Equine Heath & Wellness
Adjusting for Winter Nutrition For some of us, winter has already arrived. For others, it’s just beginning in earnest. For all of us, the horse is facing some challenges. Horses actually tolerate and enjoy the cold a lot more than most of us do. Their neutral temperature, with no energy expended to either keep warm or cool off, is in the 40s Fahrenheit – the same as your refrigerator. However, a number of health conditions made worse by the winter environment may dictate the need for supplementation not required in summer months. A few nutritional tweaks can pay off in weight maintenance, reduced colic risk, better hydration and hoof health. Everyone’s chief concern is how much more food they need in winter. A common rule of thumb is increase amount fed by 1% for every 1 degree below 18° F. However, this assumes a good winter coat, no wind, horse doesn’t get wet, horse has a reasonable
amount of body fat and normal temperature regulation (older horses often fail the last two). Hay is preferred because it is fermented in the hind gut which generates heat. Unless the horse is insulin resistant and will overeat, an excellent solution is to just provide free choice hay. If the horse has a safe place to eat protected from the elements and competition from other horses he will eat what he needs. If additional calories are still required you have to go to more concentrated sources. My preference is for a 75:25 mix (by weight) of beet pulp and wheat bran as a mash. This is primarily fermented so you still get the benefit of the heat of fermentation. An added plus is the extra water you can get into them this way. In winter, some horses tend to have difficulty holding a good body weight. Healthy fats can help hold weight and condition, as
well as help maintain a glossy coat and strong solid hooves. In winter, they are perfect for providing cool calories in a palatable energy source. If you are already feeding a concentrate with free choice hay and don’t want to add a lot more volume, 5 oz of a healthy fatty acid will be equivalent to a pound of oats. Speaking of water, the horse may have a higher requirement in the winter even if not sweating because the moisture content of the diet is extremely low compared to grass. The combination of less exercise and not enough water intake is a high risk scenario for impaction. Horses prefer warm water and intake will drop if it’s cold. Use heated or insulated water buckets or troughs. An inexpensive electric heating coil that can boil water can be used to serve comfortably warm water in buckets or add hot water to troughs. Salt is the other element to encouraging
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