How do you handle extreme weather with your horse?

Hi everyone,
It's freezing and miserable where I live and I know for members in Australia, it's really hot right now.
How do you handle extreme cold and extreme heat with your horse? How long do you turn out for? How long do you ride? Do you alter the feed in any way?
Is is kinder and more "natural" to leave the horse out for hours at a time in extreme weather, or to leave them in the stall for hours at a time, without their normal turn-out?

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Permalink Reply by Geoffrey Pannell on January 28, 2009 at 7:49pm

Yeah, we make em tough down under! She is fine now, I did have to through a couple of buckets of water on her and I took the fan out and set that up for her. We do have a lot of old animals here, couple of 22 to 25 yo ponies, AND ONE THAT IS 44YO. And they all still work in the school! Not today though, another 40 degree day, have been scouting around early this morning making sure all the horses have shade and water.

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Permalink Reply by Wendy on January 30, 2009 at 9:40am

My horses are out 24/7... they have a run-in that they have access to when they want it. We have had tons of snow and very cold temperatures, and I found that they are quite happy, furry, and free. Even though it could be driving snow, they may decide to stay outside and not go into the run-in at all. I've not had one case of colic, or any sickness in the 15 years we've been here. They get hot water put into their trough every morning and night and sometimes, even in the sub-zero weather, the water has not frozen. They get hay twice a day, one bale in the morning and two bales to see them through the night. I've gone down to the barn and found them with about 2" of snow on their backs.... I can feel through to their skin and they are warm! I try to leave them as natural as possible - virtually no grooming during the winter so that their own natural oils etc. keep them warm. My theory is that if they've been able to survive in the wild for thousands of years, then they can survive with a run-in, hay, and fresh water.... my guys are very happy!

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Permalink Reply by Rebecca Franklin on February 4, 2009 at 12:49am

Hi. I am new to this site. I live near Melbourne, Australia. It was so hot here last week that the rubber on my hoof pick melted in the tack shed. Our huge fear was fire. We had all the horses with their tails plaited, summer rugs and fly veils off. We were lucky. All horses pulled through alright. One of my thoroughbreds lost a huge amount of weight though. We don't get snow, I couldn't imagine how you guys cope. One of the girls at my agistment is from Germany and can't believe how much we rug our horses during winter, considering average winter temp is probably around 15 celsius
Rebecca

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Permalink Reply by Heather on February 4, 2009 at 11:16am

yes, why is it that you rug in 15 degrees Celsius?? I dont rug my horse until its -10 degrees C !! I lived and worked in australia for a while and was surprised about that too!! lol

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Permalink Reply by Rebecca Franklin on February 4, 2009 at 3:33pm

We pamper way too much. My horses are rugged pretty well 365 days a year (except for 40 plus degrees) I have guilt if my horses do not have everything I believe they could possibly need. They are also treated that way from birth. They would probably be in shock if we didn't do it. I am a mother of 5, so guillt is something I am very familiar with. lol

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Permalink Reply by Heather on February 4, 2009 at 10:55am

Hi, my horse is on 24 hour turn out. He has a shelter that he shares with 3 other horses and when they are all inside of it, it really warms up! They have a round bale that they munch on to keep them warm and their water trough is heated to keep it from freezing, but its also luke warm water which is nice for them in the cold too. my horse used to be on indoor board and has just switched to outdoor board at the end of the summer and he loves it! He definately looks happy. The only time I was a bit concerned was when it dropped to -30 Celsius plus windchill for a few days. He did lose a few pounds but he has put it back on already. As for riding, I contiue my training all through the winter, in an indoor arena... :) we have longer cool down times and short work outs, with lots of breaks and walks.

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Permalink Reply by Lee Kelly on March 20, 2009 at 10:09am

The Clydesdale I lease and two other drafts, and a donkey that share the same paddock have a run-in shelter and round bale hay continuously free fed, (and heaters in the trough during the winter) are on 24/7 turn out and they do very well. NIce thick winter coats they are ridden regularily (inside arena) and the winters here get pretty cold can be some days of -35 to -40 degrees celcius. Here is a link to a page that has examples of heaters for water troughs and/ or heated buckets. http://www.deanbennett.com/windmills-catalog-page68.htm
These horse have never coliced or been sick. They hate to be in a stall even for short periods. They are healthy and happy living outdoors.

