Winter Horse Care: Common Mistakes to Avoid

Most of us do not understand how our own bodies function and what its requirements in different seasons are. So it is but natural for us to have the same level of ignorance while we deal with the horses in different seasons. Most of us simply understand winter care to mean- blanketing or covering the horse in quilt. However there are many other things that need to be addressed in order to prepare a horse for the winter and snowy days such as change in their diet, addition of supplements, providing medications and ensuring it gets enough exercise, to name a few.

Winter care can be simplistic and easy if only horse owners avoided some of the following common mistakes:

It is not summer, so why bother about water?

Summer or winter, a horse needs to stay hydrated, just as you do. It is important to ensure that the water bucket always has water, and in case of low temperature countries like Sweden where it snows, it is important to ensure that if water is frozen, then a horse is given liquid water.

Grain over hay

Due to insufficient grazing during snow in winter, the quantity of hay in a horse’s diet can be significantly low. Owners feed grains in times of shortage of hay. But, it is with the help of hay that the body of the horse is kept warm and not by eating grains. Hence it is important to give a horse more hay in winter so that it can maintain its body temperature.

It is freezing outside, keep the horse inside!

Most of the owners think that the welfare of the horses during winter, lies in staying in the stable. While their intention is not wrong, it has a negative impact on the animals. Horses are animals who can withstand extreme cold, as long as they have a blanket, enough food and water. If a horse is restricted to stay indoors, it could be dangerous for its health.

A horse cannot sweat, it is winter!

Many people think that since it is very cold outside, any amount of riding will not make the horse sweat. This is wrong. A horse should be dried after a ride, so that its sweat does not become a cause for it to catch a cold, as sweat can easily become chilling in winter.

Surely rain proof hästen täcke can also keep away the cold?

Many owners fail to understand that a waterproof quilt will not function the same way and as effectively as a thermal ponny bucas täcken which is designed to tackle cold. Waterproof quilts or any other simple quilts do not have an insulating layer responsible for providing warmth to the body of the horse and therefore need to be replaced with thermal quilts.

Why groom when the horse is going to be covered under a quilt?

Grooming is observed by many as a superficial task, carried out to enhance the look of a horse so that it looks good. However there are other benefits to grooming and so owner need to brush their horses even if their coat will remain hidden in quilts. Grooming improves blood circulation and warms the body of the horse. It also relieves a horse from stress after a ride in the snow storm.

One of the shops at Sweden that provides a great deal of horse care items including grooming kits, quilts and kosttillskott häst muskler is Hästbiten. Horse owners may find a wide variety of equestrian items for their horses and themselves, in good quality.