Winter Horse Set Up

[whistlepig]

We have our place set up pretty well for taking care of our horses during the winter. Always looking for a better way. Wonder what ideas and suggestions others may have to take care of livestock when it's cold outside.

 

[zzvyb6]

Horses seem to be comfortable in cold weather as long as they are dry and have a lot of water and minerals available along with grain or corn for heat/fuel. Having a 3 sided shelter that they are ALL comfortable in, is a must. If you want to keep you vet out of the barn, keep your horses out of there, too !

If you must put the horses in a barn though, make sure you don't have hay overhead. They give off so much moisture/sweat/humidity, that the layer of hay directly over their stalls will absorb it and may mold. If you clean the snow and ice from their corral area, the sun will warm the ground and they will like it better than laying down in the snow. To keep warm, they may get a bit frisky and that's when the fighting and kicking can start.

Again, if you feel you need to put them in at night, make sure they can all see each other. If they can't some will get anxious about their buddies and start kicking, chewing or pacing and dig some holes. Leave an aisleway light on too. so if you need to go out there after midnight, you won't be surprized by a visitor, a loose horse, or an unwanted guest.

 

[DanD78]

Keep water and grass hay in front of them all the time and a place to get out of the weather. Half the time when it is snowing or raining the horse and cow stand outside. If it is real cold like below 20 I give the horses some extra bag feed. The cows are on full feed any way. If they are big and fluffy they will be fine.

Dan

 

[Egon]

Back in another time on the western prairies the Farm draught horses were simply turned out in a stubble field and/or pasture for the winter. Most times they had a straw stack available for extra feed. When there was no snow or open sloughs water had to be provided. Trees provided wind breaks and shelter.

 

[Rusty]

My wife and I have found heated water buckets and a heated water tub to make winter much less work. We have an electrically heated water bucket in each stall inside the barn that the horses can get to during the day. We also have a 50 gallon water tub with an electric drain plug heater in a paddock that the horses have access to. The water tub is inside an insulated wood box that has a 5 gallon bucket through a hole in the top. We do bring the horses into the barn for the night, as I sleep better knowing they are in their stalls.

 

[jayste]

Back in another time on the western prairies the Farm draught horses were simply turned out in a stubble field and/or pasture for the winter. Most times they had a straw stack available for extra feed. When there was no snow or open sloughs water had to be provided. Trees provided wind breaks and shelter.

Good point, Egon.

Mine know what winter pasture looks like. They have a good winter coat and a pond to drink from. Fed once a day and get to go to the stall when it gets down to single digit temps and windchills.

 

[deerefan]

My wife and I have found heated water buckets and a heated water tub to make winter much less work. We have an electrically heated water bucket in each stall inside the barn that the horses can get to during the day. We also have a 50 gallon water tub with an electric drain plug heater in a paddock that the horses have access to. The water tub is inside an insulated wood box that has a 5 gallon bucket through a hole in the top. We do bring the horses into the barn for the night, as I sleep better knowing they are in their stalls.

You are focusing on a very important topic a lot of people that own horses do not think much about except when it is hot. Horses will almost always drink much less water when it is cold. When fed a lot of hay and grain to provide warmth, as I noticed in previous posts, water is essential to aid in digestion. It prevents compactions, which can be quite painful and deadly. Make sure your horse has access to a salt lick and is using it. We sprinkle mineral salt over their grain once a day too and noticed their water consumption is up when doing this. Unfortunately, we learned this lesson the hard way by losing a horse to a ruptured stomach caused by compaction/colic.

 

[whistlepig]

We keep the horses out year round unless the wind chill is well below zero. We also have a Nelson automatic waterer. We have a large run in shed for the horses. We bring the horses in twice a day for grain and then turn them back out. We hay them outdoors in hay tubs using an ATV. We have a good horse barn and could stall them if we wanted. The horses (and us) seem to be much happier when they are outdoors.

 

[dave1949]

We keep the horses out year round unless the wind chill is well below zero. We also have a Nelson automatic waterer. We have a large run in shed for the horses. We bring the horses in twice a day for grain and then turn them back out. We hay them outdoors in hay tubs using an ATV. We have a good horse barn and could stall them if we wanted. The horses (and us) seem to be much happier when they are outdoors.

I am horseless, however the local tax clerk keeps horses and in chatting with her, she told just me what you all have said. Her horses are very happy in winter with a simple run in shed and spend a lot of time out in the pasture by choice anyways.

I lurk on horse topics because I need to build a storage shed and have thought that making my property more horse-amenable will improve it's value, or appeal to more buyers when the time comes that I need to sell it. So why not build a storage shed that works well for horses? Does that make sense?
Dave.

