# Why do people blanket horses but not cattle?



## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

They make everything for cattle....only, we put them in refrigerated boxes to MAKE them grow hair!!


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

They blanket show cattle all right.


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## rmissildine (Feb 1, 2019)

ACinATX said:


> It got REALLY cold here, at least really cold for us. I've never had to break the ice on a trough before. Even the neighbors put their horses in sheets, which I've never seen. This got me thinking -- why do people put sheets and blankets on horses but not cattle? I know some of you have cattle, so maybe you can tell me. Here are some possibilities I have come up with:
> 
> - horses are more valuable than cattle
> - horses are more fragile than cattle
> ...



AC, 

What's "really cold" for you?
I wouldn't say, but agree with number one. Number two, yes, horses are more fragile than cattle in more ways than one. Number three, of course we do... Number four, I suppose they do, although have never seen it. Number five, possibly. 

Just remember, from around 2 y/o to around 20 y/o a horses comfort level is roughly around 20*f to around 50*f. Also keep in mind the wind chills for extended periods. 

We've never put blankets on our horses ( not really that cold here ), but I have had to break ice in the stock tank.


Roger


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

Avna said:


> They blanket show cattle all right.


Huh, really! So then maybe it's a question of value? But the cattle that live on one side of where my horses board are supposedly worth in the five figures each (they are wagyu I think?) and they are not blanketed.

I had the further thought that maybe people do blanket cattle, but only "up north"?

Also: @greentree, would you care to explain your post? I am extremely curious what they heck you mean. Refrigerated boxes???


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## Caledonian (Nov 27, 2016)

We have a closer relationship with our horses, treat them as a member of the family and want to keep them healthy for as long as possible. Even if many of them would happily go without rugs. 

You can't blanket a large herd of cows and while you want them to be healthy, they're not going to live as long as a pet or show cow.


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## csimkunas6 (Apr 18, 2010)

I disagree with people care for horses more than cattle....there are hundreds of thousands of nothing but ranch land around me, tons of cows, every where! Cows at least where Im at are always the first to be checked on, first to be fed, ect. From what Ive been told from a few of the ranchers, the cows are their livelihood. The cows are what pays the bills, the horses (while some still use their horses for ranch work) are more of a hobby type of thing, or for rancher's wives, kids, personal use ect.

I always assumed cattle were just more well equipped for colder weather and more extreme weather, although Im sure it depends on the type/breed. There are mainly black angus here and from doing some quick research originated in Scotland (if I remember correctly) and are mainly in this area as they are more hardy in harsher climates and are fairly easy to breed/calve/raise, ect ect.

Just to note...I did just move to this area and personally know next to nothing about cows LOL, only going by what I was told and am genuinely interested on why we dont blanket cows more often.


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## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

I gotta have to guess that some breeds, due to lack of focus on these matters, have lost their ability to withstand difficult weather conditions without our help. I don't think anyone ever put a blanket on an Icelandic horse, at least not in Iceland.










The same is probably true for Shetties, Fjordies, etc.










Here is a rough guide:


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## csimkunas6 (Apr 18, 2010)

@mmshiro....or Squishys LOL

Very good point you made there!


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## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

Probably a numbers game. You're not going blanket and unblanket 40+ headed of cattle. Plus, how many cows are handled well enough to blanket? I knows my grandparents had some pretty tame cows, you could go up and pet some, but none would have accepted a blanket or halter. The really large herds that roam 1000+ acres, it's not practical to train them either.


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## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

Lol. I am trying to imagine blanketing 300 cows. Plus they aren’t that gentle, and they do fine in the cold. Same can be said for my horses too though. They haven’t seen a blanket and it’s been -20F many times in their lives. They are adapted. We always break water in winter.

Now, if I brought a horse into our weather I would blanket, or if one wasn’t doing well, but even our old men are just fine.

