Horse Winter Pasture and Welfare

Winter management of horses at pasture requires careful attention to nutrition, shelter, and social needs to prevent welfare problems from cold, mud, and restricted forage availability.

Key Facts

Horses have evolved to cope with cold temperatures but require shelter from wind and rain
Mud fever - a bacterial skin condition - affects horses kept in wet, muddy paddocks without dry lying areas
Winter grass has very low nutritional value and horses on pasture-only winter feeding are at risk of weight loss
Hard ground in freezing conditions can cause injury and hoof problems in unshod horses
Social horses turned out alone in winter experience isolation stress on top of cold challenges

Welfare Considerations

Winter horse welfare requires proactive management of multiple simultaneous threats. Nutritional needs increase in cold weather as horses use more energy for thermoregulation - unmanaged, this leads to body condition loss that can reach welfare-concerning levels. Mud causes skin disease and makes movement difficult and painful. Horses unable to shelter from wind and rain experience cold stress even at temperatures they could otherwise tolerate. Social isolation compounds physical challenges. The most welfare-positive winter management provides ad libitum forage, dry lying areas, shelter from wind and rain, compatible social companions, and regular body condition scoring to guide additional feeding.

What You Can Do

Monitor horse body condition scores through winter and provide supplementary feed as needed
Ensure horses have access to effective shelter from wind and rain
Manage paddock drainage to prevent mud fever and difficult movement
Provide ad libitum forage to maintain body condition and provide occupational enrichment
Keep horses with compatible social companions throughout the winter period