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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
   
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | ghost rider - 2014-01-06 5:19 PM
My 3 have a loafing shed & the only one with a blanket is my 28yo mare - she's a hard enough keeper that she doesn't need to be spending groceries trying to stay warm.  They have a round bale & pieces of 2 others, plus I filled the hay racks under the shed yesterday & last night. Didn't today since the sun was shining, but will again tonight...the 28yo gets her Senior soaked with hot water & the other two get soaked beet pulp, plus both the pond & creek were ice-free last night & today (well, thin sheet of ice on pond). All seem to be doing fine & dandy...Â
I wasn't able to break the ice on the pond with my foot this morning, and the cats' waterer was frozen solid in the feed room. The horses' insulated waterer was in good shape tho, and horses and barn cats healthy and happy. Supposed to get to about 32 today! Woohoo! LOL |
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  More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | The weather man told us last night the Polar Vortex is leaving. Yippeee! Its above 0 right now and feels downright balmy. My horses are all out sunbathing. Tonight we'll have one more night of -20, tomorrow 0 and then 20's and 30's are coming! I'm doing a happy dance. |
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 Born not Made
Posts: 2930
Location: North Dakota | My horses are outside 24/7. And I don't own a blanket.
Everytime I've checked on them in this danged cold, they've acted as if it is 30 degrees outside .... not -24*F with a -50*F windchilll.
But they are healthy, have full winter coats, have hay and water 24/7, and have excellent windbreak.
I give them some extra grain but it's more for my peace of mind. They really don't need it!
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 Midget Lover
Location: Kentucky | Mine are pretty content.
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 445
| CYA Ranch - 2014-01-06 12:22 PM The weather man told us last night the Polar Vortex is leaving. Yippeee! Its above 0 right now and feels downright balmy. My horses are all out sunbathing. Tonight we'll have one more night of -20, tomorrow 0 and then 20's and 30's are coming! I'm doing a happy dance.
It's moving out tomorrow. We're going to reach 60 degrees Friday  |
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 Expert
Posts: 1367
Location: mi | Oakley - 2014-01-06 11:38 PM Just wondering how cold it has to get before they get frostbite? I have a blanket on mine, but what about the tips of their ears?
Not that cold. Had a friend have a 2 year old get it on the tips of his ears. we only had a night or 2 that were down in single digits close to zero with very little wind. They were rock hard for awhile. I don't remember if they actually ever came off or not. He lost the horse later that same year and this was about 5 years ago. so..... But it now makes me more cautious on very cold nights. FYI he did have a shelter available but with 5 other horses out there maybe wasn't granted access when he needed it.
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 Twin Sister to Queen Boobie
Posts: 13315
Location: East Tennessee but who knows?! | It's colder here than it's been in like 30 years I think. 4 of mine are staying out 24/7 with access to a run in shed and a hay bale. Their muzzle hairs had ice on them along with the tops of their tails and a few places on their backs. They seem ok though.
My others were up and it was zero when I turned them out this morning. One of them had frozen muzzle hairs being in the stall. Turned them all out except my old man who's in the barn with a blanket.
I've been keeping hay in front of them and watering down feed. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 372
Location: Missouri | We were in the negatives yesterday, in Missouri.. my 4 are outside with access to go inside the barn. I've blanketed the past year but this year I've decided against blankets. All of mine are in good weight and full coat, I feel better knowing there's nothing interfering with their natural insulation, and no wet blankets keeping them wet and cold. They have 24/7 round bales, lots of cedar trees to back up to. |
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 The Purple Princess
Posts: 2226
Location: Charlestown, IN | ajs2002 - 2014-01-07 1:07 PM Oakley - 2014-01-06 11:38 PM Just wondering how cold it has to get before they get frostbite? I have a blanket on mine, but what about the tips of their ears? Not that cold. Had a friend have a 2 year old get it on the tips of his ears. we only had a night or 2 that were down in single digits close to zero with very little wind. They were rock hard for awhile. I don't remember if they actually ever came off or not. He lost the horse later that same year and this was about 5 years ago. so..... But it now makes me more cautious on very cold nights. FYI he did have a shelter available but with 5 other horses out there maybe wasn't granted access when he needed it.
Maybe a little different circumstance, but I bought a weanling filly this summer who was born February 1. We had a mild winter here last year. Her ears are frost bitten. :( I was thinking to myself how since it was mild, but I guess maybe if she were wet and the ground cold, that's how... They thought the mare had a month to go so that's why she was out and not on baby watch. I think the weather men said we didn't get under like 17* or something last year and that's not very cold compared to what we've been experiencing the last few days. I locked my horses in. Our barn was 30* warmer inside than it was outside. No blankets. Usually they all have the choice of being in or out. I kicked them out to do stalls and every one of them was beating on the door trying to get back in. HA They are out today. It's supposed to be in the 30's and 50's this weekend!! YAY!!! |
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 Dancing in my Mind
Posts: 3062
Location: Eastern OH but my heart is in WV | I brought my horses in Sunday about 5:00 pm. We got freezing rain that night then the temps dropped into the negatives. Tuesday was the coldest day and when I went out that morning to feed and they had small icecicles on their chins and noses (We have a old, sturdy barn but can not close up the one end). So I booted them out into the sunshine and they appeared happier being out than in (they are usually out 24/7). |
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Pig-Bear Dog Lover
| Murphy - 2014-01-07 10:43 AM
Mine are pretty content.
Â
Omg they look exactly like mine right now! |
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