Winter Horsekeeping

[Twisting]

Hello all!

I have been taking care of a horse in one form or another for several decades. However, all of the physical locations I have lived in are places where if there was an entire week with snow on the ground the Governor was probably declaring a state of emergency. Well we just bought a house with a barn and we are bringing the pony home… to Colorado…

We will be arriving at our new house in September, pony will arrive shortly after that. Talk to me about what prep work I need to do! Heated waterer? Pony (10.3 Shetland) has a 300g waterproof blanket and a variety of lower fills, do I need a heavier blanket? A second heavy blanket to swap out if one gets wet?

What are some “I wish I knews” about cold weather horse keeping? Please impart on me all the wisdom!

(For those who might worry about me bringing home just one horse, pony is the independent type, happy enough if he can see other horses. The neighbors all have horses and the fence lines are close enough for a visual and a conversation, but no touching. Another horse is in the cards once we get settled and I can go shopping.)

[Scribbler]

@Twisting

Hello all!

I have been taking care of a horse in one form or another for several decades. However, all of the physical locations I have lived in are places where if there was an entire week with snow on the ground the Governor was probably declaring a state of emergency. Well we just bought a house with a barn and we are bringing the pony home… to Colorado…

We will be arriving at our new house in September, pony will arrive shortly after that. Talk to me about what prep work I need to do! Heated waterer? Pony (10.3 Shetland) has a 300g waterproof blanket and a variety of lower fills, do I need a heavier blanket? A second heavy blanket to swap out if one gets wet?

What are some “I wish I knews” about cold weather horse keeping? Please impart on me all the wisdom!

(For those who might worry about me bringing home just one horse, pony is the independent type, happy enough if he can see other horses. The neighbors all have horses and the fence lines are close enough for a visual and a conversation, but no touching. Another horse is in the cards once we get settled and I can go shopping.)

Horses do very well in dry cold. However you will have to watch how he acclimates this first year as it will already be crisp in Colorado in September.

Give him shelter and just keep an eye on him to make sure he isn’t shivering. Make sure he drinks water in the cold.

[ShenanAnna]

You say the neighbors all have horses. Aren’t they the ones to ask about location-specific conditions, like which direction(s) the wind comes from, so you can have a shelter/windbreak in the appropriate place, how much snow to expect and when, etc.?

Shetland ponies are generally hardy (remember where the breed developed and why they have those characteristics), but initial acclimatization is definitely something to watch.

You may be surprised at how much the temperature changes through a 24-hour period; be aware of that if you use blankets.

[LCDR]

I was reminded of this, saved a few years ago.

[goodhors]

Add loose salt to his daily amount of grain, vitamins. The extra salt helps in getting horses drinking more in the cold. A salt block is not enough salt, they just do not lick as much as they need. New studies are telling us we need to add loose salt daily, to keep horses where salt levels need to be. Probably for his size a couple teaspoons of salt per day is adequate. With big weather changes, drops in temps, big storm coming, you will want to double his salt quantity.

Monitor his water intake, even with a heated bucket or two. He will develop a pattern that is “normal” for him. You want to get as much water in him as possible daily, this is what prevents impaction colic.

We shorten tails in Oct, prevents hair dragging in mud, snow, to develop ice balls. You really do not want to haul a bucket of hot water out to soak off ice balls in 20F weather! If you do NOT remove iceballs, they get bigger, catch on things to pull hair out anyway. I do not put tails up, just an excuse to get snagged and pull it ALL off!! For our tall horses, this cut off is mid-cannon. On a pony, depending on your annual snowfall, shorter could be higher than that! Hair grows about an inch a month here, so the cut off length is totally grown back by March.

Get a good working snow blower. I hear 2-stage are better, more powerful than single stage models. They should be bargin priced now thru summer at garage sales, implement dealers, because it is off-season for them… Electric start saves shoulders, self-propelled with chains on wheels, are usually easier to maneuver too. Don’t get one you can’t push or turn because it is so heavy! Husband got me a big rototiller I could not even push into the garage!! I am pretty strong, can manage heavy things, but not that one!! That had to go back.