I have a milk cow, actually a heifer, who does think the cold is a terrible thing. I do own one horse blanket, and because she complains I debated putting it in her. Lol. My husband said I’d better not or she would think she needed it... she has some Jersey in her, and I heard they don’t really like the cold. I did give her straw though.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

@mmshiro that is amazing!!! the Shetland ****!!

The answer is all of the above. Keep in mind many horses are blanketed that do not need to be blanketed. Also in the large majority of horses that need to be blanketed, that's a direct result of human intervention (clipping) or less directly breeding for a shorter coat. OR your horse may be just fine without a blanket and is not clipped, but you ride heavily through the winter and a) keeps them cleaner and b) helps you worry less about care associated with riding. The large majority of cattle may be cared for in terms of livelihood but they aren't pets, and they are not micromanaged the way horses are (horses would be better being less micromanaged for the first part), they live the way they were bred to live and cared for that way.

Blanketing can be a very negative thing, and at best can be unnecessary for many horses. The more you micromanage a horse the more you NEED to, they're best being tossed out in a field and left alone like the cows are!

Of my horses 3 are blanketed the Icelandic is not (lol). We get a significant amount of snow and negative temperatures, but are still south enough to get lots of freezing rain and ice and such too. Yick! The pony is in her late 20s and for the first time EVER on the coldest day she stood a little hunched up I think her lady bits were chilled lol. She may get a sheet next year just to keep the wet off more for my sake then hers most likely. I'll attach a picture, she's a BEAST, and I have no doubt if younger could handle significantly worse weather with ease, there's nothing getting through that coat! My one gelding (mid 20s) is very tough and very furry but he has a thinner hair coat and at this point has Cushings/laminitis too (and this year ripped a chunk of muscle on his hip!). He never used to get blanketed, now in his old age he does, he HATES it, oh well! The third is also in his late 20s, my Arab he has done just fine in the winter before, but has become a harder keeper and does have a shorter hair coat, he also LOVES being blanketed so that's that. The last is my youngest she's in her early teens and moderate hair coat, young and healthy. She doesn't need to be blanketed, went through the winter with a sheet one year, but she's the one I'm most likely to ride/work, this year I'm not doing anything with her and could have skipped it but she's used to it and I had her blankets, so she got them. The trade off is I have multiple blankets and check the weather and the horses twice a day, if you're going to blanket do it properly!

Before blanketing regularly they only got them when a sudden severe cold drop then they came off after a few days (the pony stayed naked then too lol)

I'm not going to blanket 300 head of cows. The people with large herds, ranchers, they don't blanket their herds! If you have a few in your backyard (not common with cows) it's easier and people do the "I'm cold, they're cold" (so not true).

I have blanketed my sheep lol. Talk about not needing a blanket, but I have a small flock they are pets primarily and get individual care. I've had a few geriatric ones get blankets on the very coldest days otherwise they'd be shivering (the fleece tends to be of poor quality at that point too). A real farmer would have just eaten them by that point, same with cows.

I did see an article about villagers knitting jumpers for elephants a few weeks ago! I guess they had extremely unusual weather in some warm elephant dwelling country (didn't read it so excuse the vagueness).


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## ChieTheRider (May 3, 2017)

I don't know about the science but I think cows have thicker or at least tougher skin than horses. They definitely don't react as much to a slap when you're trying to get them to move along. Some breeds are also hardier than others and are just tougher. We have Dexters so they're small and my heifer might let me blanket her but she doesn't need it and I've never tried.
I'm probably going to blanket the horses tonight. They were beginning to shed out their winter coat and all of the sudden we've got a cold snap. If not tonight then tomorrow night, which is going to be colder.


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

ACinATX said:


> - horses are more valuable than cattle
> - horses are more fragile than cattle
> - we love our horses more than we love our cattle
> - they don't make sheets or blankets for cattle
> ...