 

[Rusty]

So why not build a storage shed that works well for horses? Does that make sense?
Dave.

That makes perfect "horse sense" to me!

Sorry, I just came in from putting the horses on the pasture, and could not resist.

 

[dave1949]

That makes perfect "horse sense" to me!

Sorry, I just came in from putting the horses on the pasture, and could not resist.

I figure it certainly can't hurt. One reason people look for rural properties is to keep animals after all. Looking 10-15 years down the road I will probably be about ready to move somewhere where the livin' is a little easier.

If you have a three-sided run in shed. Which way should the open side face? Our nasty weather comes mostly from the west-northwest. Prevailing winds also NW. Hardly ever get much from the south. Maybe open to the southeast?
Dave.

 

[JeremyL]

My respect to those in Canada, Maine, Minnesota and other truely cold-winter places, but even in Kentucky hoses and pipes freeze. So we will be putting in a waterer / fountain for our horses. The water line is in, but now have to decide on the brand and model.

What do you have and how do you like it? Anything we should avoid for sure? We have looked at Ritchie and Freedom Fountain, and have read everything we can find on TBN. Ours will not be electrified.

Suggestions based on experience, please.

We are so dry the ground it too hard to dig, but winter cold and rain is surely coming. So we are between ice and a hard place.

Thanks.

 

[3BPercherons]

My respect to those in Canada, Maine, Minnesota and other truely cold-winter places, but even in Kentucky hoses and pipes freeze. So we will be putting in a waterer / fountain for our horses. The water line is in, but now have to decide on the brand and model.

What do you have and how do you like it? Anything we should avoid for sure? We have looked at Ritchie and Freedom Fountain, and have read everything we can find on TBN. Ours will not be electrified.

Suggestions based on experience, please.

We are so dry the ground it too hard to dig, but winter cold and rain is surely coming. So we are between ice and a hard place.

Thanks.

Here in our little slice of the Bluegrass we use an "electrified" and insulated Behlen fountain, but I'm intrigued by Priefert's concrete waterers as a non-electric option.

 

[whistlepig]

We have a Nelson Model 760 automatic waterer. It's made of stainless steel and aircraft grade aluminum. We have had it 8 years now and has been trouble free except routine filter changes. Installation is a pretty big project.

 

[whistlepig]

Whoops! I forgot the link.Nelson Manufacturing | Horse, Livestock, Pet Waterers & Feeders | IA

 

[JeremyL]

I have ordered two Ritchie Watermatic 150s, and will let you know how they work out for us.

Got the pipes and wires in the ground; pouring the concrete pads today. Hope winter holds off for another week.

Thanks.

 

[whistlepig]

I have ordered two Ritchie Watermatic 150s, and will let you know how they work out for us.

Got the pipes and wires in the ground; pouring the concrete pads today. Hope winter holds off for another week.

Thanks.

The Ritchie waterers look like nice units. Installation is virtually the same as our Nelson waterer. You'll love 'em. No more busting ice. No more flipping water troughs. No more draining hoses.

 

[Chilly807]

We keep our horses out as much as we can, only blanket them in really cold weather. If it's wet we bring them in, otherwise they're fluffy and fat enough to be comfortable until it gets down to -10 C or lower as long as there's not too much wind. They stay out nights unless the weather's too miserable.

His coat gets thick and curly as hel* come fall.

The grey is a friend's horse, 3/4 Arab, 1/4 Morgan, the bay is our 5 year old. Nice thick winter coats. I wish I had as much hair!

Nice cold winter day, no one seems to be put out by the cold.

They get pretty much all the hay they want and grain morning and night. Morgans are easy keepers at the best of times, we give them a square bale among 5 horses twice a day. Water is available to them 24-7, 300 gallon plastic fish tub with floating de-icer.

They are pretty active all day which helps too. He's 5 this year, just finishing growing.

The missus will ride any chance she gets, cold isn't much of a deterrent.

A good roll in the snow and a shake after to get the smells off after spending a storm day in the barn. He's 30 now and not showing much sign of slowing down.

Sean

 

[whistlepig]

We keep our horses outside 24/7 365 days a year. We have a run in shed that they can come in out of the weather. We bring them in and grain them twice a day. We also put out hay outside twice a day during the winter. We have had healthier horses since we started keeping them outside year round. Our horses also become "wooly bears" like yours during the winter. BTW, we do love your Morgan Horses. Although we don't have any Morgans we are very familiar with the breed.

 

[Chilly807]

I have a hard time believing it took me this long to post some pics of the critters, they're like family members to us.

I agree about the healthy horses, the woman that bred ours believes they should be out as much as possible. She and now we believe you don't do them any favours by keeping them inside when you don't absolutely have to.

Sean