winter woes

["Dot Wiggins" <dotwgns@ruralnetwork.net>]

Most horses do well in cold (way below zero)  if they have:   Plenty to eat,
especially good hay,   a wind break,  time to grow a good fuzzy coat.
The coat has two layers, one long coarse and one short soft inner layer.
As long as they don't get wet all the way to the skin they stay comfortable.
When it is really cold and dry they are so well insulated snow and ice will
stay on the backs unmelted.  (helps to insulate, too)
Where the problems arise is when it rains, or snows wet,  steady till they
are wet thru.  Even at temps into the upper 40s and above they will be very
cold.
Blankets can keep them dry, but the "on-off" hassles are a pain.
What we found years ago in North Idaho, which can be wet and cold for a long
time, that each horse had to be inside, under cover, out of the wind, for at
least 8 hours of every 24.  This allowed the hair to get completely dry and
they were happy till it got wet again.
We had more horses than barn space, but by trading places morning and
evening, this kept them all healthy and happy all winter.   Because they
were in stalls, each could be fed grain as needed while inside, they got
most of the hay inside, and  they could lie down dry and rest.
For those that might be going to sales early we put a light blanket on,
while inside, to get the hair to lay smooth, but never outside.