Most of our horses here in WNY are built for the cold. They are very fuzzy this time of year with thick winter coats to keep them warm in sub zero temperatures. These winter coats are great for battling the cold but not so great for exercising under saddle. Often just a light ride with friends out on the trail can work up a sweat for your horse. Be sure to care for your equine friend the right way after your ride.
- End you ride with a nice long walk on a road or packed snow if possible. Just walking through deep snow is quite a workout. Your horse can get pretty warm even with a simple walking ride.
- A sweaty horse after a ride is a cold horse. Do your best to dry your horse off and use a fleece cooler to help draw the moisture away from their body while keeping them warm. Do not turn your horse out until they are dry! Because of the cold it will take longer than normal for a horse to dry off. Be prepared to have your horse cooling off in a stall for 1-2 hours after your ride before they are dry enough for turn out.
- Clipping your horse. Depending on how much winter riding you do you might find it beneficial to clip your horse. This will help them regulate their temperatures better during winter work so they aren’t prone to sweating. Just be sure to follow proper blanket management for the type of clip chose for your horse.
- Offer warm water. Hot horse drinking cold water could cause colic. Wait until your horse cools down and offer them heated water. Either boil some in a teapot and add to a bucket or better yet use heated buckets!
- Dehydrated horse? Believe it or not most horses like Gatorade (mine like orange flavor). The sweetness of a few scoops of Gatorade in their water bucket entices them to drink up and the added electrolytes help their system rebalance.
Winter riding is a blast and there is nothing more beautiful than enjoying a fresh snow on a crisp winter morning. Ride Safe.
Tags: clipping a horse, clipping your horse, cooling a horse off, dehydrated horse, horse, horse cooler, horse drinking, horses, horses in snow, how to cool off a horse, riding in snow, trail riding, warm water horse, Winter riding tips
So you want to enjoy your horse during the winter months but every time you hit the trials your horse’s hooves fill up with hard snow making the bottom of their feet look like a snow cone. Not the safest of situations.
There are several ways to keep the snow from packing up in your horse’s feet.
Cooking or Silicone Spray – This offers a temporary solution and is really easy to apply. Just pick up the foot, brush it clean and spay. Usually this method will prevent the snow from packing up in the hoof for 5-10 minutes.
Full Hoof Snow Pad – Made of hard plastic
Pros – You will never have to worry about snow building up in the hoof, period!
Cons – You can’t see the hoof! What’s going on under there
Silicone Snow Pad – A ring of silicone that fits between the hoof and the shoe.
Cons – This pad still can allow snow to build up if it packs up under the pad and is horrendous to clean during mud season
Horse Hoof Boots – My personal favorite Choose your style and manufacturer there’s tons of them out there. Your horse can still be turned out barefoot and strap the boots on when you need them. I personally like the Old Mac’s because of the hiking boot type tread that is on the bottom which gives better grip.
Tags: get snow out of horse feet, get snow out of horse hoof, hoof care, horse care, horse feet snow, horse hoof snow, horse shoes, horse tips, horseback trail riding, horsebackriding in winter, riding in the winter, shoeing horses, snow horse hoof, snow horses hoof, snowball hooves, snowballs hoof, trail riding, winter riding
If you’re looking for something fun to do during these cold winter days make sure you stop by the Mendon Ponds Winterfest!
There are many activities to do including the mounted patrol, horse drawn wagon rides, horse sleigh demonstrations, dog sledding, skiing, snow showing and more.
I will actually be there with my alpacas if you want to stop over and say hi.
For more information:
Where: Mendon Ponds Park
When: January 17th 11am -4pm
URL: http://www.mendonpondswinterfest.org/
Please mind our reconstruction as we migrate our old site over to this new form. Our Trail Buddy, Events Calendar, and Local Links page is at the top. All the information has been moved over and is current.
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