Going from Hot to Cold

[w c]

You and he will be fine, just keep the old fellow nice and warm and be sure to pack plenty of hot chocolate for yourself. Nothing like a nice trail ride while sipping some hot beverage, LOL.

Personally, I love riding in the cold. The horses seem to enjoy it too.

 

[jodief100]

Make sure he adjusts to the thinner air at the higher elevations before you work him. His body will need time to adapt to not having as much oxygen in the air.

My aunt moved her horses from Phoenix to Cottenwood many years ago and she went through this same thing.

Colder, wetter and thinner air.

 

[banderanch]

Thank you everyone! Have a blessed and Happy New Year!!!!

 

[treeclimber233]

10 years ago I moved from the mountians of northern Virginia to southern coastal Virginia. Even tho it is warmer where I am now my horses shiver a lot more in the winter. In the mountains when it got cold it froze the moisture falling--snow, ice, sleet. Here where it is warmer it rains a lot more in the winter. The frozen precip just bounced off of the horses. The snow blanketed them. Here the rain just soaks them. I never blanketed my horses until I moved to a warmer area. (sounds strange I know). They hate a stall so I rarely put them in the barn. So when you move just watch your horse to see how he handles the weather. Have blankets on hand if needed. As long as he sheds the moisture (hair stays mostly dry) he will be fine. Just be careful of the temps changing and you not being there to take blankets off if the temps get warmer. Example: 25 degrees at night (put on blanket if necessary). If you go to work/school and the temps rise to 50 and your horse has his blanket on will he get too hot? Something else to consider: wind chill and moisture falling. Even if the temps are not that low the wind blowing on a wet horse can cause him to get cold. I usually only blanket my horses until they stop shivering or precip stops falling. I never blanket 24/7.

 

[banderanch]

Hey Treeclimber...(funny) I have never seen a horse shiver...can you exactly see him like a human or dog shiver? I hope all goes well for us, like everyone has said I will have to watch and see how he reacts. I may be boarding him down here in the valley till April. That way I get him use to the climate from the beginning instead of throwing him into it. When we were up there this last week, (still working on our home) we saw all the horses, cows, donkeys out in the snow and no one had blankets on them, and it was COLD! 2 degrees at night!! and 15-19 during the day. Everyone says this is a unusual winter they normally don't get this cold or that much snow. But still no one had blankets on their horses?? Are they just use to it living there from day one? Thanks