Horses Pets

Do Horses Get Cold? Everything you need to know about driving horses out in winter

How do I know if my horse is cold?

You can often tell if a person is really cold after behaving them and the horses are no different, of course you can use a thermometer to check the temperature but understandably not all horses like this and you may not have one on hand there are a few other simple ways make sure they are cold.

Shivering

As with all mammals, horses will tremble if it gets really cold, this is not the only reason a horse may shiver, but if it is cold and the horse does not look comfortable then it will shiver in most cases because it is cold.

Tucked down tail

If your horse is upset or stressed, he may press his tail against his body to try to hide as much as possible, but this behavior may also indicate that he is cold. Checking your horse’s body temperature (you can do this with a rectal thermometer) will help you determine if he is cold or stressed.

Touch

Just because your horse is wearing a rug doesn’t mean he is warm. You should check regularly whether he is cold or not. You can easily do this by placing your hand under the rug and touching its withers or around your shoulders and chest. Some people swear by checking a horse’s ears or legs, but this is not a good estimate of overall body temperature, especially if they are exposed to the elements.

What should I do if my horse is cold?

If your horse is cold you need to keep it warm and make sure it is warm, depending on how cold it is, don’t do it too quickly. Start by putting a blanket over your horse or an extra layer if there is one and bringing it inside if you can. You should also make sure his drinking water is also warm, otherwise it won’t heat up as its internal temperature (which should be around 100 ° Fahrenheit (38 ° Celsius)) will stay cold.

3 of 3Next

Advertisement