Keeping horses safe during a Canadian winter

FERGUS –  Knowing how to properly care for a horse during an unpredictable Canadian winter should be a top priority for owners.

Though many breeds can tackle and even enjoy the colder months, others need a bit more consideration. 

“Horses are designed to live outside and adapt quite well to winter and colder temperatures,”  said Katrina Merkies, an animal biosciences professor at the University of Guelph. 

Horses grow a winter coat and use piloerection (raising of the hairs) to thermoregulate, but they still need some sort of shelter to protect them from winds and precipitation, she explained.

“The biggest danger is probably the ice we get. If surfaces are icy, it is risky for horses to be able to travel between shelter, food and water,” Merkies said.

She also noted the volume of snow can impede a horse’s movement. 

Asked if this is dependent on the breed, Merkies said, “Some fine-haired horse breeds may be more sensitive to the cold but it is more about acclimatization.

“Even breeds like Arabians, who were bred in the desert, can fare perfectly well in our cold winters if they are accustomed to it.”

Horse owners should be aware of temperatures and climatic conditions changing rapidly.

“It is important to be flexible ... and to be able to quickly respond to the immediate weather,” Merkies said.

She explained a barn can feel cold in the evening and warm up to above freezing before morning.

“If you blanket your horse in the evening, they may be sweating by morning,” Merkies said. “It is challenging to be able to maintain your horse’s body temperature with these quick changes.”

Merkies provided tips on how to regulate the body temperature of horses who live outdoors.

Owners should “ensure sufficient forage,” she said. In other words, horses should have constant access to hay.

Horses are hindgut fermenters and this is a major source of heat production, Merkies said. Hindgut fermentation is a process that allows the horse to extract nutrients from plant materials that are not digestible in the small intestine.

Another tip is to ensure sufficient water intake, as hydration is always important and horses may drink less in the cold.

Her last words of wisdom: blanket only when necessary – but when necessary, blanket. 

“The problem with blanketing is that horses can easily overheat without owners being aware of that,” Merkies said.

These are all precautions Fergus-based CanterBerry Stables owner Isabell Berry practices during the winter. 

She opened her small private horse boarding facility nine years ago. Currently she is boarding 17 horses, but the number fluctuates, Berry told the Advertiser. 

She houses warmbloods, thoroughbreds, quarter and draft horses, so she must keep track of many different factors before placing a blanket on them, including:

– age;

– body condition;

– clipped or not; and

– temperament.

That is, of course, in addition to the temperature outside, precipitation levels, wind chill and sunshine. 

“It can be very challenging and a little controversial because two of our horses never have blankets,” Berry said. “They have big, fuzzy fur coats that they grow and are both quite chubby and seem totally happy to be outside.”

Her own horse, a thoroughbred, tends to be more sensitive to the cold as Berry shaves part of him in the fall.

“When I ride, he gets sweaty and if he’s really hairy it takes a long time for him to dry in the colder weather,” she explained.

Berry uses different types of blankets with various thicknesses depending on the weather.

“Each blanket can cost anywhere between $100 and $600 and you have at least five that you need per year,” she said.

Besides blanketing some of her horses, Berry makes sure each paddock has a shelter.

“If they want to get out of the wind or the snow, they can get under,” she said. “It’s like a little house for them to go into during the day, but honestly, I rarely see them in there.”

Her barn is also constructed in a way that it retains the horses’ body heat until morning.

“It’s really nice for them to have that time to get a good night’s sleep,” Berry said. “And it’s important for them to get vitamin D and hang out with their friends.”

She believes these precautions help the horses manage and enjoy being outside “even in this crazy winter.”

Berry also agreed it is important for her horses to have 24/7 access to hay.

The winter doesn’t just add a layer of coldness but it brings the danger of dehydration.

“In the summer they get warm and drink water, but in the winter sometimes they don’t,” Berry said.

Which is why she adds salt to the horses’ diets to encourage drinking more water. 

Berry’s least favourite aspect of winter is the ice, due to the possibility of a horse slipping.

“Especially horses that have shoes, they can really find it difficult ... it’s like walking on dinner plates,” she said.