Exactly. My now 30 year old mare is going to get highly stressed if she’s cold. Doesn’t matter if she’s inside or out. She turns into a total wreak if she’s cold, and no, doesn’t grow a great coat, never has I’ve owned her since she was 3, raised her from a weanling before that. I’m not going to leave her uncomfortable because she should be fine if she has enough hay.
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I have my horses at home in Vermont; we’re located more or less at the base of some of the more popular ski areas. We are still a snow belt; since I’ve had them home, the most snow we’ve had from a single storm is 2.5 feet, which still pales in comparison to big lake effect storms around Buffalo. Generally speaking, at least a few inches of snow covers the ground here beginning in late Nov/early December, and keeps it covered until early-mid March. My horses live outside 24/7 with 3-sided sheds, though I do have a barn on the property that we can use for emergencies and regular vet/farrier.
My personal non-negotiables for winter horse keeping in the northeast, more of less in order of personal importance:
- Frost free water hydrants with lines properly installed below the frost line
- Electricity for heated buckets
- Secure, dry storage for a year’s worth of hay and a feasible way of getting it from where it’s stored to where the horse(s) will eat it, which means…
- Snow removal equipment that you can run on your own, not waiting for someone to get to you to plow you out. We have a 6ft snowblower attachment on the front of our tractor that stays on all winter
- An enclosed area for vet and farrier during the winter, with good lighting so they can work
- Poop removal strategy, which may mean you create a temporary pile for the winter in or near where the horses live and you have to give up several days in the spring when it’s dry enough to move it to the permanent pile
- Really good drainage and footing in the area where the horses live so you are not drowning in mud during the thaw
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But these two things can both be true. Moving around DOES warm up horses (and every other living thing). AND horses also stay warm by digesting hay.
In my opinion, the best place for an older horse is outside, with unlimited hay. Old horses can get stiff when they are shut up in stalls, gentle movement is also good for arthritis etc.
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I understand that completely. ShenanAnna does not. " the only way they have to generate heat is to move"
We must also understand that moving simply to warm up is a waste of valuable resources (calories and therefore forage), while moving gently as is normal for horses is not so much a waste of those resources and is in fact a healthy part of daily life for all horses.
Additionally, anyone who has seen a truly cold horse knows that they will NOT move about to warm up, but will stand around shivering.
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I think the idea of boarding him for the first winter is a great one. Gives you a feel for the environment AND allows you to see how winter/snow affects your property. Drifts in upstate NY are no joke!
Regarding some other comments (as a native Mainer)
- No need for a heated barn. Insulated and well built is key
- High quality electrical work. Lights, outlets and switches where you need them (outside of stalls, for the vet /farrier. It gets dark early up there!)
- Tank heaters/heated water buckets as well as frost free hydrants.
- Drain your hoses!
- Snow management…how will you move it and where will you put it?
- Sacrifice area and manure management: can you pick manure every day? Or will it be frozen to the ground? What is the base? When snow melts it creates water…which makes mud. How will you manage this?
Good luck! My family is from the Buffalo region
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That’s what I have noticed especially with the elders. At a farm I managed I used to let the horses a couple at a time to go out to the back pasture. One of the older mares would decide on any given day that she didn’t want to, usually when it was especially nasty out. I guess she heard the wind whipping along the barn and didn’t want anything to do with it regardless of how much hay there was outside. She’d still be standing in her stall waiting for her hay when I came up the aisle closing the doors as I went along. I’d usually make some comment to the old darling and toss her a healthy helping of hay which she’d happily tuck into. Bouncing around to keep warm was not in this old girl’s agenda on any given day and it would have been cruel to expect her to.
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Which “BS”?
I had a WB, bred in Queensland, Australia, imported to FL as an 9yo. QLD has a climate like FL.
I got him at age 14 & he came to my farm in NW, IN arriving on December 10th, showslick with a cotton sheet. It wasn’t yet hard Winter, but colder than he’d ever experienced.
I only had a midweight 78 blanket for his 84 self.
In the 5yrs I had him, he never got more than plushy in Winter. Yet I rarely blanketed him & he never tested cold.
His companion pony grows a coat like a yak & turned 24 last week.
Here they are, on what must have been an Xtra cold day:
Like any horse I’ve kept here for 20yrs, I blanket only if temps are below zero teens or snow is melting on their backs.
Even then, blankets (all 100g fill) come off as soon as they’re dry beneath.
And they still prefer Out over In.
Stalls can certainly provide shelter.
