Winter is upon us at Promontory in Park City, Utah, and fun snow activities are all around us.  In fact, with winter comes much excitement and thrill because there’s so much to do—skiing, snowboarding, hiking, and even horseback riding.

The wintery countryside is picturesque and pairing the landscape with a horseback ride makes for one incredible event. But, before horses can be ridden in the winter, we need to consider their care.

If our horses are not prepped and ready for the change in weather, then we could find ourselves in a serious bind and do our horse a serious disservice. So, let’s consider some of the major ways to care for a horse during the winter:

1. Housing Is An Absolute Must:

Summer months are relatively hassle-free when it comes to prepping and caring for our horses’ quarters. When the winter months hit, however, we have to be a bit more proactive and careful about how we keep the horses.

Horses do well outside even during winter months and need to be out and active.  Just be certain that you have shelter for your horses for those times when winter weather becomes intense. The best shelter is one with three walls and a roof. Do not keep horses closed up with minimal airflow, as it can be damaging to their respiratory health.

A good tip is to leave the horse out during the day and bring him or her inside at night.

2. Horses Need Exercise In The Winter:

While humans, bears and other animals like to retreat during the cold months, horses need to maintain a certain level of activity in order to remain healthy. Continue to ride your horse on a regular basis during the winter months if the weather isn’t treacherous.

If you cannot ride your horse as much during winter months, make sure that they have a large pasture or paddock to explore and roam daily.  Remember, exercise is key all year, so don’t keep your horse from moving about, rather, help them get their natural desire to exercise.

3. Always Keep Water Unfrozen:

Horses need water just like humans need water to remain hydrated. However, if you leave water out in below-freezing temperatures, that won’t help your horse because they need unfrozen drinking water.

What can you do to keep water from freezing?

If you live in an area where temperatures remain below freezing for the winter, then you need to invest in special heating devices designed for horse troughs and watering.