Fall Horse Care Tips for Healthy Horses

Preparing Horses for Seasonal Changes

• A few things happen to your horse’s body as the seasons change. In the fall, horses adjust their hormones to grow a thicker coat and gain weight to protect themselves from the cold weather. For some horses, this is beneficial. For others, the extra hair and weight can be uncomfortable and risky.

Recognizing Signs of Fall Weather Impact on Horses

• As the seasons change, take note of a few things:

Your horse’s weight

• Those extra pounds can help a “hard keeper.” But, those extra pounds can increase laminitis and colic risks for “easy keepers” and those with metabolic disorders like pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID, formerly called Cushing’s disease).

• Extra weight also strains tendons, ligaments, joints, and hooves in addition to making thermoregulation harder. For some horses, a winter coat, combined with additional weight and exercise, may lead to uncomfortable sweating and increase the risk of overheating.

Their hair growth

• Use blankets if their winter coat isn’t matching the weather and they need an extra layer of warmth. Yes, it will compress their coat, but blankets also offer waterproofing, protection from the wind, and help the underweight horse use calories for weight gain instead of maintaining warmth.

• Also, boost your grooming routine to ensure you check their skin health. The extra winter coat will trap moisture and dirt, creating the perfect opportunity for mud fever or rain rot.

Sweating patterns

• Notice the circumstances when your horse sweats in winter. Does it interfere with cooling down? Are they sweating just standing around, or while riding?

• Hairy horses in winter protect them from the elements, but when the weather is cold, it’s time to body clip or trace clip. For many horses, clipping is a valuable tool for maintaining their comfort and health.

Hoof growth

• You may notice that hoof growth slows down in colder weather. For healthy hooves, you could lengthen the time between visits. For others, maintaining the same schedule and taking extra care with nutritional supplements or hoof hardeners may be necessary for added protection.

Adjusting Daily Routines for Shorter Days and Cooler Temperatures

• The missing daylight is one of the equestrian’s biggest foes. You may be riding and mucking around in the dark, or adjusting your ride times to avoid the cold mornings and nights.

• You may also change the training plan, in which case, adjust your horse’s diet accordingly.

• Many farms may adjust their winter turnout schedules for various reasons, and weather conditions may limit the amount of safe time spent outside. You’ll have to find ways to increase exercise and play when that happens.

Fall Horse Care Tips – Nutritional Strategies

• Nutritional needs vary in the fall and winter, and your horse’s overall health, weight, and fitness routine will dictate any necessary adjustments. Working with an equine nutritionist is always a good idea! Make changes in these areas:

Caloric changes and nutritional requirements

• Increase calories for underweight horses, and reduce calories for air ferns.

• If pasture grass fades, boost your horse’s forage intake and provide the missing vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients they may be lacking. Vitamin E is a prime example of a nutrient plentiful in grass, but not in hay.

• Omega-3 fatty acids are another, and those extra anti-inflammatory benefits of Omega-3s support your horse’s overall health.

• If your horse’s hooves struggle with hard ground, boosting their diet with hoof supplements may help.

Read more about the benefits of Omega-3s for horses here.

Hydration

• Dehydration is a top cause of impaction colic, among other vet bills. As the weather cools, tempt your horse to drink more by offering warm and cold water. They prefer to drink cold, but will drink more of the warm.

• Add water to commercial feeds to create a smooth consistency and enhance hydration.

• Gourmet waters are another option, using hay cubes, some feed, or a handful of Omega-3 fatty acids to flavor their water and tempt them to drink.

Health Checks and Preventive Care in Fall

• Just like the spring, fall is ideal for a quick visit from your vet to check teeth, metabolism, and administer vaccines as needed. Be sure to schedule these things in addition to a wellness exam.

Dental examination

• Not all horses need teeth floating twice a year, or even once a year. It’s still essential for your vet to examine and assess their teeth to identify and address hooks, ramps, waves, and other equine dental conditions that can affect their comfort and health.

