How to feed and water your horse this winter
Feeding and watering in winter, why it's important and how it affects your horse
When grazing is frozen, your horse is likely to be fed more hay and less grass, therefore their daily water intake decreases (as grass has a higher natural water content than hay). Unfortunately this comes at a time that your horse needs to increase their water intake to ensure additional support for increased fibre digestion.
As responsible owners we need to know the ways to ensure water intake during cold periods continues at normal (and ideally elevated) levels to avoid dehydration or impaction colic.
What to do each day to ensure a constant supply of water
LIMIT/DELAY FREEZING ...
- Use a big rubber bucket for water instead of metal or plastic, rubber is a better insulator and larger buckets take longer to freeze
- Break and remove ice in buckets and water troughs daily, to save water place the removed ice in a seperate bucket, when it defrosts you have clean water again
- Insulate pipes and buckets where possible, this could be by placement alone in areas of sunlight, a field shelter or against a hedge/wall, it can also be from surrounding then with bedding
- Add apples to water troughs/buckets, it helps delay freezing and is tempting for your horse to fish them out encouraging an increase in water consumption
TOP TIP 1 - Place a smaller water bucket inside a larger empty bucket and pack the space in between with straw for improved insulation
TOP TIP 2 - Fill a plastic bottle with salt water and place in the water trough/bucket with the lid fastened. The salt water does not freeze which keeps the bottle afloat and stops the water in the trough/bucket from freezing
ACCESS AND ENCOURAGEMENT ...
- Make sure the water trough is accessible, horses may be discouraged from walking over rutted, hard and frozen ground to get to their trough
- Fill plenty of water carriers ahead of freezing temperatures so you are prepared if your horses water supply freezes
- Add a little salt to feed to encourage the thirst response
- Free access to a salt lick/block should also be provided daily
- Take hot/warm water to add to the cold water in the bucket making it a little more tepid and tempting to drink, research shows that horses drink up to 40% more when warmer water is available
- Soaking/steaming hay can increase water intake where possible
- Slowly introduce an additional soaked mash if suitable to provide further hydration
Continue to feed a feed balancer - BUT WHY?
- Support healthy digestion and limit the risk of colic with the provision of protein, prebiotics and probiotics
- Changes to daily routine, more time stabled and higher levels of hay provision can negatively affect digestive health
- Support immune health - provision of key vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, ESPECIALLY important for older horses and those in work
- For good doers, there are low-calorie options (Lami Light and Low Calorie, plus all of the super concentrated range and Native to maintain weight)
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Maintain condition without extra fizz - Balancers are famed for their low starch and sugar provision, so little risk of silly behaviour
- For poorer doers, there are conditioning options too (Original, Pro and Senior Plus)
- Helps fill nutritional gaps that commonly occur at this time of year
- Forage alone DOES NOT provide the correct daily provision of essential vitamins, minerals and micronutrients, and these need to be provided through additional feed
@bluechipfeed ❄️ It’s a frosty one this morning here in the UK! Don’t forget to check those water troughs and break the ice 🧊 Your horses still need plenty to drink, even in the cold. 🐴 Got any clever tips to keep them defrosted? Share them with us in the comments! #horsesoftiktok #FrostyMorning #HorseCare #WinterTips #horsewinter #equestrian #ponies #poniesoftiktok #winter2025 #horses #deicingtroughtips #CapCut ♬ original sound - bluechipfeed
Horses can only survive three or four days without water.
It is IMPERATIVE to check frozen water supply daily, if not twice a day.
