The grass has gone off, the evenings are dark by five and most of us are now feeding horses out of a bag and a bale rather than off the field. It’s the time of year when a horse can quietly slip back in condition, and a thick winter coat or a heavy rug will hide it until you put your hands on them.
Here’s a practical run-through of what we’d look at on any yard heading into the depths of winter.
Forage first, always
Forage is the backbone of a winter diet, and it does more than fill a belly. Fibre is fermented in the hindgut, and that fermentation produces heat. Nutritionists often describe it as an internal hot water bottle, which is exactly what a horse needs on a raw January night.
- A common rule of thumb from equine nutritionists is at least 1.5% of bodyweight in forage per day, all year round. For a 500kg horse that works out at roughly 7.5kg.
- Most horses will eat around 2–2.5% of bodyweight daily once forage and hard feed are added together, and ad-lib hay or haylage suits many.
- Be careful about cutting forage too hard on good doers. Long gaps without fibre raise the risk of colic, gastric ulcers and stable vices.
- In a group, put out more hay sites than there are horses so the shy one at the bottom of the pecking order gets her share.
Quality matters as much as quantity. Horses will turn their noses up at weedy, rough or mouldy forage, and dusty forage is hard on the airways of a horse that’s stabled for long hours.
Cold weather burns calories
A horse uses more energy just keeping warm in cold, wet weather, and some will drop weight surprisingly quickly. Poor doers, clipped horses and those already light in condition need extra calories, whether that’s more forage, a hard feed or both.
If you are adding hard feed, split it into smaller meals rather than one big feed. Large meals of concentrate in one go increase the risk of colic. Easy keepers on forage alone may still be short on trace minerals, so a balancer can be worth a look.
Keep the water going in
Horses often drink less as temperatures drop, and a drier winter diet on top of that is a recipe for impaction colic. Teagasc lists colic as the leading cause of death in horses apart from old age, with many cases in autumn and winter linked to changes in management.
- Make sure clean water is always available, and break ice first thing on frosty mornings.
- Research cited by Irish nutritionists found horses drink more when water is slightly warmed, so a dash of hot water in the bucket can help.
- Make any change in diet slowly, including the move from grass to being housed.
Put your hands on them
Looking over the stable door isn’t enough in winter. Run your hands over the ribs, neck and quarters every week or so, and use a weigh tape every few weeks. Kentucky Equine Research suggests an ideal body condition score sits around 5–7 on a 1–9 scale.
If you rug, take the rug off regularly to check condition and look for rubs, and refit it if the horse has gained or lost weight. Good doers may be happier with a light rug or none at all.
Teeth and worms before the worst of it
A horse that coped on soft grass can struggle on an all-hay diet if its teeth need attention, and poor teeth mean poor digestion. Book a dental check if one is due. Parasite burdens on pasture also build up in autumn, so talk to your vet about a faecal egg count before deciding whether to worm. For anything health-related, your vet is the first call.
How we can help
Here in Foulksmills we make FibreGold Haylage, a dust-free, high-fibre forage that suits horses through the winter, including those with sensitive airways. Alongside it, the FibreGold horse range (Horse Mix 13%, Cool Horse Mix, Horse Complete and Racehorse Mix) gives you options whether your horse needs a bit more fuel or just a steady top-up.
Not sure what suits your horse this winter? WhatsApp us on 087 283 2443, email accounts@kehoefarming.com or get in touch here. We deliver nationwide across Ireland and to Europe, with bulk orders and distributors available.
Sources: Teagasc – Some Autumn Checks; The Irish Field – Maintaining condition throughout winter; Kentucky Equine Research – Winter Horse Care: Body Condition; The Horse – Can My Horse Stay on a Forage Diet This Winter?
