I
am so glad this discussion came up, as it is something that I have been
struggling with this winter.
Well, I'm
feeling like a bit of a softie now. Living in NJ the temps aren't extreme
but the property I rough board on doesn't have a run in & there's no tree
shelter in winter so from around Dec. to mid March our boys come in at
night. By dusk, they all seem ready to settle in & are waiting at the
gate. When I arrive in the AM they're covered with shavings from nose to
tail & you can see in the stalls where they slept for the night. I
also know that no one got shorted on hay. When they are out they push each
other around & some get more hay than others.
For extreme
weather, rain, snow, North wind & frigid temps we put on rain
sheets. Just enough to block the rain or wind & they can be out all
day & comfortable. I've noticed, without the sheets they all
huddle, backs to the wind & just stand there. With the sheets on they
move around & play as usual.
I feed all the
hay they can eat. As long as there are hay scraps left in the field or
stalls, I know they have enough. They're all about 900-1100 lbs so they
get around 10 lbs each, AM & PM.
The difference
in their coats is interesting. 2 grow hair about 2" and 2 have hair only
1". But it's not so much the length as the density. The short hair
is just as dense as evidenced by the bucketfuls of hair coming off at shedding
time. Which, I might add, is now! Hair, Hair,
everywhere!
Best thing about
our place is the Nelson waterer. Cool, clean water in summer & 50
degree water in winter. Never have to worry about ice. In the barn,
the water out of the pump is usu about 50 & with 4 horses inside the temp
rarely drops below freezing so they have bucket water at
night.
