Boys and Their Toys

This winter has been extremely warm for this part of the country and my horses are bored!  Normally, I let them have run of the pasture after it has snowed enough where they won't damage it, but we have had almost no snow this year.  As a result, they have been locked in their paddock and are starting to get on each others nerves.

I try to stem their boredom by giving them activities to keep them occupied throughout the day.  I spread out their hay so it is more like grazing and it takes them longer to eat.  I also made them some toys...

I started by buying some 5 gallon pails with lids at Lowes.  I cut large holes (about 2"X2") on either side of the buckets, filled them with treats or dengie and put the lid on.

 It took them a little while to figure out how to get the treats out, but now they are experts.

The buckets can take a lot of abuse, but they do need to be replaced on occasion.  Each time I give them a new bucket I make the hole smaller to keep them busy longer.  They are now down to just one hole, 1"X1" (just big enough to get a treat out).

Whatever it takes to keep the boys happy!

My Little Hay Burners

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!

Blanket Statement

Well, its that time of year again.  Time to bring in all the horse blankets to wash and waterproof them for next year.  I am not big into blanketing my horses.  I believe that horses are healthier when they are left the way nature intended.

Toby in full winter fuzz

That being said, my horses do have three blankets each, a cooler, a heavy winter blanket and a lightweight rain sheet. There are occasions when blanketing is necessary.   I use the cooler, or lightweight moisture-wicking polar fleece, when they have gotten wet in the cooler weather.  For example if they have been running around and worked themselves into a sweat  or they have been out in a light snow storm or cool shower.  The polar fleece keeps them warm but allows the moisture to escape.  I also use the cooler in the fall to keep Casey warm on those cool fall nights.  He tends to be slow in growing his winter coat and as a result I have gone out several mornings to find him with a case of the shivers.

Casey in his heavy winter blanket

Their winter blankets I use even more sparingly.  I only really break them out when it is going to be under 20 F for more than a day or two.  Even then I don't always blanket Toby since he grows an extraordinary amount of hair.

Toby and Casey sporting their lightweight blankets

The lightweight rain sheet is what I use the most.  They wear them mostly in the spring and fall when getting wet to the skin can cause a chill or when "rain rot" can be a problem. 

Rain Rot

"Rain rot" or "rain scald" is an anaerobic skin infection that causes crusty scabs and matted tufts of hair.  The bacteria love a humid,  oxygen-free environment which happens when moisture is captured under a thick winter coat.  Treatment requires baths with antimicrobial shampoo (usually daily for about seven days) until the infection clears, but it is easy enough to prevent if they just wear their raincoats.

Brain Teaser

We are all in the winter doldrums around here.  It has been a LONG snowy winter this year.  The horses are bored out of their minds!   I've tried some enrichment activities to keep them busy and they seem to enjoy it.  I have done a "carrot hunt" several days where I hide baby carrots both in the stalls and the pasture.  They catch on pretty quick and seem to have fun checking each tree and fencepost for the elusive carrot.

I have also taken two 5 gallon buckets (with lids) and cut small holes in the sides then filled them half full with dengie.   They knock them on the side and roll them around stopping every few steps to pick up whatever dengie has fallen out.  You have to do this once they have packed the snow down some or they won't be able to roll it.

Hopefully spring will be here soon and they can find other ways to amuse themselves!

Beat the Heat

I have been using heated water buckets in the winter since they became widely available.  This year, however, I reverted back to the black rubber bucket.  Partly because I didn't feel like snaking the plugs around through holes and hooks so the horses don't get themselves caught on them, but mostly due to the recent economic times.  I do like the heated buckets because I know my horses always have water to drink, but they do have their drawbacks.  I mentioned the snaking of plug wires.  This poses a problem when it comes time to dump and refill.  You have to have a second bucket to empty them into since they are now pretty much affixed to the wall.  Another issue I have with them is that they seem (to me anyway) to get slimier faster, even to the point of having algae growth.  It is odd to have to scrub algae when it 10 below.  Finally, there is the cost.  I try to unplug them when the weather is going to be above freezing, but even then there is a noticeable jump in my electric bill. 

So, rubber it is!  That is not to say that I will never go back to heated buckets.  Rubber just made more sense to me this year.  They may be heavier and freeze solid in this weather (6 below this morning), but I think I kind of enjoy beating the heck out of them with hammer.  It makes me feel like I'm getting back at Mother Nature.