horses in sub zero temperatures

[Sarah]

hello!

I thought it woudl be useful if we shared our 'how to cope when the temperatures get really low' tips.

Just to start us off, here are a few of mine, feel free to add to this!

If in doubt, wear another 4 layers to the yard!

If it is safe to ride, wear long johns under your jods, and a pair of tracksuit trousers over your jods - adding these 2 layers really helps and is MUCH cheaper than bespoke full length thermal chaps!

Float a tennis ball in your water trough so that you can push it down and then more easily break the ice on it. Make sure you remove the broken ice or ealse it will freeze on top of itself and be twice as thick to remove the next day. Also take a spade or something like that to break the ice and fish it out as there is not a lot worse than doing it byhand!

Put up signs by the water taps asking people not to empty buckets on the yard, but to use the drains - it is really annoying when the midday crew do this leaving the early and late shift to cope with a skating rink!

Have a bag or 3 of rock salt at the yard.

What other tips do you have?

bye!

[cvb]

-15 to -20 for the last few days (the nights were colder) - now THATs chilly !

The water outside is frozen, so it is really important that when you bring your horse in, e.g. to ride, they get a chance to drink first.

Warm the bit up, in your hand and/or breathe on it. We have a warmed saddle room but even then the bit can get cold between there and the horse's mouth.

We can get nice all-in-one suits to ride in - stops the gap around your middle. But you have to remember that however warm you are, the horse needs to be warm as well. You see quite a few people here riding bareback in this weather - with a blanket on the horse. The horses get a blanket/exercise sheet even just to walk from the stable to the indoor school.

Watch out for any injuries when its really cold - they will not heal as quickly.

[Bebe]

Remember it takes longer for the horse (and you) to warm up when it's really cold, so work in a longer warming up period (and cool down, that's just as important).

Vaseline applied to the sole of the hoof helps to prevent huge ice platforms from forming on shod horses, or at least it makes them fall out more easily.

I personally feed more hay when it's as cold as it has been, helps to keep them warm from the inside out.

Slipper socks (totes toasties type) are warmer than normal socks so I put these on when wearing my wellies.

Latex type gloves keep your hands dry and also much warmer than any other kind of glove I've tried (I save them after using hair dye but you can buy them in packs). I wear them on their own for yard work and under normal gloves for riding. They also prevent chapped hands from soaking hay, filling water buckets, etc.

[Mehitabel]

the salt idea is great for gravel or school surfaces, but salt corrodes concrete, so don't use it on concrete yards. we use ash from the yard owner's fireplace, but coarse sand will do the job as well, and give you a bit of grip.
detach hosepipes from taps, empty them and keep them somewhere inside, like the tackroom or feedroom - if they're full of ice, they can sometimes split. wrap towels and sponge round your outdoor taps, it will keep them going for longer.
if you do ride in icy conditions, or have to go across an icy bit on an otherwise ok ride, take your feet out of the stirrups, give the horse a long rein and sit back. then if the horse does slip, your weight being back and the reins long give it a much better chance of saving itself from falling. if it does fall, having no stirrups means you can get out of the way faster and won't get trapped underneath.

[Wally]

I'll tell you one HUGE advantage of a skating rink!:D ;) When you have to load and move Hákon and you cannot get the van and trailer off the icey patch and nearert to the school, We have the upper hand when he says " I have never seen or been in a trailer in my life, there must be tigers in there" He cannot drag you off the ramp, he skitters about a bit then decides he cannot fight and goes in nicely!

I wouldn't attempt mucking about like this with anything other than an Ielandic or Shetland though.

[ggabby]

Any bright ideas, how to stop the sugar beet from freezeing whilst been soaked.

[Nickie]

All these tips about clothing - I've got a confession!

I wear my riding socks to work (i'm in an office all day and it's really cold as they are doing refurbishments and we have no cealing (sp?) and not much heating!)

My little tips for the yard are: take an extra lighting source with you - i.e. large torch in the car or a light that can connect to a car battery - last year we had 3 powercuts in the middle of winter and mucking out is slower by carlight!!

I second the idea of tracksuit trousers over jods!!

Check and remove stones, but don't pick your horses feet out if you are riding - leave the sawdust or manure etc from the stable in there so that the ice doesn't get on to the bottom of their hooves - it can't be comfortable walking on freezing cold ground. Pick out their feet when you put them back in to the stable instead.

