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[RC] Horses and Weather - Tamara TaylorI live in Saskatchewan, Canada where the low temperature last week was -54.4 F (-48 C) with the wind chill. I pasture board my horse at a stable where there are about 50 kept outside and 15 kept inside. The outside horses are very woolly and my gelding is extremely fat right now. He's doing fine out in the cold. They do not have walk-in shelters but do have porosity fencing for windbreak and a popular bluff for cover. The group my gelding lives in is about 15-20 horses large and they have about 80 acres to roam around on. The live very much like horses and are quite content. The are on full feed (twice per day) plus grazing in the mean time. They are all quite insulated and any snow that falls on their backs helps with that insulation as well. Every afternoon they all lie down in the snow for a snooze. I have never in my life seen a horse with frostbite. The main problem I have seen is frostbite of ears/tails in calves at this time of year when producers start calving in January-February (I prefer to wait til March-April). The horses stalled inside are only in during the night and usually go outside during the day (provided it is not -54.4 F)! IMO it is a lot more harmful on the horse's system (esp. respiratory system) to be kept in a heated barn all night then put outside where the temperatures are MUCH colder than it is to be outside at that cold temperature all the time. What do you guys think? Tam =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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