How to keep horses warm??

Question

Moved to colorado. it's -18 below. New at careing for horses. Have 3 sided shelter, 2 horses. the older horse has a ripped blanket. the other horse wont wear one. It is so cold they rub there noses together and then take off running to try and warm up (I presume) PLEASE I need all the advice I can get on helping to keep them warm. I increased the oats they eat, ???

Answer 1

How kind of you to worry about them! The horse with the blanket (even it's ripped) should be doing just fine. I think the nose rubbing and the running are probably more play than anything else, as well as excess energy from the extra oats. What you're doing so far is great. As long as they're in reasonably good health they should do fine. The only other thing I could suggest is putting down either straw or shavings in the shelter so they can make a "nest" when they lay down.

When I first moved my horses from Southern California to Northern New Mexico (in November, in a snow storm) they freaked! Didn't know what all that white stuff was... and they didn't have any winter coats. I had two blankets but four horses. The first winter most of them wore blankets but one of them I didn't have a blanket for so I made one out of an old bedspread. He was so careful with his trashy bedspread-- wouldn't let any of the other horses near him so they couldn't pull it off!

Anyway, towards the end of the winter they had all grown furry coats and only the baby horse would let me blanket him. I offered each of them their blanket every night and sometimes they wanted them and sometimes they didn't. The next year they all got furry and never wore their blankets again!

Answer 2

Horses are naturally prepared to handle the weather. They adapt very well, as do most animals with fur coats. Their fur becomes thicker on its own and then they shed the extra fur in the spring time. A barn would be nice for them, or some kind of closeable shelter, but not necessary. Even if they didn't have the 3-sided shelter, they would still be fine. As owners we can help them by giving them a little extra grain in the Winter months to help keep their energy up because their bodies use more energy to keep warm. Too much grain won't be good either, because they will "founder" on it and then be in real trouble. If they get a coffe can full of grain in the morning, then give them 1 1/2 cans or increase it to one in the morning and one in the evening. A corn and oat mixture works nice. The places where you get the grain usually offer a "winter mix" at least they do around here in SE Neb. Of coarse, give them their hay and alfalfa in between times. If you choose you can buy the regular horse blankets that clip to keep them on, but if the one horse doesn't like blankets then you would probably be wasting your time. Your best bet is to call a vet for some advice if you have any other questions and to read everything you can about taking care of horses.

Answer 3

Since you just moved to Colorado, I would suggest buying new blankets. Although horses can naturally withstand cold weather, and most people on here are not suggesting the use of blankets, personally, I would blanket. Even though they can withstand the snow and extreme cold, a blanket will definitely make it more tolerable and comfortable for them. It surely won't hurt. You need to work with your horse so he becomes more accepting of the blanket. Spend time with him and gain his trust, then he won't be so reluctant when you ask him to put it on. Horses respond well with constant reassurance and praise, so be sure you reward even the slightest progress with some kinds words and a nice rub on the neck. Buy a blanket with an open front, that way you can lay it across your horse's back and buckle the front around his neck without going over his head. That's usually the scariest part for the horse. Also, be sure you are feeding free choice hay, this helps generate warmth. Good luck!

Answer 4

as long as they had time to grow accustomed to the weather, you should be fine. horses are naturally able to take care of themselves pretty well as long as they didn't just move to that area.
if the older horse will wear a blanket, then get it a new one, and the other horse will be OK with out one.
horses rub noses as a sign of affection , and it's a way they bond with each other. the running can also be that they are playing, yes they do that.
our two horses are free range , they have a walk in barn but are almost never in it and most of the time when they are it is feeding time. as long as yours have some type of shelter to go in to , they are staying out because they like to .
don't change their diet, since you can give them colic and lots of other nasty conditions by doing so, and under no circumstances feed them corn. this can kill them if you give them too much , and they don't know when to stop eating it.
as long as they haven't started to look thin, you are fine. if you see them losing weight , then start increasing the amount of oats they get, and give them more hay.
hope this helps.

Answer 5

to be honest, horses are naturally prepared for cold weather. as long as they arent clipped for any reason, yes they will be cold, but they will be alright. it would be better if they had a barn but thats not your problem if theyre not your horses but you may suggest this to the owner since yall live in such a cold climate. also, if the horses have been in colorado for a while, theyre more than likely used to the weather. my pony is 39 years old and stays outside 24/7. she refuses to wear a blanket but has a super thick coat and stays plenty warm. most animals do not need clothes. they are naturally prepared.

i understand the extreme conditions, but theres honestly not much you can do if theres no other shelter available adn the horse refuses to wear a blanket. llike you said, they run and find ways to stay preoccupied and warm.

one more thing. NEVER under ANY circumstance should you ever force a horse to wear a blanket by simply "strapping" to him or anything of that nature. horses can get caught up too easily in the attachments all over the blankets and trip and fall or spook and take off and fall and hurt themselves extremely easily. NEVER force a horse to do this as it all to often results in serious injury that is extremely preventable

Answer 6

Give them free choice hay. What hay are they on? Give them about a bale a day. DO NOT use alfalfa. That will not help. I use a mixture of Timothy and Orchard grass.

Horses keep themselves warm by eating. Their guts work as a generator as long as they're eating. Unlike us, when they eat it warms their body up.

Increasing the grain helps while they're eating, but not a whole lot.

Just make sure they have a ton of hay to much on under the over hang and they'll probably be just fine. They're horses, right?

Answer 7

As long as they can get out of the wind and have good food to eat. They will be fine. Younger horses like to run around when the weather is cold. Also make sure they have fresh water to drink. Eating snow is no good. Just like in human. Don't just give them more grain. You have to increase a bit at a time. You could also give them more hay. Hay make heat also. ( in their bodies) I have a horse also. I don't blanket him anymore. He can go in and out of his stall 24/7. And sometimes he'll stand in the snow, However he'll go in if its too cold. Don't worry..

Answer 8

As people have mentioned here, horses are built for colder weather - below 40 degrees. People have already mentioned that horses adapt to their environment, grow heavy winter coats, etc.

One thing you can do is make sure that they don't have to drink ice water. If you (or the owners) can afford heaters for the buckets and have electric supply, that will do a lot for the horses. If they have to drink icy water, they use a lot of energy to counteract the cold water.

Answer 9

give them somewarm bran mash. recipe shown here:
4 cups sweet feed
6 cups of bran
1 cup molasses
hot water
mix sweet feed with bran. add hot water until it is the thick as hamburger meat. add molasses. let sit for 5-10 min. serve warm.

put them in stalls & shut any big doors or windows. as long as you put them in stalls they shouldnt need blankets. they get a thicker coat during the winter then shed it in spring.
hope this helps!!!!

Answer 10

I would suggest moving your horse(s) to a boarding stable untill the snow and cold weather is gone.