snow days

[krissy3]

For those of you that live in areas that get heavy snow ...do you prefer to leave your guys in the stall or out in the snow? I mean when there is snow to their withers , and it keeps falling all day long. Today we got 3 feet of snow, and I played with them a little to show them it was OK to walk through it ,and it was waist high for me. by 2 pm they were standing around waiting for "Happy Hour" they looked terribly bored.

like "NOW WHAT DO WE DO MOM"? this also opens a new topic...now that the snow has arrived (Swiss Alps) the pasture grass is finished ,and the am graining and vitamins begin, is it better to give smaller amounts of warm mash am , and pm? or do you just grain them once a day? Also ,what time do your kids go to bed in the winter when its cold , and snowy?. ( bed being the stall)

 

[Leeana]

I've got horses that stay out 24/7 and they are still alive and well, its been very chilly the past week here and not one whim from them. They have a run in they can go in that blocks them from the wind and it stays pretty warm in there if they all get in there together, body heat keeps it warm in there. I dont blanket anyone really...

Horses that are in the barn right now are mostly yearlings and show horses and they are inside most of the time, they have a small paddock (its 3 15ft coral pannels enclosed to their stall in a "U" shape where they can go in and out as they wish, and each stall has a door i can close so they have to stay inside and cant get out, i normally close that door when it gets really really cold or if its really windy to keep the horses inside (and me..) warm and the cold wind out...

3 feet of snow?? OH!

Sometimes, we might get 1ft of snow and then some big drifts but all we do is take the tractor in and push all the snow to one side..nothing that extreme. My horses go to sleep whenever they want, that i dont really keep track of. Ive found mine are more tired in the winter and tend to just stand around in that "day dreaming" gaze.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Mine are outside year round as well. They have shelters from the wind and wet but are never actually enclosed (the exception is mares nearing delivery and those with health issues) The horses will stand out and allow the snow to collect on their backs they don't seem to mind it. I don't blanket, they grow those lovely thick coats for a reason and blanketing actually decreases the ability of that coat to keep them warm. We do get some pretty darn nasty weather here, and lots of snow, easily 4 feet or more by spring (some years are better than others). You have 3 ft already? WOW! My sympathies lol. We don't have our first snow yet, but...any time now. One thing we do is I have my husband go out with his Bobcat ( also called a skidsteer loader if you have no Bobcat brand there) and clear paths and open spaces for them. We do this all winter to keep them from being too confined, excersize is (IMO) too important to a horses good health to see them go a whole winter with only the narrow paths they make. I grain once a day in winter at the end of the day and increase the hay portions to help them maintain body heat.

 

[mmmorgans]

Our horses are out 24/7 - but they all have shelter to get into if the weather is really bad. We get lots of snow here too - and extremely cold weather in the winter (-40 to -50 at times). The horses all have tremendous winter coats and they have a little extra padding too (they love to eat). I have a couple of yearlings that may come into the barn on occassion - as they came from a warmer climate and both of them are in show condition with no extra weight - so I will make sure that they get some extra care when it gets really cold. Even the weanlings have tons of hair - and seem very prepared to go into the cold weather.

As long as the horses have shelter - so that they can get out of the wind and wet weather - they should be fine. I know that some people put their horses in the barn every night - and everytime the weather is bad - but that is not feasible for me and I think that the horses are healthy being outside - as long as they can get into shelter.

Hope this helps.

 

[shelly]

Here in Maine we get some pretty nasty weather too! Snow flurries yesterday but that has been all so far. My 4 horses have stalls with enclosed paddocks(10 cattle panels each) for the very nasty days when a storm is expected, etc... but for the most part they are out in their dry lots except at night when they come in to the barn. We do plow spots in their lots so they can move around easily in deep snow.

The only feeding changes I am doing now that it is colder is wetting their grain and hay for the added moisture as they do not drink as much water these days. Good luck and bedtime here is around 6pm or dark time, whichever comes first! They get their grain and hay and barn lights go out...nighty night

editted to add that I do have outside doors on their stalls and do close them in in really stormy weather

 

[Relic]

Up here everyone is out 24/7 all have run in sheds but those are mostly used it seems as a place to poop in. But it's the wind mine can't seem to stand so l don't usually see any outside on those days. We have never had a sick horse in winter because of extreme weather...last year we had snow drifted almost to the top rails of 5 ft fence so just dug out first then snow blowed a 4' path around the perimater for a place to walk. l beetpulp and grain twice a day if more then -30C out and they always have free choice hay. None of the old things move around to much in winter but the stallions and younger ones are pretty active no matter how cold or how deep the snow..

