03/05/2025
☀️ ❄️ HORSES THERMONEUTRAL ZONE ☀️ ❄️
Did you know?!? Horses maintain their body temperature within a narrow range (like us!) which can change over time to adapt to their environment. The thermoneutral zone (TNZ) is the outside temperature range a horse can tolerate without having to expend energy to maintain core body temperature. Horses in the United States have an average thermoneutral zone between 40 and 80 degrees, which means horses near the low end of their thermoneutral zone will have to use extra energy (thus calories) to maintain heat.
The low end of the TNZ is called the Lower Critical Temperature (LCT), and varies from horse to horse based on age, coat length, body condition, health status, etc. When the weather dips below a horse’s LCT, they begin to make physical changes like shivering, turning their hind end toward the wind, seeking shelter, or eating more. In fact, digestible energy requirements increase about 1.25% for every 1°F drop below the LCT. So for an 1,100lb maintenance horse, that's approximately a 200 calories increase per degree drop below LCT.
Forage is crucial for keeping a horse warm. Fermentation of fiber produces significantly more internal heat than digestion of grains or fats. For a horse to get the maximum benefit from the warming calories in forage, feed free-choice hay. In the case of a horse that can stand to lose a few pounds 😉, slow down consumption with slow feeders instead of offering more hay to avoid adding unnecessary calories. The more time the horse spends chewing, the more heat is produced. It takes 2x as many chews per bite of hay than grain and so it takes much longer to eat. Another benefit of feeding hay is that more chewing means more saliva, which acts as a natural buffer to gastric acid and can help prevent ulcers.
Here is a link to a fantastic article-https://equineinfoexchange.com/health-education/feeding-horses-in-winter-3-facts?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1mZiCKvYrqMWP3djAefvH5vhelAHsLwob9kbeLUsYhRIm3UH1I4OQXt-g_aem_1pqEROPpzu0sHGNE0ZD5Yg
Link to a great cold weather feeding podcast-https://open.spotify.com/episode/4EzZut82sxFE64oonUk3i7?si=nPLE7WY1QpWd4k4dKH6VFw
