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Winter time for horse owners often means slogging through the mud, sacrificing riding time as we hurry to get chores done before it gets dark. Winter weather can wreak havoc on our barns, our paddocks, and our patience. But taking a few precautions during the fall, before the winter storms really hit, can make a big difference through the coldest months of the year.
Bring your horses in off the pasture
The health of next year’s summer pasture depends heavily on your pasture management during the fall. Pasture plants go dormant when the weather turns cold, and they can’t survive trampling and continuous grazing. Damaged pastures can be slow to start growing in the spring, so it’s best to allow them to produce at least four inches of leaf growth for winter protection. Keeping your horses off soggy winter pastures also helps prevent soil compaction, which helps improve both drainage and spring plant growth.
Looking for confinement innovations for the winter months? Read more about confinement areas other paddock tips here.
Revive your paddock footing
Good footing in your paddocks will keep your horses more comfortable and help with mud and manure management. Consider adding hogfuel (chipped wood), gravel (1/2 – 5/8” crushed rock), and/or coarse washed sand to sacrifice areas, paddocks, walkways, and high traffic areas. Ordering these materials before the weather turns means better availability—and it’ll be easier for delivery trucks to navigate your paddocks before they get soggy mid-winter.
Read more tips about paddock footing here.
Replace or update your lighting
With fewer daylight hours at our disposal, it can be a challenge to finish chores in the dark. Adding lights to paddocks and walkways can help you stay diligent with the good manure management habits you’ve been practicing all year, and lights around your barn and property will help keep things safe and secure. This is also a good time to look for and replace burned out or flickering bulbs. The last thing you’ll want to do is spend a cold evening holding a flashlight during an emergency vet call.
Check gutters and downspouts
Barns and other horse structures are a significant investment. Keeping your gutters and downspouts clear of debris can help prevent significant water damage from rain or melting snow. Now is the time to clean, repair, and make any needed additions to your roof runoff system. Diverting rain and melt water away from paddocks is also important in our goal to “keep clean rainwater clean.” Grassy swales, dry wells, rain barrels, stock watering tanks, or unused areas of vegetation are all excellent places to drain your downspouts to prevent ground and surface water contamination.
Bonus Tip
Reroute runoff
Standing surface water can turn your horse property into a muddy mess and make chores extremely difficult. Grade driveways and parking areas so that surface water can drain into ditches, grassy swales, rain gardens, or culverts. Water bars and French drains can help divert water out of and away from confinement areas, barns, and parking lots. Remember, areas that are wet and muddy in late fall or early winter can turn into hard, icy areas when the winter cold really sets in. Not only does this make pushing a wheelbarrow challenging, but it can be difficult to walk on for horses and humans alike.
Update your winter clothing
Finishing chores is considerably more appealing when you can stay warm and dry throughout the process. Fall is a great time to take inventory of your barn wardrobe and make sure it’s compatible with winter weather. Has your waterproof jacket sprung a leak? Are the soles of your mud boots cracking? Are your riding boots, gloves, or coat warm enough for your climate? Learn ways to layer your existing clothing, and if it’s time for a few replacements, consider investing in high-quality clothing that will last for several years. We’ve listed some of our favorite winter gear below.
- Hot Chillys Thermal Underwear
- Tough Headwear Helmet Liner Beanie
- Patagonia Down Sweater Puffer Jacket
- Anqier Winter Gloves
Each of these steps will help you tackle the hassles of winter by making your horse property as chore-efficient and comfortable as possible.