All of the above except the second. I know people with show or pet cattle who blanket them. I know people with show sheep that blanket them - but that's to keep the wool clean. But as most cattle are 'just' for using, and there are many, many more of them... Can you imagine the outlay & manpower needed to rug/unrug a ranch full of cattle?? & that's not counting having to round them up(which on some Aus stations may be many day's work) to do so, to fix/replace ruined rugs, etc, etc? 

And generally speaking, as with horses, cattle don't need protecting from the elements, if they can live relatively naturally. Tho in Qld just recently, after a cyclone,(in summer, up north where it doesn't get incredibly cold) because there were just so many days & days of non-stop rain, stations have lost many 1000's of stock & native wildlife have also died, of hypothermia!


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

Some people keep horses longer. It's often older horses that need blanketed. Older cattle, whether bulls or cows, get turned into burger when they can no longer handle range conditions. It's the humane thing to do. 

Not sure I agree with horses being more valuable. A well-breed range bull breeds 20-30 cows a year. If you get 29-30 calves, and sell in the fall... That bull and those cows made a bit of money.

And check out the sale prices for even yearling bulls, or two year old heifers.

Large outfits, with many horses, often PTS older horses that can't keep up with the herd, survive on hay alone or forage on their own, or are always chilled.


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

ApuetsoT said:


> Plus, how many cows are handled well enough to blanket?


Reminds me of a famous autobiography - "We Of The Never Never" Mrs Jeannie Gunn, in 1890's, a city slicker from Melbourne goes to join her new husband on his station in 'The Never Never'(Northern Territory, Mataranka to be precise). On the way, there was some conversation about what she would do if she ever got lost in the bush & the cowboys were all in stitches because she said she'd be fine, she'd just catch a cow & milk it!


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Loosie actually many of my sheep do *technically* have blankets on at the moment, but yes it's too keep the wool clean and no other benefit. They are designed for that purpose alone. Slick shorn show sheep get them too, no point in spending hours to get them nice then have a manure stain! In fact it can be difficult to find sheep blankets designed for warmth, when I did need them I used my dog's blanket.

Another thing- even bigger groups of livestock (and horses are livestock) often have shelters (not range kept but as said they get eaten if they can't cope). Neither our sheep nor horse barn are built for warmth and are drafty but shut up with animals inside they're significantly warmer then outside. Being out of the elements makes a huge difference!


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

ACinATX said:


> It got REALLY cold here, at least really cold for us.



We've had a horrible February in North Dakota and so far March hasn't been any better. We were below zero (air temp) most every day in February. So your definition of "really cold" probably isn't the same as my definition. 



It did happen to be 20 * F on Thursday last week and the sun was shining. It was gorgeous outside!!!





ACinATX said:


> I've never had to break the ice on a trough before. Even the neighbors put their horses in sheets, which I've never seen.



A horse SHEET will not keep a horse warm. A horse SHEET is simply to keep them clean. So most likely, your neighbors put on a BLANKET.





ACinATX said:


> This got me thinking -- why do people put sheets and blankets on horses but not cattle? I know some of you have cattle, so maybe you can tell me. Here are some possibilities I have come up with:


It's simple impossible to blanket your cattle, from a time standpoint and a financial standpoint.


My parents have cattle. We've always had about 180 head. I can't even imagine attempting to blanket them. What's the point? So long as they have adequate food, water, and shelter, they don't need one. 



**sidenote..... I've actually never blanketed a horse either in the 30+ years I've had them. Now, I've never had an issue with a horse that couldn't keep weight so mine have never needed one.


If you want to blanket your horse, more power to ya. But there's nothing wrong with NOT blanketing one.


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## pasomountain (Dec 19, 2018)

I know for a fact some people love cows as much or more than horses!--

https://www.countryliving.com/life/kids-pets/news/a43405/girl-rides-cow-like-horse/


















https://people.com/celebrity/meet-luna-the-cow-who-thinks-shes-a-horse/


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

How about one other possibility -- people choose cattle based at least in part of their suitability for the climate where they'll be living, whereas people don't choose horses with the same requirements (maybe, to a certain extent; I have never seen an Icelandic horse here in Texas)?

