If you have been in Colorado for a little while, you will surely have experienced one of our *delightful* windy days. Gusts up to 100mph at times. This poses some problems for us horse, equine, and livestock owners. Here are just a few ways to make life easier in these extreme wind events.

• Debris in your water troughs: use a small fish tank net to filter out any debris that has blown into your water troughs. Just a cheap one like this will do https://amzn.to/3H5PROl!
• Shelters shifting or blowing over: to avoid this, ensure your shelters are staked and secured well. We have had great luck with these in particular https://amzn.to/3FlYEKK, but if you are not sure if these will meet your needs, consult with a professional before installing. Light-duty tent stakes will not cut it.
• Things flying in the air: It might not be fly season, but a fly mask on your horse or equine will help keep blowing particles out of your 4 legged friend’s eyes.
• Protection from the wind: Due to Colorado’s crazy weather, horses should always have some form of a shelter. A 3 sided shelter with roof is plenty! Just be sure you face them in a way the horse is protected from whichever directions storms come from in your area typically. If the wind is going to be extreme, I will typically blanket my horses (weather-appropriate weighted blanket) to help as well.
• Things migrating: If you know we are going to have extreme wind, things that might blow away should get placed inside a solid storage area (barn, deck box, garage, etc). This one might seem obvious, but you will be surprised by the amount of things that the wind can grab and take! These things include blankets. halters, lead ropes, feed tubs, chairs, tables, pillows, decorations, light planters, dressage/arena letters that are not secured to anything, cones, garbage cans, etc.

Some other things to note: if tumbleweeds become a problem and build up against your fence, etc. Keep in mind that some fences/etc. are not designed to withstand wind with a wall of tumbleweeds pushing on them and it may void your fence’s/etc. warranty. So try to clear tumbleweeds off of your buildings/structres/fences/etc. as soon as possible!

If you have any tips to beat the wind, be sure to comment them below!

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