Winter Horse Care Feeding Tips

Horses are capable of living outside every day of the year, provided that the owner offers the suitable amenities. One of the biggest problems associated with taking care of a horse during the winter is connected to feeding. Many other problems exist but you have to stay focused on this as it is very important.

Modifying Feeding

A horse needs two percent of the body weight to be fed daily in order to maintain proper body condition. The diet should consist of forage (pasture or hay) as a main part. Some of the horses do need less than two percent but others (working athletes, pregnant mares, older horses, breeding stallions and so on) will need up to three percent of the body weight. Twenty hay pounds should be sufficient for a horse of 1,000 pounds with a bulk diet based on hay.

When the weather is cold, the 1,000 pound horse should have 25 to 30 hay pounds so that he can stay warm. The horse’s nutrient consumption  should be based on the level of exercise, body type and what the nutritionist, feed specialist or veterinarian tells the owner.

The horse remains warm because of fiber digestion. When faced with cold times, the horse requires adequate forage in order to maintain the body temperature through digestion. If bad weather appears, more hay meals have to added to the diet.

The best thing that you can do is buy low nutrient grass hay (mature, free of mold, dust and dry). This would offer suitable forage but not bring in too many calories. The hard keeper or the old horse should be fed hay that is nutrient rich, tender and immature. In this case, alfalfa hay or grass is a more suitable choice.

Many people consider horse insurance so their horse is covered in the event that cold weather hurts the animals. Instead of focusing on that, the modifications mentioned above for feeding would make the horse strong enough to withstand the cold months.

Salt And Water

Because of the fact that horses eat more hay, they need to also drink more water. This is something that owners sometimes fail to realize. You need to check the water source of the animal two times every day. Remove absolutely all the ice and try to use a bucket heater or a safe tank. A horse will like to drink slightly warmer water during the winter and the consumption does increase naturally when he likes it.

In regards to salt, it is important to offer free access to trace mineral salt blocks. Alternatively, supplement the feed with small quantities of mineral salt. This will help considerably to increase water consumption.

Conclusions

No matter what you do, make sure that you learn all that you can about feeding your horse during the winter. Unfortunately, too many owners make mistakes. If at any point in time you believe that you do not have the necessary knowledge to properly take care of your horse, you need to talk with a veterinarian or a specialized nutritionist.

Author Bio
This guest post was provided by www.eandl.co.uk, a company that offers horse insurance and other types of insurance.

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Last Updated on February 20, 2026 by Digital Manager: Melody McKinnon