01/09/2025
Do Horses Get Cold? Understanding How to Keep Your Horse Warm in Winter
Watching a horse peacefully munch grass in the pasture while being covered from head to toe in blanketing, you might ask yourself: do horses really get cold? After all, before man domesticated the horse in 1000 BC, horses roamed the world without blankets or stables. Mustangs roam the American West all year long with nary a blanket in sight. Plus, the modern horse has the ability to grow a winter coat and is perfectly happy out in the pasture on chilly days.
The short answer is yes, like any animal, horses DO get cold. Luckily, they do have methods to stay relatively warm in the cold winter months. However, there are exceptions to a horse’s ability to stay warm. The average-aged, healthy horse has the best natural ability to stay warm. Very young horses, old horses, and sick horses do not have the same ability to stay warm. Horses who are body clipped are also at a disadvantage when it comes to warmth.
Besides age, health, and body hair, certain temperatures are too cold for horses. Most horses can tolerate a low of 0° F for short amounts of time. You also have to take into consideration your horse’s body hair type and breed: an Icelandic horse will find cold temperatures easy to adapt to, while your Thoroughbred (or any shorter-haired horse) is better suited for cold temperatures between 18° and 59° F.
How Horses Naturally Handle Cold Weather
A horse’s biology is creative in keeping a horse warm. So, how do horses naturally handle cold weather?
* Muscle Mass:Horses have a lot of muscle, and muscle produces a lot of heat, especially while moving.
* Leg Tendons: Don’t you hate that feeling of frozen toes and fingers when we get cold? Luckily, a horse’s lower legs are mostly bone and tendons, which are cold-resistant.
* Body Fat: Bears have the right idea: eat to prepare for winter. Horses have the same thought. Wild horses eat enough before winter hits to make their bodies heavier than normal. This fat is an extra layer of insulation.
* Circulation: A horse’s blood flow adjusts to protect vital organs in colder weather. In addition, a horse’s nose has a high blood supply, making it less susceptible to frostbite than a human’s. A horse’s hooves also have an alternative circulation method through larger blood vessels for low temperatures.
* Coat: In addition to growing a thicker coat in the winter, horses use piloerection, where the hair of a horse’s coat stands up to better trap air and keep warmth in. Horses have two layers of coat that work together to keep them warm.
Recognizing the Signs of a Cold Horse
Knowing to recognize the signs of a cold horse will help you quickly warm them. Here are the signs of a cold horse:
* Shivering: Shivering is one of the top symptoms of being too cold. If your horse is shaking and chattering, bringing them inside the barn and/or adding a blanket is essential. If your horse is shivering with a blanket on, the blanket isn’t weighted enough.
* Cold Ears and Extremeities: When a horse is cold, the body’s response is to rush blood to the main parts of the horse’s body in order to protect vital organs. This means blood flow to extremities will become limited, cooling the ears, nose, and legs. If any of these body parts are cold to the touch, your horse is cold.
* Weight Loss Weight loss is the enemy of winter horse health. It indicates your horse’s body is having to work too hard to stay warm. Check your horse daily for signs of weight loss or lack of weight gain (if they are already underweight). This is a sign they need a blanket.
* Tucked-Up Posture: Horses will hunch their posture and tuck their belly to be as small as possible to conserve body heat. If you see this, blanket your horse immediately, as their body is working overtime to produce enough warmth.
* Changes in Behavior: If your horse is not acting like themselves: not grazing, standing still, or seeming to be trying to find shelter, your horse is too cold. Also, if you have more than one horse in the field, and they are huddling together, that is a sign they are too cold.
* Muscle stiffness and arthritis: Normal joints are surrounded by synovial fluid, which helps to lubricate and protect the joint. When the temperature drops, synovial fluid tends to thicken, leading to less protection, pain, and stiffness. In addition, horses that are already arthritic will suffer from heightened aggravation of the joint, as well as inflammation and pain.
When do Horses Need Extra Warmth
Here are ways to know when your horse may need extra warmth:
* Extreme Weather Conditions: It’s not just the cold that affects your horse. It’s the weather patterns that come with the cold that tax your horse. A high wind chill and cold winds can make your horse feel colder, despite what the outside temperature might say. The wetness from snow and rain can soak into a horse’s skin and cools, chilling your horse. Plus, if your horse is out when the sun goes down, temperatures drop, providing no relief from the unrelenting cold for your horse.