 

[Relic]

Oh l forgot true story my mare Daisy was feeling good last winter kicking up her heels and prancing around then went down to roll in a drift and got herself cast with all 4 leggs sticking up and couldn't for the life of her move she made kind of a hole in the snow and the more she tried to get right side up the deeper the hole got. l did get out there and turn her over so she could get to her feet...so thats a down side to lots of snow l watch for..

 

[Taylor Jo]

Wow guy's someone ought to come over here and tell my mini's how good they got it.... When I lived in Ca they had shelters so they could get out of the wind, but this last year we moved to Mo and we got a barn. LOVE IT. I barn my horses now. They have dry lots outside their doors and at night we close them up in their 12x12 stalls in the winter to keep the warmth in around 4-5 depending on how warm it is outside. Now last night it was 66* out so we left their doors open till 7 p.m. I also blanket, cause the difference between the barn and the outside is like 3* usually. My barn has insulation but you'd never know it. It's a metal barn and doesn't hold the heat well, but it does stay pretty cool in the summer. I only grain once a day, summer and winter, but I do give their pellets for roughage at night 1/2 ration as they don't need the extra calories. Mine are still on pasture but even if it snows I still will let them out, sunshine is good for them. I don't let them out in the RAIN.... It's heck getting them dried off here. Last time I let them get wet, my Oreo caught a cold and he's got this THICK mane and it takes forever to dry. If it's summer, and nice out and it rains I don't care cause they love to play in it, and they dry quick enough but not in the winter, plus then you can't put the blanket on... Mine are so used to being barned that when it comes time to going in there standing there waiting.

SPOILED, SPOILED. But, I love it. That's why I moved to Mo. to have green grass, trees and a BARN. Keep my show babies in and treat them like Princes and Princess's. TJ

(Not that those outside, don't get treated that way guy's, I didn't mean it that way) Just after living in the SAND for years, this is heaven!!!!!!

 

[DrivinTime]

We get lots of snow here in central Vermont (none yet though, thank goodness!) but I put my minis out every day, unless it's sleeting or blizzardy. They are out side by 7am at the latest and back in their cozy stalls by around 7pm. They have a run-in shed in their pen, which helps when it's rainy or the weather changes when I'm away at work. I blanket them at night when it's really cold and during the day if it's really really cold (we get down to minus 30 degrees F here without the wind chill). We give grain twice a day, with soaked beet pulp in the winter, and grass hay twice a day also. When we get a lot of snow, I shovel out their pen (or as much as I can stand) so they will run around more. Sometimes, we shovel paths like a rat maze, and they run around and narrowly avoid crashing into each other on the paths. The dogs love this, too, but sometimes one will "cheat" and jump up on a snowbank so she can see where the others are running to. In our case, it's important to shovel out their pen, because otherwise, when the snow gets deep and then hardens, they could just walk up a snowbank and out of their pen!! My horses get Very Bored if they have to spend more than one day in their stalls, so I believe outdoors is better except in extreme circumstances.

3 feet of snow already? Brrrr. OH! Switzerland is a beautiful place, but now I have a better appreciation for plain ol' Vermont!

 

[Katiean]

I let mine decide if they go in or stay out. I also will clear an area so that they can walk around a bit outside. We don't usually get 3' all at once but we do get our share of snow.

 

[Mona]

I am in Northwestern Ontario and also leave my guys out 24/7. They all have run-ins, but prefer not to use it, even when it's snowing or raining. When I feel it may not be good for them to be right out in it, I feed them their hay in the run-in shelters, and that pretty much keeps them in!

And yes, as Relic mentioned, I too had a mare cast herself, but when my mare did it, it was not even in deep snow. It wa just off the "beaten path". (along one of their trails) She had stopped for a roll I guess, and then just rolled up against a small, maybe 3" incline and couldn't get flipped back over. Thank goodness I saw her out the window, and when I saw her, things just didn't look quite right so I went out, as I thought she was actually foaling early! (it was in the Spring) Turned out she was cast, and I too had to grab hold of her feet and flip her over towards me!

My horses make their own trails and keep those trails all packed down on their own. I feed their hay in piles on the ground in one largish area, so that too gets and stays all flattened out all winter. When we have bad blizzards and they cannot get around because of drifts, I send hubby out with the walk behind snow blower to clear trails for them!

