It’s been wickedly cold here in New England. This morning it was -5 degrees! It certainly isn’t pleasant for us humans, but the horses don’t seem to mind.
We don’t put our horses in stalls; they always have the option to go in and out. Personally, I think that more movement keeps them warmer. When they are stuck in a stall, they get colder faster. I’ve also never been a fan of closing up a barn at night as I think the air quality is less than ideal. Finally, keeping the horses out eliminated the problem of frozen water buckets. They can all drink from stock tanks with heaters.
As you can see from these videos, none of them seem the worse for wear. Zelda, in particular, is quite invigorated!
When I was a teenager I had a Quarter Horse and Appy that were pasture boarded for a year or so in the suburbs of Chicago (translation: COLD winters). There was a small barn/shed that they had access to, to keep out of the wind, snow or rain. It was always amazing to me that they were never in the shelter when I went out to see them. I think I remember only one time that they chose to be inside versus outside. They truly are hardier than we think. And definitely hardier than us!