Winter's Coming! What do you do to get your horse ready for winter?

[Gypsy Rose]

I walk my fence line and make repairs, clean up the hayshed-clean wheelbarrows, make sure tools are where they belong. Double check to make sure I have enough hay, or if I've started to go through more than planned by this time of year.

Trim bridlepath, make sure the feathers on the back of her legs aren't too long- don't want them too short, either! Make sure she's still maintaining a healthy weight, and make any changes necessary (harder to keep track of under all that winter hair, lol!).:D

Deworm for bots a few weeks after the first killing frost (need to do that soon, he,he!).

Make sure her winter water tub and buckets are clean and in good shape. When it gets too cold to keep the tank open during the day and most of the night, I put away the hose, scrub the tank, put it away, and go back to the bucket brigade. Oh, yeah! Fun times!:p

What does everyone else do to get ready for wintere?

[TacheteTreasures]

I am probably going to trace clip this year, because I intend to work her throughout the winter.
Also, I called in an order to get a big load of sand or 2 brought in to sand heavily when needed, then I'll spread the pile in the spring to lenthen my round pen into a somewhat more arena shape.
My brother has made repairs to the 4 wheeler so I can plow the riding area and important parts of the paddock.
We need to stock up on hay, but dads been sick for 3 weeks and he's the driver of the truck and trailer:mad:

[TacheteTreasures]

Oh yea, and we have the blankets hanging outside so the rain can rinse them, then we will machine wash them and re-waterproof/make any nessasary repairs.

[Remali]

I board now....but when I had my horses at home we'd hang a big huge rug (sort of a rug anyway), over art of the doorway to keep the wind out.....we had a small barn that the two horses could just walk in and out of as they pleased, so they just sort of pushed aside that rug as they walked thru.

But, now I board....so I just talk to the barn owner to make sure the horses get extra hay, and grain if needed.
And I keep an eye on the herd dynamics to make sure my horse is always able to get into the shelter....just things like that. I de-worm again, and remove any botfly eggs on legs. And I look for my long underwear....lol!

[Mercury]

And I look for my long underwear....lol!


Yup! I just found my coat today! Brrr... it got cold!

[Cat]

Hard to think of winter with 80+ degree weather out!

However, we make sure we have the hay we need and make sure the water tank heater is ok and nothing decided to chew through the cord. Other than that - we just take it one day at a time.

[Gypsy Rose]

That reminds me, I need to double check her shelter, too- make sure no boards are coming loose, and no sharp metal edges. I do that periodically, anyway, but she almost never uses the shelter in the summer.

...And find my long underwear, and winter boots, hat, gloves...gah! I feel like a polar bear in all that getup!:eek:

[palomino]

Winter coats for both her and I (sleezy for Inks this year), clip her here and there throughout the winter (Im planning on showing early 09), grooming her constantly to get rid of and keep rid of all the skin issues she seems to have, Probios throughout the winter. Thats all I have to do this year with her being full care (whoo hoo).

[Dakota Sunrise]

I don't have a whole to do to prepare for winter. Of course I stock up on hay, and I dig out their winter blankets and make sure they're still in working order and ready to go. I also put sawdust in the horses' run-in and straw all the goats' shelters.
I make the rounds and check all the feed pans (the goats and cats only- I know the horses' and dogs' feed pans are rubber) and put away any that are metal and replace them with plastic or rubber ones. I won't use metal in the winter time because it gets too cold, and I don't want to have somebody's tongue getting stuck to it!:p (Have you ever seen the movie "A Christmas Story"?:innocent:)

Let see, what else? I have my farrier pull Dakota's shoes (Beauty is always barefoot), and my mom and I trim all the goats' hooves. This is also the time of year that I give baths and clean Kota's sheath, before it gets too cold to do it. I took care of that a few weeks ago, so he is set for winter in that department. lol

That's pretty much it, except for digging out all my winter clothes, and making sure I have a sled that is in good shape. I use my sled a lot in the winter time- I put haybales, feed buckets, firewood, etc. on it. That's much easier then carrying everything through the knee-deep snow!:)

[GrungeEquestrian]

Well since I board I don't have to worry about winterizing any barn, but getting my mare, Trouble ready. I trim her bridle path monitior her weight and have corn oil and supplements on hand incase she begins to lose weight. I gave her her last bath before winter, shampoo and everything. She is always barefoot so I don't have to worry about her feet. I am letting her mane grow out, have an extra winter blanket incase we have some really cold nights. Trouble was born in Nevada but after spending most of her winter last year out 24/7...with no run in :( she growing as amazingly THICK winter coat.