It’s not unusual for me to find my 3 - 16h horse, 13h pony & 34" mini - sharing a single 12X12.
Usually in rainy weather, but not as a rule.
But also not unusual for them to sleep outside in weather you’d think would keep them in.
My proof of this is the single manure pile in any stall when I come to feed, morning, evening or late night check.
The other night we had sleety drizzle & all 3 came in with wet coats. BUT, wet only on the top, warm & dry at the skin.
I let the horse tell me if a blanket is needed.
Does that count as “BS”?
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Just because your horse was happy doesn’t mean all horses will be happy when it gets effing cold out. My daughter was complaining to me on the phone late last fall that my old mare was being an idiot. I told her to put her winter blanket on and what do you know, the idiot behavior went away. Mare (who turned 30 YO today) was born and raised in these parts, but never grew much of a winter coat. She will demand to go out, but will also demand to come back in after a time she deems appropriate. Some days it’s 20 minutes, other days not until she sees her slave walking out to the paddock. Then she has to be first because she is special that way. I tried the 24/7 turn out with shelters and 24/7 hay and she lost more weight than I imagined possible, even with a heavy weight blanket with a medium weight liner. They are all individuals, generalizations don’t do anyone any favours.
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I’m glad that a few people mentioned the lake effect snow that Buffalo has to cope with at times. You don’t want to be caught unprepared for a lake effect snow event. Feet of snow, not inches, many feet.
Ask around before you build. Awnings and roofs have to be capable of holding a good deal of weight when you get five feet of snow. Snow removal equipment and a plan for where the snow piles will be located are needed.
I would definitely buy a back up generator if I lived there.
I think boarding for a winter would be wise. I realize that you’d rather have your guy at home, but you’ll need to put a lot of thought into building there.
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I’ve been thinking about this thread (since it’s 75 out and sunny), and I just want to reiterate this again. Board for a year, and if you’re not prepared to shell out for a good general contractor and similar Above And Beyond horse-knowledgeable help with making sure everything is up to code and functional, it would be best to buy something already in place. Inspected of course, but you’ll save yourself one heck of a learning curve if you start with the right buildings already in place. In fact, I’d build a house before building horse facilities, in this case. This is not the time to save money by DIYing anything but the finishing touches.
Just my $.02, worth what you paid for it 
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Horses evolved and thrived in the subarctic, along with us humans. In fact, we may have co-evolved through the last two ice ages, but I digress.
Given enough hay, equids can survive most anything nature throws at them. Blanket, no blanket, heat no heat, all of that is fiddling at the edges once you’ve got a windbreak, lots of hay, and water. If your horse is eating mash/pellets, that adds a whole nother variable to the equation, though.
There’s cold, snowy weather and then there’s Buffalo, NY. Deep snow in the majority of the US gets its definition from Buffalo’s lake-effect dumps. If you have never kept horses in the winter, please board in the best situation you can afford for the first year. Building a barn is hard enough, let alone in a climate you’ve never experienced on property you’ve not studied for at least four seasons.
As a Californian who moved with horses to Maine nearly 50 years ago, what I could not have predicted was the importance of drainage and footing in all seasons, especially winter. Since then, I’ve taken care of lots of geriatrics in winter, and one of the biggest worries every year is footing. Whether or not to pull or keep shoes on, add barium for traction, use snow pads, the list seems endless. Keep in mind that when an oldie goes down on ice, things can get tragic really fast. When there’s so much mud, he or she can’t easily move, things can go south then, too.
Lastly, be ready for one of the most important conversations many north country horse owners have every fall: Will my old horse make it to the other side of winter? If there’s reasonable doubt, euthanasia is often the best option.
As one of my bosses used to say, it’s better to be two months early than a day late.
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Welcome to the great white north, land of snow (sometimes LOTS of it), strong winter winds, and lake effect weather.
I live and keep horses at home in northwest Michigan, so very similar to Buffalo. My oldest is 30, so I think we could be much on the same page. I started out boarding (eons ago), did self care board for a few years, and eventually built a barn and arena to bring the boys home 20 years ago.
Before I even address the horse care issues, I will focus on the general farm care. I don’t know if you are coming from a rural/farm situation or suburban/boarding life style. They are very different and if you are not experienced in farm life and all it entails you will get an education.
First, in Buffalo you WILL have to deal with snow and it can be no small feat. A hand push snowblower or small lawn tractor will be a joke. You will need a serious tractor with snowblower attachment for this job and others. Think $$$.
