"Baby, it's COLD outside!" Part II

One of the contrary things some horses do to protest cold weather is stop drinking. This, of course, puts the horse at a much greater risk of dehydration, and that in turn puts a horse at risk of developing an impaction-related colic, because their digestive systems aren't exactly a marvel of efficiency, anyway. They need that water to process their feed. If you're not already monitoring how much water she drinks every day, you should be. Do start paying close attention, and even measuring water intake, if it's at all practical to do so. Two or three liters (or quarts) isn't enough, even for a smallish horse. Your full-sized horse should be drinking well over fifteen liters a day. In fact, twenty would be better. (Drinking too much water is hardly ever a consideration. If she's sucking down more than forty or fifty liters a day on a regular basis, check with your vet, ASAP.)

If it's at all possible, offer your horse a bucket of tepid or even warm water, at least twice a day, in addition to her normal water supply (which she's currently turning her nose up at because it freezes on her whiskers.) If there's just no practical way to offer warmer water, then consider adding a scant fistful (a couple of tablespoons) of pickling salt to her feed.

And speaking of feed, a really good way to get a little extra water into your horse is to feed mashes. Remember reading those horse stories when we were kids, and some beloved horse is always getting fed a warm bran mash? You can use wheat bran, beet pulp, or rice bran, as a means of getting some extra salt, fat, calories, and water into your horse's diet, when the weather turns off cold and foul.

Beet pulp pellets are available at almost any feed store; beet pulp is nutritious, and horses typically like it. You can sometimes buy shredded beet pulp, but it's more expensive and harder to find. I always, always, always soak my beet pulp pellets. Some people don't, but the pellets are very dense, hard, difficult to chew, and will absorb twice their own volume in water—and we're trying to get extra water into your horse's guts, not suck it out. So for a quart of beet pulp pellets, you'll want to use at least a half gallon of water. If you use cold water, let them soak overnight. If you have hot water available, then a half-hour or so is usually long enough. You can make enough all at once for the entire day's mashes, because the soaked beet pulp keeps quite well in a bucket, in cool weather.

Making a mash is simple. You don't even have to be a good cook. Take your horse's feed pan, add two or three cups of beet pulp and/or plain wheat bran (available at almost any feed store), add the normal portion of sweet-feed and/or supplement, a fistful of salt, and enough (warm, if you have access) water to make the mixture into a sloppy gruel. If she won't eat it, you can add apples, carrots, or other favorite treats to entice a horse that's never eaten a mash to give it a try. You'll get better at figuring out just how your horse likes her cuisine served, as you practice, too. If you're wildly successful beyond your dreams, heck, try it out on your family for breakfast, too.

It takes a bit more time and care, but your horse is going to be safer, happier, and healthier for it. She's less likely to lose weight or colic during the cold-snap, and you'll sleep better.