From: Deanne
Dear Jessica, I sure hope you can help me with my problem! I own two horses, both geldings. One is eleven and the other is nine. They get along pretty well. My barn is small with only four stalls (two are empty) and a feedroom. The hay is stacked over the stalls. In the summer, I keep both horses turned out in a pasture that is about three acres with wire fence and a shed that they use for shelter, and a water tank. In the winter, I try to keep them indoors and give them their exercise one at a time, under saddle, because my older gelding, Ringo, has developed heaves and I am worried that keeping him outdoors in cold weather will hurt his lungs. My vet says that Ringo would be better off outdoors, but I find this hard to believe as the temperature here in winter can stay near freezing for a month or two at a time! I have to wear a scarf over my nose and mouth because of the cold air, so how can it be okay for my horses to be outside like that???
I guess my problem is really two problems. One is this thing about putting Ringo outdoors in such cold weather, and the other is my worry that Dante will develop heaves too, since he is two years younger than Ringo he might get it later. What can I do about Ringo's condition without putting him outside, and how can I keep Dante from developing heaves too?
Thank you Jessica! It is such a comfort to have your advice. If you don't mind my asking, what do you do with your own horses in the winter?
Yours sincerely, Deanne
Hi Deanne! My first suggestion, as usual when there's a medical matter involved, is TALK TO YOUR VET.
I have to agree with your vet that turnout is best for Ringo, and probably best for Dante as well. I do understand your reluctance to put your horse out into cold that you find uncomfortable, but YOU ARE THINKING IN HUMAN TERMS! Please try to look at the situation from Ringo's point of view. Horses are cold-weather animals! They are quite comfortable in temperatures that have humans scurrying for polarfleece jackets and hats and gloves and scarves -- and they are uncomfortable at the warm temperatures that many humans prefer in the winter.
A temperature just around freezing, or even lower, is not going to bother your horses one little bit, as long as they have a shelter (just a three-sided shed) and access to water and hay and salt. In fact, they'll be much more comfortable outdoors than indoors, as they can enjoy the sun when the sun is out, share body heat when the sun isn't out, and exercise freely to warm themselves -- none of these options are available to horses in stalls. if your geldings are in good shape and have their winter coats, you won't even have to bother with blankets -- again, humans think in terms of blankets, but horses would rather fluff up their coats and enjoy their freedom of movement. My own horses haven't even SEEN their blankets for the last several years; their hay keeps them warm, their shed keeps the wind off, and they are happy. Only if there is a cold, wet snow blowing directly INTO the open side of the shed, will I bring them indoors for the night or put waterproof blankets on them!
Your vet's advice is absolutely on target, and follows the current understanding of this disease. The WORST dangers for a horse with heaves are all IN the barn: mold, dust, hay dust and mold spores, straw bedding and mold spores, ammonia in stalls, and lack of ventilation, especially for horses that like to lie down for naps and are then that much closer to the dust, mold, and ammonia...
If you have a very, very well-ventilated barn, absolutely clean stalls with dust-free, mold-free bedding (peat moss and shredded paper are good), and if the bedding is stored in another building AND the hay is stored in another building and is soaked before it is fed to the horses, and if you keep stall floors and walls disinfected, you MIGHT be able to create an indoor environment for your horses that would be nearly, but not quite, as good as their OUTDOOR environment.
Talk to your vet about your fears for Dante. Some horses are more susceptible than others, and two companion horses can go on for years, one WITH heaves and one without -- nobody understands exactly why some horses develop a problem and others don't. Certainly, you can help Dante by putting him immediately into the same healthy outdoor environment that your vet has suggested for Ringo. And if stress is a factor in heaves, then the more natural life of an outdoor horse, plus the companionship provided by a buddy, should work in both horses' favour.
Jessica
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