Anyway, depending on local snowfall amounts, you may need to blow off snow in the paddock, along fence lines, so pony can get around outside, see his fences. Sounds ridiculous, but totally the truth. An acquaintance had deep, heavy snow, his two Fjord mares were able to walk out over the pasture fences buried in snow!! Hunting the roving horses took some looking on cross country skis, they were miles from home, going cross-country exploring! My girlfriend says the poop just goes right thru the chute, but being frozen, just don’t aim the chute at breakable things!! Or you may have more fun getting a 4WD tractor with a bucket to move snow. Tractors can also pull out stuck cars! Ha ha

[fordtraktor]

I am not in Colorado, but in lake effect snow region in the Midwest.

I strongly suggest a heated auto waterer. I have 10 Nelsons on my farm, inside and out. They have been good down to -54F windchill in my pastures. Buy spare parts to keep on hand. I have at least one spare of everything. I care less about monitoring intake than having lukewarm water available all the time. Some horses don’t like very cold water.

When it is cold, feel more hay. If below 0 I give even the “fat fields” all the hay they can eat to keep them warm. (Most of mine get all the hay they can eat always, but I have a few metabolic horses I have to somewhat restrict. That goes away when below 0.)

I don’t use a snowblower, but I have a plow for my tractor. You can probably hire this part out inexpensively, cheaper than buying a machine for a small farm. M

I keep mine out all the time, with shelter. You have a Shetland, a very sturdy pony. Don’t overthink it, Shetlands are hardy and don’t need to be treated with kid gloves.

I have never needed to trim tails due to snow. My horse’s tail is kept in a tail bag and is amazing. I just don’t let them drag the ground. Gratuitous picture of my horse’s tail because it’s absurd, he has like 3 tails worth of hair!! At my last show the judge complimented his tail in her test notes.

[NancyM]

Talk to your new neighbours about keeping horses in winter in your new digs. Having made a similar change in address, from wet cold, rain and mud in winter to cold, dry snow, I will say that most horses fair far better in the dry cold environment. Snow is dry and powdery, falls off horses as they run around. If they stay still enough to accumulate a blanket of snow, the thick winter hair provides good insulation under the snow blanket. My horses go for a run on a cold morning, motion is the key to success and warmth. The coldest place for a horse to be in a cold environment is locked into a stall. Even if he’s wearing horse blankets. Constant motion keeps them warm, and keeps them from getting gut impactions, getting bored or stressed, and many problems with hoof health like contraction or thrush, all associated with keeping horses stalled for human convenience, or because their owner is cold. Happy winter! It’s a bit of a change to get used to for everyone. But I’m glad we did it.

[ShenanAnna]

Yes, yes, yes. Just because we go into a building to get warm, don’t think that shutting a horse in an unheated building will keep them warm. Why do they run and buck when you finally let them out? It’s to get their circulation going, to warm up; exercise makes you warmer.

[MissusS]

Buy either a great hoofpick like the Ultimate Hoof Pick, or keep a hammer near where you pick feet because there are times when the ice can get so jammed up in their shoes/feet that it’s like they are walking in high heels. This typically happens when there are big swings in temperature.

Get yourself some winter layers for winter barn time. There are great threads here that discuss layering strategies.

I like a back on track sheet for when I bring my horse in. I remove the winter blanket and immediately put on the back-on-track sheet for grooming, just moving it aside while grooming, keeping her mostly covered. I also have a nice fleece cooler that I will use in the arena while warming her up, and I myself have a riding skirt that doubles as a quarter sheet for mounted warmups.

I live in a much colder climate (Canadian prairies) but you may find some of these tips helpful

And remember, nothing beats a nice walk out in the fresh snow… but once there’s an ice crust layer on top it becomes treacherous!

[fledermaus]

I’m in northwestern MA, similar to southern Vermont. Shetlands are not going to need a lot of blanketing once acclimated but you should watch him the first year. People usually over-blanket, rarely under-blanket. Horses tolerate a great deal of cold if they can stay dry and out of the wind. Just remember that horses evolved in steppe conditions. They can take weather. Particularly Shetlands! Don’t apply the cold standards of naked African apes to them.

