Companion Animals

Horse Winter Pasture Management and Welfare

Winter management of horses on pasture requires balancing nutritional needs, shelter, social access, and hoof health to maintain welfare through cold and wet months.

Key Facts

Horses evolved to cope with cold through a thick winter coat and increased forage intake
Mud fever (pastern dermatitis) is a major winter welfare issue in wet climates
Ad-lib hay provision is essential when grass is unavailable or frozen
Horses without adequate shelter in wind and rain show elevated stress hormones
Social isolation during winter stabling increases stereotypic behavior

Welfare Considerations

Winter management failures cause several significant welfare problems - inadequate forage leading to weight loss and gastric ulcers, mud fever causing pain and lameness, and isolation during stabling causing psychological distress. Proactive planning including shelter provision, track systems, and ad-lib forage prevents these predictable welfare harms.

What You Can Do

Provide field shelter accessible to all horses in a group during winter
Feed ad-lib hay when grass growth stops to prevent weight loss and gastric ulcers
Monitor and treat mud fever proactively using leg hygiene and barrier creams
Ensure stabled horses have visual and ideally physical contact with other horses