Vaccinations

There are core vaccinations for horses that every horse needs:

• Tetanus
• Eastern & Western Equine Encephalomyelitis (EEE and WEE)
• West Nile Virus (WNV)
• Rabies

And need-based vaccines that vary based on location, age, and other factors:

• Anthrax
• Botulism
• Equine Herpesvirus (Rhinopneumonitis)
• Equine Influenza
• Equine Viral Arteritis
• Leptospirosis
• Potomac Horse Fever
• Rotaviral Diarrhea
• Snake Bite
• Strangles
• Venezuelan Equine Encephalomyelitis (VEE)

Your vet can guide you in understanding your horse’s risk factors.

For more information about fall vaccinations, read this.

Parasite control and deworming best practices

• Effective parasite control is a critical preventive measure in the fall. As pastures are grazed down, the concentration of parasite eggs can increase, putting your horse at greater risk. Unchecked internal parasites can lead to weight loss, colic, and other serious health issues.

• The best practice is to work with your veterinarian to develop a targeted deworming strategy. This process begins with a fecal egg count (FEC) to determine your horse’s specific parasite load and identify the most effective deworming products. This approach helps prevent overuse of dewormers and fights drug resistance.

• For best results with your deworming plan:
• • Have your vet perform a fecal egg count. Low counts may not require any treatment.
  • Choose a dewormer based on the FEC results.
  • Avoid using the same dewormer exclusively to prevent resistance.

Fall horse care tips for metabolic health

• Your horse’s hormones signal your horse’s body in the fall to grow hair and put on weight. It’s primarily the hormone adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) that rises, triggering the release of extra cortisol and insulin. This shift in hormones increases a horse’s risk of laminitis.

• If your horse already has PPID or equine metabolic syndrome, this shift in autumn can worsen their condition. It’s always wise to monitor your horse’s blood work to adjust medications, diet, and lifestyle, thereby preventing complications.

Fall is risky for laminitis

• Along with the hormonal changes, there’s another risk factor for laminitis in autumn. Grasses stress out due to fluctuating temperatures, a looming dormancy, and the need to hoard sugars to survive the winter. Stressed grasses are higher in starches and sugars, therefore also increasing the risk of laminitis, especially so for equines with metabolic disorders.

• Many horses benefit from using grazing muzzles in the fall, as this time is riskier than the spring.

Read this for more information about fall laminitis risks.

Stable and Pasture Preparation for Colder Weather

• As colder weather approaches, it’s time to prepare your horse’s living environment. Taking steps to winterize your stable and manage your pasture will keep your horse safe, comfortable, and healthy.

Weatherproofing shelter and improving ventilation

• There are two key considerations for your barn and outdoor shelters. Can they withstand the rain, and do they block the wind?

• It’s tempting to create an insulated house, but horses need fresh air more than they need to be bundled up like we do. If they have forage to eat, blankets as an extra layer, and a wind-blocked area, they will be fine.

• Poor ventilation leads to respiratory problems caused by ammonia, dust, and other airborne contaminants.

Barn safety

• It’s never a bad idea to make sure your barn’s systems are in working order. Two key areas to focus on are the feed room for rodent control and the electrical systems.

• Cold weather brings rodents inside, and if there are treats about or the feed room is sloppy, you have just given the rats and mice a reason to stay.

• Your weatherproofing checklist should include:

• • Inspecting electrical cables for fraying or rodent damage.
  • Patching major drafts while ensuring adequate ventilation.
  • Securing all feed in rodent-proof containers.
  • Checking fences for loose boards, sagging wire, or other damage.

Pasture management and water source maintenance

• Proper pasture management in the fall helps your fields recover and reduces parasite exposure. If you have the space, rotate pastures to give your summer fields a rest. You can also remove manure from paddocks or spread it thinly to allow sun and frost to kill parasite larvae over the winter.

• Maintaining water sources is also critical. Horses often drink less in cold weather, but their water intake is more crucial than ever as they transition to a dry hay diet, which increases their risk of colic. Ensure they have constant access to fresh, unfrozen water.

• To prepare your pastures and water sources:

• • Rotate pastures to let summer fields rest.
  • Remove or spread manure to kill parasites.
  • Install heated buckets or a tank de-icer to prevent water from freezing.

