Equine Cold Weather Care
KENNETT SQUARE
(Chester Co.) How are you
managing your horse during
the cold weather? Horses can
tolerate cold conditions much
better than heat, provided we
give them a little help. Dr.
Mark Donaldson of New Bol
ton Center, the large animal
facility of the University of
Pennsylvania School of Veter
inary Medicine, offers the fol
lowing tips.
Although the bam may feel
nice and warm to in the morn
ing after the horses have spent
the night inside with all the
doors closed, the lack of venti
lation can cause respiratory
problems.
Poor ventilation concen
trates ammonia from urine,
mold particles from hay, and
respiratory viruses. Adequate
Pennsylvania Equine Council Scheduled
To Conduct Riding Trail Update
GETTYSBURG (Adams
Co.) On Wednesday, March
19 at 7 p.m. the Pennsylvania
Equine Council will conduct a
current issues meeting at the
Adams County Agricultural
and Natural Resource Center
located at 670 Old Harrisburg
Road, Gettysburg.
Topics will include equestri
an access to public lands
Biding
Arena
701 E. Linden Si, 1283 Jonl Miller Rd.
RICHLAND, FA 17087 OAKLAND, MD 21550
Ph. (717) 866-6581 (301) 334-3977
Trusses for Commercial or Beatdenttat
ventilation is necessary even
in the coldest months.
Most horses thrive outside
when provided with a shelter
from the wind and access to
adequate water and feed.
Being in a pasture provides
cleaner air and the opportuni
ty for exercise.
The winter coat is great in
sulation, so if you do not plan
to exercise your horse in the
winter forgo the blanket and
don’t clip his coat. As the tem
perature drops, the horse’s nu
tritional requirements in
crease.
A good quality hay (rather
than grain) best provides the
additional calories needed to
keep the horse in good health.
Your veterinarian can help
you obtain a nutritional analy
sis of your hay to ensure it
game commission lands, new
regulations restricting equine
access (effective Feb. 1), crite
ria used by the game commis
sion to approve designated
trails for equine use, access to
other public lands, how to re
tain our access to public lands,
the new Equine Liability Bill
what is it and how will it af
fect us, and upcoming manure
provides all the nutrients
needed.
When feeding several
horses outside make certain
the social order of the herd
does not prevent some horses
from getting enough to eat.
Although large round bales
may be more prone to mold
they are a reasonable source of
nutrition provided they are
under a shelter and off the
ground.
Horses should eat about
1.5-3.0 percent of their body
weight per day in hay, which
is 15 to 30 pounds per day for
a 1,000 pound horse.
Horses’ metabolic rates vary
just as people’s do, and it is
best to feed them according to
body condition. Look and feel
for fat over the ribs, on the top
line, over the tail head, and
management regulations.
Speakers will be Bud and
Gwen Wills, Pennsylvania
Equine Council State Trails
Chairpersons.
For more information on
this meeting please contact
Amy Skvarka, Pennsylvania
Equine Council, Region 8 Di
rector at (717) 528-8588 or via
e-mail at cloverbug@adelphi
a.net.
Active Member
member
Stables
• GLU-LAM ARCHES
• GLU-LAM BEAMS
• GLU-LAM TREATED
POSTS
• ROOF TRUSSES
• FLOOR TRUSSES
• T&G AND V-GROOVE
DECKING
Free Stall Barn Interior
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 15, 2003, Boarder & Tramer-E9
Bruce Rappoport, associate dean of Penn’s Veter
inary School and director of New Bolton Center, ex
amines Joker and Promise, two of the school’s three
Morgan driving horses.
under the mane.
For horses that need a few
extra calories, the diet can be
supplemented with vegetable
oil or rice bran. To ensure
your horse is able to get all he
can from his food regular den
tal maintenance and deworm
ing are essential.
Closely monitor your
horse’s water source. Dehy
dration can lead to intestinal
impactions and colic. Studies
have shown horses drink less
water when it is cold. Auto
matic waters that are insulat
ed and obtain heat from the
ground and bucket heaters are
helpful in providing an ade
quate supply of water.
Equine senior citizens need
some extra consideration and
careful monitoring during
winter months. Older horses
don’t thermo-regulate as well
as youngsters, and may re
quire blankets to prevent heat
loss. Many geriatric horses
suffer from arthritis, and good
footing is essential to ensure
they are able to assess iheir
food and water safely.
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