Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Fro 40 years or so I lived where winter temps could be way below zero for 
weeks at a time.   The snow often just blew thru, sometimes it stayed. 
Never ever blanketed a horse, didn't own a blanket.  They were outside, lots 
of room to move to the other side of the hill, or trees.
When they worked hard and long hair got wet they may have, or not, got 
brushed to fluff up the hair,  were fed grain, hay spread out, and sent to 
the pasures.  None ever showed any illness.

When we moved to North Idaho it was way different.   Much warmer, rarely 
much below freezing, but days and days of 35 to 45 temps and steady hard 
rain.   The horses' hair stayed wet to the hide and they were COLD.
We sure had to change our ways in a hurry.  Not having planned for such, we 
had more horses than barn space.  We swapped everybody around twice a day, 
half inside and half outside.  If they had at least 8 hours under cover each 
24, the hair dryed and they were fine, they would stay comfortable till the 
next turn inside.  The logistics of blankets was out of the question.
We learned that it takes twice as much hay in the rainy cold winters than in 
20 below winters to give adequate nutrition.   (And we never did find the 
same quality hay we were used to in other places.)
Here on the edge of the Idaho desert it rarely gets to zero, the rain never 
lasts long, all the horses need is a wind break and good hay, open water, 
and they are happy as clams.

Such was life in the old west, guys.   Maybe the horses were tougher <g>

Of course,  I don't live in  those places any more either,   I'm silly, but 
not completely stupid.  <VBG> 


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