How can you tell if a horse is cold?

[Julie Clemons]

I’ll state up front that I know I’m being paranoid. My horse has a dry stall out of the wind and all the hay she can eat (OK, she would challenge me on that, being a “Suffolk Pig”, but certainly plenty of hay) and is growing a thick winter coat. But people ask me all the time, “Isn’t she cold? Do you heat her stall in the winter?” and I would like to have an answer for them.

Sometimes the tips of her ears are a bit cold. I assume this is like cold fingers, noses, ears in humans – just a part of being outside. I am always impressed that her hoof walls and sole are warm pretty much all the time.

I have seen horses shiver after being out in a cold rain or while standing still in the cold after working hard. Probably just like us, getting dry and eating some food will correct that problem.

But is there anything in between cold ears and downright shivering that I should be watching out for? I am not about to heat her stall (!) but could keep some oats, vegetable oil etc on hand to give her a calorie boost on the coldest nights.

Thoughts?

[dominiquer60]

I have been told that feeding grain to keep them warm is an old wives tale. the best thing that I know of on a cold night is more hay, the bit of fermentation that goes on in a horses hind gut will do a lot more heating than oats or any other type of grain. Of course I am open to being wrong, that is just what I learned at a big institution.

I am a product of people that tend to pamper their horses and have a rather anthropomorphic mind set, I have seen all sorts of ways to keep horses warm. Unless you plan on body clipping her and working her everyday in an indoor, I think that your mare should be fine as long as she has hay and shelter. A little draft that I used as a 4-H project would drive us crazy, she always stood under the drip line of the barn even during an ice storm, it never seemed to bother her and she had the choice to seek cover.

I think that once you get more used to your mare and develop your relationship you will know when something is wrong, whether she is sick, sore, or cold. There are a lot of people out there that want to treat horses as if they were children instead of an animal that evolved to winter over on the open Steppes of Europe and Asia. Your mare should do just fine doing what she was bred to do, eat grass and survive winter.

Good Luck with her and post a picture if you get the chance,

Erika

[Jean]

My draft mare will stand outside in most weather, and she has the option to go in. I check under her mane and behind her armpit to see if she is warm. She always is. I have had a light horse that would shiver if he got too cold, it is scary to see, but with a little extra hay it would stop. The first bad snow storm we had and Bess did not go in, I was nervous, but I figured she knows best what she wants to do. Her hair is very thick and the snow piles up on her back,which I think means she is well insulated.
Jean

[becorson]

i think a chilly horse will clamp its tail close in to the body and will generally stand with its butt to the wind. a horse that looks relaxed and unconcerned is probably not chilly.
Jean is right that snow will pile up, or icicles will form, on a well insulated horse.
I also agree with Erika dominquer who said that forage is important when it comes to generating heat. concentrates might help an exhausted, wet and shivering horse (one that needs digestible energy quick) but forage will produce heat in the long run and prevent shivering.
i just read an scientific paper about that. (and you KNOW science has all the answers!!! Ha! )

[jen judkins]

I agree with what everyone has said here….hay, access to shelter and unfrozen water are really all most horses need, even here in the northeast. That said, I have two horses that sometimes need a blanket for added warmth, generally only during a storm. While most of my horses have a thick insulating coat and snow will pile as high as 3 inches during a storm, my TB and aged QH just get wet backs. I guess it is due to their wimpy winter coats…while they stay warm in very cold, dry conditions without an additional layer, add some moisture and they get cold.

So a word about blanketing. IF you choose to blanket a cold horse intermittently (meaning they are not body clipped and need a blanket all winter), I recommend a wicking layer next to the body like fleece or wool to wick the moisture off the horse, then an insulating blanket. Putting a single layer on a horse will not warm them, just tamp down their fur, preventing their nature ability to warm themselves.

I also notice alot more activity with my herd when the temperature dips low, probably their way of warming up.

We got a nice foot of snow here last night…beautiful! Jennifer.

[Carl Russell]

I don’t worry about a cold horse, nor a wet horse, but a cold wet horse is another thing. My horses are out 24-7-365, with the exception of freezing rain.

I only blanket them if they are still sweaty after work, with a wool blanket to wick away moisture. Even -20, they are out, and they are always psyched to get out of the barn.

I think a wind break is a good idea, humane maybe. My turn out is on the leeward side of a small forested hill, which gives pretty good protection.

People who ask you questions like that are really just expressing their concern, and showing their lack of experience. If you get into the habit of coddling your horse because you think it’s cold, before you know it, you’ll be staying in the barn with her.

Carl

[OldKat]

@Carl Russell 4143 wrote:

I don’t worry about a cold horse, nor a wet horse, but a cold wet horse is another thing. My horses are out 24-7-365, with the exception of freezing rain.

