Frog1
New User
What are common signs that a horse is suffering from the cold?
Cold horse
- Thread starter Frog1
- Start date
AmyMay
Situation normal
It feels cold, it looks cold and it shivers.........
amandathepanda
Well-Known Member
His fur will stand up a bit - they tend to get a fluffy appeareance, they look tucked up through their hind quaters and often clamp their tails down. He will probably carry his head lower & will generally look miserable.
JAK
Well-Known Member
Everything Panda & AmyMay have already said!
Try feeling his/her ears - though the tips may be cold, if you place your hand around the base, you should be able to feel warmth coming through - if you can't, the horse/pony is certainly too cold.
Similarly, is there is little heat coming through the body when a hand is placed firmly against it & held there.
Something brought into a stable all dejected & miserable from a cold, wet field should start to look comfortable & happier almost immediately. If they do not do so and/or have not started eating their forage etc. virtually straightaway, they are pretty darned cold indeed!
Horses cope quite well with the cold generally but unless native ponies, it's the wind & the rain that really gets to them!
Try feeling his/her ears - though the tips may be cold, if you place your hand around the base, you should be able to feel warmth coming through - if you can't, the horse/pony is certainly too cold.
Similarly, is there is little heat coming through the body when a hand is placed firmly against it & held there.
Something brought into a stable all dejected & miserable from a cold, wet field should start to look comfortable & happier almost immediately. If they do not do so and/or have not started eating their forage etc. virtually straightaway, they are pretty darned cold indeed!
Horses cope quite well with the cold generally but unless native ponies, it's the wind & the rain that really gets to them!
sleepingdragon10
Well-Known Member
I always check their 'armpits'! Always a good indicator of whether they're warm enough.