Montana

Early February is probably the toughest part of living in Montana.  Its frigid cold, snow is piling up, rivers are icing over, and the cold north winds put us in -30F windchill territory.

A Lazy H horses and mules are busy packing people, provisions, and gear throughout Montana's wild mountain country.  In the winter and spring, we give them some well deserved R&R.  So, while they don't have to work in the winter, they do have the not-insignificant challenge of dealing with the harsh Montana winters.  I get the questions of "how does a horse stay warm in the winter" regularly.  This post talks about the critical elements for making it through the winter, including good feed, shelter, accessible water, and the evolutionary advantages they have with their remarkable winter coats.