This message is from: Phillip Odden <n...@centurytel.net>
Hello from Phillip Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin whereas everyone has hear it has been cold. When the weather service starts talking of -20 to -30 F cold along with brisk winds it kind of gets your attention. There have been wind chill reading around 40 to 55 below for the past two days and nights. Its been a few years since we have experienced this degree of cold. There has been a good deal of cold and snow already this winter season since mid November, so you might say we have had a chance to warm up to the idea of sever cold. Having the opportunity to view our Fjords at the Rose parade gave us all as a nice warm feeling. Thanks to all involved for your vision, hard work, and experience showmanship to get it done. But back to reality for us in the Northern climes. And not only us. The cold extends far south through many states. Temperatures with regard to our Fjord horses are more relative to what us as humans and caretakers feel than to what the Fjords feel ultimately. We know that there are several Fjords living further North in Canada and Alaska where temperature like those we have experienced are far more common. Still people and horses living further south are not used to these sever temps. As the weather service prepared us for the cold coming our way with such dire predictions I considered various plans for my 15 Fjords. They are in groups of from 2 to 5 head in paddocks located close to the barn, arena and hay shed. I have plenty of room to tie them in stalls or let them run in the indoor arena. My horses are outside 24/7 all year unless I bring them in to be tied or worked in the unheated indoor arena. There are 5 outdoor water fountains and each group has free choice salt with minerals and selenium. I feed hay that we grow and put up here on our farm. I grow mostly grass hay made up of timothy, orchard grass, brome and some legumes like red and white clover and a bit of alfalfa. My hay tests around 12% protein. I put it up after it has headed out so its rather coarse and stemy. Good alfalfa would test around 20% protein. Horse nutritionists say 12% protein hay is optimal for our horses. The added protein does more harm than good. This year I put up 50 dry round bales and about 450 small square bales. I place the round bales close to the fence and unwrap the bales with a fork and shove the hay under the fence to the horses morning and early evening. The horses can go out to the snow covered pastures and paw for what they can find as well. It gives them something to do but there isn’t much to find. At least they deposit the manure in a good place. I feed about 20 pounds of hay per horse per day during the winter. Those who know my horses know that they aren’t fat. I work hard to keep them in good condition but not fat. I feel it is more work to keep a Fjord trim than to let it get fat. On a regular basis I feel their sides to determine how much cover they have on their ribs. I want to be able to feel each rib through the fat layer but I certainly do want some cover on their ribs. I like more cover as they approach winter time and I like less cover as spring approaches so they can enjoy the new green grass without danger of founder. My horses generally only get grain as a welcoming gesture when I bring them in to be tied before a workout. Non of my horses are older than 17 nor younger than 4. So far I have not experienced any of the metabolic diseases horses can get from over feeding. I have had close to 50 different Fjords over the years. I rarely use blankets. Even after a workout in midwinter I just turn them out where they will roll in the snow and shake the snow out of their pelts leaving the pelt fluffy and full and soon dry. If they are fully sweated up I will put a wool blanket over them for an hour or so to soak up some of the moisture before turning them out to roll. I have never had a Fjord get sick or show discomfort with this routine. Their pelts a full, fluffy, thick, dry and warm. Just as they should be. So with the dire weather predictions I decided to leave them outside. All of them were able to get out of the wind and roll in the snow and if need be run to stay warm. I can tell when they are getting cold because they start to move or play and tussle with each other. With the sever cold I kept hay in front of them night and day rather than the 20 pound ration. They never showed any discomfort the past two days. In fact they were wondering what had gotten into me with providing so much hay. Their coats were fluffy and full. Some chose to stand with their butts to the wind during the day. Today I found them sleeping on their feet in the cold sunshine completely oblivious to the frigid weather. As horses have become pets more than muscle power for work or travel as they once were, we humans tend to treat them more like we would like to treat ourselves. For me it was a treat to see how well they came through this cold spell relatively untreated. No treat intended. Fjords are truly tough willing hard working horses especially suited for cooler climates and rugged steep country. Each time I visit Norway and I experience what they have done and can do I am reminded of just that. Here’s wishing everyone experiencing this cold spell some peace of mind. Given half a chance the Fjords will feel it less than we do. In a couple days when the temps moderate one of my Fjord teams and I will start to replenish the firewood supply. Looking forward to that. Phil Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw FH_L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l
