As I have mentioned before I am not a big fan of blanketing my horses. I believe in letting them be as nature intended. I do, however, like to do a few things to help them stay warm in the winter. I like to let them stay outside at night in the nice weather, but as the the weather turns colder I lock them in their stalls. I'm not sure if it makes any difference the them, but it makes me feel better.
I also like to feed them extra hay, especially at night. The amount of extra hay depends on how cold it is supposed to get. I give them more at night for two reasons. One, it gives them something to do while they are stuck in their stalls and two, they are in a small space and are not moving around as much so they are not as warm.
Horses use hindgut fermentation as an "internal furnace" to help them stay warm. After food leaves the stomach it passes through the small intestine, which is about 70 feet long and can take up to 90 minutes to get through. Most of the warming process occurs in the hindgut, cecum, and large and small colons. These organs are designed to slow the passage of food so that plant fibers have time to break down. This process can take up to 72 hours. Roughage, like hay or grass, take longer to breakdown than grain and create a more steady source of heat. So if the digestive tract stays full of forage, by getting a couple of extra flakes of hay, they have a constant source of heat energy and are toasty warm!
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