We get some of those 100 degree days too in the summer.....which right now after over 7 days of very below zero weather would be a blessing. We did get a brief respite the last day or so--up to 10 degrees--and watching the horses, you'd think it was spring. Running around, chasing each other through the snow. Temp is dropping again and sounds like three more days of 30-50 below windchills.
Ours are just used to it I guess. The only ones we have in the barn--who only come in at night--are a couple of our show horses, two mares we got a month ago from Washington (Mountain Meadows) and an old girl with a bad hip and arthritis. The rest are outside 24/7/365 and though we do give more hay in the winter, they do just fine. There are shelters with 3.5 sides for them and they get fresh water twice a day (ice broken as necessary). The non-show horses, mostly mares, are on grass year round and typically go into winter pretty fat which I suspect helps them with the temps. They get very furry quickly and frankly, prefer being outside than in the barn. Before we had shelters, we'd bring them up to the barn on frigid nights where they could go in/out of a small run and many of them still won't go in the barn. They seem happiest when temps are between 15 and 40. . . As someone pointed out earlier, the bigger issue is when they get wet and then the temp drops.
I really feel for those of you who are not used to this and have to scramble and figure out what to do. Around here, the saddest day of the year is when we have to roll up the hoses for the winter and start carrying water........I do come out of winter with some nice biceps though........take care all, this too shall pass......
