Thin or neglected horses don’t fare well when temperatures dip in wintertime. Anza Valley Outlook/Courtesy photo
Winter can be a time of refreshing, crisp, cool weather punctuated by freezing rain, snow and frigid winds. Animals such as horses naturally grow extra coats to combat the cold and inclement weather. But in order to remain as healthy as can be, they need extra nutrition to stay warm, experts say.Local equestrians know horses need more hay during the winter months.“Forage, specifically long stem hay, is very important to your horse during the colder temperatures,” Dr. Robert Bray, Equine Nutritionist at Star Milling Company, said. “For a horse to maintain body warmth during thewinter, the answer is simple, feed grass hay and if you are currently feeding grass hay, feed more.”Long-stem hay requires the animal’s gut to contract more energetically to move the food thr
