This is in response to Zach Knutson’s Dec. 8 letter, “Horses at Iowa State should have shelter,” and his concerns about the horses at Iowa State’s facilities.

I have been working at the ISU horse barn for almost two years now. Contrary to what you may perceive, the horses in our care actually receive very good care, even better than what many places offer. Our horses do receive shade in the summer. The horses either have small sheds they can go into, or there is the barn or trees. On summer days when it gets very hot, we bring some horses inside, such as the stallions. Also, horses actually prefer the winter over the summer. A horse’s ideal environmental temperature is much lower than a human’s. Horses grow thick coats in the winter; we also increase their feed to give them extra energy to keep them warm.

Iowa State’s horse herd is more than 40 head. The two barns we have that actually house horses can never come close to accommodating this many horses, and these barns are usually at capacity anyway. However, we check every single horse we own that is out at pasture at least once a day to make sure they have no injuries and have enough food and water.

There are almost always two students at the barn, day and night, in case of emergencies.

We have never had problems with our horses in the winter, so next time you see them, feel free to give them some apples knowing they’re doing just fine!

Josh Lizer

Senior

Animal Science (Preveterinary)