Originally published January 1 2006
Horse experts talk about precautions worth taking during the cold winter months
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
TheHorse.com reviews nutrition and general care information for horses in the winter months.
It's time to start getting extra fuel into your horses.
Unless you live where temperatures are warm year-round, they need extra energy to stay warm through the winter.
This is due to increased energy demands of cold weather and reduced nutrition in pasture.
This is the outside temperature below which a horse must produce extra heat to maintain its body temperature."
Davison says a mature horse in good flesh, where ribs cannot be seen, has a critical temperature around 30�F during early winter.
Reduced quality in forage (i.e., poor winter pasture) also results in less feed energy that can be used to generate heat.
And Williams reminds that poor-quality hay has even further reduced vitamin and mineral content.
Horses require about 15-20% more feed for each 10�F the ambient temperature falls below critical temperature in order to produce extra heat, says Davison.
"However, thin horses or horses with short hair may need even greater increases in dietary intake to maintain normal body temperature," she adds.
Extra protein isn't necessary for the average horse fed good-quality forage--easy keepers can maintain themselves on 10% protein in the total diet.
"Most of these are just multi-vitamin/mineral supplements, but cost more because they are called 'winter supplements.'
In addition to increasing hay rations, some owners prefer switching from oats to corn or a sweet feed in the winter, Davison says.
If your horse isn't in good body condition and needs to gain 50 pounds or more for winter, you can safely feed him an extra five pounds of hay per day, Davison says.
Keep in mind that water is an essential nutrient, too, and with increased amounts of hay in the diet, an increase in water consumption is vital for good health.
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