 

[ruffian]

Do you feed hay? I like to feed hay at least twice a day - helps with the boredom, but they get the most at night. The chewing helps keep them warm.

I'm in Michigan and we get a fair amount of snow - not 3 feet normally thank goodness - but mine all run in and out 24/7

 

[barnbum]

Mine are stalled every night for protection. Out by 6 AM and in by 6 PM right now, we go by my schedule and the sun. They just spent two days in stalls due to 40 mph winds and rain. Run-ins are in every pasture, but I felt better with them in. The barn door is open and the fillies can go out if they want. No one wanted to get out in the afternoon when I wanted to clean.

Must be the expanded stalls--the mares are now in 8 x 15' condos.

For snow I do this:

 

[Matt73]

Mine are stalled every night for protection. Out by 6 AM and in by 6 PM right now, we go by my schedule and the sun. They just spent two days in stalls due to 40 mph winds and rain. Run-ins are in every pasture, but I felt better with them in. The barn door is open and the fillies can go out if they want. No one wanted to get out in the afternoon when I wanted to clean.

Must be the expanded stalls--the mares are now in 8 x 15' condos.

For snow I do this:

I do pretty much what you do, Karla. Except I don't have shelter or a run-in in my paddock. So when it's too windy or rainy, they stay in. They just had a two day stay indoors, too. Needless to say, they were all happy to get out into the sun today and roll in the mud and eat freshly dropped leaves and hay.

 

[Frankie]

Mine get to make that choice.

They have a barn and are kept in the dry lot a good part of the day and can, and will go in when it rains or snows,,,,,ok, they are a tad spoiled and they can't get wet.

Some will venture out with a little snow, but if we have a lot, they will stay in and peek their heads out, that's it.

But I don't close them in.

If it snows a lot, heavy, I do not let them out into the pasture, they go everyday. Because I have a 3 year old mare that is afraid of the snow and she hates it, has been that way since she was a baby. She runs in fear to get away from it and I can't stand to watch her, so they stay close to the barn.

 

[krissy3]

Thanks everyone for the help. I feel better about feeding grain 2 times a day now. I am pretty much doing what everyone else is doing...out during the day with an option of going inside with a lot of ourdoor shelters as well. Hubby just purchased a snow blower , and we had fun with making paths everywhere, the snow is a little higher than the horse , simalar to the photo from New York...except we got ours in less than 48 hours , if you can believe that. We are at 2000 meters in the Swiss Alps. My little yearling is fearless , and was bobbing for apples under the tree this morning. I had no idea they could cast

...will watch for that, and make sure they are in the large pasture only when I am home to keep an eye on them.

Thanks Thanks..

 

[Sandee]

In Wisconsin we can get 3' of snow - just not all at once. And yes, my hubby goes out with the snow blower and makes paths for the horses thru the snow because my little filly is the only one that will venture out if it's really deep. The two boys take a look at the snow drifts and say "naw, I'll just stay here."

Mine have access to shelter in their dry lots. However,since I have a stallion, a gelding, and a filly, they cannot, obviously, go out together.

I keep them in the barn if it's really windy and stormy or extremely cold. Most of the winter I don't blanket. Since my barn is not insulated, I finally blanket when it starts staying around 10 (F) degrees as I am the one that is freezing then!

 

[susanne]

Karla, I'm now emotionally scarred, thanks to your photos...

Dang I love Oregon!

Most of our precip comes as rain, but last winter was pretty bad...up in our hills we had a foot of snow and ice for what seemed to be forever.

Krissy, do you have access to beet pulp? I love what it does for them year-round, but especially in winter, since I know they're getting plenty of hydration. We serve it up sloppy and warm in winter, which makes me feel good even if it makes no difference for them. That and not quite but almost free-choice hay at night.

Everyone here has free choice between shelter and outside. If I kept them in from the rain, they would NEVER get outside, lol! This is the northwest, after all.

 

[barnbum]

Karla, I'm now emotionally scarred, thanks to your photos...

You can make one of your own--it takes very little equipment.

 

[CritterCountry]

Sable is out in the snow rather than going in, by her own choice. She is weird that way. As long as it isn't freezing rain or bad icy wind I leave her out. She has a shelter so she can use it if she wants.

Here is a pic of our heavy snowfall last year, as you can see Sable doesn't mind