Serving* the Horses in Cold Weather

Observations about Horsekeeping after the Weather Changed

Snowy weather for any length of time in western Washington is unusual. Odin and Bragi were both born in eastern Oregon; they know better how to thrive and survive in snowy weather than I do as well-adjusted horses are adapted to cold environments. I learned this as a graduate student of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the early 2000s. Evolution of equids was not my field of study but the fossil record is fairly complete and there’s much to learn about evolutionary biology from the scientific work that has been done on horses. The key to serve their survival needs is to offer them as many options as possible.

Shelter, check:

Companionship and room to move (for small acreage, check out this track system to keep them moving), check.

Plenty of good forage, check, as much as they want. Odin and Bragi get three types of hay: local, alfalfa, and orchard grass. Variety in anyone’s diet is important, I think, and it’s a strategy I adopted/copied from my wonderful farrier.

Water. Now this was the tricky bit because horses might not drink water when you think they should and some of them really need help to maintain good hydration. The question that has never been answered for me is, how much is enough? The consequences can be terrible (colic and others) from not drinking enough water. I’m not a veterinarian and this post isn’t about consequences. This post is about serving the horses’ needs and making observations to determine what they need, calling the vet when the available isn’t enough.

Odin isn’t a good drinker in ordinary weather (Bragi is a good drinker), so many months ago I started adding a little salt to his ration balancing grain with a lot of water. I doubt he likes the salt but he likes the mushy grain. I’m not entirely convinced that adding salt is good for him since he doesn’t like it — not that Odin is always going to make good choices. However, there is some debate among veterinarians as to whether adding salt helps or harms electrolyte balance; I add about half the recommended amount on the package. Still, what is a good next strategy for providing water: make the grain mushier than usual. I soak grain in the house so that it doesn’t freeze in the barn.

And what about drinking water? I left a hose running in one big bucket:

I chopped a lot of ice:

I used a tank heater in another trough:

Conveniently there’s a small wetland in the upper pasture:

After checking on the horses about a hundred times a day, I learned that they prefer the pasture wetland, the running water, and ice water. They avoided the heated water, but the heater made my ice chopping job easier.

A running hose and heated water are fine as long as the power stays on, which it doesn’t typically in any weather. Thankfully the power was out only for a couple hours this time. I am also thankful for the number of options available to the boys because if one preference is unavailable, they are used to ice water and I can pack water from the creek if necessary. Which has been necessary during longer power outages.

The major theme in horsekeeping for me in any weather and any time is serving their needs for their happiness and health, and ease of mind for me.

* The question “how can I serve” comes from Karen Rohlf’s Dressage Naturally podcast series.