Winter Feed for Outdoor Horse

[lorieMN]

Quote:
So, if you're boarding, none of it really matters b/c you have no actual control over it anyhow

All you need to know is to check his weight at every opportunity, by feeling his ribs and other relevant parts so you will know BY FEEL whether if he starts dropping weight.

If the barn owner would be open to your having clothes on him as long as the barn owner didn't have to DO anything, and if his paddock mates are not blanket destroyers (unfortunately no way to know in advance), I would suggest having a waterproof-breathable turnout sheet (note: TURNOUT SHEET, i.e. uninsulated weatherproof thing; not a blanket, stable sheet, or rain sheet) that you can drive down there and put on him if cold wet weather is forecast, or if it will be fiendishly cold for a few days. Because a turnout SHEET is uninsulated, it is fine for a horse to have on even if the temp gets a little warmer than you expected (mine, in their full winter coats, don't start sweating under their turnout sheets unless the temp gets above freezing, usually *well* above freezing unless they run around)

This is one of those things it's a lot better to have in advance as it can be real hard to buy a quality one on short notice. Please don't ask me for canadian brand recommendations either as I've had TERRIBLE luck with the durability of Greenhawk's house brand -- my guys wear Schneiders' from the states

I'm interested in hearing more about the pellet for hooves. Ever since Scout had his front shoes removed, his feet are constantly chipping. If you could give me some idea where to look for these things, and how to pull it all together, I will start something with him.

Well, are they chipping *badly* or just not looking manicured? Not looking manicured is fine, it's only an issue if it starts affecting overall hoof structure/integrity. If the latter, the cause may be a nutritional issue but it also may be a 'transition' issue (it can take a little while for hooves to get used to barefoot) or a farriery issue or a matter of what kind of ground he is worked on or even just intrinsic to the particular horse.

If you think it might be nutritional, one possibility is he's not getting enough high-quality protein in his diet. If he is getting grain or any other concentrates, this is quite unlikely unless their hay is truly terrible, but if he is eating only hay and pasture, then it is a realistic possibility. Alfalfa pellets/cubes (if he can eat them without choke problems) or a small amount of higher protein concentrate, fed daily and long-term, might help.

If that seems unlikely, you could *try* a biotin-methionine-zinc hoof supplement and see if, six months down the road, it seems to have helped. The one I use is, what's the name, I believe it's "BMZ", but there are many similar ones and you should crunch through the math to figure out which one gives you 35-45 mcg (or is it mg? I forget) of biotin, with suitable matching methionine and zinc doses, for the lowest overall price per that amount. It is definitely worth doing the math - some brands are major, major ripoffs. You can't just compare what the mfr lists as 'per dose' or 'per scoop' b/c diff brands will deliver diff am'ts of biotin for that 'scoop' or 'dose'.

Are you going to the Royal this November? I'm hopeful to get more info, and perhaps some product, there but don't really want to wait that long.

Yup, I'll probably go on Wednesday to see the poultry while they're there

We always go (DH used to do photography there, of horses, and still usually brings camera

). Be real, real leery of the sell-ya-things booths there, though -- remember they are making a living mainly off the Caledon-and-King type crowd, to whom results are only moderately relevant and price is no object

Anyhow, as long as the barn has safe fences and decent hay and his paddock mates let him have his share, I expect your guy will do just FINE through the winter without much if any management on your end

Have fun,

Pat​

I agree..as long as he has a run-in-shed he will use it if he needs it,,horses actually LOVE colder temps,ours are the most happy when its 10 degrees below freezing,running,playing and bucking..​

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

I'm watching this thread as my new mare is due here soon and she's underweight (has gained about 60 pounds since she got on the transport in OR at her old home where she was neglected severely).

Another winter horse question... Should I get her a blanket even if I don't plan to clip her? I'd like to for my own piece of mind but if you don't think I will need one than I won't bother. She'll be stalled at night. But the stall is a converted garage that is metal with wood covering the inside walls of the stall portion. So not exactly cozy warm but better than nothing.

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

Up the hay.
I have a going on 13 year old OTTB that spent last winter in an in/out(probably his first ever)
I just kept a heavy weight turnout on him and tossed hay at him. I would check under his blanket every so often, to make sure he wasnt loosing weight. But he made it thru like a champ. I am hoping to be able to get him a new turnout for him for this winter. One with a neck cover. I think more for me than him, but still.

 

[chickypoo]

Should I get her a blanket even if I don't plan to clip her? I'd like to for my own piece of mind but if you don't think I will need one than I won't bother. She'll be stalled at night. But the stall is a converted garage that is metal with wood covering the inside walls of the stall portion. So not exactly cozy warm but better than nothing.

Where is she coming from and where are you? If she is used to cold winters (I.E. isn't coming from Texas to Wyoming) I would keep an eye on her but I wouldn't blanket her as long as she can grow a decent coat and get some weight on. Since she is underweight I would focus on getting a layer of fat on her. A blanket doesn't always equal warm. The blanket flattens the insulating hairs down and can actually make the horse colder. This is a pretty good description of how the hairs work, http://www.all-natural-horse-care.com/living-outside-year-round.html

Horses are very adapted to cold, they can slow blood flow to their legs since below the knee there is no muscle, and practically shut off blood to the feet, all to conserve heat.

