| Winter Horse Care Tips |
| Winter is most definately not the easiest time to be a horse owner. But the following tips may make life in the cold and snow a little easier on your horse. *To prevent snow and ice from packing up in your horse's hooves, apply either vaseline or oil to the bottom of the hoof. I've tried this myself with corn oil, and it works quite well...and it makes your hoof picking job a lot easier!! *For a healthy winter coat, add 1/2 cup of corn or vegetable oil to your horse's feed once a day. Of course, you should start out by adding only 1/4 cup at first, wait a week, and then go to 1/2 cup. Simply pour over your horse's grain. *If you want to put a few pounds on your horse because he is too thin to withstand the winter cold, increasing his hay ration rather than his grain ration is the key. *After a snowfall, your horse will either have a blanket of snow upon his back or it will be melted into his coat. If it has not melted, then no heat is escaping the body, and your horse has a sufficient fat layer to keep him warm. Yet if it has melted, then the heat is not being stored, but released. This is a sign that your horse requires more weight in order to keep him warm. *When your horse has a fresh (unmelted) blanket of snow upon his body, do not remove it. It provides (believe it or not) insulation against the wind. |