Invest in a good set of road studs if you still plan on hacking to help you keep your grip! They're only about £4 or so a set.

When you groom your horse - don't remove his rug completely to do it - just uncover the area you are grooming and work your way around - replacing your rug over areas you've done. Just to keep your friend a little warmer.

Check the flooring if you are planning to use a walker etc - we had an incident last year where a horse slipped on some ice and got stuck in the walker last year. So PLEASE CHECK

Keep checking your car battery, the last thing you want to do is be stuck at the yard (unless you live there!)

Carry a mobile - just in case weather does get unbearable - you can either send out for reinforcements to help you finish all your jobs quicker or ask someone to come and get you from the yard if need be.

Always have a back up person who if you get stuck by snow etc and can't make the yard, could help you out for an evening. Make sure you carry their number!

Don't know if my tips of are any use - sorry if some seem a little like ones everyone should know - just a few for the newer horse owners among us etc.

Nicola

[cvb]

ggabby - soak sugar beet with warm/hot water. It speeds up the soaking time. It should manage to expand itself before it freezes.

Another thought - but one I have not tried. How about soaking it in a large vacuum flask ? Depends hpw much you use, but one of the "tea for the WI" type flasks might do it ?

[Sarah]

to stop the sugar beet freezing could you add some salt to it? Most horses benefit from some salt in their diet too.

bye!

[happyhorse]

freezing sugar beet i am having the same problem!! i put mine in a bucket , in my feed bin , with a carrer bag over the top, with a numnah over that , and then another thick numnah over that and it still froze!!

[Piaffe]

Leave one yard tap dripping over night - stops it freezing up and leaving you with no water!! (if this is possible- we use the tap in the car park area - the water drains into the field, so doesn't cause an ice rink!)

I use speedybeet - going back to the sugar beet question. This soaks and is ready in 10 minutes, so you can make up what you need each day.

If it is really cold and my horse feels warm under his field rug, I tend to leave this on him and just put his stable hood on.

And for yourself - always make sure you have blankets, a drink, some rock salt, shovel and food in the boot of your car in case of breakdown! (sorry to be so depressing!!)

[maverick927]

the best thing to stop sugar beat freezing is to wrap the bucket in an old rug/towel/numnah/rag etc and cover the top.

Obviously this can't be done in a stable so put lots of sawdust around the bucket.

If your cleaning tack in the yard sit in your horses sapre stable rug.

Put shavings over the yard (soggy ones from stables work best as it doesn't blow away) and this is cost effective.

He, cut up a million rubber bands and he presto you have a sand paddock which won't freeze (i don't think may will do that one)

[Wally]

On the clothing front, a sea survival suit is the biz to keep you warm and dry....bit too warm.

[ggabby]

good tips about the sugar beet, only problem is they are 14 to feed, thats a lot of kettles of boilded water. the salt sound like a good idear. the speedi beet is exspensive when you are feeding alot of horses.
ITS THAWING.. back to mud.:mad:

[happyhorse]

the hot water idea, covered with two numnahs and a plastic bag worked for me last nite!

[WelshJumper]

If you use Sugar Beet, pack the out side of the socking tub with hay and place a cut ovet the top to stop it fressing.

If it is cols out you can add some bran to your horses feed to bulk it out it also helps with A.M feed fresing, but rember always add a little whater as bran is very dry, in very cold weather you can use hot whater over the top of the feed, But make shore its not to hot!

Put vassine on your horses feet and shoes to stop snow and ice balling up in his feet.

Put brushing boots and knee boots on if you have to leed or ride you horse in this weather. also put them of if your horse is in the field - as its just as hard out thear.

fill up all whater bins and tubs. and put salt down whear taps are and on outher icey bits.

If you soak hay rember to put a kettle of hot whater over it before you feed it.

[floppy]

instead of the layers i would go for a pair of skiing trousers. ITs
-10 C here and all the kids that dont have riding overall that are lovely and warm all turn up in their skiing stuff for riding.

I think the most important thing is to have a GOOD pair of shoes/boots that have a good sole to prevent you slipping everywhere and also that keep your feet warm. And thicker gloves.

As for frozen poos take a hammer with you whilst mucking out or cleaning paddocks and you can knock the poo balls out :D

i also take a bottle of warm water to the stables and pour it into to a bucket or something to warm the bit up before i put it in my horses mouth.