11/27/2025
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The weather is changing and that means stress on the gut…..your horse’s gut that is. Although with the traditional Thanksgiving gorge, perhaps your own gut will be stressed.
Things that can help them get through it with reduced risk of colic are:
-Provide a bucket of warm water in addition to their regular water. Horses drink tepid/warm water more than cold.
-Provide shelter from rain and wind
-Add a tablespoon or two of plain white salt to their daily ration to encourage more water intake
-Provide good quality hay; fermentation in the gut generates heat and warms the horse from the inside
-Use a horse blanket if your horse does not have the usual amount of winter hair or is under weight. A 200 gram fill blanket that is water proof is typically sufficient.
-Make up a warm mash of something yummy to increase water intake; soaked hay cubes or pellets or beet pulp or your horse’s regular grain can work as well. Best not to add anything suddenly that they’ve never had before. But typically even if they’ve never had alfalfa before, a couple pounds of alfalfa cubes or pellets in 2 gallons of water does not cause an issue if fed just once or twice a day.
