Winter woes

TEXT: FARRYN DAY PHOTOGRAPHY: MERLYNN TRICHARDT

KEEPING YOUR HORSE HEALTHY

South African winters are not nearly as harsh as those in Europe, yet this time of year still presents some challenges for horse owners. So, as the temperature drops, how do we keep our equine partners in tip-top shape?

MAINTAINING WEIGHT

The first challenge for horse owners, especially those with young or old horses, is maintaining weight and body condition.

As temperatures drop, horses may reach their ‘lower critical body temperature’. Lower critical temperature is the temperature below which a horse needs additional energy to maintain body warmth. Consider this as the point when the horse starts to shiver – it is at a much lower temperature than in humans. The estimated lower critical temperature for horses with a summer coat is 5˚C, and -7˚C with a winter coat. Many individual factors can affect a horse’s lower critical body temperature including age and size. An underweight horse with a short coat will have a higher lower critical temperature (shiver point) than that of a horse with a thick winter coat and plenty of fat stores. Similarly, smaller animals have a greater surface area relative to body weight and can lose heat more rapidly than a larger animal. Weight loss results when horses are regularly below their lower critical body temperature, as calories which are normally used for weight maintenance are then used to maintain body temperature.

In terms of feeding to counter this, the most effective way to help your horse maintain their body condition during winter is not to add extra concentrate feed, but rather to add additional forage to their diet. As the body digests fibre, microbial fermentation produces heat, which helps to keep the horse warm ‘from the inside out’.

Another important consideration, in order for effective food absorption to take place, is to deworm your horse if necessary. Probiotics are also recommended to maintain the horse’s gut microbial balance and enable effective digestion and absorption of forage and hard feed.

TAKE CARE

As the days get shorter and the nights get longer, photoreceptors in the horse’s coat trigger the growth of new and longer hair to keep them warm. This winter ‘fluff’ can often be deceiving and ‘hide’ weight loss to a certain extent. Therefore, it is important to constantly assess your horse’s body condition and manage them accordingly to prevent weight loss.

FARRYN DAY

@smicfarryn @smicequestrian @citypoloatinanda

AVOIDING COLIC

The second major challenge during winter is impaction colics. This is especially tricky as we wish to add more fibre and nutrients to the horse’s diet as winter grazing tends not to be plentiful or contain many nutrients and yet a lot of this food will be dry. During the summer, lush grazing contains between 60 and 80% moisture, which contributes to the horses daily water intake. In the winter, dried feedstuff and forage contains less than 15% moisture and therefore they need to consume more water.

Insufficient water intake can lead to impaction colic as faecal matter becomes too dry in the gut and causes an impaction. If caught early, impaction colics can be treated. However in severe cases the impaction may require surgery to be removed and may sadly result in death.

By increasing the salt intake over winter, you can encourage your horse to continue to drink enough water enabling them to use their food correctly and prevent impaction colic. The average horse requires between 30g and 60g of salt per day. Non-iodated coarse salt is recommended and is available from most feed suppliers.

EXERCISE

Most horses are required to continue exercising over the winter months but it is important to plan your horse’s exercise schedule to reduce any negative impact on them. In order to allow the horse sufficient time to cool down and dry off after exercise it is best to ride earlier in the day rather than late evening. When sweat evaporates it takes a lot of heat with it, so it is important to consider putting a cooler on a horse after winter exercise, especially if you have to ride in an evening.

On the racetrack, in order to prevent a thick and fluffy coat, the lights in the stables are left on, thereby mimicking the longer days of summer. The horses subsequently don’t get a very thick winter coat, but this means that they need special care and attention to prevent weight loss. Similarly, some competitive horses are clipped over the winter months in order to make cooling down and drying off after exercise quicker and easier. Clipped horses also require special care as they no longer have their natural barrier against the cold. They will need to be blanketed during the evenings, and on very cold or windy days will need a light blanket when out in the paddock. Feed requirements may also need to be increased to prevent loss of condition.

HOOVES

In many parts of South Africa, winter time is extremely dry with no rainfall which can causes horses’ hooves to become dry and brittle. A quick and easy fix, especially for large numbers of horses, is to create a ‘mud puddle’ next to their water trough in the paddock. When they go to have a drink they walk through the mud and give the hooves some much needed moisture – just be sure to pick the feet daily in order to keep prevent other ailments developing.

TAKE-HOME MESSAGE

The most effective way to keep your horse healthy during the winter months is to be present and know your horse. Notice how much water they drink daily, how much hay they eat, if they’ve lost any weight or if the coat looks dull. Noticing small changes which can easily be rectified if caught early, can prevent major illness, and stress for you and your horse.

TOP TIP

If possible, try to order baled forage in advance to prevent inconsistencies in the horse’s diet during the winter forage price spike.