Senior horse, warm barn, subzero temps

[QHEventer]

I know that 99% of the time the COTH consensus (and my personal preference) is out is better than in, BUT I’m questioning whether my old guy (21) would prefer to come in his stall for the next few nights.

My barn stays a balmy 40 degrees, and there is no shelter outside. He normally does well staying out 24/7 if heavily blanketed with an all-you-can-eat hay buffet, but the next few nights will hover around 0 with subzero wind chills. This is his first winter being out 24/7, he showed his whole life and always came inside in the evenings.

I just wonder if a break at night in a warm barn where he can lay down and rest might be better for him?

[joiedevie99]

You know your horse better than anyone here. Warm and movement are good for arthritis. When you can only have one of those, go with your gut. I’d probably bring mine in, because he grows roots and doesn’t move much overnight anyway.

[Texarkana]

While out is generally better, I think most horses appreciate a break from subzero windchills.

[walkinthewalk]

I can tell you this much:

My fellas are 26 & 27. They can come in/out during the day and I shut them in at night. On the last few miserable nights we have had, they have been in the barn waiting to get shut in their stalls and the big doors closed behind them for the night.

Their attitudes are clearly “been there done that, where’s our supper”

One horse has arthritis in his fractured sacrum and Low Ring bone. Both stalls are 12’ X 14’ so there is plenty of room to move around, which they do because I have a monitor to hear them:)

Thursday & Friday are going to be so miserable , they probably won’t even leave their outdoor hay piles for the day and it will be a race (between them and us) as to who gets in the barn faster at night:)

[QHEventer]

Haha that’s funny! I feel like my old guy is kind of the same way, he’s so used to being in at night I think some nights he wonders why the heck I’m taking him back out after dinner!

He is extra spoiled and has a foaling stall, so plenty of room to move around even when he’s in the barn!

Is there a cut off you all feel your old horses would be happier inside than out? Teens? Single digits?

[JB]

I have stalled mine younger than that, for conditions like that, without batting an eye.

The cold itself wasn’t the issue. But when we get temps like that, thankfully usually only 1-3 days, it’s accompanied by strong winds because it’s a major cold front doing it. There’s no acclimating to that, and while they COULD be warm out, they won’t be happy about it.

And especially if the ground is also rock hard, having a softer bed and a break from even just the wind, is surely appreciated.

[JB]

@QHEventer

Is there a cut off you all feel your old horses would be happier inside than out? Teens? Single digits?

So much depends on what they are acclimated to. Mine have stayed out in our upper teens nights that we’ve had way too many of this Winter (and Fall!) already, including the then 31/now 32yo, even though those have been unseasonably cold nights. Normal night temps for those times are 30s to mid-upper 20s.

Blanketed, yes, medium weights, but there’s been no wind.

If those teens had also been with anything more than 10mph winds, I would have likely brought them in. But my pasture is such that the far end is pretty sheltered from wind, so unless the winds are just stupid, I put hay down there (where they’d be anyway) so they can eat without constantly being in the wind.

That said, the water source is almost 1000’ the other way from that, right in the worst of the wind, and if I had questions about anyone not willing to walk to drink, I’d have brought them in.

I haven’t yet had a strictly cold temperature cutoff for bringing them in. The 32yo is creaky even on a daily 1/2gm bute (which is for his uveitis, it just also helps his arthritis and “whatever it is” hoof injury), but he’s reeeeeallllyyyy stiff these days if he spends too many hours in his stall.

[downen]

My horses clearly tell me they prefer comfort.

I’m in No. IL, and the windchill is subzero. I have an apron overhang around my barn, so I set them up each in their own section, with a hay net hung by their doors so they can munch all day with a view.

Upon turnout, my Haffie said “you’re not the boss of me,” took a few bites of the net and took off to pasture with my dopey Warmblood following suit. About 15 minutes later I peek out to find both of them happily munching in the overhang.

Every horse is different, but over the years I found most prefer to be comfortable in extreme temps.

[Foxglove]

Although you know your horse better than anyone, perhaps a call to his veterinarian would be in order. A few years ago, it dropped to -25 degrees here. The “Polar Vortex” was predicted well in advance. I called my vet and asked him your question as my horses then were 21, 21, 12, and 25 (they had run-in sheds and the 25-year-old had a heavy blanket). My vet’s response was that since my horses were used to 24/7 OUT that putting them inside for the night was not a good idea (but remember, they had their 3-sided run-in sheds. He said if I put the horses in the barn, “[They had a] Greater chance of colic in the barn (limited movement all night) than freezing to death outside.” I did what he said, although, I DID sled their hay INTO the run in sheds for their dining enjoyment. The sheds are UP HILL from the barn and the snow was rather deep . . .labor of love.

[Texarkana]

I generally agree but I think the difference is shelter v. no shelter.

With my own horses, they would rather stand in rain and snow than cold wind. They almost always seek shelter in wind.

I think if the horse never comes in the barn, it’s a terrible idea to stress them out with a new environment on top of the weather. But if the horse is familiar with his stall from mealtime or whatever, a break from the elements may be appreciated, within reason.

[luvmyhackney]

All of mine love coming in their stalls at night and getting out of the cold wind.

I think mine sleep better in stalls than when I leave them out. All have evidence of shavings where they laid down. I have one that just looks exhausted if I leave him out for more than 48 hours without a chance to catch some zzz’s inside.

[candyappy]

All 3 of mine come into the run in ( as evidenced by the amount of poop to clean up) when it is less than pleasant out. I would not leave any horse out in cold weather with no shelter to break the wind or precipitation.

[JB]

But what is “less than pleasant” and “cold weather”?

What I would consider inhuman here in NC, is a balmy break from normal conditions in, say, Montana.

Is it wrong to put a blanketed horse out in a 33* drizzle? That’s pretty cold by some standards.

Is it wrong for someone in Manitoba to leave their wooly yaks out without blankets in -15* temps with a light breeze? Every year there are 100s or 1000s of horses up there who are happily basking in the sun when it’s -10 with snow piled on their backs, so obviously weren’t under any shelter while it snowed another 12" overnight.

[fourfillies]

I’m in PA, gets cold but not Manitoba. It’s the wind that makes the difference to me, especially for the oldsters. Without a wind break I’d definitely favor in.

[BUSY]

Bring him in and allow him to rest - I would.

[QHEventer]

Thank you all so much for the replies! He made his opinion well known around 3:00 today when he was pacing the fence line to come inside and trotted to the gate as soon as he saw me

He is not one to get stressed if he’s kept in, I think he actually prefers it to sleeping outside and I find him covered in shavings each morning I keep him in.

It’s always such a tough call, but especially with him getting older, I think a break from this crazy weather is always welcome!

[candyappy]

@JB

But what is “less than pleasant” and “cold weather”?

For me it is anything wet falling from the sky.It can be downright cold or 50 degrees and still be unpleasant to be in. Wind. Heat. Makes no difference what temp it is. All 3 can be " less than pleasant" to the individual horse.

I want them to have shelter if at any time they wish to use it. Much more so for a senior horse.

[GraceLikeRain]

@QHEventer

He is not one to get stressed if he’s kept in, I think he actually prefers it to sleeping outside and I find him covered in shavings each morning I keep him in.

I love that. I had one who was the same way. She did fine on 24/7 but when she came in on bitter nights she would be absolutely coated in shavings and it was clear that she had snuggled up and had a good long sleep.

I am a big proponent of movement but in bad weather the ones who just stand there and brace against the cold air benefit from getting a solid windbreak and if anything are less stiff because their muscles were relaxed while they were hanging out inside.