Horse Grooming and Coat Care During Fall Shedding

• Groom as you usually do, but take a little more time. As the thick winter coat grows in, you’ll notice how much dust and dirt it can trap. This is also the time to consider blankets and determine what type may work best for your horse.

Best practices for brushing, bathing, and skin health

• The top fall horse care tip is that you can never curry comb too much. Keeping that dust and dander coming to the surface helps your brushes do the work of flicking that dirt away. You can also invest in stiff-bristled brushes that are better suited to a thicker coat.

• If you clip your horse, it’s easier to keep them clean, but you must keep the insides of their blankets clean. This helps with stinky odors, too.

• If you have a warm, sunny day, a bath is perfect for creating a squeaky-clean long winter coat. If the weather prohibits a full bath, use a no-rinse shampoo or spot treatment to remove stains, odors, and lift the glued-on pieces of dust. There’s more static electricity in cooler weather, which makes lifting dust harder unless you can break through it with a spritz of water or a no-rinse shampoo.

• Always use your fingertips and eyes to detect skin issues, such as rain rot or mud fever, which start as small scabs but can develop into significant problems.

Read this for more information about a horse’s skin and how sebum is vital to skin health.

Read this for more tips on spot-treating stains.

Fall horse care tips for coats and comfort

• Supporting your horse’s comfort as their winter coat grows in is a key part of any fall horse care checklist. The decision to blanket depends on your horse’s individual needs, the climate, and the condition of their coat. Clipped, thick as a yak, or somewhere in between.

• A few weeks before you think you’ll need blankets, take them out and inspect them for holes, cleanliness, and the condition of the straps. Now’s a good time to do a waterproofing treatment, too. There are numerous cleansers and waterproofing washes or sprays that can revive your blankets.

• Rain sheets are helpful if your horse needs help staying waterproof. The sebum produced by their skin adds shine and fights microbes, and if not plentiful, can impact their ability to shed water.

Find the complete guide to blanketing here.

Read more about Nikwax products to clean and waterproof horse gear.

Fall Horse Care Tips for Hooves and Legs

• Fall brings special considerations for hoof care. On one hand, autumn can be a good time for hooves as hoof wall growth is strong, and the chipping caused by stomping at summer flies is over. On the other hand, wetter conditions can lead to muddy paddocks, which increases the risk of hoof issues such as thrush and pastern dermatitis.

• The key to preventing any hoof issue, regardless of weather, is to diligently pick hooves and allow your horse as much movement as possible. Use topical hoof treatments as needed, and feed the feet from the inside out.

• If wet weather is constant, use a moisture barrier before exposure to help prevent excessive softening.

• Stay vigilant for hoof cracks and treat them as if they will become white line disease.

Read this for more info on thrush and other skin issues.

Pulling horseshoes in the fall

• Consider whether pulling shoes is best for your horse. If they rest and play all winter, horses may benefit from barefoot time. Be aware of the sometimes tricky transition between shod and barefoot, and allow your horse plenty of access to soft footing and bedding, while protecting the hooves with boots.

• For extra snowy areas, barefoot hooves may fare better as they don’t create snowball feet as much as a shod horse. However, thin-soled horses or those on frozen ground are more likely to be painful or develop bruising without horseshoes.

• It’s never a bad idea to have your vet do a set of hoof X-rays to check the soles and overall balance and health of the hooves. This helps gauge the safety and practicality of pulling horseshoes in winter, and gives your farrier an excellent overview of the hoof to create the best trimming plan.

For more information on hoof care in winter, click here.

If you can feed and care for your horse in a preventative manner, the transition into fall and winter is smooth. Go back to the basics and address diet, shelter, hooves, and metabolic health to stay ahead of major issues as cold weather arrives.

Key Highlights

Here are the key fall horse care tips:

• Adjust your horse’s diet to compensate for dwindling pasture and prepare for the cooler months.
• Schedule essential fall health checks, including dental exams, vaccinations, and parasite control.
• Prepare your horse’s shelter and pasture to ensure safety and comfort during seasonal changes.
• Update your grooming routine to manage your horse’s thickening coat and maintain skin health.
• Pay close attention to hoof care to prevent issues caused by wet, muddy conditions.
• Making these adjustments is vital for your horse’s health as you transition from summer to winter.