As long as she has access to shelter, someplace to get out of the wind and wet she will be fine. Since she will have a coat you will really have to feel her to check weight. Ideally you want to feel the ribs but not see them, with a pregnant mare in winter I would rather have to press a little bit to find them than have her where a normal horse would be.

If you do blanket her be prepared to take it off during the day, most daytime temperatures are great for a horse. If she is sweating under the blanket and the blanket doesn't come off you will have problems. I remember reading an article about horses in Australia and how people love to over blanket their horses in winter. They sweat so much that they have a very high incidence of colic because of how much liquid they lose on a daily basis.

Stella, could you get some pictures of his feet? If you are going full barefoot do you have a trimmer or a farrier? If you ask a regular farrier to trim a hoof you are getting an incorrect trim, that trim is designed to have a shoe put on it. That could be one problem. Are the feet trimming themselves or are you really getting massive chipping? Could also be nutrition, low biotin, however since he is new to barefoot my guess would be that he is just transitioning. I would recommend getting a trimmer. This is a very good list http://www.thehorseshoof.com/trimmers.html for the love of pete don't get someone who does Strasser trimming methods, they try and fix it all on one shot rather than gradually help the hoof. Having anyone other than a licensed farrier work on your horse is illegal in Germany because these people screwed up so many horses. This is another nice web site http://www.ironfreehoof.com/

Phew that was longer than I thought it would be!​

 

[Chick_a_dee]

I TOTALLY agree with Patandchickens

We always fed lots of hay, and didn't start blanketing until it was really cold out, and late in the winter, at least then our guys had some thick hair on them and could survive if it got a little warmer out, without the blanket. For our TB mare, she had trouble keeping weight on in the winter, so we fed her some "cocoa puffs," high fat high fibre, they look like cocoa pops

 

[Chick_a_dee]

Quote:
We charge $175/month for pasture board, we do blanket on/off, and check, we have 3-rail wood fencing, with a line of electric along the top between the first and second rail, and will have stalls for part-time soon too (basically when it's far too cold, or freezing rain). $300.00 is pretty steep! We paid about that for stall board, maybe a bit more in Bowmanville. There's a boarding stable down our street that has stall board and part-time pasture board, they pasture until this time in the year, and then you take a $150.00 spike in your monthly payments and have to be boarded inside! It's insane, since they only have 5 horses, and 200 acres of fenced pasture! PLUS they produce their own hay. Though, I'd never board there, all they have is tposts with electric hanging off it, not even tensioned correctly.

I agree with you, it's so hard to find pasture board anywhere anymore!

 

[bwebb7]

well here in sunny FL we do blanket BOTH of those cold nights!

I also feed very good hay-our pasture is terrible! If they are to get anything from the hay it comes from somewhere else~like Canada!
My sister is a trained ferrier~ Eastern School of Ferriery
She reccomends many trims to fix feet, chips and cracks and to change angles a little at a time.
Good Luck!
I REALLY can't imagine horse keeping in that weather!
I really can't imagine that weather!
Brrrrrr

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Your instincts are right on the money

You should SO buy a turnout sheet for her (specifically a waterproof-breathable turnout sheet, IMO, nothing different unless it's as a second garment after you get the turnout sheet).

THen, do not put it on her

Unless she needs it, that is. Which, chances are, she occasionally will, like so that you can put her out on a cold rainy day or in a wet snowstorm or with -40 windchill and not have her either be miserable or shiver off whatever weight she's gained. Because a turnout sheet is also fine for stall use, it will double as insurance against any other sort of 'cold wet shivering horse' emergencies, or a colic, or if she gets the shivers after being sedated for something, etc etc etc.

It is WAY WAY WAY better to have a good allpurpose garment ready to use, than to need one and then say 'oh, I wonder where I can get one in the next thirty minutes

"

Incidentally, an uninsulated turnout sheet is fine if the weather warms up during the day too - won't cause sweating like a blanket would unless it gets really warm and then you prolly wouldn't have had it on her in the morning *anyhow*. The point of the turnout sheet is not to keep her warm per se but to keep her dry and keep wind out of her fur -- wetness and wind-ruffled fur are what *really* make a horse cold.

And I'm going to make a totally non affiliated, just an extremely satisfied customer type plug here for Schneiders (www.sstack.com) sheets and blankets. They have several styles of waterproof/breathable turnout in the $70-90 range and I find them to be much better fitting (for my TBs anyhow) and more durable and long-lasting than any other brand I've ever tried and believe me I've tried plenty.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

as far as sweating under even a uninsulated turnout sheet goes.
My TB WILL sweat under his thin, waterproof turnout when it gets any where near 40. He is active in the paddock.
You have to know your horse, and the weather when dealing with blanketing.
Not every horse will be the same in the same situation.

I had a barn full in NC. Some would start shivering at 50 degrees and need a stable sheet and be fine with that. Others would look like bears by Oct and not need a thing. My mares went blanketless all their lives. My TB cant do it. He just cant. If he were in a full barn, with other horses warming the place. A blanket wouldnt be necessary. But last November we had two horses in a 10 stall barn and he was shaking with cold when the temp dipped to 40. So the fleece went on.

 

[patandchickens]

Rhett&SarahsMom :

as far as sweating under even a uninsulated turnout sheet goes.
My TB WILL sweat under his thin, waterproof turnout when it gets any where near 40.

Ha, to me 40 is "really warm and then you probably wouldn't have had it on in the morning anyhow" <vbg>

Yup, fine-tuning is necessary for individual horses and for different climates.

Pat​