I only blanket them if they are still sweaty after work, with a wool blanket to wick away moisture. Even -20, they are out, and they are always psyched to get out of the barn.

I think a wind break is a good idea, humane maybe. My turn out is on the leeward side of a small forested hill, which gives pretty good protection.

People who ask you questions like that are really just expressing their concern, and showing their lack of experience. If you get into the habit of coddling your horse because you think it’s cold, before you know it, you’ll be staying in the barn with her.

Carl

I guess being overly concerned beats not being concerned when we should be, but yeah hard to imagine a situation where horses could get too cold … given dry air and a wind break. I have read stories of horses freezing to death out on the plains, but I think that is usually in extremely, extremely cold weather & several days of it at that.

I do know a guy that was once the manager of a farm in Northeast Texas that raised Clydesdales. The owner was from Chicago, but was living in Dallas. The previous farm manager had told him that when it got below freezing that someone had to sit in the barn with the horses, to keep their water from freezing! He had (supposedly) been hiring local people and charging the owner time and a half for someone to sit out in the barn all night in cold weather. Me thinks no one was actually sitting out there; though just a guess! (Keep in mind that this is an area that seldom gets below the mid-teens even in the coldest of weather)

Wonder if that guy needs any help? I sure could stand to pick up a few extra bucks right about now!

[jen judkins]

@Carl Russell 4143 wrote:

I don’t worry about a cold horse, nor a wet horse, but a cold wet horse is another thing.

A couple of years ago, My riding horse Manny and I were out at Green Mountain competing in one of their 25 milers. It was late April or early May and a typical NE spring day, drizzly and raw. The temps really didn’t drop lower than 50 and we had no trouble staying warm trotting down the trail, but by the time I had Manny cooled down and ready for his final vet check, he was shivering from head to toe. It was truly scarey. I was unprepared as well, armed only with a couple of coolers, as this horse never wears a blanket, even in sub-zero temps.

So add exertion to wet and even moderately cold and a horse can get into trouble. Carl’s post reminded me of this story. Jennifer.

[Julie Clemons]

Excellent, thanks for the reassurance. Erika I laughed when I read your comment because I was at a Solstice party this weekend talking to a woman who owns two riding horses (that she does not ride) and how she blankets them whenever it is below 20 degrees and shared with me her recipe for hot bran mash with carrots that she makes for them. It sounded close to what I would make for myself.

The wind blew so hard last night that it broke the lockset on our basement door and blew the door open. Jonathan had to get up and screw the door shut. And yet this morning there were tracks all over the pasture and some horse-shaped snow angels. She is just fine.:D

I have pictures but I have to figure out how to make them smaller so I can post them.

[near horse]

I don’t worry about a cold horse, nor a wet horse, but a cold wet horse is another thing. My horses are out 24-7-365, with the exception of freezing rain.

I only blanket them if they are still sweaty after work, with a wool blanket to wick away moisture.

This is the stuff that confuses me. I’ve always kept my horses outside but with a 3-sided shelter available if they decide to use it. Last week it was -5 w/ snow all around and I look out around 11 PM :confused:and see one the horses laying down in the snow (resting) so I’m ok with them being able to tolerate cold. It’s the wet part I have trouble with. If I work them (and I’m really trying to keep them active during the winter) then they will be sweaty and therefore somewhat wet. So I should blanket them then before turning them out in their paddock (w/ shelter)? Wind seems to be the thing that makes horses uncomfortable – they quickly look for something to break it.

Bottom line – I just want to make sure that if I work my horses in cold weather that I’m doing what’s best for them when we’re through.

[Carl Russell]

When working the horses, I often head right back to the barn, or trailer from the last load to the landing, so it’s not just wet, but warm, producing sweat, so I blanket them to wick away the moisture as they cool down slowly, so as not to chill. Almost every time they are turned out after some hay and grain, they roll in the snow, warm body, melting snow, but as long as they have had that cool-down period, I don’t worry.

I am much more concerned about the cold rain, or freezing rain, which penetrates their coat faster than they are warming themselves. Same thing goes for wind, although a wet horse in the cold wind is more concerning to me than a dry horse that has the ability to move around.

If they are really wet, or sweaty, and it is really cold, and I don’t think the cool-down period will coincide with my evening schedule of chores and family, I will just leave them in with the blanket on, maybe for the night, or for a couple of hours until I come back to water them for the evening, then take off the blanket and turn ’em out.

I try not to leave blankets on too long, or use them too often, as they do interfere with the horse getting a good coat. I will almost always blanket them for the trailer ride home after working them for the day, because of the wind (Stock Trailer), and it’s easy, then take the blanket of when unloading at home.

A well-fed and active horse can handle some pretty extreme conditions, but every owner, or teamster will develop habits that are suited to their own situations.

Carl

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