Cold temperatures and snow covered ground can lead to hoof and mouth related

problems for horses, especially older animals that may already have less than ideal

soundness of teeth, feet and legs. Colder weather requires greater energy intake by

horses. However most of the extra feed intake should be in the form of forage in order

to help horses stay warm through heat of digestion of fiber. Sedentary horses should be

provided with 1.5 - 2.0 percent of body weight per day of good quality hay, and active

horses or "hard keepers" may need additional grain supplementation, depending on

body condition. However, horses will not be able to efficiently use such large quantities

of dry feed without sound teeth. Horses often experience uneven wear on their

premolar and molar teeth, which require "floating" (filing) of the sharp points called

"hooks" that eventually appear on the edges of the cheek teeth.

Some horses with poor teeth may be able to maintain good body condition during warm

weather when they can graze forages that are tender and contain natural water. These

same horses, though, may lose weight when their poor teeth become inadequate to

grind dry forages over the winter months, so they don't get all the energy value they

should from their diet. Unfortunately, weight loss may not be detected for extended

periods of time during cold weather because horses may appear robust while in their

thick winter coats even when they have become quite thin. Horses should be examined

"hands-on" every few days in the winter to be sure that they are maintaining adequate

body condition such that the ribs cannot be easily felt with only light pressure on the

horse's ribcage. Horses that have obviously sharp hooks on the outside edges of the

upper cheek teeth should be treated by a trained veterinarian or equine dentist working

with a veterinarian. Other teeth problems, such as missing teeth, loose teeth, hooks on

the lower inside edges of check teeth, "waves" in the dental arcade, etc. are more

difficult to detect by the horse owner, so routine veterinary inspection of a horse's teeth

should be done twice per year.

Ice and snow accumulation, and freezing/thawing ground can cause feet and leg

unsoundness in horses. Even though horses' hooves do tend to grow slower during the

winter months, the growth does not stop altogether, and continued farrier appointments

should be kept every eight weeks or so. Hoof injuries from hard, frozen uneven ground

or from excess pressure on the sole from accumulated ice balls in the feet can be

debilitating. Bruising of the sole from frozen ground that was made rough from high

horse traffic such as occurs in many paddocks and turn-outs can lead to foot abscesses

that require veterinary treatment. When uneven muddy ground suddenly freezes,

horses should be kept off of it until it thaws.

It is generally a good idea to remove the shoes from horses that are turned out in

paddocks or pastures during the winter while maintaining normal hoof wall length and

angle through regular trimming. However, those hardy horse owners that continue to

ride outdoors in the winter time may logically choose to keep shoes on their horses

throughout the winter in order to avoid excess wear on those slower-growing hooves. In

this case, horses' feet should be inspected frequently to be sure that shoes are not

thrown, pulled off or sprung in the constantly changing ground that may be wet and

gooey one day and rock hard, slick and treacherous the next. Additionally, when there

is snow cover on the ground, horses wearing shoes are much more prone to

accumulating ice balls in the soles of their feet. The warmth from the sole of the

horse's foot partially melts some snow which re-freezes and then the inside rims of

horse shoes hold this material tightly in place. Horses with such accumulated ice in

their feet are susceptible to sole bruising, abscesses, foot discomfort, strained tendons

and ligaments, compromised balance, injuries from falls, etc.

Modern horses encounter seasonal problems that are related more to confined

management conditions rather than from inherent weakness of the horse. Horse

owners must realize that our horses need extra attention to cope with conditions that we

have imposed on them, like dry preserved feed and long term shoeing, especially during