![]() ![]() While humans have a higher TNZ and will become cold, and possibly hypothermic when the environment goes below the LCT, and therefore need to add layers of clothing to maintain core temperature, horses are more adapted to tolerate cooler temperatures, and don’t need to “hype up” their metabolism to keep warm until environment temperatures have dropped below 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Vasoconstriction: Decreasing the diameter of blood vessels of the limbs and other extremities (muzzle, ears) which limit heat loss.ĭecreasing of the respiratory rate: By breathing less frequently, the horse will reduce the heat lost in expired breath. However, horses in rain or wet snow will lose their piloerection ability, allowing the water to reach the skin and cool the body. Piloerection (same as goose bumps in humans): Characterized by bristling and raising of body hairs, which will increases the insulating effect of the coat by allowing more air in the space between the hairs. Therefore, it is important to offer good quality and increased quantities of hay to horses during cold weather. As the horse digests its forage, the gut activity will create heat and help warm the body from within. This is a moderate mechanism that can be maintained for extended periods of time.ĭigestion: A horse generates body heat through the digestion on ingested foods. Shivering: Rapid muscle contractions that stimulate metabolism to produce more heat. ![]() When this insulation is insufficient to maintain body temperature, they may resort to several mechanisms to produce more heat, or decrease heat loss, such as: In general, horses have well-developed insulation in order to retain body heat, which includes their coat (fur), sub-cutaneous fat, and relatively large muscles and digestive system. This is why humans become hot and sweat when they exercise (and so do horses, whereas other animals, such as cattle, dogs, and birds, will pant instead of sweating)-because that extra heat generated by the muscle contractions and increased circulation must be dissipated to maintain the internal body temperature in the stable range.Ĭonversely, when considering cold weather, the body must ensure it can minimize the loss of heat so it can maintain its core temperature. For example, muscle contraction is a type of metabolic process that generates heat. Metabolism, the process that maintains all functions of the body working properly, and includes digestion, respiration, circulation, and all chemical reactions used by cells to break down and utilize nutrients, will generate body heat. ![]() Warm-blooded animals can maintain a body temperature higher than their environment by regulating their metabolic processes. LCT is defined as the lowest temperature in the TNZ and is the temperature below which the horse must increase metabolic rate to generate heat to maintain normal core temperature (explained below), whereas UCT is defined as the temperature which horses must work to lower their core temperature (by dilating blood vessels in the skin, sweating, and increasing their respiratory rate). Two other important temperature calculations to keep in mind are the lower critical temperature (LCT), and the upper critical temperature (UCT). Horses’ TNZ is considerably lower than humans’ at 41 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit. ![]() Because different people have different metabolic rates, the TNZ for some people is lower than for others, and with light clothing, the TNZ decreases, and the comfortable temperature in a building with controlled temperature may be 65 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit. For humans, the thermoneutral zone is between 77 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit. The thermoneutral zone (TNZ) describes a range of temperatures in the environment in which a standard healthy adult (in case of humans, naked, standing upright, in still air) can maintain normal body temperature without needing to use energy above normal basal metabolic rate. So the question remains, do horses need to be blanketed when the weather turns cold? Some people are adamant about blanketing and some people are the exact opposite: unyielding about not blanketing their horses in the winter. Blanketing can be a hot-button topic among horse owners and caretakers. ![]()
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