Getting your winter horse nutrition right is not just about keeping horses happy and healthy. It is also an important part of reducing the risk of preventable equine insurance claims and costly veterinary bills.

In this article, we share how your winter horse nutrition, weight fluctuations, and health status can influence your equestrian business’s risk profile. We also explain why feeding practices can affect the likelihood of horse-related insurance claims, and how keeping accurate records of feeding routines can support you in the event of a related claim. 

How cold weather impacts your horses’ nutritional needs 

Colder temperatures can cause frost or snow on the ground. This reduces the amount of grass available for grazing, prevents healthy grass from growing, and may decrease nutritional quality. 

During cold weather, your horses’ nutritional needs change as they require more energy to maintain body heat. If you don’t adjust their feeds accordingly, they may suffer from weight loss, weakened immunity, and metabolic stress, which can increase the likelihood of illness and injuries. These factors are often linked to higher insurance claims in the equestrian industry for horse health-related issues during the winter. 

Therefore, it’s advisable to adjust your horses’ feeding programme accordingly, incorporating high-quality forage, hay concentrates, and appropriate nutritional and mineral supplements to help reduce the risk of malnourishment during the winter months. 

Why you need to continuously monitor your horse’s weight in winter 

Regularly monitoring your horse’s body condition helps you keep track of whether their winter nutritional needs are being met. Minor weight loss changes can be harder to notice under thick winter coats, yet if left unaddressed, they can quickly become a problem. 

How keeping horses hydrated in winter reduces insurance claims 

It is crucial to ensure constant access to unfrozen water in winter. Dehydration-related health issues are common in horses during the winter months, as they are less likely to drink extremely cold water, and this is a common contributing factor in equestrian insurance claims. 

Some equestrian insurance policies may not cover dehydration-related health issues if it is apparent that your horse has become dehydrated due to neglect, i.e., not having access to water, rather than due to an unexpected illness or accident. 

Proactively preparing a thoughtful winter horse nutrition plan and monitoring feeding programmes (and keeping records of this) can help protect your horse’s health and performance. It is also an important part of effective equine business risk management, which helps reduce the likelihood of avoidable horse-health-related insurance claims. 

Equine business winter risk management 

Winter weather inevitably brings unique and heightened risks that equestrian businesses must manage. While some risks are unavoidable and unexpected, others can be reduced through effective winter management strategies, such as proactive nutritional management and record keeping for horses under your care. 

Having the right business insurance policy in place is essential for all equine businesses, whether you operate as a sole trader or a limited company. Equestrian public liability business insurance is designed to help protect your business and your horses in the event of unexpected incidents and illnesses during the winter, and all year round. 

There are other areas of risk you may wish to consider addressing in your winter risk management plans, and ensure you have appropriate insurance coverage for. Examples include 

• Claims for property and contents damage and the related impact on business operations, caused by storms, ice, snow, and wet weather. 

• Public liability claims from slips and falls on ice and mud. 

• Claims for third-party injuries that occur due to a horse injuring someone because of poor footing in icy, wet, and muddy weather conditions. 

• Claims for horses causing damage or injury after escaping through damaged fences and gates, which may be more likely to occur in winter due to bad weather. 

• Animal injuries that occur in stables and fields when weather conditions are poor. Claims for injuries, or injuries that worsen in winter, are also common and may be related to weather and nutrition. 

• Horse health-related claims related to digestive disorders such as colic and gastric ulcers, as winter can increase the risk due to reduced water intake and changing nutritional needs. 

Insurance coverage that businesses in the equine industry often seek may include: employers’ liability insurance (a legal requirement if you employ any staff or have volunteers), public liability insurance, cyber insurance, product liability insurance, property or livery yard insurance, riding school insurance, horsebox insurance, or horse and rider insurance. 

Insurance coverage can provide important support for your business, your assets, your horses, staff, clients, and third parties. 

Expert insurance advice for your equine business 

For further advice on staying protected this winter, contact specialist equestrian insurance brokers, Ravenhall Rural, for tailored advice from specialists in equestrian insurance. Having appropriate insurance in place can help provide support against unexpected winter-weather-related incidents and health issues that may arise in horses during the colder months.