Severe winter weather always raises concerns among horse owners regarding the management of various cold weather challenges and the proper care of their horses. What counts as severe depends on where you live but no matter the location the biggest concerns tend to relate colic risk and weight loss. In this episode we discuss:

• how to keep your horses hydrated when their water is freezing
• whether feeding more hay or grain is best to maintain body condition in cold weather
• the importance of salt for hydration
• why horses are at greater risk for impaction colic when temperatures freeze
• How your horse can use their diet to keep warm
• Why blankets can help reduce your feed bill
• Plus tips on how to make winter barn chores more manageable
• and so much more!

Do you have questions about your horse? Contact us at info@scoopandscale.com

Thanks for riding along with us!

With your horse's estimated body weight and condition score in hand you now have what you need to move on towards assessing their diet. In this episode we discuss:

• how to determine what your horse's minimum forage intake should be each day
• how to determine their actual forage intake
• the importance of weighing everything that you are feeding your horse
• how to use the feeding directions on bagged feed along with body weight and condition to determine if you are feeding the correct kind of concentrate feed
• the kinds of changes to consider making if things aren't what they should be
• and so much more!

Do you have questions about feeding your horse? Contact us at info@scoopandscale.com

Thanks for riding along with us!

Body condition scoring is an objective technique used to determine whether a horse is in optimal condition or not. When a horse's body condition is less than or more than optimal it suggests that the dietary calorie intake needs to be adjusted. Once you know if your horse's condition is optimal, knowing its weight is important so that you can determine how to feed commercial feeds and supplements correctly. Various methods exist for estimating body weight when a scale is not available. But how accurate are these methods, and how do we know if this weight is actually a good one or not? In this episode we talk about:

• Why guessing your horse's weight is not a good idea
• How to use a weight tape and whether they are accurate
• Body weight calculations and whether they are better than weight tapes
• What condition scoring is and how to do it
• How to use body condition to determine whether your horse's current weight is ideal
• Considerations around breed, conformation and discipline when determining ideal body condition

For instructions on body condition scoring click HERE
For a video on body condition scoring click HERE
For a video on how to take weight measurements click HERE

Do you have questions about feeding your horse? Contact us at info@scoopandscale.com

Thanks for riding along with us!