Although horses are known to conform to cold temperature easily, it may be tough for them at times. So, to ease the transition from summer to winter, you may refer to these horse health tips.

Blanketing

To reduce the effects of cold weather, provide your horses with proper blanketing. Moreover, this is more necessary if the following conditions exist:

• The temperature drops below 5°F, or the wind chill is below 5°F and there’s no shelter available during turnout periods.
• Your horse is too old or too young.
• Your horse has not been acclimated to the cold condition. For example, it has been recently relocated from a southern climate.

Cooling down

This is a part of the post-riding care. Cool down your horse properly after the ride. You must brush off snow away from its body. Try doing this outside and never indoors for it can melt and become slippery, causing possible accidents.

Also, your horse’s ears should be cool, not cold, nor hot. If his ears are hot, walk him around a bit. Take note, cold ears mean a cold horse and this might be bad sign.

Winter Feeding

During winters, as the need to maintain core body temperature increases, the horse’s energy requirement rises too. Energy needs for a horse to maintain increase about 1% for every degree below 18 ° F.

Moreover, heavy hair coats can often hide weight loss during these winter months. If your horse starts losing body condition, increase in feed is highly recommended and if it starts having excessive body condition, reducing the feed is also vital.

Possible Winter Ills

• Just like humans, horses are prone to acquiring different diseases during winter like pneumonia.  The ammonia build-up, mold, and dust inside shelters can bring hazard to the horse’s respiratory health. You can prevent this by assuring enough ventilation. Also, you can provide outdoor opportunities for your horse to breathe in fresh and clean air.
• Aside from respiratory diseases, horses are also susceptible to skin conditions during cold climates. Some of these skin disorders are known to be ringworm, bed itch, and infected scratches. Always make sure not to put blanket on a wet horse and never use blankets that don’t have enough holes to let moisture escape, since wetness in the horse’s body can cause moisture build-up.
• To assist you in protecting the health of your horses, consider using Genuine Haarlem Oil or GHO which is a well-known supplement and remedy to different kinds of horse health disorders. It helps you achieve the best health care that your horses need not only during winters, but all throughout the seasons.

Knowing that your horse’s health should always be your top priority makes it easier for your horse to get through the winter safely. Hence, this is the best tip for you.