Cold Climate and horses...?

Question

Ok, my friend and I are moving to Canada someday... We need to know as many horse breeds as possible that can live in cold climate fairly well... And I'm not talking about ponies, like the Miniature Shepherd Pony... We need to know a variety of horses to choose from. I am feeling a little lazy to look up every website, and I've looked through some really good books on it, yet found nothing. Anything given would be greatly appretiated. Thanks :]

Answer 1

any horse can live in a cold climate.  Any horse can grow a long thick coat, or you can choose to blanket them.. but breed REALLY doesn't matter.  Granted, arabians or finer breeds MAY get colder quicker, but they'll either grow enough fur or you'll blanket them a little heavier.

No big deal..

Also, Canada isn't that cold.. its not like the artic or anything for the most part (yes, i know some parts of Canada are part of the artic circle..)

Answer 2

i live in canada and its really not that cold lots of people think that we live in an  igloos and that it snows all the time but thats not true in canada you can have any breed of horse i have a quarter horse and appalossa.many people around me have many other breed of horses so any breed is ok hope that helps :]

Answer 3

Pretty well any horse can live in Canada. I have a variety of horses, and also exercises a fair few. So far we have Quarter horses, paints, Thoroughbreds, Warmbloods, Trekkners, Miniture Pony, Shetland pony, Welsh Cob, Appaloosa, Andalusian, Arabians, American Saddlebreds.

I have a Thoroughbred, and an American Saddlebred and they do just fine in the winter. I use to own an arab, and she was awesome to ride bareback cuz they get really fuzzy.

Answer 4

Honestly, we don't live in Igloos...so any breed of horse you can think of is absolutely fine here....yeah our winters are a bit cold, but um there are horse blankets?? and heated barns? Shelters? etc. etc.

Answer 5

Draft breeds are good in cold weather.  They have been breed over centuries for cold.  But Canada has nice native horses that are great at living in colder climates.  Also all horse breeds adapt for the climate and using blankets helps those that take a while to adjust to cold.  For instance if their coat doesn't grow fuzzy enough to hold in warmth.  

Answer 6

pretty much any horse except arabians and thoroughbreds or others that are thin skinned,quarter horses,paints,northern european breeds are all good horses for colder weather.

hot 18:you forgot your decimal point it would be 1.8 and one of my draft studs would put you to shame.

Answer 7

unless its REALLY northern canada, any horse should be fine if they have addiquite shelter.. they may need an extra blanket over their winter coat on some rough nights.. but thats about it...

you may want something huskier, thats easy to keep weight on though, so they have the extra skin.

coldbloods usually keep weight better, so paints and QH which are nice a dosal if you like calm horses.. if not appendix QH's [tbxqh] are good.. but sometimes dont put and keep weight on as well, but a thick blanket in the winter can fix that!

Answer 8

I live in northern Canada and we have Quarter horses, Arabs, Thoroughbreds and a lot of other breeds. Canada is not that cold.

Answer 9

Almost any horse can

My Faves

Quarter horse

Belgium

Clydesdale

Answer 10

Any horse can adapt to cold weather. I live in South Dakota where it gets as cold as Canada. I have Paints and some Quarter horse crosses, 1 half Arabian and 2 mini horses. The only horses that might have a problem are horses born and bred in the South and Southwest. They may take some time to get acclimated. You would not want them on 24 hour turnout there first 2 winters. You would need a warm place where they can get out of the cold.

Answer 11

we have some cold winters where im from and i had all different breeds and they were fine we feed our horses corn in the fall -winter and that fattens them up and they wil get use to the cold and grow longer fur but dont change anything through the winter like if you normally keep them in the barn overnight dont decide to put them outside overnight

Answer 12

Really and truly, Canada has the same breed of horses that you find in the States.  They all live and thrive in the winter as well as the summer.  Arabs, Thoroughbreds Drafts, ponies, minis, donkeys, QH etc etc...They live outside all winter if you give them the chance to grow the thick winter coats. They also have horses in Alaska that winter fine.  So bring all of your horses, and they will do fine, not a problem.  

