Do horses get cold feet in the winter?

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Alflora

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I always worry about my TB's feet getting cold in the winter! especially when its snowy or wet. I have having cold feet, so i was wandering, do horses get it too?

If they do, theres not really much you can do anyway is there? you can pile as many rugs on them as you like to keep their top half warm, but theres nothing to keep their legs warm. :confused:

Probably a bit of a weird one! Just wondering if anyone else has worried about their horsie's feet before :p
 
Haha I do actually wonder about this when it is snowy! I don't think their legs are too bad as there are no muscles below where a rug sits, just tendons etc. But I do wonder about their little feet!
 
Apparently not. At least they don't appear to suffer from frostbite in their feet. Even sick or vunerable horses seem to manage ok. The tips of their ears could suffer from frostbite but never heard of it in their feet. Horses manage to live in some extreme climates and do very well.

Never noticed a horse reluctant to move over snow or frozen ground and yet they will show discomfort on rocky ground so I think if they were uncomfortable, they'd let you know.
 
I remember reading somewhere that they have a very specialised circulation system which means that blood cooled in the hoof when standing on ice or snow does not affect the leg temperature. Some form of in hoof temperature control :cool:
 
Well thats a relief! I always think about how much i hate having cold feet, then think about how i would beel if i had to stand in a cold muddy field/stable 24/7 :rolleyes:
 
Alflora said:
Well thats a relief! I always think about how much i hate having cold feet, then think about how i would beel if i had to stand in a cold muddy field/stable 24/7 :rolleyes:
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But you have feet, not hooves. Another silly human emotion being put on an animal that doesnt think nor feel like humans do.

Horses dont feel cold in their feet like we do, and if anything legs and feet should be cold with the exception of the odd medical issue (arthritis etc) that might benefit from joints being kept warm. There is NOTHING to be gained from keeping your horses legs/feet warm. I always chuckle at folk who put legs wraps on in the stable in winter, that's definitley or the owners benefit, not the horses, and in fact heating legs can be detrimental to the tendons.
 
Try picking out feet without gloves on (which you should always do anyway to check for anything unusual). Frogs & heels & coronet all warm, even when their feathers have icicles in them! :eek: :)
 
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