Your Horse during the Winter months

Some important information from the RSPCA with regard to looking after your Horse or Pony throughout the winter.

All horses and ponies kept at grass need shelter. In summer they need protection from flies and the sun and in winter they must have protection from cold, wet and windy weather.

Most native ponies will winter well on grass, although all horses and ponies will need the right supplementary feeding. But remember... under natural conditions native ponies have hundreds of acres of forests and moorland to roam and are able to seek out both food supplies and natural shelter. Where animals are restricted to smaller areas by their owners, they must be supplied with both adequate food and artificial shelter.




All horses and ponies at grass during the winter need supplementary feeding because winter grazing provides very little nourishment and cold horses need extra food. Grass grows slowly in the winter, while frost and snow reduce available grazing still further. Hay should be provided every day and feeding times should be regular - preferably twice a day. Water must be freely available at all times - in very cold weather, this may mean breaking thin ice several times a day.

Your field may provide natural shelter but generally this will not be enough. High, deep and stout hedges, thickets and spinneys can provide useful protection in all weathers, but this will depend on where they are sited.
Banks and walls may provide protection from wind and rain but not necessarily
from the sun. Trees give protection from summer sun,but provide little shelter in the winter.



Where animals are restricted to smaller areas by their owners, they must be supplied with both adequate food and artificial shelter.

Thoroughbred, Arab or Hunter-type horses and similar ponies, as well as animals in regular work (including donkeys), will need stabling or a roofed shed. In most other cases you will need to construct a simple covered or open (windbreak) shelter.
This could be something simple that a local handyman can build all the way to a mobile shelter that can be moved around by tractor or 4x4 vehicle. Whichever you choose, make sure its solidly built.