Lastly I go through my tack box and bring home left over fly spray and liquid stuff that can freeze. I also plan on bringing home my western riding pad and giving it a good washing and devoting myself to english/bareback riding until it dries completely!

[WashingtonBay]

Same with the fencing maintenance.... trim back brush and low branches that will sag down onto the fence with heavy snow.

Clean the gutters and downspouts on the barn and put up my downspout extension that directs all that water off the roof away from the barn and into a better drainage.

Start bedding the stalls again so they have a nice dry place to lay down and dry off.

Good list! Stuff there I need to get busy on!

[Miracle Whip]

Even though we have plenty of grass in the pasture, lately the horses have been enjoying the hay that I put out. I think they are getting lazy and don't want to search for tasty grass anymore. Check the fence lines, maybe stretch the rope fence... put things away so they don't disappear under the snow.

I would like to put some lime in their shelter this year. Worm one last time - they just had their hooves trimmed last weekend, that will be the last time until spring or a mild day in February or so. One year I had Ginger trimmed in January because I was taking lessons, but if it was like last year, we will be snowbound until late March.

The water is a Rubbermaid with a heater. It does not get changed much in the winter, but with 2 horses it seems to be cleaner. No way would I do a bucket brigade. I have been feeding grain for several weeks also because of the harsh winter we had last year. I would rather they be a bit overweight than to be just fine but lose a lot of weight trying to keep warm.

[Gypsy Rose]

He,he! Maybe someone will list something I've forgotten! For some reason, this year, I seem to be in denial when it comes to thinking about winter. Maybe because we didn't have much of a summer weatherwise here this year.

[Gypsy Rose]

The water is a Rubbermaid with a heater. It does not get changed much in the winter, but with 2 horses it seems to be cleaner. No way would I do a bucket brigade.

I wish I could have a tank heater! I don't trust my garage electricity that far (old fuse box), and I don't have any outside outlets on the house, lol!

Maybe someday- that is if I could afford the light bill! Even with an insulated tank, those heaters cost a bit to run.

[Miracle Whip]

Actually I never noticed any difference in my electric bill. We ran a line from the house (dug underground by the neighbor) and put the outlet on a pole next to the hydrant and use an extension cord. The extension cord works just fine even though it sits on top of the snow. There is a special outdoor outlet that you use. I put a plastic scoop on top of the outlet to keep the snow off of the outlet itself. It is a grounded outlet so if anything gets wet it will re-set.

I think, that running back and forth a couple of times a day, in addition to feeding the horses, would raise your electric bill MORE by opening the door??

[Gypsy Rose]

Propane heat:D. My house is so small- no bigger than a one bedroom apartment, really-with a basement- that it can stand a little air exchange. When I first moved here, I had wood heat. When the Energy Assistance program decided that was no longer acceptable, my SO and I sat and laughed at the furnace guys and the propane guy arguing over the fuel/air mixture for the furnace! The furnace is almost too big for the house, so the mixture has to be run rediculously lean, or the place would blow sky high, he,he! Not to mention they were worried about the furnace getting enough oxygen. Therefore, leaving the door open for a bit 3-4 times a day doesn't hurt things a bit, lol!:)

Someday, I hope to put a hydrant down, or run a hose out through the basement, like my parents did.

Right now, it's just not in the budget.

However, I'm storing these ideas for future reference

[Miracle Whip]

Our house is an 1800's 2 bedroom and we have a furnace in the basement (propane) AND an outdoor woodmaster. If not for that Woodmaster I doubt I could live here. We fill the propane tank ONCE, for example, an average winter we spend no more than $600 TOTAL in propane. This year I went with $800 worth because the prices were higher per gallon. We burn wood almost exclusively except for when it is too muggy and wet to get a fire started or when we are dumb enough to let it go out. How many horses do you own?

[dustys_girlly]

well this is the first time i have had my horses at home so it is all new to me, that an add the snow in the winter and its going to be fun. but i have cleaned out the barn, making sure i have all the hay i am going to need for winter, made sure my blankets where in one piece and usable. anything else that i need to do i find out as it comes up, i have already started adding alfalfa to the night feedings to help keep them warm.

[zoel_222]

I check the barn roof for leaks. Winter just means cold wet rain and I want to make sure their rickety old stall won't be leaking on them. I also trim their tails so they don't drag in the mud. That's basically it though.