To those who asked, it was "really cold" yesterday for either of two reasons (I mean, both of these things happened, and either by itself would have been enough for me to call it "really cold": (1) 24 hours of wind chills in the teens, and (2) when I broke the ice on their water, it was the middle of the day, and the ground must be fairly warm because it's been mostly warm here so you wouldn't think it would freeze that quickly, AND barn owner said she already broken it once in the morning.

It was hard to tell, but I do think neighbor's horses had blankets and not sheets. Mine had sheets, because as cold as it was (and still is), my horses aren't clipped and I know they can handle just being in sheets. I've been sheeting them off and on because I don't feel like the dramatic swings in temps (one week the highs were like 85, 45, 60, 35, 70, 65, and 40) is good for them, so I've been trying to sort of even things out by sheeting when it's cold or, of course, cold and rainy. Sheets will come off tomorrow morning, hopefully for the last time.


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## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

beau159 said:


> ...A horse SHEET will not keep a horse warm. A horse SHEET is simply to keep them clean. So most likely, your neighbors put on a BLANKET...
> ...If you want to blanket your horse, more power to ya. But there's nothing wrong with NOT blanketing one...


This is true if you live in a dry climate. In rainy areas, when the temperature drops and the wind picks up, waterproof sheets help keep horses warm in the same way it will help keep you warm if you are dry under a light rain coat versus walking around wet in the wind, or with a windbreaker that cuts the windchill down.

Most horses around here wear waterproof turnout sheets rather than blankets. Keeping the horses warmer helps them keep on weight more easily. The other purpose of waterproof sheets is to prevent rain rot. 

Cows do get rain rot too, but if a cow gets scars on the back that does not effect the use of the cow, since they are not ridden. If a horse ends up with sensitive scar tissue across the back, that may effect their usefulness for the rest of their life.

Most cows around here also are given shelter where they can dry out their hooves and coats from time to time, so they don't get thrush and rain rot. 

It's fine to keep horses unblanketed if the climate is cold and dry, because both cattle and horses are more adapted to that environment. I think many people blanket in the cold because it can be more expensive to feed the horse enough to stay warm. Either blanketing or feeding more is a fine approach, but sometimes both is needed to keep weight on especially an older horse. 

Some breeds like Thoroughbreds have been bred for many things that do not include a good winter coat. My friend's TB must wear a blanket or she drops weight dramatically in the winter. 

Maybe even some older Shetlands get cold in their winter environment:








Probably these are just related to some bored human though - an Icelandic in a sweater:


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

It's bitterly cold here in the winter and cattle aren't blanketed, but they're not outside either. Essentially, they live in the barn all winter.


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

@Acadianartist ah, that makes sense.

And @gottatrot, I LOVE those pictures!


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## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

All the cattle(beef, not a lot of dairies in the area) I know are outside all winter, but they are provided straw, windbreaks, quansets or large sheds. They aren't kept on open fields, for at the very least it usually makes feeding inconvenient. We're a dry cold, but it still gets to -40.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

It's mostly dairy here, so maybe that's why they're kept in. Doesn't seem like much of a life, but then again, when someone posted a picture of a bunch of wooly cows outside in a snowstorm on social media, everyone wanted to call the SPCA screaming animal abuse (they had a round bale and very thick coats, seemed just fine to me but you can't reason with those types of people). Maybe that's why farmers just keep them in. Ironically, that's probably worse for the cows.


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## rambo99 (Nov 29, 2016)

There are beef cows here they live outside been bitterly cold all of February. Wind chill in the - 50s cows are provided with big round bales and shelter heated water troughs or automatic waters. Still below zero with wind chills well below zero...20 above would be a heat wave. 

Don't know what ops idea of really cold is... until you've lived in Minnesota when the polar vortex invades...you haven't experienced REALLY cold weather. Even now it's been well below zero with wind chills.....and its march!!


