Should we feed our horses differently in winter?
- Equine Naturelle
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Four distinct periods of the year, characterised by specific climatic conditions and changes in nature
• Each season has its own characteristics (temperature, precipitation, day length, vegetation)
• The tilt of the Earth's axis relative to the sun changes the angle of sunlight and the distribution of solar radiation across the Earth's surface, leading to different climatic conditions
Many animals and plants have developed mechanisms to adapt to changing conditions throughout the seasons (e.g. hibernation, moulting, food selection, leaf fall, flowering, etc.).
• Ensuring survival
• Energy cycle
• Humans – rituals (e.g. solstices, seasonal festivals, harvest festivals, burning incense)
Should we feed our horses differently in winter?
In winter, it sometimes seems as if everything stands still, but in your horse's body, the opposite is true. The cold causes extra energy to be consumed, roughage becomes drier, the intestinal flora has to work harder and fresh feed is scarce.
It is precisely during this period that you can make a big difference for your horse in terms of texture, smell, taste and natural variety with a few simple winter herbs. Winter is a quiet period, during which you sometimes have to make different choices than in warmer periods.
To ensure sufficient nutrition during the winter, it is advisable to offer fatty seeds (e.g. linseed, sunflower seeds, rose hips, OKAPI wild seeds), possibly soaked grass or haycobs, lick stones and mineral feed in addition to hay, which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Dried berries also provide high-quality vitamins during the leafless season, for example OKAPI wild berries or berries that you have picked yourself in summer, dried and offer in winter. You can use blueberries, rose hips, raspberries and blackberries for this. However, make sure that no mould develops during drying and storage.
In winter, the range of plants, berries, branches, etc. that you can pick yourself is more limited, and you need to pay close attention to quality. Below are some ideas for winter herbal mixtures that you can use to support your horse. These herbs are therefore suitable for your horse's needs in winter.
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