Winter is the most challenging part of the year for horse owners and ranchers. Not only do you not want to go out in the deep snow and subzero temperatures to take care of them, but your horses are more at risk for health problems during winter than they are during the warmer months. Make things easier on yourself and your ranch animals by learning about the different horse health concerns to watch out for during the winter. Give your equine friend the best care they need to survive.

Snowballs in Horse Hooves

When horses walk around in snowy or icy conditions, they may pick up snowballs along the way. Unfortunately, these snowballs aren’t the fun kind—they’re tough balls of packed snow and ice that wedge themselves into your horse’s hooves. If the horse walks or stands on the packed snow or ice balls for long enough, they can cause severe damage to their hooves, joints, muscles, and tendons.

You can attempt to prevent snow from accumulating under the hooves by removing your horse’s horseshoes or by giving them snowball-resistant hoof pads. Metal horseshoes cause slushy snow to freeze faster and facilitate the buildup of ice and snow.

Malnutrition

A horse that doesn’t eat enough is less likely to stay healthy throughout the winter. Since there’s no easy way to access the grass in the pasture if it’s covered in snow, you need to supplement the food they’d normally get from being out to pasture. Make sure the food you give them provides the nutrition they need to stay warm during the most brutal winter months, especially if you’re still working the horses.

Malnourishment in horses is a caveat to dangerous and potentially lethal bouts of colic or laminitis. Be sure to watch for strange behaviors while your horses walk and keep an eye on their digestion, especially when cleaning out their stalls.

Dehydration

Horses are picky when it comes to the water they drink, which makes dehydration one of the more serious horse health concerns to watch out for during the winter. Some horses hate cold water, and many horses hate ice chunks in their water. Keep your picky horses hydrated by providing them with a running water system or a water heater. A hydrated horse’s digestive tract will keep moving normally and will be less susceptible to digestion-related illnesses, such as colic.