Wet horses in the cold

[RackinRudy]

Ok, so it's been snowing here all afternoon and still is. My horses don't wear blankets but seemed fine last year without them and they all have wooly hair now. But they are soaking wet!
I just went to check on them and they were outside getting even wetter! It's 25 degrees out. ugh ... i locked them into their paddock (they have stalls to go into - dutch doors) but they seem to prefer to stand out in the snow. am i crazy thinking they are cold? why are they stupid and stand outside? i put all their hay in their stalls tonight! man, i hope i can sleep tonight.

[vicklynn]

Id towel dry them and put them in their stall with plenty of hay to eat so they can keep their systems warm.

[WashingtonBay]

I'd be concerned about mine if they were out. - and it would probably be just as silly if I did. If they're not shivering and have a choice, I suppose they're not cold or they'd seek shelter.

Incidentally, one of the reasons I do blanket is that mine won't come out of the barn enough if they're naked. I blanket them so they WILL go out more. But mine are, I guess, a lot wimpier than yours. :)

[RackinRudy]

yeah, my horses are so use to being outside all the time now. rykin goes ape-shit if he's locked up and i'd worry more about him trying to jump over the dutch door and breaking a leg. i just peeked outside and they must be in their stalls or under the awning ... so glad i can lock them into the paddock (attached to the barn). they weren't shivering .. all their tummys and chest were dry, just their backs, heads and butts were soaking wet. maybe next time if we are suppose to get alot of snow i should blanket them just til it stops.

[dame_wolf]

Koda is the same way, given the choice he wont come in out of the weather either but never seems cold. I've never seen him shiver and when I bury my hands in his fur he is always toasty warm. He's never been stalled by me or his previous owner and was born right here in N. Idaho. I tried to put one of the other horses blankets on him once to see how he'd do and he wanted nothing to do with it. But he gets plenty of hay, grass and alfalfa, grain on the nights it gets really cold and he has plenty of wind break and friends to keep warm with so...

[paintedarabs]

If their hair is laid down and you see them shiver, I`d be concerned. Otherwise they know what their doing.

[Palogal]

If they were cold, they'd look for shelter. So unless you see them shivering, I would let them be.

[AUEquine]

I wouldn't worry. Every one of our clinic horses are unblanketed. They have carports for shelter in their pastures but they don't use them. It's been raining since noon, and it's going down to 19. I figure if 20+ equine vets arn't worried about them, I shouldn't be!

[lacyloo]

They aren't very smart critters ay?
Shocks refuses to go inside the stall when its raining. She just stands outside of it with her butt to the wind. While Farah stands in there nice and warm.

[RackinRudy]

ok, they were all alive this morning ... still pretty wet. the little pony was covered in ice (he's got alot of hair) so i think thats why. i toweled them off and brushed them a bit. i always give them tons of hay so i read thats how they keep warm. big dummies!

[oursarge]

Mine love to be out in the weather, if given the choice of eating inside in the rain or snow or outside in the rain or snow they eat out. They love freezing rain, their manes will be so frozen I'm afraid to touch them because they'll break off but they are as happy as can be. They do not want to be inside because they can be in if they want. It drives me crazy but that's their choice and they aren't shivering so they must be happy. They are real happy when it's freezing rain with no snow and they can roll in the mud!

[RackinRudy]

oursarge ... holy crap! i can't stand it! when they are wet and it's wicked cold out ... we are suppose to start getting "artic air" here tonight and over the weekend. as long as they are dry i'm ok ... not wet!

i just read hay generates heat within their body so they get hay 24/7 .... no problems there.

i hate when i lose sleep over crap like this!

[vicklynn]

with plenty of hay to eat so they can keep their systems warm.

Why I said that. Hay keeps their systems warm.

[Diane of Buck's Hollow]

We are at 15 degrees this morning here. My driveway is a solid sheet of Ice. The pond is completely frozen. Lots of White everywhere. The horses were just fine this morning..No shivering. I was concerned for them last nite when it was sleeting.

Last year we had lots of rain and cold wind and we found Miss Mira shivering one day and just dried her off and then she got smart and decided to stay inside the run-in. Steve and I went out that day and bought a blanket to put on her..What a funny time that was. We put the blanket on Mira and Buck couldn't figure it out and kept rearing up on his back legs..straight up in the air. I couldn't believe how tall he looked!! Both Jack and Buck kept running around Mira and worrying her so...that we had to take the blanket off. We didn't have a camera with us..but it was really funny!!

[oursarge]

It bothers me too but I don't have a way to trap them inside and I put hay in and out and every time they will eat outside first. They will stay in if we're having major heavy rain or if it's sleeting but regular rain, snow [I have found most horses love snow, my old horse used to push all of his hay out in the snow so he could stand in it] or freezing rain they are in heaven. I don't mind regular rain or the snow but freezing rain upsets me but they aren't shivering, they come in for their feed then go out to the hay piled outside. If we don't put it outside hoping to keep them eating in then they stand where it should be! They pretty much have hay in front of them all the time and they are younger. Dommie never had a blanket on either even when it was 20 below, he had hay and he alway seemed fine, he wasn't shivering or anything. I had planned on getting him a blanket for the next winter though because he would have been 28 but he died before Winter. I do have a heavy blanket just in case one needs one but so far they are wanting to be out. I want to build a different barn with stalls to keep them in during freezing rain but that would be more for me than them since they enjoy it.