What they do in cold weather is eat hay. My 14.2 horse will go through a bale of grass hay a day (2 string 40 lb bale) in winter. It is digesting that roughage that warms them, so they should get all the hay they want. In winter also feed something like beet pulp that you can mix with hot water and salt.

Heated buckets are nice. But what is nicer is a frost-free hydrant in the barn. Otherwise you’ll be hauling water from the house all winter. These are not cheap to put in, but they are worth every penny.

I don’t find a lot of ice balling on barefoot horses. It’s the shod ones that really get it. Also hairy legs are going to get more ice balls.

I spent 60 years in coastal California, so real winter has been a real steep learning curve for me. Winter horse care is laborious, there’s no way around it. Just getting dressed to go do the chores in zero degrees with a stiff wind is pretty darn tedious come February. But the snow is beautiful, there’s nothing to beat a crisp bright snowy day.

[Twisting]

Yes, I will be talking to the neighbors about aspects of horsekeeping in the area, however I am not currently in Colorado, and won’t be until September. Knowing things like the frost free hydrant in the barn tip before I arrive in Colorado has already proven helpful. I got the realtor to ask and there is a frost free hydrant already installed at the barn. Not something I would have thought of to ask. Nice to know we won’t have to scramble to try to get one put in after closing.

Who the best farrier is and where to source hay locally are questions best answered by the neighbors. General winter horsekeeping good to know info is something COTH is more than capable of providing. Which they have, and you all have my gratitude.

[Weezer]

If you have just one or two horses I recommend a regular trough with a heater tossed in rather than a heated waterer. The waterer is bound to fail at some point and it then becomes urgent to get water to your horse. I have one trough and at least two heaters so a backup is ready. I always keep my trough full through the winter in case there is a power outage. I also fill the tub if an ice storm, etc. is in the forecast. Then when the power goes out I have enough water and I just need to clear the ice a few times a day. Power outages are a big part of snowy life, so a generator is worth considering too.

[RedHorses]

At a recent club meeting, one of the members related a funny story about checking the water trough for electric shocks by taking her boots and socks off and putting one hand in the water. I don’t remember if it was half frozen mud or snow that she was dealing with. After the laughing subsided I piped up “Should I mention that you can test for shocks by putting one hand in the water and the other on the ground?”

If you find the water trough still full, check for shocks first.

Think about the most efficient way of doing things - storing hay, feeding hay, filling water, etc. Sure “it’s only one horse. I don’t mind the extra steps…” but you’ll change your mind when you’re wading through two feet of snow in -20 weather.

I’m looking after a barn that has hoses from the hydrant going up to pipes in the rafters that lead to each water trough (paddocks are right up to the barn). The pipes drain when the water is shut off and the hose disconnected. No frozen hoses or slopping water buckets to deal with! They use the snap hose connectors and remove the one on the hydrant immediately after shutting off the hydrant. That connector goes in a coat pocket - and back to the house. The connectors on the hoses are the open flow ends. Make sure you shut off the frost free hydrant completely as it can freeze if you don’t.

When clearing snow, especially by hand, clear more space than you think you need and throw the snow as far as you can. The snowbanks will creep closer through the winter, and you will get tired, and it’s harder to throw snow over a high bank.

Figure out where you’re going to dump your water buckets. It will turn to ice (slip hazard) and melt in the spring (mud, runoff turns to ice at night during the warm days/freezing nights period of late winter/early spring).

Check the CoTH threads on what to wear for barn time in the winter. My #1 tip is to have a second pair of gloves in your pocket - you don’t want to be wearing wet gloves when it’s freezing.

Have a heated spot in the barn if you can. If not, you can use a heat lamp or poultry heated water dish to keep the cat water liquid. Having a non-freezing room/closet allows you to keep liquid supplies in the barn so you won’t have to run back to the house if you need something (which will be on the day you’re experiencing a major snow storm or ice storm). Consider keeping an electric kettle in the barn for when you need warm or hot water.

