Winter weather in the northern parts of the world necessitates extra care in horse keeping. In the northern climates you have snow, ice, and freezing or even subzero temperatures often followed by endless mud only to refreeze again. Grass is no longer a component of the horses’ diet. Even when horses get to go outside they are limited in how much energy outlet, movement, and play opportunity they have.

The footing or ground in winter can be treacherous. If there is a lot of snow where you live you have seen horses come in with huge snowballs in their hoofs. This can put strain on their legs. Snow pads or plain pads might be a good option if your horse is shod. Snow pads are plastic pads that are rounded in the center to prevent snowballs from forming inside your horse's hoof. If you have a lot of ice or slippery conditions you can also add borium to your shoes for traction. There is also an option of going barefoot for the winter. Not all horses can do this. Talk with your farrier and vet at the beginning of winter and see what they suggest for your horse and the conditions where you live and the workload your horse will have.

When it is super icy there is not much you can do to prevent your horse from slipping. Your best bet to prevent injury is to leave them in until it softens or melts. Speaking of melting, there is mud! During muddy times it is very easy for horses to pull shoes. They also can develop skin conditions from the moisture against their skin. It is not always best to continually wash the mud off as this adds more moisture and if the horse has a full coat and furry legs it doesn’t dry well making the problem worse. When you wash your horses legs make sure you towel dry them and allow them to dry completely. Make sure you are checking for and treating thrush regularly also.

There is a significant amount of land management needed to handle winter weather and mud to keep turn out areas good year round. Even more so if you try to keep grass. All weather paddocks are a godsend if you have small areas to turn out or not much land. Keeping your horses off the grass in wet or muddy weather is key to maintaining the grass will be there when it is dry. Deep divots or torn up ground is not good when it refreezes. This is normal around the hay, water, or gates. If the paddocks are not large enough for there to be flat areas then those should be closed off when the ground is soft. Also over grazing of grass paddocks in the winter can damage the root system and the grass will have trouble returning well in the spring. The shorter your growing season the more impact there is.

The most important part of winter care for horses is they need to have shelter available when outside for long periods of time. They need to be able to stay dry or get somewhere dry. They must have hay and water available at all times, especially when outside as the temperatures drop. Water is the hardest thing about winter care. Frozen buckets, troughs and hoses can be a nightmare. Trough heaters and heated buckets can help so much. Make sure you drain hoses well after each use and/or bring them in somewhere warm to prevent them from freezing. You will be carrying some buckets as well. You may need to change their calorie intake in winter. Consider adding alfalfa cubes or chaffe hay to replace the grass they aren’t getting. There are many products out there.

No matter what climate you live in for the winter, horses grow a thicker coat as daylight hours decline. Different breeds have a tendency to thicker coats as well. Thoroughbreds and other hot blooded breeds typically have lighter coats while draft and cold blooded breeds grow a heavier coat. Then there are ponies. You can lose your hand in the depth of some of their fur!!

Horses are adapted to living outdoors. Horses that live outside and have a natural coat are able to cope with very cold temperatures. They have a unique ability to have their hair stand up to fluff up their coat to trap air and heat near the skin and can even repel wetness. If you have a horse with a full natural coat take care to not put tight or heavy blankets on them as it will push the hair flat and take away this natural insulating factor.

Many horsemen struggle with the choice to clip or not. Clipping has its advantages. A clipped horse is easier to keep clean, it dries easily and quickly, you can easily discover any wounds or skin stuff happening but also requires more stringent blanketing and management. Natural coats require less blanketing and the coat offers much more natural protection for the horse. If your horse is in enough work in the winter months that they get sweaty you should consider clipping. Again dryness is key. If they can’t dry well before they are exposed to colder temps they should be clipped or not work as much to reduce sweat. There are also many different types of clip you can give your horse. If a full clip won’t work for your horse or stabling situation then consider a form of a trace or blanket clip.

Here is a video on my YouTube channel where I walk through the steps of clipping. Products: Clippers& Blades ( Use code AFL-CXTQ for 5% off!), Clipper Spray, Laser Sheen, Blade Care

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It is important to know your horse and if they run hot or cold. One horse may be shivering in a heavy rug and the horse next to him is sweating in a light rug in the same weather. If you have a horse that runs hot you have to be careful how heavy you blanket them. You do not want your horse getting sweaty under the blankets. They will get more chilled as the temps drop and then risk getting sick. Other factors that will affect the blanketing decisions are wind chill, precipitation, sun, night turn out, day turn out, duration of turn out, heated barn, open barn, and of course, coat thickness.

When is it too cold to ride? My rule of thumb is I don’t train under 25 degrees in the arena. Walking, groundwork and easy work is great. If they aren’t getting outside they absolutely need to move around. I’m talking about asking the horse to do anything strenuous. In my mind their muscles and soft tissue won’t be able to get warm and loose enough to withstand stress. If under 40 degrees my clipped horses always wear a quarter sheet.

A quick video on how to put on a quarter sheet. Like this quarter sheet? Click here to buy!

A budget friendly hack! You can purchase fleece here.

The final factor that winter impacts is the horses’ energy level. With footing outside uncertain and horses on limited turn out or they go out but don’t or can’t really do much they have all that extra energy to deal with. A horse that is super quiet in warmer weather may suddenly be a dragon. You have to give them safe outlets for all that energy. Some turn out in the indoor or a safe structured lunge before you get on can help them mentally and physically. That doesn't mean to let them rip around and hurt themselves or continually make themselves more fit. It is unfair however to keep them bottled up. Beware of multiple days off and be mindful of keeping work consistent to keep their exuberance under control. When they have multiple days off for whatever reason, start them back slowly. See my blog Horses Need Vacations Too. In your training start to teach your horse how to deal with excess energy in a healthy and safe way and keep their focus on you.

Stay safe and warm this winter and spring will come eventually! Or go south for the winter!