COOLER WEATHER MAKES WINTER A FAVOURITE TIME FOR HORSES. WITH NO FLIES, MIDGES, OR ITCHY SWEATING, HORSES CAN RUN FREE AND SOAK UP THE WINTER SUN!
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EQUINE NUTRITION: WINTER CARE AND FEEDING
WINTER CARE
WINTER CARE AND FEEDING
COOLER WEATHER MAKES WINTER A FAVOURITE TIME FOR HORSES. WITH NO FLIES, MIDGES, OR ITCHY SWEATING, HORSES CAN RUN FREE AND SOAK UP THE WINTER SUN!
© ARTICLE BY: DR JENNIFER STEWART BVSC BSC PHD EQUINE VETERINARIAN, CEO JENQUINE AND CONSULTANT NUTRITIONIST EQUINE CLINICAL NUTRITION
Cool temperatures mean less stress and more time in the‘ thermoneutral zone’( TNZ), the temperature range in which horses do not need to sweat or shiver. The TNZ varies with age, gender, breed, weather, exercise, and feed.
Typically, horses don ' t shiver until the temperature drops below 0 ° C for a weanling and – 15 ° C for an adult horse. The colder the air, the more heat they lose. However, the heat generated by digestion and movement helps them stay warm, so they only start shivering when it gets extremely cold.
PROVIDE PLENTY OF ROUGHAGE / FORAGE
To help horses stay warm in winter, provide plenty of roughage. Hay or pasture is best, and oats can also play a role in certain situations. High-fibre feeds produce body heat when fermented by hindgut bacteria, generating heat and nutrients for the horse. High-starch feeds, such as corn molasses and sweet feeds, do not generate this fermentative heat and do not make your horse‘ hot’— they can increase energy and excitability but do not generate significant core body heat. You may notice your horses eating more hay as the weather cools down because this helps them stay warm from the body heat generated during digestion.
The most efficient way to keep horses warm during winter is to feed more highly-digestible hay, at 2 – 2.5 % of body weight, in a ratio of 50- 60 % lucerne and 40-50 % grassy / oaten hay. Beet pulp can also be a beneficial source of fibre. When the weather is wet and windy as well, energy needs increase by 40-50 %, and some
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Australian Quarter Horse Association- www. aqha. com. au