If you have horses (or other large animals) at home, don’t expect to get away for vacation or business trips. Especially if you have an older horse, you will need a reliable farm sitter and they are not easy to find. A local 4-H kid may be OK for a weekend but for much else, you will need more; likely an adult who runs a serious farm/pet sitting business. Kids are in school, their hours don’t line up well with horse care, and social life suddenly has them forgetting that they committed to you and your horse. Ask me how I know. It’s just reality (and we had some very responsible and horse knowledgeable 4-H kids at times). Be prepared to pay them VERY well. A good sitter is worth everything!
You will not save money by having your horse at home. It may actually cost more than boarding (especially if you only have one or two). And if you only have one, he will likely need a buddy, so you will soon have 2 or more.
Before committing to a property, know the zoning rules. In our township, horse stables were a “right by use” but we were still required to get a special use permit. The local zoning board could still put conditions on your plan. If you are lucky, they will be farmers that understand horse keeping and are reasonable, if not they can make your life he**. We were lucky and, with minor stipulations, our plan was approved, but I had done my homework very carefully and was prepared to be flexible.
Your horse is older. Much as we hate to think of it, time is limited. How likely is it that he will still be with you once you get a barn built? Could be days, could be years…
I owned a business that I operated our of my home, so I did have the luxury of being on site all day. That made things like vet and farrier appointments infinitely easier. YMMV.
That being said, I could never go back to boarding. The reward of having “our boys” right outside our windows is priceless.
OK, now the more fun stuff, with a big dose of practicality thrown in.
First, stop and be patient. Much as you may not want to, I’d recommend boarding for a year when you get to this new area. You may have many surprises that come with a long distance move and job transfer. Having your horse fed and watered at the boarding barn can help ease the transition.
The best wisdom a friend shared with me was don’t build anything until you have been on the property a full 12 months. Take that time to study the wind direction, the soil drainage, wet or icy areas, the condition of the pasture, where does the snow drift, and much more. Get to know your land in all 4 seasons. Realize that snow may drift differently once a barn/building is in place. Can you tell that snow is probably the biggest thorn in my side, especially as I get older (now in my late 60s)?
Many tips have been given above and I will not repeat all that. (This is long enough already.) Here are a few of the things I’m really glad I did when planning and building our barn.
Visit barns, talk to their owners and make a notebook full of ideas. some ideas will come up repeatedly. There is a message there.
Our barn is on high level ground with great soil drainage. Mud season is thankfully minimal.
- The barn is oriented so that when the sliding doors on both ends are left open it catches whatever breeze there is. On a stifling, hot, humid summer day that ventilation is a god-send.
- Build the barn with windows high up, toward the eaves and good soffit ventilation. High windows keep the horse out of trouble and can be opened to help vent hot summer air. We used sliders so we could control the degree of openness.
- Put in plenty of electrical plugs - for heated water buckets, clippers, fans… I have a double gang outlet between each pair of stalls and they have served me well. Make sure the plugs have a GFI and wiring is in metal conduit for safety from rodent chewing. Code may even require that.
- Yes, you want heated water bucket in the winter in the northland. If you drill a small hole (just big enough for the plug) in the stall front just below the bucket, you can feed the cord thru so curious beasts can not play with them.
- Plan for adequate hay storage. I figured one 12x12 stall space for each horse and that has worked well to hold a year supply. We cut our own hay from our 10 acres, so it must get stored at harvest. If you find a hay supplier that will store some for you if you prepay, you are lucky.
- Oh yes, find a good and reliable hay supplier before your horse ever inhabits the barn.
- Our pasture gate is just a few strides from the barn door. Very convenient in snowy or rainy weather when having to bring in horses. My horses are in at night and out during the day. One has sweet itch so cannot be out at dawn, dusk, or very wind-still days or the gnats eat him alive.
- Having pasture close to the barn also means that access to the water hose for filling tanks is easy.
- Having the barn close to the house is also good. It helped me on more than one occasion hear a horse in distress in the middle of the night . It surely saved the life of our now 30 year old gem who was colicing with a strangulating lypoma. We were able to get him to surgery in time to save him. That would not have happened if we were boarding.
- Think thru your daily routine and set your barn up for efficiency. Think about manure disposal, tool storage, turnout, cleaning, watering, feeding, access to halters and tack storage, and more; all with an eye for how to take the least amount of time and steps.
- Build dedicated space for tack storage. I allocated the space of one stall for a tack room for my 7 stall barn. Everything is more efficient and safer when there is no extraneous stuff in the aisle.
