Equi-Health Canada Plus

02/17/2026

Best decision I made 10 years ago and still going strong!

🔥 Year of the Fire Horse. A year to move. A year to begin. 🔥🐴

To celebrate the start of this powerful year, Equi-Health Canada is proud to announce the launch of our 2026 Instructor Scholarship!

📅 Applications open: February 17, 2026
https://equihealthcanada.com/
https://form.jotform.com/EquiHealthCanada/2026InstructorScholarhipForm

The Fire Horse is known for courage, independence, and bold action, and there’s no better time to finally step into something you’ve been thinking about for years.

Maybe you’ve been wanting to:
• Start a meaningful business
• Work for yourself while staying connected to the horse community
• Share your knowledge and make a real difference in equine welfare
• Build a flexible income doing something you truly care about

This scholarship is designed to help new instructors take that next step.

For nearly two decades, Equi-Health Canada has been a trusted name in equine first aid education across the country. Since 2007, our instructors have built rewarding, independent businesses under a respected national brand, teaching horse owners the skills that can save lives.

As an EHC Instructor, you have the opportunity to:
• Be your own boss and set your own schedule
• Build income doing work that matters
• Teach life-saving skills in your local horse community
• Grow under a recognized and established Canadian brand
• Join a supportive network of passionate instructors across the country

📅 Applications open: February 17, 2026 through to March 31, 2026. Scholarship recipients will be notified by April 4th, 2026.

If you’ve been waiting for the “right time” to make a move... THIS IS IT! APPLY TODAY: https://form.jotform.com/260398167327061

The Year of the Fire Horse is about momentum, bravery, and new beginnings. We’re looking for individuals who feel that pull to step forward and create something of their own.

- If you’ve been feeling the nudge… trust it. This could be the year everything changes.

02/17/2026

Happy New Year! 🐎

02/14/2026

Happy Valentines Day!

02/13/2026

What are those trailer projects that need attention before show season?

When spring is just around the corner, our thoughts turn to riding, riding, and more riding. While not nearly as enrapturing, save some consideration for that lonely chariot outside, which gets our beloved steeds to and from events, shows, and trails. Every trailer that has been parked or stored for...

02/03/2026

❄️ 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐇𝐚𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 ❄️

🔥 𝐇𝐚𝐲 = 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭
The best way to warm up your horse in the winter is to provide hay!

Hay is primarily digested in the hindgut through a process known as fermentation, which generates a significant amount of metabolic heat. This means hay acts as a fuel of sorts for the horse’s very own internal furnace, helping warm them from the inside out.

⚡ 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬
Not only that, but when the weather is cold, a horse has increased caloric demands, as they require extra energy to maintain body temperature. This means providing extra hay during a cold snap not only helps generate internal heat, but also helps meet the additional calorie requirements associated with cold weather.

🌾 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐬
While I provide unlimited access to forage year-round, I have been to many barns that provide set amounts of hay at mealtime. This can become problematic when temperatures fall below the horse’s lower critical temperature (LCT).

🌡️ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 (𝐋𝐂𝐓)?
The LCT represents the temperature at which a horse begins to expend additional energy to stay warm. The farther below the LCT the temperature falls, the more energy the horse must use to maintain body temperature.

The LCT can vary based on the individual horse, acclimation to the current climate, hair coat, and weather conditions.

Specifically:

❄️ A horse acclimated to a cold climate with a long winter coat has an LCT of 18°F

🌤️ A horse acclimated to a warm climate with a short coat has an LCT of 41°F

🌧️ A wet hair coat is especially important, as it can increase the LCT to 59°F

📈 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐂𝐓 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫?
This value is important because for every degree below the LCT, a horse’s energy requirements increase by approximately 1%.

For example, if you have a horse acclimated to a cold climate and the outside temperature is 0°F, their energy requirements increase by 18%.

🧮𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝
To determine how much additional hay is required, you must first estimate the horse’s baseline energy requirements. I personally use the NRC Requirements of the Horse – Working Doc, where I input body weight and current life stage to estimate maintenance energy needs.

Once this value is determined, I use the digestible energy (calories) reported on my hay test to calculate how many additional pounds of hay are needed to meet the increased energy demand.

🌿 𝐏𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞
As you can see from this example, providing nearly 10 additional pounds of hay per horse may not always be feasible. This is why I keep a high-quality alfalfa hay on hand, which allows me to help meet increased caloric demands in a quantity the horse can realistically consume.

I think it is also important to remember that blanketing or housing horses in insulated or heated barns may alter these recommendations, as the body does not need to work as hard to stay warm. This equation helps provide an estimate but we can expect some variability!

✅ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
On these cold days, make sure the first thing you reach for to help your horse stay warm is some extra hay! Not only does it fuel their internal furnace, but it also provides additional calories they require to maintain their core body temperature. This equation can help estimate how much extra hay may be needed during cold weather!

Stay warm out there ❄️🐴
Dr. DeBoer