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## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

There was a really funny video of a guy talking to his dairy cows in a “mandatory meeting” about what to do when those types of people showed up. I was rolling. 

Our cows don’t have shelters for the most part (some do in certain corrals), but they have brush they can hunker down in. When it is really cold heifer pairs are often taken to the barn. They calve about a month before the older cows though, which is mostly why they see the barn, but also they lack some experience of being moms too. When it is cold everything is fed more too. 

I don’t think I would say that horses are more valuable than cows by any means. Cows produce money and horses work. Horses are more emotionally valuable to someone like me, but to some they aren’t. I think for me the higher emotional value is because we work so intimately with a horse. Family milk cows or some 4H steers and leppies also have that kind of emotional attachment.

Like I said though, my horses don’t see blankets either. Of the horses I own now, there isn’t one that has been blanketed. I have blanketed before a show in the past, but nothing I have now has done much if any showing.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Just as it 'depends on the horse' it also depends on the cattle
In terms of blanketing for warmth it simply wouldn't be practical to blanket cattle unless you maybe keep a fine coated one as a pet and live in a cold climate
Beef cattle are slaughtered before they reach 3 years old (for best quality meat).
Since cattle, like horses' will burn up calories keeping warm, its not cost effective to keep the finer coated cattle outside in harsh weather so they tend to get housed in barns, far more densely packed in than you would with horses so they generate body heat to stay warm. In the UK, which is nowhere as cold as most parts of the US, the beef cattle that live out in the winter are usually only the thicker coated breeds like the Highland and the Galloway etc and you find much the same everywhere where meat production for best profit is involved
Dairy cattle are usually kept indoors in the winter - again, feeding to keep them warm is counter productive if you want maximum milk production - but cows are very prone getting to frostbite on their teats which leaves them susceptible to mastitis. The cow has to be treated, the milk then can't go into the tank to be sold so its more cost effective to house them in barns in freezing or muddy weather. The dairy farm nearest to us has heated barns.


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Regarding blanketing sheep, most of the early lambs had 'blankets on - polythene bags with holes cut for head and each leg. It kept the wet off them and as they grew so the bags dropped off. Just meant litter picking for a couple of weeks!


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## Caledonian (Nov 27, 2016)

@jaydee - Highlands grow their own blankets!

Teddy bear or calf?


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## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

gottatrot said:


> Probably these are just related to some bored human though - an Icelandic in a sweater:


That's horse abuse. I've been to Iceland - I touched their sweaters in the store.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

Caledonian said:


> @jaydee - Highlands grow their own blankets!
> 
> Teddy bear or calf?


:dance-smiley05::dance-smiley05::dance-smiley05::dance-smiley05::dance-smiley05:

:loveshower::happydance:


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

gottatrot said:


> Maybe even some older Shetlands get cold in their winter environment:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 I don't know about the Icelandic but the shetlands wearing those snazzy fairisle Shetland cardigans was done for a Visit Scotland promotional campaign, I think the other one is probably something to do with advertising Icelandic sweaters as that's what its wearing.


That Highland calf is so cute.


Cattle have a different digestive system with a different metabolism to horses as well, the finer coated cattle develop a thicker layer of fat to help keep them warm, the long haired cattle have less fat as they don't need it


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

LOL...

Here’s a cow

Here’s a blanket

Let me know how putting it on goes.


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

gottatrot said:


> This is true if you live in a dry climate. In rainy areas, when the temperature drops and the wind picks up, waterproof sheets help keep horses warm in the same way it will help keep you warm if you are dry under a light rain coat versus walking around wet in the wind, or with a windbreaker that cuts the windchill down.
> 
> Most horses around here wear waterproof turnout sheets rather than blankets. Keeping the horses warmer helps them keep on weight more easily. The other purpose of waterproof sheets is to prevent rain rot.