Answer 13

Horse breeds can adapt to whatever climate they live in as long as they have some form of shelter from wind, rain, and blazing sunshine. Individual horses themselves may have some type of medical history that would precluded them from adaptation to climate. The horse's comfort zone is between 15 degrees and 75 degrees farenheit. Horses that are kept in barns and stalls and not allowed to grow winter coats cannot take the cold like a horse that does have it's natural shaggy winter coat. Thoroughbreds and Arabians (hot bloods) do quite well living in cold climates just as well as warm. Draft horses (cold bloods) can live in very warm climates. Moving a horse from one climate to another takes an adjustment period for them to get in sync with nature.

Cold-Blooded: designating any horse or breed of horse without Arabian or eastern blood in its breeding. In practice, since many so-called cold-blooded breeds have been improved by the use of Arab blood, the distinction is based mainly on physical type: broadly, all heavy draft horses and most european native ponies are classed as cold-blooded.

The Cold-Blooded Horse: This horse (of which the gypsy horse is an example) is one with an extremely stable personality, not likely to become "spooked" when encountering an unfamiliar situation or a stranger. Invariably large in stature, the ancient cold-blooded horse was the proud mount of Medieval knights, capable of carrying its rider complete with armor and, more often than not, its own armor as well. It was specifically bred for size and strength, suited to cold climates and with a physical build of round belly and thick coat which could retain body heat. Although the cold-blooded horse is sometimes considered lacking in intelligence (due to its apparent docility), nothing could be further from the truth. This is an animal of exceptional stability by nature and one which is unlikely to be skittish in an unfamiliar situation. The cold-blooded horse is thought by some sources to have descended from Equus caballus...the heavy prehistoric horse line of Northern Europe.

A cold blooded horse is a horse which belongs to a breed known for having a stable, calm temperament. Most cold bloods are also very strong, rugged, durable animals, and they have been used as work horses and stable companions for centuries. Examples of cold blood breeds are quite varied, ranging from gentle giants like Clydesdales to intelligent, rugged Welsh ponies. There are numerous uses for cold blooded horses, and they can be found all over the world.

The term “cold blood horse” is used to refer to a horse with specific traits and tendencies, rather than a specific breed of horse. The cold blooded type is also extremely diverse, with many people saying that the term refers essentially to any horse without oriental bloodlines, as oriental horses are considered “hot” because of their temperament. However, many horse fans also use a third category, the warmblood horse, to refer to sport horses which are neither cold blooded nor hot blooded. Warmbloods are also not merely crosses between hot blood horses and cold blood horses, contrary to popular belief.

As the name of the cold blood horse implies, one of the defining characteristics of a cold blood horse is a very calm temperament. A cold blooded horse is generally extremely mellow, difficult to spook, and very patient. These horses are also bred to be very strong and sturdy, with less of a focus on speed and light weight and more of a focus on endurance and power. As a result, the cold blood horse has often been used for farmwork and hauling.

Many cold blood horse breeds are large and very heavy. Draft horses, for example, are considered cold bloods. They are also very durable animals, willing to tolerate a range of conditions and able to adapt to changing situations. An abundance of cold blood horse breeds are also known for being more rugged than other horses, a trait which can be valuable for owners with limited resources.

Some ponies are considered cold blooded, which can be a bit confusing, as ponies are known for being stubborn. However, the famous attitude of the pony is rooted in intelligence, rather than a particularly strong will, and a well trained pony will be obedient, calm, friendly, and “bomb-proof,” meaning that he or she is very difficult to scare. These traits have made ponies popular among beginning riders for centuries, as most ponies will refuse to do something unsafe, but they are not highstrung and irritable like hot blooded horses are.

Answer 14

miniature shepherd pony lol...I think Juliane has a picture of that somewhere...

Answer 15

hey

i live in toronto, and the winters here get pretty harsh. i nearby some farms, and they have horses of all kinds and theyre alright. They are able to grow the thicker winter coat and shed it in the summer, so don't worry about the weather, just bring a toque