Frozen Troughs and Sunny Turnouts

It’s now that time of year when our water troughs are beginning to freeze at night🥶 Last night we had temperatures drop into the mid 20’s, and this morning we had our first solid covering of ice on all of our water troughs! With winter quickly approaching, I want to evaluate my various turnouts and their suitability for my minis. There are some things that horses will always need such as fresh water, food and shelter, but in the cold winter months it is also very important to provide access to ample sunshine along with windbreaks whenever possible. Sometimes this means that a shady paddock that was preferred in the summertime is no longer desirable in the winter. The same can be true for run-in shelters. Those without sides can be nice in the summer because they provide more airflow, but in the heart of winter your horse will much more prefer a shelter with sides to help shield them from the wind. Horses in the wild or in larger turnouts will naturally seek protection from the elements in a thick forest, but horses kept on smaller acreage rely upon their owners to provide suitable structures to meet their needs.