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Permalink Reply by Jenna Uhlenhut on April 24, 2009 at 7:46pm

Well I live in far north QLD of auatralia in the tropics, which not only means heat but crazy humidity. I (and many many (most) others) do not have the option of keeping horses inside and turning them out. My horses have a paddock with natural shelter like trees and a man made shelter. During the hottest time its hard as it is also our wet season, so a balance has to be made between not rugging as it is too hot and some sort of rug to prevent rain scald. Water troughs need to be constantly checked and sunscreen for horses with white markings usually a must.

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Permalink Reply by Lynn on July 27, 2009 at 9:11pm

I am so i lucky to have an old restored century bank barn. It is warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The girls also have a large shelter in case the wind blows or a drop of rain falls from the sky.I have just recently decided to leave them out at night and bring them in for a few hours in the afternoon to get away from the flies and heat. If it looks like a thunderstorm at night I will bring them in. I never followed the weather like I do now. In the winter their coats are nice and thick and they go out in the morning and in by about 4pm. My girls are both ex racehorses so they are quite used to being stalled and don't mind coming in at all. They both know by now that they do get to go back out whenever they want. They do indeed have quite the life now. I always laugh at the people that say they put their horses out in April and bring them back in in November. I love bringing them in. They get their million carrots and treats, their loves from my husband and me. We visit with the kitties talk about our day. In fact, I bring them in on perfectly nice nights just so we can all have a visit and some down time. I think you should do whatever you want to do when it comes to your horses. Leave them out or bring them in. Whatever makes you happy. Alot of people think I am strange when they hear I bring them in. I don't care what they think.. My girls have the life of Riley and that makes me feel good.

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Permalink Reply by Shirley on July 28, 2009 at 2:12am

Sounds to me like you have your mind settled on what to do with your horses ...and your sticking to it!

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Permalink Reply by Jan Jollymour on July 27, 2009 at 11:04pm

Hi, Barbara!

It's really hot here in the BC Interior too - 37+ degrees this afternoon, and already 29+ when I worked horses this morning. This week isn't supposed to be any better, but I'm not complaining because I was wearing a winter barn coat in England 10 days ago!

We experience both extremes, cold to -38, and heat to +38. Our horses are turned out from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. in summer, and from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. in winter (following the daylight). In winter the working horses are kept under lights, so they don't grow winter coats, and they are all blanketed, but they go out for the day regardless. Right now it's too hot for fly sheets, so they go out bare. Horses evolved dealing with both, and if they have access to shelter from wind and rain (and sun, although they rarely choose to use it) and really good quality hay and lots of it they do just fine. We feed free choice hay, an alfalfa/grass mix, and supplement with Total Equine, a vitamin/mineral supplement formulated by Shannon Dueck. We have few high performance horses who need more, but those who do get a BC made high fat (20%) extruded pellet in addition to the hay and vitamins. People always remark on our horses' beautiful coats and wonderful feet, and in part it's due to grooming and a great farrier, but it's also due to really good quality, uncomplicated feeding and maintenance.

We have very few lameness issues as well, mostly due to the prolonged turnout in large pastures and small groups. We have been known to pay for paddock use at competitions, and turn our horses out there in groups of 2. Our horses work hard daily, and compete hard, but stay fitter due to all the walking they do on their own time. I could never go back to the usual boarding situation with prlonged stall time, and turnout in very small paddocks. I have a European client who LOVES the way her horses live now, and would never go back to stalls all day and an hour in the Equi-ciser.

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Permalink Reply by Marti Langley on July 28, 2009 at 12:53am

Hi, Barbara, I am in California, which can have very extreme heat in the summer. It has been in the 100's lately. We have covered pipe stalls and a paddock that is connected, so turnout and shelter is available 24/7. If there is a delta breeze it makes the stalls very comfy , as it is open, and does have a windbreak which helps in the winter. When it is this hot I can ride very early, or handwalk down the riding trail, or just do some groundwork, or do nothing, lol. We turn the sprinklers on in the paddock in the late afternoon for a cool off treat, or I just use the hose. In the winter it doesn't get extreme. Maybe a low of 26 degrees. With some snow. But I do feed extra hay in the winter, for warmth.