* Age and Health: Older, very young, and sick horses have trouble regulating their temperatures and are prone to weight loss and other health issues if allowed to get too cold. These horses need extra warmth; otherwise, the results could be fatal.
* Breed and Body Condition: Horses bred for the desert, like the Akhal-Teke, have short coats and are not evolutionarily created to withstand cold. Unlike the hardy Yakutian horse of Siberia, who can withstand up to -70F! Thinner, shorter-haired horses need extra warmth to make up for the hair and body composition that doesn’t tolerate cold well.
Top Tips for Keeping Your Horse Warm
There are a few key ways to keep your horse comfortable in the winter.
* Blankets: Blankets come in lightweight, midweight, and heavyweight. The weight of your horse’s blankets should increase as the temperature drops. Consider blanketing your horse when it’s:
* Below 60F for clipped horses
* Below 40F for moderate coats
* Below 30F for heavy coats
* Below 50F for old, very young, or sick horses
* Shelter: Whether you have a barn, a covered arena, or a run-in, having a place where your horse can escape the elements will make their winter much more cozy. It’s also a great idea to make sure your pasture has great tree coverage so man-made and nature-made sheltering options cover your horse.
* Forafe and Water:Increasing forage during cold weather helps your horse generate more internal warmth as it digests hay. Make sure your horse has access to plenty of good-quality hay and plenty of water. Horses can dehydrate easily in cold weather, so monitoring their water intake is important. Ensure to keep water troughs unfrozen so your horse can access water in the pasture. Extra hay might be needed to maintain their weight and condition since horses tend to burn more calories while staying warm in the winter.
* Body Weight and Condition: Monitor your horse’s body condition and weight daily throughout the winter to ensure they aren’t losing too much weight or looking stressed. Adjust their supplements and feed as needed when you notice changes. Hard-keeper horses (especially old horses) need to be monitored closely, as they will lose weight and condition fast if you aren’t vigilant.
Debunking Common Myths About Horses and Cold Weather
There are plenty of naysayers out there who believe horses don’t get cold. Horses are meant to be outside, and animals don’t need extra warmth. Guess what? Even horses born in the brutal cold of Siberia need relief from cold. Below are some common myths about horses and cold weather.
"Horses Don't Need Blankets"
While it is true that over-blanketing is problematic, making the blanket statement (ha, see what I did there?) that horses do not need blankets is incorrect. Horses can tolerate about 0° F for short amounts of time, but in general horses need blankets at the following temperature guidelines:
* Below 60F for clipped horses
* Below 40F for moderate coats
* Below 30F for heavy coats
* Below 50F for old, very young, or sick horses
However, when blanketing, if your horse is sweating, or seems too warm, it’s either time to transition to a lighter-weight blanket, or no blanket at all.
"Horses Naturally Handle All Cold Weather"
This myth is often the reason why the myth above exists. Horses born in colder climates or bred to withstand those climates can quickly adapt to their chilly surroundings. Icelandic horses, Yakutian horses (Siberia), and Norwegian Fjords are bred to withstand brutal temperatures. Their coats and bodies have evolved to handle the cold. But for horses that have shorter coats, such as a Thoroughbred or Arabian, they were bred for the heat, and cannot handle a lot of cold.
Horses that are young, old, or sick are unable to regulate their body temperatures properly and need extra help from blanketing and shelter to keep them cozy.
"Thicker Winter Coats Mean Additional Warmth Isn't Needed"
Thicker winter coats dictate the cold weather warmth a horse needs, but not whether they need it at all. If your horse has a luscious winter coat, they may not need a heavyweight blanket; medium weight may be just fine. Also, blankets don’t just keep out the cold; they also keep the rain and snow from settling on your horse’s coat, making their body work twice as hard to stay warm.
Horses can and do get cold. Our job, as horse owners, is to ensure that the cold doesn’t stress out our horses, making them miserable and potentially susceptible to illness or weight loss. Knowing the best way to keep your horse cozy winter long will keep your horse comfortable and healthy while giving you peace of mind.
Schneiders Saddlery
