What Temperature Is Considered Cold Or Too Cold For Horses?

Go feel the horses ears, if they are cold then sometimes the horse is cold. Temperature is one thing, the main thing that is hard on horses is WIND. allowing a horse to have infinite food during cold times though is really good because that's how they keep themselves warm.

It was -12 here with horrid winds, all I can say is thank god my horse was inside with lots of layers on.

But horses that are always outside grow their own coat to stay warm, like I said the only thing they can't fully protect themselves from is the wind.

if a horse is cold they can always run around to warm up. and having constant food in tummy is like there own internal fireplace.

Depends on the horse, the thickness of their winter coat, how used they are to the weather, etc. I live in Montana, and horses generally are pastured 24/7. They are well-fed and usually have some form of unheated shelter from wind and snow, but they aren't blanketed, even when the temperature is -20F (or even lower). I've not seen one shivering yet. On the other hand, when I lived in California I owned a TB mare that didn't grow anything resembling a winter coat, shivered and dropped weight like crazy if it got under 40 degrees despite never being stalled or clipped. She had to be blanketed on most winter nights.

Unless the horse is old, sick, or has had it's coat clipped, it doesn't need a blanket. The only reason it would need a blanket MAYBE is if it's very wet and windy in addition to it being that cold. If it's just cold - he's fine. Horses have a very complex heating and cooling system using their horse hair where their hair raises and flattens to warm themselves up and cool themselves down in extreme temperatures. The important thing is whether or not the horse is getting enough roughage, since that is how they produce heat. Here is an article on blanketing and how they use their hair to insulate. I say the horse is fine.

http://www.equisearch.com/uncategorized/should-you...

if a horse is shivering, then she's cold.

if a horse is dropping weight easily and looks rather skinny, then she's cold.

if a horse has no thick fur and is not getting enough food and looks thin, then she'll get cold easily.

if a horse is not shivering, then she's not cold.

if a horse is a good weight and has a fluffy coat, and it's not pouring rain and sleet outside and it's dry and she is getting enough food to eat, then she won't get cold.

What makes a horse cold is:

being constantly WET and not getting enough to eat and being too thin for a hard winter.

a hard winter is like -25 degrees with a lower wind chill with sleet and driving rain.

3-5 degrees when it's DRY is fine for a horse that's got a nice fluffy coat and is getting fed well.

Horses who are left out have a body regulator that prepares them for weather.

Our area has had snow in summer and the horses did fine. I did not know that a all for heavy precipitation meant a foot of snow in August when it is usually 20 celcius (about 70F)!!

With this cold snap she has probably gotten a little insulation but a run in shed is best.

If you start to blanket her now she it will have the opposite effect and may actually cause her to start shedding out.

The other issue is with horses who are left blanketed and then are turned out in this weather without a blanket. They have not had an opportunity to grow that insulation.

It gets to -30 to -40 or worse in winter where I live. My horse hates being in the barn (she doesn't have a chose at -40!!). She is blanketed at -30 but hates that as well. She has access to a run in shed at all times.

I have also seen horses in my area that have nothing but the trees for protection at these temps, they do fine but cold probably.

I heard that what the temp is outside its 10 more degrees to horse.

Ex-if its 60 degrees out its 70 for a horse and if a horse has a blanket on its 20 degrees warmer so I would go by that and see if its to cold

Feel inside their ear. If that's cold, the horse is cold. However, if your horse has thin skin, she might need a little extra hay for fiber

She should have a blanket on and be fed extra feed during these cold times. A thick turnout rug would be best in those temps. Leaving a horse in the cold like that without a blanket would be cruel