The Cold Horse
“Is my horse cold?” — a question every horse owner ponders when the winter season hits. As caretakers, we want to ensure our horses stay comfortable, healthy, and content through the chill. But how can we truly interpret our horse’s comfort and help them thrive through the colder months?
Let’s start by understanding a horse’s natural cold tolerance and the incredible design that allows them to handle the cold far better than we often realize.
Understanding a Horse’s Cold Tolerance
Horses aren’t as sensitive to weather as we often think they are. Divinely designed, horses are built to handle cooler temperatures better than we realize through natural traits like piloerection, photoperiodism, and adaptation.
Despite sharing the same design, every horse is unique — with their own breed, age, body condition, coat, environment, and diet. All of these influence how they handle the cold. These differences can make it difficult for us, as horse owners and caretakers, to always know what’s best. Understanding each horse’s individual comfort level is essential, but researching and learning how to make educated decisions can feel daunting.
Here are a few simple ways I’ve learned to check if a horse might be cold — and what their behavior can tell us about their overall comfort.
Assess Their Stance
The way a horse stands can tell us a lot. Are they facing a certain direction? Tensed up? Shifting weight back and forth? Are multiple horses all standing the same way? These details help us read one piece of the comfort puzzle.
It’s important to remember that horses will choose what they need if they’re given the opportunity. A horse’s location also speaks volumes — it can be snowing heavily, and as long as they can eat comfortably, most will stay content. But once they begin to feel chilled, they’ll start conserving energy.
Signs of chill:
Standing tightly tucked or hunched
Clamping the tail close to the body
Shifting weight often
Shivering
Tense or reluctant to move
Standing with tail to the wind, not eating
Huddling with other horses
Standing away from food sources
Signs of comfort:
Relaxed and eating hay
Loose, fluid stance
Soft tail carriage
Calm or playful behavior
Lying down comfortably
Look for Shivering
Shivering is a natural response the body uses to generate heat — but it’s a later-stage effort if warmth isn’t being maintained through coat, shelter, or diet.
Take time to observe your horse to see if and when shivering happens. Persistent or full-body shivering means your horse is struggling to stay warm and needs help immediately.
I’ve noticed that horses tend to shiver when one of their needs isn’t being met internally — especially if they’re already acclimated to the season. That’s why choice is so important. When horses have access to both shelter and hay, they can meet their own needs more easily.
For example, one winter afternoon I found one of my mares shivering after she’d wandered away from her hay in the wind. Once I brought her some hay pellets and returned her to her dry hay, she was comfortable again within minutes. Diet plays a major role in warmth, and so does environment. When horses have the option, they’ll always work to balance their own body temperature — we just have to give them the tools to do so.
Feel Key Areas: Ears, Chest, and Inner Thighs
Ears: These can cool off quickly, but cold ears alone don’t always mean your horse is cold — check deeper tissues too.
Chest: One of the best indicators. If the skin feels chilled or tight, warmth is dropping.
Inner thighs: Should feel warm and supple. Cold, tense muscles can mean discomfort or poor circulation.
Always check multiple areas instead of relying on just one. Some horses aren’t used to being touched on the inner thigh, so approach slowly and respectfully — watch for body language and stop at the first sign of a “no.”
Consider Environmental Factors
A horse’s environment plays a huge role in comfort. Abrupt temperature changes, wind, and dampness can chill a horse quickly — especially if they can’t move freely or if their coat isn’t able to function properly.
With access to forage (preferably dry) and shelter, horses can usually regulate their temperature very efficiently — especially when they’re allowed to make their own choices, rather than being confined to a stall or small paddock with limited movement or meal times.
A supportive diet started before the cold season is one of the best tools for internal thermoregulation. Think about how we feel after a hot bowl of chili or a warm cup of cocoa on a cold day — or how movement keeps us warm enough to need fewer layers. Horses work much the same way.
Observe Coat, Behavior, and Appetite
Our horse’s behavior and stance reveal how they’re coping with cold weather. A horse that stops eating, becomes restless, stands tightly tucked, or spends excessive time huddled in shelter is telling us something isn’t working.
Pay attention on the good days too — when you know what’s normal for your horse, you’ll more easily spot subtle shifts and step in before they become uncomfortable.
Their coat is another key indicator. A fluffy coat shows that piloerection (that lifted hair layer that traps heat) is working properly. A dirty or matted coat can’t stand up as effectively, and a thin or short coat won’t insulate well enough.
Considering the Inevitable
There are many factors that can work against a horse staying comfortable in winter:
Age
Body condition
Coat quality
Environment
Older or younger horses often struggle more to stay warm. Horses with lower body weight, poor coat growth, or those not fully acclimated to their environment may also need extra support.
Preparation before the cold hits makes all the difference — from nutrition and shelter to consistent observation and care.
Knowing Is the First Step
Once we recognize the signs, the next step is knowing how to respond — whether that means adding a layer, offering more forage, or supporting internal warmth.
In my Cozy Horse Course, I walk through how to understand your horse’s natural thermoregulation, how to decide if or when to blanket, and how diet, environment, and movement all work together to keep them comfortable all winter long.
I’ll be adding more soon, so enrolling now helps you save in the long run!
Stewardship Through Awareness
Comfort for horses isn’t about heavy blanketing — it’s about observing, understanding, and adjusting to each horse’s needs. We all want happy, healthy horses, and the best way to do that is to listen, learn, and respond.
“A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal.”
Trust your observations. Your horse will tell you how he feels — we just have to know what to look for and how to respond with thoughtful care and stewardship.
God designed horses with remarkable systems to keep them comfortable — piloerection to lift and insulate the coat, photoperiodism to adjust their coat and metabolism with daylight changes, and natural adaptation to help them acclimate over time. When we take the time to learn how and when our horses become cold, we can set them up to fully use those systems the way He intended. A horse cared for in harmony with that divine design will stay strong, healthy, and content through every season.
