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Old-time horsemen thought that feeding corn during the winter months
generated more body heat and helped alleviate cold weather stress. In
reality, the horse's body generates more heat from the fermentation process
in the hindgut as the result of eating forage (hay and grass). Feeding hay
in place of some of the grain concentrate allows the horse to more easily
maintain its body temperature.
Substitute two
pounds of hay for each pound of grain you decrease the horse's daily ration.
If you are feeding less than .5 percent of your horse's body weight daily in
grain (less than five pounds daily for a 1,000-pound horse), consider using
a feed like Triple Crown Lite. This supplement provides the proper amounts
of minerals and vitamins at a lower feeding rate (two pounds daily for a
1,000-pound horse).
Feeding two pounds
of Triple Crown Lite and 17 pounds of a good-quality grass hay meets 110
percent of the maintenance energy needs of a mature horse, as well as the
daily protein, mineral and vitamin requirements. It is an ideal winter
ration for the relatively idle horse.
There is a greater
incidence of impaction colic in horses with the onset of cold weather. This
is mainly due to the horse becoming dehydrated because of reduced water
consumption (no sweating), less water availability (frozen ponds, waterers
and so on) and a diet (hay) that contains 10 percent water instead of one
(pasture) that contains 80 percent water.
When horses drink
cold water during the winter, their bodies expend additional calories to
warm tissues back up from the resultant heat loss, so they instinctively
drink less. Providing warm water, or using insulated buckets or insulated
automatic waterers, will encourage the horse to consume more, keeping the
fiber in the horse's lower digestive system more hydrated. Greater hydration
allows fiber to be broken down more quickly by intestinal bacteria, making
it less likely to cause a blockage in the large intestine.
Monitoring an
unclipped horse's body condition can be difficult in the winter; checking "ribbiness"
is hard to do through a winter coat.
Instead, every
month or so, use a weight tape--or scale if available--and check weight
maintenance. Adjust the feeding program accordingly, and get him back on the
right track before warmer weather arrives.
The barn is likely
to be closed up in winter. Good ventilation is more important than warmth,
so be sure to have good air flow in your barn, even in winter.
Due to decreased
ventilation, it is also important to be careful about feeding hay. Studies
have shown that horses fed hay in nets above their heads will have an
increased incidence of respiratory problems. Feed hay off the ground, or
lower hay nets so that the respiratory tract can drain. Don't have hay nets
so low that a horse can get his leg entangled.
Remember to provide
a free-choice mineral supplement or add salt, mineral supplement or
electrolytes to the feed to increase water consumption. Provide adequate
exercise to aid gut motility and reduce the risk of colic. |
