Winterize Your Horse, There is a Chill In The Air

The weather has really turned cold almost over night. Been watching the horses really carefully for signs of colic. So far so good, knock on wood. Just a reminder that this time of the year we need to have Banamine on hand, syringes, Epsom Salt, Mineral Oil, etc. and hopefully if we have all that stuff we won't need any of it.

Of course, potential sale for colt stood me up. Part of the horse business I guess. Oh well, he is really nice so if he doesn't sell I will live.

The horses were feeling their oats today, especially the stallion colts running and rearing with each other. It is so much fun to watch them play, kinda makes you feel like running and being free right a long with them. (If you decide to do this, however, be very careful, when they are playing they might not see you and keep your distance because they play rough. Yes, I am speaking from experience.)

Got the website up today. Can't say it is finished in reality because I will tweak it weekly forever, but at least there is something up there for folks to see. www.halfmoonfarms.com. Seems like it has been off the air forever! Totally new design and I think it looks better than before. Hope you enjoy it, if you take a peek.

First baby due March 19, so it won't be long before that big old stork flies over. I can hardly wait. Tic Toc.

I have included a copy of a column I wrote about winterizing your horse. Hope you like it.

Winterize Your Horse Now
By ROSE CUSHING

Mother nature does a pretty good job of taking care of your horse’s basic needs. When the temperatures are between 15 degrees and 60 degrees horses don’t require extra energy to stay warm, unless the wind is blowing or the hair is wet. When this happens they instinctively know to eat more calories.
Unfortunately, our horses are at the mercy of our knowledge of what they need and aren’t able to allow mother nature to run things. Don’t be fooled by their thick winter coats that make a horse look fat. Horses burn fat from the areas of reserve such as the ribs, crest of the neck and rump first. If you have ever noticed your horse looks “ribby” that is probably why. “Ribby” that is my term for being able to see some of his ribs, always a concern for me. If you aren’t comfortable eyeing in whether or not he is losing weight you can use a weight tape, but as time and experience go on you will just know.
Always remember that hay is the best feed to help a horses body generate heat. The heat from five pounds of digested hay will raise the horse’s core body temperature for nearly four hours. Hay is digested in the horse’s large intestine and provides nutrients as well as generating heat. Grains are digested in the small intestine and produce little heat. A 1,000 lb.horse usually needs about 20 lbs of hay per day (3-4 flakes of medium quality hay).
When it is cold focus on long stemmed hay, preferably free choice. A horse can eat all the hay it wants without risk founder and can be added quickly when the temperature drops unexpectedly. You should continue to feed your horse grain, but a sudden increase in that can cause colic or founder. An idle horse will consume roughly 3% of his body weight in feed every day and at least half of that should be in hay.
A bit of scientific data here scientist found hay acts like a sponge inside your horses digestive system soaking up water and retaining it for a long time thus making digestion smooth. A diet of 30 pounds of hay turns into 43 pounds of manure. A diet of 12 pounds of hay and 12 pounds of oats only turns into 25 pounds of manure. Obviously diets consisting of high portions of hay are not desirable for competitive horses where weight is a concern, on the other hand during endurance events these animals shine.
The next significantly important consideration is fresh water. Most horse owners carefully monitor their horses water intake in the summer months. Water intake is always important. Horses need less water in the winter and therefore naturally drink less.
Research done at the University of Pennsylvania show correlations between decreased water and fecal impact colic. Increasing the amount of water that your horse drinks is an inexpensive way to help prevent a very serious problem.
There are various types of heater units for water tanks on the market. Remember that horses tend to play with objects so use care when making this decision. Choose a unit that does not float on the top, instead select one that is designed to sit on the bottom of the tank or clamp directly on the side securely.
If this is not an option you can also just fill their bucket a couple of times a day with luke warm water. The study at the university showed that when given the option of warm water horses drank more. A horse will typically drink 10 to 12 gallons of water each day.
Remember that it is not critical that your horse have a barn, but it does need a wind break. This can be a heavy stand of trees or as simple as a wall to block the cold north wind. Horses are designed to live in the wild and are remarkably adaptable to weather conditions as long as their nutrition and water requirements are met.