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How to Winterize Your Horse
By Dr. Garrett Metcalf, DVM
As many of us know as horse owners or caretakers, horses can have some difficulties with adjustment to colder weather or acute weather changes. These issues can be more of a nuisance for owners but sometimes can be a serious health issue for the horse. The goal of this article is to give some practical tips and guidelines that owners can use to keep their horses healthy throughout the winter.
Housing and Feeding
Owners often have the best intentions when it comes to keeping their horses comfortable and well-protected from the elements but keeping a horse(s) in stalls throughout the winter may not always be the best for the horse’s health. Horses in nature are meant to be continuous grazers and constantly on the move. Putting them in a stall setting in a closed up barn can lead to respiratory issues from the lack of airflow and increased dust and ammonia from urine. That combination of ammonia from urine and dust from shavings or hay can cause some serious lower airway irritation. These irritants can cause coughing, runny nose, difficulties breathing, runny eyes and possible trigger equine asthma episodes in at-risk horses.
To read more, pick up a copy of the January issue of NTFR Magazine. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
By Hannah Claxton | Editor
The North Texas area is located within USDA Hardiness zones seven and eight. The zones are categorized by predicted low temperatures for winter and timing of the first and last frosts.
Zone seven usually has winter low temps between 0 and 10 degrees F with the average date of the first frost falling between Oct. 29 and Nov. 15 and the average date of the last frost falling between March 22 and April 3.
Overall, these two zones have similar climates and growing conditions, making the options for timing and variety within a garden very similar.
In these zones, cool-season crops should go in the ground in March, meaning that soil preparation should start now.
To read more, pick up a copy of the January edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Heather Lloyd
Vaccinations are a critical component of maintaining the health and well-being of horses, especially in environments where they are exposed to other animals, such as in the sport, show and performance arenas. Horses, like all animals, are susceptible to various infectious diseases that can spread quickly and cause serious harm.
A routine vaccination schedule helps prevent the spread of these diseases by preparing the horse’s immune system.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
Having herds on a controlled breeding schedule means that we have a predictable calving schedule, and while it’s only over a couple of months, for us it does fall right after the start of the year. I lobby annually to call ours the “Winter calving season”, but I am outvoted and my husband still refers to it as Spring. Unlike producers in our Northern States, we don’t have to contend with brutally harsh winter weather, and on those rare times we do, thankfully it is not for extended periods. Regardless of whether you have a Spring or a Fall calving schedule, the health of a newborn calf begins with the mother’s health, and the mother’s health is largely dependent on the producer.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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