[Gypsy Rose]

I just have Gypsy, so the water hauling isn't a big thing at this point- unless someone other than my SO or myself had to do it, of course!

I miss having wood, but I'm allergic to a lot of it now, especially the pollens that collect on the bark. I was a walking sinus infection all winter the last year I had wood, lol! I wanted an outdoor wood stove, but Energy Assistance would only put in propane or fuel oil. Fuel oil might have been more efficient, but don't even go there as to how allergic I am to that!

He,he! My budget pay on propane is not really a budget for me, lol!

Each year, I try to weatherize this place a little more. The biggest thing now is the windows- that shrink plastic only goes so far, and everything's caulked to the hilt, lol!

So hauling water and leaving the door open is a good thing! House would be too airtight, otherwise, he,he!

Someday, I know I'll have to do something different about the water situation, though.

[mtnmollie]

We have to get our hay in at harvest or maybe not get it. I keep 5- 10 ton extra for a fudge factor. My horses go in a large hot wire corral for winter. The fence is off - but they dont know that.

We have high tensile fence with very little maintance.

We have to drain the hose or it freezes- water about once a week.

I have to worm and trim- if I can get off Bays site long enough to do chores? :cowboy:

[Gypsy Rose]

Good luck, mtnmollie! This place is way too addicting!

Same here on the hay- if I didn't get it when it's coming off the fields, I'd never be able to afford it- if I could find any!

[mandisue]

Not much to the horse, just like you said, make sure her feathers ( not much there anyway) arent' too long so she doesn't get snow balls on them, and clean up around the pasture. I DO need to get her wormed for Bots soon though..Darn things anyhow. GRRRR!

[lovesfortune]

Well this will be our first FULL winter with the horses, so we are at least more prepared than last year. We have already cleaned the barn out (where we put the water in the winter so pipes don't freeze). We have all our hay put away.

We have to move some hay feeders around, recheck the fencing, worm for bots, clean Norman's sheath, move the automatic waterer in the barn from outside.

I'm actually kind of looking forward to winter. Our summer pasture is 80 acres and I usually have to fourwheel out daily to find the horses. Our winter pasture is about 5 acres or a bit bigger (?) and right out the front door, so I will be able to go out and see them more during the day. And this year I don't have to bucket any water. (I feel your pain Gypsy)

[Tatesgram]

Winter! It's hard to think about winter when it's so warm! We've bought and stored hay, the barn is clean even though down here I very seldom put the horses up due to weather. Usually only if it's going to be very cold and wet. The fences are checked regularly because our fence line is shared, but we did have to do some repairs recently.

I've already wormed for bots, mainly because they seem so heavy this year. But will worm again in December, bathed horses and removed bots. I have mine trimmed all year, but then, this is Alabama and we usually have mild winters.

We generally play it by ear and react accordingly.

[WashingtonBay]

We don't have a tank heater either, yet... I keep holding off because we really only have a couple weeks out of the year that the water would freeze hard so that they can't easily break through it.

We keep our hose from freezing most of the time by stuffing it all under the house. That works most nights, unless it's one of our really cold snaps when it's in the teens, then it will freeze even there and we haul water from the house. Again, we only usually have to do this for a few days in a row, but about the third day, the idea of a tank heater starts to sound really good :)

[AppyLady]

I don't do anything with the horses, just disconnect the hose from the hydrant and drain all the hoses. It takes five hoses to run water out to Diamond's pasture, so draining them every time I water is a real pain in the patootie. Caveman is in the process of putting up an above-ground watering system for me, but it's only partially finished. Still, it eliminates two hoses to drain, and every little bit helps.

I don't have tank heaters, so I keep an axe or short length of pipe by all the water troughs.

[WashingtonBay]

Much of our winter prep is household as well as horsehold prep.

We store about a hundred gallons of potable water (for us and the horses) in case of power outages, as well as about a dozen buckets of water to use for things like toilet flushing and other niceties.

When we do get a snow, we go out and tap it off the electric fence first thing in the morning to make sure it's not causing shorts before turning the horses out in the pasture.

