If your horse is going to spend winter outside, inside, or a combination of the two, you will need to work a little bit harder to keep your horse in healthy condition. Make a plan of action based on your horse’s needs and shop early for supplies that you will need for the winter.
Your horse’s outside environment
:
If your horse is going to be outside most of the winter, ensure there is access to a run-in shed/barn to provide shelter against wind, rain, or snow.
Your horse’s inside environment:
Prepare your barn now for what could be a long, cold winter. Check the mats, footing and/or bedding in your stalls and outside runs. Check your water heaters and de-icers. Insulate any faucets, hoses or faucets that are exposed to open air. Resist the temptation to close your barn up air-tight, good ventilation is important – even if you have to sacrifice a little bit of temperature to achieve it.
To blanket, or not to blanket:
If you will be riding and working your horse throughout the winter, you may or may not want to do some variation of body clipping. Any horses that are clipped through the winter will require blanketing as the temperatures fall. 
Beware, horses get warm very easily. If no one is around to remove blankets mid-day, as the temperatures warm up, do not blanket your horses during the day. A sweaty horse in the winter is a prelude to a case of colic. Check any blanketed horses daily for rubs and sores. Make sure all blankets are 100% water proof. A damp blanket may actually chill your horse rather than warm it.
Use a blanket with discretion and err on the larger side when buying one for your horse.
Tips for Winter Feeding
- Feed more hay and less grain, substitute two pounds of hay for every pound of grain you decrease in the horse’s daily ration to keep your horse warmer
- Encourage water consumption by offering warm water, or use insulated or heated buckets to keep water at a higher temperature (ideal water temperature is 45 to 65º F), to reduce incidence of impaction colic
- Add salt, mineral supplement or electrolytes to the feed to increase water consumption and reduce impaction colic risk
- Turn the horse out as much as possible, or provide adequate exercise to aid gut motility and prevent colic
- Feed hay off the ground or position the hay net below the horse’s head to aid in nasal and lung drainage and lessen incidence of respiratory problems
- Use a weight tape every 30-60 days to gauge your horses body condition.
