Keeping warm: How ranches across Tucson keep their animals warm in the colder weather

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Southern Arizona is a ranching area by nature.

Even with the growth in development, ranches like the Therapeutic Ranch for Animals and Kids (TRAK) and Medella Vina Ranch have stayed true to their roots.

But when temperatures drop, more work goes into taking care of their animals.

“We tend to blanket if it's going to be under a certain temperature, sometimes that's 40. But if there's other inclement weather, like rain or really bad wind, we'll blanket at a little bit of a higher temperature,” says Annie Horvath, the head horseback riding instructor at TRAK.

Temperatures in Tucson have been dropping to start January.

That means more horses at TRAK are going to be wearing their blankets, at least overnight.

On the southeast side, Mighty Minds rents space at the Medella Vina Ranch.

They have their own barn, which helps.

But both TRAK and Mighty Minds also feed their animals more than normal when it gets cooler.

"We're probably gonna double their hay tonight, so we'll add in that extra lot of hay so that way they can have something to eat all night and keep warmer," says Carrie Mizenko, the founder and CEO of Mighty Minds.

TRAK is located at 3250 E Allen Rd in Midtown.

Mighty Minds is on the southeast side at the Medella Vina Ranch, 4450 S Houghton Rd.