- I have a concrete aisle with rough surface. It is much easier to keep clean than dirt. A rubber mat provides a good place for the farrier & vet to work easily.
- Good lighting makes a world of difference. Think about both aisle and stall lights. I have all weather fixtures with a light between every pair of stalls and down the aisle. The ridge cap on the barn is also clear ( at the great suggestion of my barn builder). Ii is amazing how much light comes in through that rather narrow area. Most days I don’t even have to turn my lights on.
Well that is plenty to digest, so I’ll leave it at this. Good luck and enjoy your new adventure.
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I’m not the OP. 
I was just commenting about the lake effect snow in Buffalo.
I think your post will be very valuable for the OP.
How do I move it so that the OP will be able to see it? Sorry I messed up.
You didn’t mess up. The OP can see it, everyone can! It just looks like you were responding to me.
Don’t worry. Your good advice will be seen by the OP as long as she is keeping up with the thread.
Wow thank you so much for all the replies thus far. I have read each and every one. It is super, super helpful. Hopefully these posts can be informative for others as well about horse keeping up north.
After talking to a friend of a friend who is well connected in the area, it seems boarding isn’t a great option. I don’t feel comfortable sending him across the country unless there is a place that can provide the care he deserves. It doesn’t sound like there are many options in the area at this time, and I cannot fathom abruptly changing his quality of life.
For keeping a horse at home, I hear you all. I wanted to explore the option fully so that I knew I did everything I could to try and keep him with me. I think deep down, I know it will be too much at this time. It’s very informative and helpful. I really, really appreciate all of the insight. Thank you so much to everyone for taking the time to provide this information .
I am absolutely devastated about having to move. I wish I had a choice. Unfortunately, I don’t. At this time, I think I will send him to a retirement facility somewhere in the south. I don’t feel comfortable moving him to that climate given his age. I’ve had him for 20 years, and he is my world. It is going to absolutely kill me to leave him behind, but sometimes the right thing isn’t easy. I haven’t gone more than a few days without seeing this horse for more than half of my life— I’d do anything for him. He is happy and healthy… it sounding more and more like the best thing for him is to leave him behind.
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Do we own the same mare?
I moved her a few years ago to a block barn where she really can’t get a feel for what it’s doing outside. She will destroy her stall if she doesn’t get her time outside - never mind that all her besties are right there with her. On one such day I went in the evening to make sure she got some exercise. She was eager and excited to be doing something until I opened the door to make the trip across to the indoor arena. We were hit with ice pellets and gale-force winds. “Oh, hell no. I am not going out in that. Are you crazy? Do you think I am crazy? No.” Fun times holding a door against the wind while trying to get a tantrumming toddler to leave the warmth and shelter of the barn for all of a 20m walk across to the arena. LoL
I asked her if the next time she was left in (with all her friends) if she would think twice about whether it was really necessary to destroy her stall in a fit of pique. She was noncommittal.
Incidentally, stall destroying did not happen in that manner when forced to stay inside a barn she could hear the wind howling. “I’m good. I’ve got my all-day buffet and all my friends to gossip with. I’m good.”
Same as yours with the first in thing, except when the weather is what she deems perfect and then she’ll lollygag until she’s the last one … then yell that she’s been forgotten by “the help.”
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There’s plenty. You shouldn’t have to look hard to find it. Search a few blanket threads here. Hang out on FB horse groups. The nonsense will find you. The crap about blankets making horses colder is the richest manure though by far. So rich it will burn everything you try to grow in it.
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I’m in the Cleveland area where lake effect snow is a part of life. Growing up, none of the places I ever was at blanketed, and my childhood QH horse always did fine over the winter. Now having a fjord that I have to clip, otherwise he overheats during the warmer winter days…we have a skewed version of winter.
30 degrees today and actively snowing…he was naked, splashing in the water and loving it 
His neighbored on the other hand needed a sheet today inside the 45 degree barn.
OP, all the advice here is wonderful. We’re planning to build a small barn in the future. Even though I’ve done horses on this area nearly all my life, I will be referencing the tips here.
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Stepping into my flamesuit, but the jawdroppers for me are the horsepeeps with extensive & temperature-restricted wardrobes of blankets 
Who has time to do the changes required?
Our temps here have gone from 30+ normal to 20- normal in the space of days, sometimes hours.
These must be the boarders whose pics appear on the Barnworkers’ dartboard’s 
If horses are home & owner chooses this, more power to you & I salute the time devoted 
@FjordBCRF & I salute the awesome clip job on your guy’s mane! 
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