Dealing with the Cold Weather.....

I know that many of fellow horse owners have had a hard time dealing with this harsh winter. It was a lot warmer last year than this year. There are some brutally cold winters coming up and there are multiple ways to deal with making sure your horse is protected and warm. SHELTER A lot of horse owners deal with this subject differently. There are owners that leave their horses out in the fields, make sure that if you decide to do this that your field has a run in shed (for a break in the wind) and that it is big enough for all horses to fit into the run in shed. Horses with higher metabolism's tend to burn calories a lot faster and require more hay to keep themselves warm. Older horses, pregnant or expecting mares, growing and developing horses, and throughbreds are also a big issue.

BLANKETING I know that a lot of people are a little bit touchie on this issue, but here's the fact yes they were once wild horses that lived out in the mountains, ranch, etc. They had natural resources and they adapted to their surroundings fairly easily, but once you take those natural resources away they depend on you their "owner" to take care of them and provide them with these. They are now domesticated and can't depend on being "wild" anymore. Blankets do not ruin their hair coat, they provide a way to keep insulated and keep their body heat from escaping. This serves as a way to conserve on hay too b/c you do not need to throw as much. If your horse had difficulty and is a hard keeper make sure that you get the right gram and weight for your horse. A fleece or stable sheet is required to layer underneath of a turnout sheet and is a alternative. If you can get big square bales to put out in the field this can be useful too. Round bales I always advise people to stay away from because of a toxin called "Botulism". Or forage poisoning. This causes signs of weakness in all parts of the body because it prevents the release "acetylcholine" from the nerves which causes the muscles to contract. This is caused from dead animals being caught in the baling process of the hay and when your horse eats the bale that contains this or any hay around it the entire bale is deadly and needs to be thrown away. There are vaccinations that you can give your horse to prevent this from happening to them, remember that the Botulism shot is a three-step process and requires multiple visits from the vet and can get extremely pricey. Make sure that you are getting your hay from a decent hay dealer and one that you know is good from experience.

HAY In the winter (depending on what horse you have) they need to eat ten percent of their body weight. KEEP IN MIND THAT FOR OLDER HORSES AND GROWING AND DEVELOPING HORSE; PREGNANT OR EXPECTING MARES, this value goes up and increases. Also, as well as how cold it is depending on if they stay in or go out this value also increases and goes up.

WATER If you have the option of using a heated bucket during these harsh winters then that will serve your horse well; especially if that horse is older and has choke easily then this would be the quick fix. ALWAYS REMEMBER TO LOOK AT THE HEATED WATER BUCKET AND LOOK TO SEE WHAT THE VOLTAGE IS FOR THE EXTENTION CORD; IF YOU ARE USING YOUR HEATED WATER BUCKET INSIDE THEN YOU STILL NEED TO USE A HEAVY DUTY EXTENSION CORD. IF YOU ARE RUNNING YOUR'S OUTSIDE USE ABOVE A CERTAIN VOLTAGE. Always make sure that your horse has a good amount of water during the winter and that it is fairly warm. If you can you need to have a water heater in your tank to prevent the tank from freezing and easy access to warm water for your horses. Their are a lot of health problems brought on by drinking water too cold too fast. If you can always make sure that the ice is cracked and they can get to it.

GOOD LUCK AND KEEP WARM!

Building the Trust up from you and then learning to trust others.......

I know a lot of people feel the same way that I do about their horses only responding to the person that they trust, which is "you". Ever find yourself in a difficult circumstance or situation and their are multiple people trying to help you but the ONLY person that can help the horse is the one who spends the most time with them and who has the special bond and or relationship. When you do groundwork with your horse a lot of people think that its only groundwork and you can't really accomplish a lot but when you do it for three years with your horse you learn how to address issues that other people wouldn't understand how to work through. You learn how to deal with issues that might present themselves in a calm manner. I think that a lot of people that aren't around horses a whole lot do not know how to PROPERLY deal with them, or deal with them in a agressive manner out of fear for the unknown.

THERE IS NOBODY THAT UNDERSTANDS YOUR HORSE BETTER THAN YOU!!!!!!!