Get some sand, stone dust, or fine gravel before winter and store it somewhere dry and sheltered. Sprinkle generously on icy walkways - the horse’s walkways too. They will beat paths through the snow and almost exclusively use them.

Invest in snow tires. I suspect all-season tires won’t cut it in a Colorado winter (but ask your neighbors and your insurance agent - where I am having snow tires affects car insurance coverage).

[Weezer]

Good tip about the stone dust! A few years ago a boarder taught me that dirty shavings make great traction so when we get to icy season, I dump the wheelbarrows to make paths through the pasture. I hate how it looks during the winter but it doesn’t take long for it to all decompose in the spring and then there’s no mess to clean up.

[luvmypup]

The only down side to using dirty shavings on icy areas is it turns to mud once a thaw comes alone. I personally use wood ash from my wood stove on those areas. I have a metal garbage can that I store it in each time I clean out the stove and keep it near the barn. Also because it’s so dark it seems to attract the sun and melts the areas quicker too.

[fledermaus]

We heat with wood and we put our ashes in the manure bin. We only use ashes where we walk not where horses do – stone dust or sand for them. Why? Because in summer they find those ashes ever so nice to roll in. Very hard to get ashes off a horse.

[clanter]

When we brought two of horses from Kentucky to north Texas it took them about eighteen months to fully adjust

The ones we have brought in from North Dakota over some twenty years (four total, two weanlings and two aged ) think winters here is a joke as none really put on much of a winter coat, five where bought in here Spring one was in October when it was 75F here and 25F there.

OP shipping in September, that horse may have a rude awaking

[Showbizz]

IMO the “coldest” times in real winter areas are the cold rains before it’s cold enough to turn to snow. Usually coats are not fully in by then in the fall, or they have significantly shed if in the spring. Shelter is a must! I wouldn’t think you’d have to blanket a shetland. I would just carefully watch him, especially during the cold rains.

[Cowgirl]

I’m in Colorado and have horses at home. The biggest challenge you will have is with our HUGE temperature swings (warm in the day and freezing at night). It is often a nightmare for blanketing and most of us have all weights of blankets to try to get the horse’s temperature to stay normal. Also, it hails here and gets really REALLY cold in the spring and summer when it hails. Your horse’s biology may not allow it to shed the first year. Another thing we do is feed sloppy warm wet hay pellet mashes (hay pellets that match the same variety they are eating here: orchard, timothy, alfalfa) and some salt or electrolytes if they will eat it whenever they have a temperature change to help in case they don’t drink (because of the cold) or don’t drink enough (because of heat). As anywhere else, it is important to keep them dry and you must have a shelter. We have hail and strong wind. We all follow weather apps and such (a good one on Facebook is Denver and Front Range Weather group) in order to be prepared, because it does change SUDDENLY. Also, if you are on a well, make sure you have potable water containers and fill them up when big storms are expected, fill your bathtubs, and fill all the water troughs. We don’t have super bad weather events very often but we have them every year. Then make sure you have clippers in case the weather is crazy in the spring and your baby doesn’t shed…it will go from freezing rain with hail to 90 degrees in a day.

Finally, I don’t know where you are moving from, but our ground is SUPER HARD and the altitude can affect the circulation in the feet. That is a controversy, but some people have had to medicate with isoxuprine when their horses first move here…so make sure that you have a good farrier who can put testers on and have your horse vet checked and show you how to take a digital pulse (if you don’t already know).

That’s the bad stuff. The good stuff is that it is GLORIOUS on a nice day and makes you forget the rest.

[Weezer]

Good point about the crazy fluctuating temperatures. It’s like that where I live too. It wasn’t too much of a concern when my horses were young and tough, but now that they are all late 20s, the drastically fluctuating weather is a real concern and I can be changing blankets a few times a day during the winter.

My horses also have hoof boots with cleats for those few weeks a year when the ground gets really hard, rough and icy. Their feet do get pretty sore and bruised without the boots, and staying turned if for a month+ isn’t really an option.