10/02/2021
❓Did you know horses have their own inbuilt heating system keeping them warm❓ - They definitely need it in these freezing conditions! ❄
🌾Eating forage helps to keep the horse warm, as the process to digest the fibre in the hindgut generates heat.
Other ways that horses can naturally keep warm include:
🔹 Self-protection: naturally turning their backs on wind and rain, seeking shelter / windbreak or huddling close together with members of the herd
🔹 Natural insulation: horses lose very little body heat though the air as their coat hairs stand on end, trapping heat and creating a layer of insulating body heat
🔹 Increasing metabolic rate: horses will use more energy to keep themselves warm. This is a natural process throughout winter and allows any excess weight gained through the summer months to drop off as nature intended.
🐴 All horses are individuals and as a result their needs will vary. However, it is important to consider these natural processes when rugging your horse or planning their winter management routine.
Some horses will cope absolutely fine without a rug, but others who will definitely require this protective layer. For more information on to rug or not to rug visit: https://www.bhs.org.uk/advice-and-information/horse-care/rugging