[livaward]

Winter? We don't have winter down here LOL.... :p I don't do much preparing.......I move the horses to another pasture where there is rye grass instead of them being on the hay field during the winter months

[vicklynn]

Ive been thinking on this, cause I dont usually do much.
This yr, we are putting a plastic ribbed back on the run in. Putting the tarps on the sides. The tarps will roll up in the summer.
Due to their growth, I will be trying blankets on and hoping they fit.
Hay is always stored, so thats not a problem, but winter hay(alf)is bought this yr. They are gonna go nutso...lol...1 flake alf with there grass at feeding time...lol...they may never go back.

[Miracle Whip]

This won't work for you long distance water haulers, but here is a thought

Our hydrant is relatively close to the round pen, and we use a PVC pipe to get the water from the hydrant to the tank. The pipe is at an angle so it drains naturally. We have never had the PVC pipe freeze. Sure beats a hose!!

[WashingtonBay]

That's a good idea MW!

My own place will have better no-freeze hydrants than this place has. I've got ONE outside faucet, and it's on the back side of the house from where the horses are. So I'm stuck with a long length of hose.

[Ariesgrl131]

I stock up on feed, Buy blankets, and downsize my water buckets. Thats about it. It hasnt snowed here in years so not to much to worry about

[FoxFireEMT]

Well I board so my BO usually does all the barn work stuff, however this year she is moving to a new home & farm so we haven't touched anything yet. Why do it twice? WE will be moving in about a week. As far as my horse goes, I check out her halters, feed supplies, hay & straw supplies and the blanket. I do not blanket unless it is aggressively cold out. Thankfully her hair is growing like crazy so I probably won't have to touch the blanket. But in case its checked & doubled checked!

[jeezitsjacki]

I dont have to do much since I board.. Bens winter blanket is already on him so he is set, and my BO gives extra hay to keep them warm. He is in a stall except for turn out so he keeps pretty warm

[Gypsy Rose]

This won't work for you long distance water haulers, but here is a thought

Our hydrant is relatively close to the round pen, and we use a PVC pipe to get the water from the hydrant to the tank. The pipe is at an angle so it drains naturally. We have never had the PVC pipe freeze. Sure beats a hose!!

Now that's a great idea! If I ever get a way to put down a hydrant, that would work slick!

[mtnmollie]

That's a good idea MW!

I've got ONE outside faucet, and it's on the back side of the house from where the horses are. So I'm stuck with a long length of hose.

Me too. Which beats hauling water because your water system froze up every winter-
like mine did for 4 years at the place I was caretaking.

[Jump The Moon]

It's freezing allready here, we had a rubbish summer too - it hardly consitutes for summer.
I'll aim to have Billy a little porkier than normal, he does best through the winter if we start off with a little extra. This year I'm giving him his first clip - we'll be doing alot of training this winter. I'll bring down his heavy rugs and under-rugs and take his lighter rugs home to clean. I generally have a good clear-out of the tack room and my stuff. Last weekend (it was 20 whole degrees celcius!!!!) he had a mane and tail wash to take us through the winter :D That's about us ready, ontop of the 'normal' things we do.

[TacheteTreasures]

I think this weekend im going to give her a good bath, then keep her covered till spring:rolleyes:

[walkinthewalk]

Because of Duke being metabolic, (plus he and another horse are now 21 & 22) and the Mister and I being old, I finally cowed down last winter and bought heated water buckets for the stalls and two rubbermaid tanks with heaters for outside the barn area.

I shut the water stations down in the main pasture last winter, to force everyone to walk up to the barn for warm water. I don't think I would've had to because I noticed that everyone drank a lot more more water last winter!

Duke loves to put his head in the water up to his eyeballs in the summer. I noticed last winter he would dunk a big portion of his chin in the warm water, so I know he enjoys playing in it.

How glorious it was to not have to carry hot water to the barn that would be partly froze by the next morning.

That is the main maintenance thing because we keep up pretty good with the fencing year round.

Everyone comes in at night 365 days/yr and so far no one needs a blanket to be outside during the day.

I will up their hay a tad and they get extra splashes of warm canola oil and warm water on their feed.

The heated tanks & buckets were, without question, the best investment I have made in my old age - lol lol We put them in storage in the spring, in the hopes that will prolong the life of the heaters, and replace them with the regular water tubs.

It won't be long and they will coming out of storage and the tub fans will take their place:)

[Gypsy Rose]

The heated buckets might be something I can look into in the future.

The heavy duty extension cord and putting in a safe outdoor outlet would be the big investments, and I would still have to haul water until I could get a hydrant down.

Someday soon, I'll have to find a way to get it done bit by bit- I won't be able to haul water forever, lol!