Yes, it's been a busy time of the year! Most of us are in school full time or working full time and we just don't have the spare time to read (or write) blog posts!
That's just my excuse for not writing anything for a while.
We've hit November and the first cold spell is upon us. It has been incredibly dry and because of that I have been soaking grain every feeding for many weeks. Now I've been adding salt and starting our wonderful wheat bran mashes as the cold weather creeps in.
I've consulted with our vet and she thinks our farm management is as safe as it can be as far as avoiding colic. She says now we just keep our fingers crossed that everyone stays happy!
It's that time of year again - BLANKETS! I've brushed all the spiders and dust off your blankets but if they are stinky, musty, moldy, poopy you will need to wash them (or pay me to wash them!). I certainly don't want to be handling stinky blankets all winter, but more importantly I doubt your horse wants to smell like year-old moldy excrement. Remember that after it is clean it needs time to dry, so don't clean it right before we have a cold night!
The stall schedule will change as soon as the weather evens out. Stall boarders will begin staying in the barn at night and will be out during the day. To avoid the stress of change I like to do this gradually and so you will notice that your horse may be in or out at odd times while I allow them to adjust to the change.
At this time I am blanketing the horses with shorter coats (Magic, Cas, Shellie, KC, Molly) below 40 degrees. I typically prefer to blanket older horses at warmer temperatures (below 45) because they have less fat and muscle to keep them warm. However, 3 of our 5 oldest horses have very thick winter coats and are well adjusted to this weather. Betsy, for example, lived in snow in Illinois her entire life! She would be very annoyed with me if I didn't allow her to enjoy the chilly Florida weather. On especially cold evenings I will bring the old horses into the barn where it tends to stay about 10 degrees warmer than outside.This way they don't burn calories trying to stay warm.
Let me know what your horse is accustomed to and how well they tolerate the cold. JW, for example, does not tolerate the cold weather very well and needs blanketing at warmer temps than others. Dancer shivers in 50 degree weather. Satin is fine without a blanket but tolerates wearing one (for mom's sake) at colder temps.
As I put blankets on horses for the first time since last winter I was loosening everyone's belly straps! Cas, especially, has grown quite a bit. Magic and Molly both need some more room. Even Shellie's blanket was so snug that I couldn't clip her belly straps! I definitely like them a little on the heavier side during the cold months.
Stay warm and enjoy the Florida winter!
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