Keeping Horses Warm in Winter

What this boils down to is whether or not to use blankets on your horse during cold weather.  Generally, the recommendation is to not use blankets except in certain situations.  Those situations are if the horse is clipped, is very thin or stressed, or the horse is old and has trouble regulating body temperature in cold weather.

If a blanket is used for whatever reason, be sure that it fits the horse.  Ill-fitting blankets can cause rub marks and sores on the horse, or, if too large, can twist up and cause the horse to become tangled or destroy the blanket.  Check to see if the horse is too warm so it doesn’t overheat.  Blanket linings should not damage the hair underneath.  Be sure to groom blanketed horses often.

            One thing that we should all remember is that the comfort zone for a horse is much different than that of a human.  It is all too easy to think that our horses are cold when we are.  There is a big difference between us and our horses – we don’t have a thick coat of insulating hair all over our bodies!  Our horses do, so I’ll propose that the best way to keep a horse warm in the winter is to use what nature has given to the horse’s advantage.

            A horse’s coat has dense, under hair and longer outer hair.  In cold weather, those dense sets of hair work together with skin muscles to trap air under the hair coat, which provides an insulation layer that helps the horse to stay warm in cold weather.  Combine that with the management strategy of allowing the horse to gain a bit of weight as we are going into the winter months, providing a windbreak area and a roof to keep relatively dry, and most horses will stay very comfortable in some pretty cold temperatures.

            There are a couple of other factors that influence how well a horse keeps warm in cold weather.  Most horses are fed a forage-based diet.  As the microbes in the cecum digest that forage, a lot of heat energy is generated.  Remember that the cecum acts as a fermentation vat in the intestine, allowing horses to utilize forages for nutrition.  That energy release helps horses be comfortable in cold weather. 

            Horses also generate heat by exercising.  Horses are known to just kick up their heels and run around the pasture.  In cold weather, sometimes they are running around to generate heat.  They will also stand still and shiver to generate heat, but usually only for short periods of time.  If your horse is shivering all the time, be sure to take action to see what the problem is.

            People wonder just what adequate shelter is for horses in winter weather.  That answer can range from a wooded ravine that provides a good windbreak to a pole structure with a roof and one wall to cut both wind and rain, to a fully enclosed barn stall.  Be sure that there s plenty of fresh air if the horse is kept inside a barn.  Cold, fresh air is a much better environment for horses than a tight, warm barn with stagnant air.

            The worst weather condition for outdoor horses is cold and rain combined with wind.  The wind will break up the pockets of trapped, warm air and allow the rain to penetrate the hair and destroy the insulative layer.  The horse has a more difficult time keeping warm under those conditions, so then a roof and windbreak become even more important.  Most of the time, however, horses are just fine in cold weather as long as good common sense and management practices are followed.