Winter Care for Horses: Providing Optimal Joint Support

Come winter and the cold weather & harsh winds will start affecting your joints. Well, your equine friends are not spared from these aches either. Horses, especially senior those suffering from arthritis, experience stiffness and pain during movements. To save your horse from this discomfort, it is better to develop a strategy beforehand to provide adequate joint care and maintain their optimal body condition throughout the winter. So, what can you do to help your horse stay healthy and fit during the winter?

Let us find out.

This blog provides a list of tips to provide joint support to horses during winter.

Read on to learn more.

Tips to provide joint care to horses during winter

Here are some suggestions to assist you in keeping your equine buddy’s joints healthy and movements swift in the cold weather:

• Provide comfy bedding & resting space

Horses can sleep while standing as well as while lying down. However, these poly-phasic sleeper need continuous night sleep for healthy brain functioning. Spread straws, shavings, or sawdust on the ground and create a cosy sleeping space/bedding for your horse. This not only offers cushioning but also helps trap warmth and maintain ground temperature. As a result, you can protect your horse’s joints from cold while they lie down.

• Create a safe shelter

A barn or a shelter covered from three sides protects your equine friend from the chilly winds and occasional rains. A warm, dry shelter works like a shield for your horse in harsh weather. Your horse’s joints get relief from the stiffness and sores when saved from exposure to cold temperatures for a prolonged period.

• Continue with the regular exercise

One of the most important aspects of winter care is to keep your horse moving. Lack of regular exercise can lead to joint stiffness and pain during movements. You can keep the exercise light and use an indoor arena for hand walking or in-hand work on days when the weather is not favourable.

• Give warm-up time

Give around 15 minutes of warm-up time to your horse before exercise. Start with a slow walk, then shift to trot and then canter. This increases the blood flow to the joints and muscles as they move and helps reduce discomfort and the risk of injury. Observe your horse closely and see that you do not put unnecessary stress on their cold joints.

• Provide proper footing

Walking or running on uneven, muddy, or slippery surfaces can result in injuries and stress on joints. Maintain an arena footing that gives good traction and cushioning for your horse’s indoor exercise during winter months. You can also use studded shoes to help your equine friend get a good grip on the ground and move around without stressing their joints.

• Maintain an ideal body weight

Overweight increases the stress on joints. Similarly, underweight horses do not get the muscle support needed for a smooth joint function. That is why, it is important to keep a close watch on your horse’s weight to maintain their joint health. Your horse may display an unwillingness to drink and eat in winter. Make sure you encourage them to take a proper diet to avoid dehydration and manage their weight.

• Add joint supplements to the diet

Complement your horse’s diet with joint health supplements to provide additional joint support. Supplements rich in glucosamine, chondroitin, omega-3 fatty acids, MSM, etc. provide the much-needed support for pain relief and healthy functioning of cartilage, synovium, ligaments and tendons. Plenty of joint care supplements contain one or more of these useful ingredients, including Arnica Ice Cooling Spray, Arnica Ice Cooling Gel , Kyron’s MobiFlex-H Powder, Pro Joint Equine supplement, etc. Consult your veterinarian and get the ones that suit your horse.

In the end

The cold winter months are harsh on horses’ joints. Planning to handle the windy season goes a long way in keeping your equine friend healthy and safe. The tips mentioned in this article will help you prepare for winter and provide proper joint care to your horse to maintain their painless and swift movements throughout the season and beyond.