The Winter Months.... do our horses get cold?
I am often asked whether a horse needs a rug... what do I do when it is cold at night and warm in the day?
I have put together a few helpful tips for you to consider. Remember every horse is different so do what works best for your horse.
The literature will report that the lower critical temperature of a horse is 5 degrees when they have a summer coat, and minus 7 degrees when they have a winter coat.... What does the lower critical temperature mean??
This is the temperature at which the horse needs additional energy to maintain body warmth...
What does this mean? Well it means that a horse that has adequate shelter from the wind and rain, that is in a good body condition score (3/5), has developed a good winter coat, and is otherwise healthy, should not need a rug unless it gets below minus 7 degrees!!!!!!!!
What is important to remember is that a horse needs time to adjust to its climate (if you have moved from the north island to the south for example).
What we also need to remember is at this time of year we often clip horses, removing their protective coat. We ride them which can make them sweaty and wet which will make them get cold easier. We also confine them which means they cannot walk around to increase their heat production.
Adequate shelter can be either a tree or a man made shelter, but allows the horse to get out of the wind and rain (in the winter this would be from primarily the southerly direction). A rug can act as a really good shelter, however it also does flatten the hairs, which when it is cold, usually stand up to aid in insulation. This means that an adequate rug for the current weather environment is important. A water proof rug must be waterproof and of the correct thickness to keep the horse warm.
Reasons why we may like to rug our horses:
Extra warmth
Because they are clipped or wet
Because they dont have an adequate winter coat
Because we like to
Because they may not have any shelter.... many other reasons...
Just remember when deciding to rug or not to rug, take into account where the horse has come from, the shelter available, the coat thickness of the horse, the discipline the horse works in, and your own time constraints aswell. The wonderful thing about a good shelter is horses can manage a lot of this for you.
I hope this helps!! Have a great Winter!!