[natisha]

If they are not wet to the skin they will stay warm, even under a layer of ice.
Some horses don't like shelters in rain because they can be too loud, especially if it has a tin roof that isn't insulated.
My arena has an insulated roof only, the stable area is insulated plus it has a rubberized paint, kind of like the stuff they put in truck beds. It really keeps the noise down.

[WashingtonBay]

LOL - that does remind me of the first time we cleaned our barn roof, that previously had about two inches of moss, needles and other collected tree debris on it that had been there years... It was so loud in there it spooked 'em. And it is insulated on the inside... it was still a lot louder than it was before.

And it reminds me of the time when we had freezing rain and snow on the ground the first year I was here. The chunks of ice and snow and occasional limbs were falling hard on the barn roof and kept spooking the horses out, mainly Bay. Well, he had a blanket on, but the pony did not. I didn't even have one for her then, thinking she didn't need pampering like old Bay did. Well... she got wet, and cold, and really got in trouble. Head-down, shaking, refusing to move. She really was cold. I had to go stand with her in the barn drying her off with towels and covering her with a spare blanket from the bed. The next day I went to town and she had a blanket for 'just in case' which became, "if she's got it, she might as well wear it". :)

You can see the barn back there in this pic... when there's heavy snow, it gets a lot of heavy snow clumps and branches falling on it when there's snow and ice. I love the trees for their shade, but that's one of the things I'll change in the next place.

http://www.baywindfarm.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=433&pictureid=4808

[natisha]

LOL - that does remind me of the first time we cleaned our barn roof, that previously had about two inches of moss, needles and other collected tree debris on it that had been there years... It was so loud in there it spooked 'em. And it is insulated on the inside... it was still a lot louder than it was before.

And it reminds me of the time when we had freezing rain and snow on the ground the first year I was here. The chunks of ice and snow and occasional limbs were falling hard on the barn roof and kept spooking the horses out, mainly Bay. Well, he had a blanket on, but the pony did not. I didn't even have one for her then, thinking she didn't need pampering like old Bay did. Well... she got wet, and cold, and really got in trouble. Head-down, shaking, refusing to move. She really was cold. I had to go stand with her in the barn drying her off with towels and covering her with a spare blanket from the bed. The next day I went to town and she had a blanket for 'just in case' which became, "if she's got it, she might as well wear it". :)

You can see the barn back there in this pic... when there's heavy snow, it gets a lot of heavy snow clumps and branches falling on it when there's snow and ice. I love the trees for their shade, but that's one of the things I'll change in the next place.

http://www.baywindfarm.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=433&pictureid=4808 Pony :(

[MyMia]

There are lots of times I wish Charlie would go out more! He's a couch potato wanna-be, so he'll just park himself in his stall and not move. I'll put hay out in the pasture for him, and he'll stand inside and just look at it for a while, probably hoping it'll jump up and fly to him. He's much worse about going out since Mia's gone--she used to be outside no matter what the weather so he'd follow her (or get chased out), but now there's no reason to go out!

[Diane of Buck's Hollow]

Yep, I think our herd dosn't stay in alot when it is raining because of the Tin Roof. lol

[Gypsy Rose]

RackinRudy, maybe this will make you feel a little better. This pic was taken in March, and that snow was heavy wet stuff, and as you can see comlpete with wind. And she was almost ready to turn 30 at the time!

http://www.baywindfarm.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=1150&pictureid=9066

Silly horse has a perfectly good shelter, but it has to be 30 below with a windchill, or a heavy cold spring or fall rain before she'll use it- and it, and even then, she has to face OUT!:D

[natisha]

Yep, I think our herd dosn't stay in alot when it is raining because of the Tin Roof. lol It's pretty easy to insulate

[Diane of Buck's Hollow]

Yep, I am thinking we should do that. Would we insulate from the inside?

[WashingtonBay]

Pony :(

Ah know... I miss her too. :(

[natisha]

Yep, I am thinking we should do that. Would we insulate from the inside?. Yes, as it won't hold up exposed to the elements. You can buy sheets of insulation with different R factors & outside material. I used a shiney kind of foil finish for the roof as it reflects light, you may or may not need that. Avoid the fluffy stuff. Press it tight to the tin & it will absorb sound. You could cut it to size, jab it between the rafters & secure it with screws & thin strips of wood (don't screw into the roof) or glue but most glue won't work in cold weather. Ask a guy, they'll know how to do it for your situation.

[Fork]

If they're not shivering, let them be. :) If they're covered in ice and show I wouldn't try to brush it off because the wetness will seep down to their skin. Mine comes in at night when it rains, gets windy or gets to be below -20C. My barn owner says she knows they could handle it but feels better putting them inside.

[Oreos Girl]

See this is why I had to buy a blanket for my poor really stupid horse. He has a place to go and get out of the weather but even with hay in there he won't go in and stay dry. The storm we had the weekend before Christmas he was wet and shivering so I had to lock him in. Now he has nice new warm blanket.

Oreo's Girl

[Toodlestoo]

We put ours in for the night if they're wet and it's really cold. But---I think it's more for our peace of mind than theirs! They never shiver and even when they have ice on their backs, they are always toasty warm underneath. Like Vick said, they always have access to hay to keep their "heaters" working.;) We spent so much money on the stalls that I put them in so I won't feel I wasted all that moolah!