Ponies in the snow

[Helicopter]

I love the photos around the forum of horses playing or generally just looking cute in the snow. So many people seem to live where it snows. Can't imagine going about all the daily horsey business with all that snow about. I know this sounds ridiculous but how do you cope?. How many months do you have snow each year? Do you all have barns? Indoor arenas? I can't begin to imagine the daily routine in those interesting 'conditions'.

 

[~Dan]

We get quite a bit of snow around here but we cope pretty well. It generally starts snowing around November and will generally end by about March, sometimes early to mid April. The horses do real well I let them grow natural winter coats and they are chubby so that also helps to keep them a bit warmer (their waist lines, however, will be shrinking come spring time) and we have an insulated stable for them with thick "beds" of shavings on rubber mats over a packed clay floor, which the clay is generally warmer than concrete. The horses love to play and roll on the snow when its fresh. I also bulk up on their hay so while they digest it helps to keep them warmer. One thing however is hauling water. I usually haul 35 gallons of water from the house to the barn for the two of them per day and use heated water buckets to help to keep the water not only warm, but free of ice as well. Once I move, I hope to put up an indoor arena for snowy and icy weather turn out. I hope this answers some questions for you, and please, feel free to send some warmth if you have some!

Dan.

 

[Taylor Richelle]

You sound so much like me Dan. My horses though are blanketed. Just cause we get some pretty harsh weather up here in ME. My horses are in every night with about 3-4 inches of shavings and plenty of hay. I would rather have them fat and warm. I will deal with the "winter bellies" come spring. I haul about six 5gallon buckets a day from the house with nice warm water, and all my horses have heated water buckets...beats chipping away at ice every morning!

 

[CharlesFamily]

We have had a very snowy winter this year - and much colder than usual. We started getting measurable snow in early December with temps in the teens (F) - which is almost 20 degrees colder than normal. That said, as others have said, I let my boys get nice and chunky in the fall in preparation for the cold weather. They are all very shaggy and well insulated. They get turned out every day and put in nice warm stalls every night. We have water tank heaters in our outside troughs to keep the water unfrozen and warm enough that they drink enough through the day to ward off any colic issues. They have plenty of water inside at night, too.

This year, since it has been so much colder and snowier than normal, I have been buying round bales of hay to put in the pastures so they have something to munch on all day and that will help keep their temperature up, too. I may have some extra work to do in the spring to work off some pudgy bellies, but at least I don't have to worry about them right now.

We don't have an indoor arena - I wish! And since it gets dark so early, my boys get most of the winter off with no work!

Typically, January and February are our really snowy months. This year has been an exception. But honestly, I would much rather deal with the snow than the deep mud and wet that comes with the thaw and the spring!

Barbara