.
Signs Your Horse Is Too Cold
If your horse becomes too cold during the winter they could be in danger of hypothermia or colic. The following are signs to watch for that would indicate your horse is getting too cold:
- Shivering – They are working to try and keep warm but need help.
- Temperature – When you take their temperature, keep in mind that a horse’s normal temperature runs between 99 and 101 F. If it is below 99 F, they are too cold.
- Low Body Weight – If a horse is thin, he does not have enough fat to regulate his body temperature.
- Huddling with Other Horses – It can be obvious if the horses are crowded together trying to keep warm that they need to be brought to a shelter situation so they can regulate their body temperature better.
- Not Enough Food – A horse is a very efficient machine, they use the process of digestion to create heat for their body, but this does necessitate a greater amount of eating roughage (good quality hay) constantly throughout the day, than in warmer temperatures. If the same amount of hay was fed to a horse in winter as in summer, they would lose weight. Offer more hay when the temperatures drop below 40F.
What You Need to Know About Hypothermia
If a horse becomes too cold, it could be in danger of hypothermia. Therefore, it is good to familiarize yourself with the warning signs as much as possible before the cold starts to come.
- Hypothermia starts to set in when your horse’s body temperature is as low as 98-99 degrees. From there, it can be mild, moderate, or severe.
- When you take your horse’s vital signs, his temperature will be lower, his heart rate and respiration may also be affected.
- Hypothermia can lead to heart trouble, organ failure, and can be fatal. Your Veterinarian can advise you how to help him warm up as they travel to you.
- In some cases, warming up your horse from the outside with rubbing and blankets is not advised. Instead, your Veterinarian may administer warmed fluids and monitor for organ damage. This is also a case when you need to know what his normal body temperature is, so your Vet can determine when he is safe.
When Will My Horse Get Its Winter Coat?
Horses can begin getting their winter coats as early as the end of August. It is at this time that they will shed their shorter summer coats in preparation for the much longer winter coat that will help keep them warm for the duration of the winter.
If you want your horse to grow a good winter coat, avoid blanketing them in the early fall when the first colder temperatures arrive unless the weather is extreme. Blanketing your horse too early can trick their bodies into not producing the quality of coat that they will need if you plan to leave them exposed for the majority of the winter months.
When to Blanket
Their winter fur is still growing in until roughly December 22nd. If you blanket before that, you could be stunting the growth of the hair. The use of blankets is necessary if there’s no shelter and the temperature or wind chill is below 5° F, they can get wet, or they’re clipped. Cold climates require a little more work. With proper care, your horse is likely to do just fine this winter!
If you use a blanket once, you should continue using it for the duration of the winter months. You will need to make sure that either you, a friend or family member is available to blanket your horse when you’re not available to. Blanketing helps preserve valuable heat producing calories if your horse has a difficult time maintaining a proper weight.
It is important to take the blanket off during the day when temperatures rise; otherwise, the horse will overheat. Once things cool back down in the evening again, the horse is likely to get chills due to the moisture they’ve accumulated from having the blanket left on all day.
What to Do if Your Horse is Too Cold
If you believe your horse is exhibiting any of these signs, you will want to take action immediately. Here are a few options to consider:
- Contact a Trained Veterinarian. No one is better equipped to diagnose and treat a problem related to your horse’s health, than someone that has trained for years and has hands-on experience. While it might be tempting to rely on your own wits or the advice of other horse owners, the most reliable and trustworthy information you can get will be from a vet.
- Feed Your Horse Additional Hay. The internal process of digesting the food can help produce vital body heat to keep them warm. This step is especially important if your horse is thin to begin with.
- Provide Your Horse with a Shelter. If your horse is normally just out in a field, find a way to bring them into a well ventilated, warmer environment. Long exposure to winds and freezing temperatures can be particularly dangerous if your horse is wet from the outset, so it’s best to put them somewhere that they are out of harm’s way.
- Consider Using a Water-Proof and Well-Ventilated Horse Blanket. This can be particularly helpful for horses that have been recently clipped, or are thin. Keep in mind, if you blanket your horse once, you will need to continue re-applying the blanket for the rest of the season when temperatures are low.
- Make Sure Your Horse Has Access to Warm Drinking Water. Hydration is an important part of the body’s heating process. If temperatures are below freezing, you should consider using a submersible heater or heated waterer to keep water readily available for your horse.
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