Extreme Weather Horse Care Successes

Bitter cold winters can be brutal for Texans and their vulnerable horses. The 2021 blizzard claimed 250 lives and left 4 million people without power for days in subfreezing temperatures. The 2023 ice storm downed power lines – leaving 350,000 people without power. Both the blizzard, an ice storm and life in a desert state have tested my Extreme Weather Horse Care techniques.

What to do to battle extreme temperatures in the unforgiving winter and the scorching hot summer? In my opinion and based on my experience, focus on hydration, feed, blanketing and escape from the elements. Of course, always consult your vet. My methods may not work for everyone. I’m not a veterinarian, but excellent veterinarians, in three states over the course of 40 years, have educated me about how to properly manage my beloved horses.

First, proper hydration – a game-changer because it can prevent colic. In my opinion and based on my experience, #Horse Quencher is a must-have because it always makes my horses drink. While in Nevada to handle family business, my always hydrated mare coliced in a West Coast stable. She coliced three times in a week. A vet oiled her each time. According to the barn manager, my miserable mare stood and groaned as if giving birth.

Finally, a vet recommended Horse Quencher to me. Needless to say, I traveled to the barn, slept in an apartment space, began offering her Apple-flavored Horse Quencher mixed with water. She drank and drank buckets of water which offered to her. Then, I walked her for long periods of time in a round pen. One day, when we circled in the round pen, she paused, groaned and expelled a hard basketball of manure. The manure apples didn’t break apart. What caused the problem? A broken automatic waterer and a stable hand – paid extra when I traveled to Nevada, who failed to fill a new clean manure bucket placed next to the automatic waterer.

Horse Quencher saved her again in Nevada at a barn in the summer. The barn owner/manager claimed she has never had an issue with automatic waterers over the course of decades. With no other satisfactory options available, I moved my retired mare there, informed them of the previous automatic waterer problem, I checked on her – a couple of times a week. I trusted management to insure that  it wouldn’t occur again. It did. Once again, a veterinarian responded, after hours this time, and oiled her. Needless to say, it’s important for management to keep water buckets filled with clean water. Why take a risk? Insist on water buckets. I credit Horse Quencher again for locking-in a positive result.

Then, I began offering her Horse Quencher on a regular basis for peace of mind. Why not? The upside is huge and the downside is small. A colic call costs more than a 3.5-pound bag of product. My horses crave the Apple flavor. When they smell it, they begin pawing. Other flavors include – Butterscotch, Peppermint  and Root Beer. See: https://www.horsequencher.com When dealing with a blizzard and ice storm or any adverse weather at my Texas home and barn, I offer my horses Horse Quencher before and after the major weather events.

They devour it every time. Remarkably, my horses have slurped Horse Quencher in a bucket of water with floating ice chunks! Yes, you can get a heated water bucket, but it doesn’t stimulate their taste buds, their urge to drink. My horses drink volumes when I offer Horse Quencher. It’s as irresistible as a carrot or apple for them. A final thought, I always keep Horse Quencher in my feed room year-round and use it especially in winter and summer months. It’s important to check the expiration date that appears on each bag.

Second, feed. I feed a horse quality round bale covered in a hay net and housed in a hay hut. Typically, round bales cost less to feed than flakes – making it an economical way to feed horses especially three or more. When I buy square bales, not every bale makes the cut. A vet told me never to buy silky soft hay because it binds up in a horse’s gut. I always check flakes for silky softness, moisture, weeds, abundant stems and mold. Of course, the same hay supplier provides my round and square bales. A horse is more more likely to colic from a change of hay than from a change of grain.

Horses & The Hay Hut

Particularly, during the ice storm and blizzard, my regular practice of feeding a flake of high-quality alfalfa, at night, when they were tucked away in their dry clean stalls helped insure a comfortable restful night for them and me. Alfalfa coats their gut. At times, they walked out of the stalls  into the runs connected their stalls. But they preferred to stay in the stalls protected from the cold north wind. Especially, during the ice storm, when they had to be stalled, I tossed flakes of quality coastal hay for breakfast and lunch.

Third, blanketing, I buy #Rambo and only Rambo blankets. I still own and regularly use a Rambo blanket that I purchased twenty-five years ago. See:https://www.doversaddlery.com/rambo-med-weight-turnout-rug/p/Z1-24137A/ I’ve always purchased the Rambo Wash. With only 1-2 ounces of product. I clean and retain the waterproofing. My blanket still sheds water as well as it did from the day of purchase. If possible, it’s best to buy a top-notch blanket, new or used, once than buy a cheap blanket year after year after year. In the long run, it saves money, stress and frustration. Who wants to wait on a top notch proper-fitting blanket to arrive when dealing with a surprise polar-like weather event? A day seems like a year.

Finally, Horse Quencher, high quality hay, Rambo blankets and a clean dry stall can turn days of teeth-chattering record-breaking weather into a manageable inconvenience for you and your beloved horse.

For my cherished horses, through thick and thin, whether I’m visible or not, I pledge to give you the best. Yet, the best pales in comparison to the unforgettable joy, mind-bending triumphs and exhilarating adventures that we’ve shared.

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