Wild horses can handle winter as long as they have food, water, and shelter; otherwise they’ll just have to depend on mother nature for survival.
Acorn and her fellow wild horses in Corolla have endured many winters like this before, navigating snowstorms, frigid winds, and freezing temperatures without shelter such as barns or bales of hay.
They Grow a Winter Coat
Horse coats serve as an insulator, keeping heat inside while cold air out. In winter months, wild horses often grow a thicker and longer coat to provide extra insulation from cold temperatures and wind chill. Their fur also adds body warmth!
Fall is when winter coats begin to form on horses and they can actually weigh more than their bodies due to being packed full of insulate fat that generates energy to keep the horse warm and energetic.
As days grow shorter, an equine body produces melatonin to promote winter hair growth. This process begins in autumn and continues through spring before production slows and fur sheds off naturally.
Horses need sufficient energy and heat for survival in winter months, so they consume roughage (dried grasses, weeds and other dead plants) and hay to fuel their bodies and maintain heat production while staying nourished through digestion. Roughage digestion releases heat which keeps horses warm throughout their stay at stables or barns.
Wild horses living in winter environments eat various plants that flourish under harsh weather conditions, such as saltbrush and yarrow. They also graze on dry or dormant grasses for nutrition, and find sustenance in thin branches left unaffected by harsh winter conditions.
Wild horses rely heavily on food for warmth. They move between grazing areas to find unfrozen water sources, never spending all day in one location as they have become used to living without stables and other shelters.
Wild horses don’t wear shoes; their hooves are composed of keratin–the same substance found in human nails. Their hooves were specifically designed to help them walk across snow-covered surfaces more comfortably while acting as thermal barriers; consequently they don’t feel cold when walking in snow as humans would do.
They Build Up Fat
Horses are warm-blooded animals whose digestive processes produce heat as they digest their food, producing body fat in the process. With winter approaching and less exercise being available to them, horses will generally increase their bodyweight by 20% as body fat acts to insulate against cold. Fat actually provides three times better insulation than blood.
Horses graze and move constantly, eating small amounts of feed every time they move around. Their digestive tract is designed to efficiently process low-protein, high-fiber plants like grass. Because equines have such an efficient digestive system designed for such diets, their weight change during a year tends to be less extreme than what we see with domesticated horses.
As horses cannot rely on consistent, reliable sources of fat in the wild, they store body fat as a buffer against seasonal forage shortages. Fat molecules are then digested by their small intestine and broken down further to release energy as energy for the horse – much like how humans process their own body fat!
Fat is not only used as an energy source in horses’ bodies; it serves multiple other purposes as well. Fat helps protect organs that could otherwise be compromised by cold temperatures and prevents skin cracks under extreme circumstances.
As winter progresses into early spring, a horse will draw from their stored fat reserves as necessary to stay warm. When these reserves have run dry, cortisol levels decrease while insulin resistance reverses itself and the animal emerges leaner but healthier for spring!
To live successfully in the wild, horses need to find safe areas that remain accessible even during extreme conditions, digging through snow to unearth food sources and maintaining access to fresh water supplies even during extreme cold. Because stables do not allow these horses the freedom of exploration needed for survival in this natural setting, wild horses often do not thrive there.
They Move Around
North Carolina winters can bring heavy snowfall and harsh winds, prompting wild horses in the Corolla Herd Management Area (HMA) to spend most of their time on the western side of the coast – more protected from winter storms, plus this is where they find nourishment such as heart-leaf holly shrub leaves for nourishment!
As winter draws near, horses’ coats grow thicker and longer to help insulate against the cold weather. Their fat layer also becomes more uniformly distributed underneath their skin to act as another layer of insulation against cold conditions, helping blood circulate efficiently across their entire bodies so organs such as ears don’t freeze up during extreme conditions. The arteries under their skin expand and contract accordingly so as to provide warm blood that circulates evenly.
Wild horses roam large areas during winter in search of food sources to eat. Being herbivores, these horses must have access to grass and other plant matter in order to survive; familiar feeding spots that allow them to access grass to graze on can even be reached under snow cover; they use their hooves to dig through it all to find nourishment and water sources they require.
Once horses find a safe grazing area, they typically form herds to protect one another and identify any predators that might threaten. Horses are social creatures with an established hierarchy where male alphas and females take turns leading their herd. Horses are very protective of each other as well as protecting any offspring that become threatened – even fighting to defend them if needed!
Researchers have long studied how to train show horses, racehorses and other domesticated equines; however, less research has been conducted into their natural behaviors as free-ranging equines. Recent research is starting to fill this gap and is uncovering intriguing insights into how wild horses adapt to nature; we will cover this topic further in future blog posts. Until then, visit our HMA and witness these incredible animals living their natural lives; their resilience in some of the harshest climates is an inspiration!
They Dig Through Snow
Have you ever found yourself asking why wild horses seem to survive without shelter from freezing weather and snow, yet remain healthy? That is no coincidence; these horses have evolved to cope with cold climates by adapting with numerous adaptations that help them survive winter in their natural surroundings.
Their long winter coat provides insulation similar to wearing a thick jacket, trapping air next to their skin and protecting from wind and snow. Their hair also contains special coating that repels moisture, keeping the animal dry.
Wild horses are herbivores and therefore depend upon grass growth for sustenance. Since they lack access to stables or other forms of shelter, their days consist of searching out places they can feed themselves.
As winter draws nearer, wild horses begin developing thicker and fluffier coats that protect them from the cold weather. Their body fat also begins to increase more uniformly across their entire bodies–something important considering fat is three times better at insulating than muscle when it comes to providing insulation against cold.
Wild horses are equipped to withstand the cold thanks to several physical adaptations that help them adapt. Their hoof is composed of keratin, which doesn’t transmit cold as easily; and their respiratory system allows them to breathe cold air without suffering frostbite.
Another method wild horses employ in order to survive winter is finding water sources, whether rivers, streams or lakes. Puddles may provide sources of drinking water while certain varieties of cacti can provide both food and hydration simultaneously.
Water sources for large herbivores in winter can be limited; in such instances they will rely on other means to meet their water needs, including eating snow as a source of moisture as snow contains salts and minerals that provide essential nourishment for their wellbeing.