A.A. Callister

Horse Care in the Winter:

Concerns and Precautions

Jennifer Whittle, a web producer for TheHorse.com, did an online poll on the

website about people’s concerns regarding their horses during the winter.

After garnering more than 550 respondents, they discovered one of their

main problems during the winter was preventing their horses from slipping on

snow or ice.

Caring for Horse Hooves

According to one of the comments, the barefoot nature of horses may add to

their discomfort during the chilly weather. So many horses suffer injuries

during this time of the year because of unwarranted falls on icy paths.

Horses with excellent hooves perform better. Jason Maki, a farrier for A&M

College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, says that proper

protection for a horse’s hooves during winter keeps them healthy throughout

the season. Farriers provide steel shoes and trim a horse’s foot to perfectly fit

the shoes. Excess growth on the hooves will deform and may even lead to

injuries or unnecessary pain from the cold ground. Shoes will protect horses

from any kind of road discomfort.

Start from Within

Karen Davison, an equine nutritionist at Purina Animal Nutrition, says that

there is a link between hoof health and nutrition. Davison believes that the

quality of horse hooves relies on factors such as genetics, the environment,

and food. Since the first two are factors that owners cannot control, looking

into a horse’s nutrition will do a lot to improve their horse’s hooves for the

winter.

For optimal hoof growth, a horse needs a good amount of protein, fat, zinc,

calcium and phosphorous, selenium and vitamin E, and biotin. All these are

key in strengthening the hooves and creating a permeability barrier

preventing all kinds of bacteria or fungi from penetrating the hoof horn.

Horses have different needs. It is the owner's responsibility to study their

nutritional and physical care requirements for overall good health.

Sources:

https://www.callisters.com

http://www.thehorse.com/articles/38681/poll-recap-winter-horse-care-

concerns

http://www.sjnewsonline.com/news/20170208/horse-farriers-play-

important-role-in-equine-health

http://www.thehorse.com/articles/38657/horse-hoof-health-and-nutrition-

balance-is-key