Extreme Cold Weather can be hard on  Horses

Just  when you think Spring might be around the corner, our temperature dropped  back in  the low teens. I’m Jeff Keane, after the break we will have tips on helping horses deal with the cold.  While our temperatures are no where near the lows in some parts of the US it is still important to monitor your horses  when it is below freezing for many days in a row.  Here is Susan Allen Jeff, like people,  cold  temperatures can take their toll on  young and old horses.  So watch them closely to make sure that the dominate horse in the herd isn’t taking advantage of their age by getting most of their feed, and if need be separate those animals for their  protection.  Horses must consume more calories when it is cold to maintain their weight. Take my young gelding for example, he typically gets 20 to 25 pounds of hay a day  but being a hard keeper I let Spider Monkey  eat as much as he  wants in the  winter. He can pick at his feed at will and  it keeps him moving, and happy. Other horses that keep weight on, like my husband’s mare, might need as much as 35-40 pounds of hay a day during extreme cold.  Susan it is also important to make sure  horses drink  enough  during the winter, some horses  teeth can be sensitive to  very cold water so they might not drink as much as they should and then they are  at risk for impaction colic. That is why those automatic waters with warmers are such a neat deal. Keep an eye on your horses during the cold spell, it might save a vet bill. I’m Jeff Keane.