Walking On Volume 4, Issue 11, November 2017 | Page 6

Back to Basics
Horse Health Care in the Winter
By Madalyn Ward, DVM 
Keeping your horse warm, healthy, and happy during
the winter can be challenging, especially if you live in a
climate with extreme cold weather. While temperatures
don’t drop too far here in Texas, I have many clients in
northern states who struggle to keep their horses fat
and sassy during this winter. So this issue is dedicated to
horse health care during the winter, including ways to
minimize your feed bill and ways to prevent chiropractic
issues.
Horse Health Care Basics for Winter
Before diving into the different kinds of horse feed
and other tips, I’m going to first cover the basics. These
apply year-round, but are especially important before
winter sets in. You probably already know about these,
but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention them so I’ll
cover them quickly here.
Teeth: If you horse has not had a float within the last
year, it may be time to take him in for a checkup and
possibly a float. A horse with sharp points, hooks, or
ramps in his mouth tends to drop feed or chew improp-
erly, which can lead to indigestion or colic. More im-
portantly, your horse doesn’t get the most out of his feed
and you could end up with unwanted vet bills to treat
colic.
Parasites: Going into winter, it’s always a good idea to
chec k your horse for parasites with a fecal test. Even if
6 • Walking On
the fecal test comes back negative, you may want to give
your horse a double dose of Strongid-type wormer to
take care of tapeworms, which do not show up in a fecal
analysis. You can do this up to once a year.
Stress: Horses can quickly lose weight when stressed.
Causes of stress are numerous, including extreme physi-
cal cold, injuries, hard training, or even changes in living
environment. Horses can also be emotionally stressed by
doing a job for which they are not suited or if their liv-
ing conditions are unsuitable. For instance, a horse that
is constantly being picked on by his herd mates won’t
have access to feed, and may not feel like eating.
The Best Horse Feed for Winter
To keep your horse healthy this winter, you need to
make sure he is getting enough of the right kind of cal-
ories to stay warm, and drinking enough water to keep
his digestion functioning properly.
Let’s talk about calories first. If the temperature drops
dramatically during the winter in your part of the coun-
try, your goal will be to keep your horse warm. The best
way to feed your horse to keep him warm is to increase
the fiber in his diet, which includes hay, alfalfa, and
beet pulp. Increased fiber keeps a horse warmer than
increased grain because the digestion of fiber generates
heat. Hay and other kinds of fiber are digested in the
horse’s hindgut, or large intestine, which generates much