Right, but your sheet is still not neccessarily for *warmth*. Yes it can keep them dry but there is no fill on a sheet, unlike a blanket.




ACinATX said:


> It was hard to tell, but I do think neighbor's horses had blankets and not sheets. Mine had sheets, because as cold as it was (and still is), my horses aren't clipped and I know they can handle just being in sheets. I've been sheeting them off and on because I don't feel like the dramatic swings in temps (one week the highs were like 85, 45, 60, 35, 70, 65, and 40) is good for them, so I've been trying to sort of even things out by sheeting when it's cold or, of course, cold and rainy. Sheets will come off tomorrow morning, hopefully for the last time.



Of course, keep in mind that a sheet will squash down the horse's hair, and take away a horse's natural ability to regulate their body temperature (by fluffing or flattening the hairs). The same plain sheet may or may not be acceptable to use in both 85*F temps and 35*F temps, because it might not be warm enough for the cooler temps depending on the horse and the conditions.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

There are some cows that live well into their twenty's. When they stop having babies they get shipped. If they are dairy cows, they get shipped when they no longer milk well. Cattle can live long lives if they are fed and not sold to slaughter.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

Most horses are fine with a rain cover and wind break, 3 sided run in. Mine grow their winter coats, have rain /shade cover. If it happens to colder than usual, I just throw out extra hay. As they hay digest, it helps keep them warm. If I notice one is acting cold or shivering , then I will blanket it.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

> Of course, keep in mind that a sheet will squash down the horse's hair, and take away a horse's natural ability to regulate their body temperature (by fluffing or flattening the hairs). The same plain sheet may or may not be acceptable to use in both 85*F temps and 35*F temps, because it might not be warm enough for the cooler temps depending on the horse and the conditions.


O/T but I think it's safe to say a sheet *might*. One of the newer super lightweight/waterproof sheets is perfectly appropriate in colder weather. If it's smushing the coat it shouldn't be used when cold, but if it's not it's not. Completely agree with you otherwise!


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

There actually was a storm several years back somewhere in the northwest that killed a lot of cows. First it rained for days and days and soaked the cows. Then it got extremely cold. Most of the people brought their horses into the barn, but there was nowhere to put the cows. It would have been nice if they had been wearing waterproof blankets.

On that note, I once heard it said that cows are a lot like a Kmart employee. It's not like you can just walk up to them and have a conversation.

Large cattle operations are just not going to be able to blanket.


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## AtokaGhosthorse (Oct 17, 2016)

ACinATX said:


> It got REALLY cold here, at least really cold for us. I've never had to break the ice on a trough before. Even the neighbors put their horses in sheets, which I've never seen. This got me thinking -- why do people put sheets and blankets on horses but not cattle? I know some of you have cattle, so maybe you can tell me. Here are some possibilities I have come up with:
> 
> - horses are more valuable than cattle
> - horses are more fragile than cattle
> ...


Because cows are crazy. And what they don't step on, they poop on. Also, their hide is thicker than a horse, and they way they build body heat while consuming hay and feed puts a fire in them. Their digestive system burns hotter if you will. They have two stomachs, not the one, so as long as they have cud to work on, hay, feed, grazing, they stay warm in the cold. They WILL drop weight though, so that's why you pour the feed to them on the really cold days.

Also, there's sheer numbers to consider. Take us: two dozen cows vs 1 horse that really needs blanketing out of 8 total.

Some ranchers have cows in the thousands.

I am NOT going out there and rounding up two dozen ignert cows and trying to put a blanket on them. I've been wadded up by a mad momma cow once before. Not gonna happen again.

They're also not too smart - we breed cattle for food, we breed horses to be smart. Our cows wouldn't let us put a blanket on them if we tried, and we even have #3 and #9 that like scratches and to have their top knot scrubbed... but they're too dumb to not smoosh us if we move away and they want more scrubbin on the noggin. 

And oh lord. I am NOT going to try to put a blanket on Angus, our bull. Nup. No.


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