Alas, our snow is now mostly gone. Sunday night we had rain, rain and more rain. Then warmer and warmer temperatures. While Saturday has a high of something like 11 degrees, Monday it was 50. Then today it was back down to 13.
If the weather seems confused, that’s nothing compared to the horses. This is colic weather for sure! We’re trying to keep the horses hydrated by soaking their meals and feeding extra soaked cubes and beet pulp. And we’re regulating their
body temperatures by constantly switching out sheets and blankets. Not too hot, not too cold. The worst is when they get wet. Freedom rarely goes into the barn and since he’s trace clipped, I do put a sheet on to keep him dry.
Now it’s the ice that’s a problem. The fields that I rode through two days ago are now skating rinks. The horses’ paddocks are treacherous. Luckily they are all walking around on egg shells, careful not to move too fast.
Do you have any tricks for keeping your horses healthy when the weather gets crazy?
when the weather gets crazy just keep adjusting. I had blanket under rain sheet when below 20, now we’re getting back up to above freezing so they’re down to just rain sheet again. Light enough for them to puff up and stay warm, rubber lining helps lock in body heat and block wind and wet. Also, make sure troughs are topped off before subzero hits, just in case of pipe failure. And lots of roughage: hay, beet pulp, ground oats.