# Is unnecessary blanketing some sort of craze?



## poppy1356 (Jan 18, 2012)

Well mine got her winter blanket tonight.... it will be in the 20's. But I don't consider her to be in tip top shape either. As far as I'm concerned I spent thousands putting weight on my old girl, I will not have her shiver off even one pound. But the majority of horses at our barn will never need a blanket all winter.


----------



## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

We didn't blanket for 20 years. On the rare occasion it got below -10, we put the blankets on, but they stayed hairy and happy through the winters.

My Thoroughbreds get blanketed if it's under 10, and obviously at warmer temps if I clip them during the winter. The Percheron nor Paso Fino have needed a blanket in the past few years.


----------



## HagonNag (Jul 17, 2010)

Living in Upstate SC, the only blanketed horses I see are show horses whose owners don't want them to get fuzzy, or horses (like our OTTB) that are older and/or have medical problems. Our OTTB will be 21 this year, is a notoriously hard keeper, has some on-going medical problems and always seems to have problems maintaining his weight in the winter. So he gets blanketed.

The problem here is that we have bouts of cold...and then during the day it will warm up. The blankets have to come off during the day....unless you want to really make your horse ill. So it's on and off, on and off. It's labor intensive.


----------



## Red Gate Farm (Aug 28, 2011)

It gets to minus 40 up here and I don't blanket.

Both horses are happy and healthy.


----------



## AndersonEquestrian (Sep 25, 2012)

oh boy.. Mine are spoiled compared to your guys' horses. My mare Sadie needs weight so she got a light stable sheet on tonight and her foal did as well. Marco got his sheet on but Tina did not.

Sadie has also been in the recovering process so I don't want her to shiver off any weight.


----------



## GhostwindAppaloosa (Jun 3, 2011)

we only blanket the old ones who dont grow coat well anymore. Everyone else gets to be fuzzy wuzzy


----------



## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

Well I show so I blanket to at least try and keep them looking decent. Plus I clip too so there's less hair. I think I would anyway though, because I'm a naturally worried Mom and I want my kids to be as comfy cozy as possible...Poor Rebel shivers if it gets to even 30 degrees. He's such a spoiled stall baby. lol


----------



## Jewelsb (May 8, 2012)

I blanket my TB and my born late in the year foal but only when the temp drops below freezing. I want them to grow that wooly mamoth hair! They both have their blankets on tonight because it's dropping just below freezing but the blankets will come off in the morning!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I do think it is a bit of a craze. I don't ever remember seeing blanketted horses, ever. Of course, I mean horses that are kept outside. I didn't see indoor, stalled horses in those days.

Horses at our barn are mostly not blanketted. But some of the old ones or hard keepers are . it works both ways. It is in the transition seasons that it can get hard on a hrose because there are those stray warm days, and the poor horse cannot cool himself. That must be even more miserable than being a bit cold becuase a cold horse can move around to warm up a bit. And, if they get lots of hay to keep their bellies full, the digestion alone creates heat.


----------



## Lexiie (Nov 14, 2011)

It gets really cold where I am, while the rest of her field mates are wooly mammoths she's just a little fuzzy. So she get's a blanket. IT's more to keep her dry if it rains or snows so she doesn't get sick.


----------



## Wallaby (Jul 13, 2008)

I blanket Lacey but that's because 1. she's an old lady and shivers, 2. her eyes (she has ERU/Moon Blindness) are triggered by getting chilled, and 3. I worry about her getting too cold so it's a peace of mind thing for me.

If she were younger, less medically fragile, and just all around made of tougher stuff than she is, I would not blanket.

However, she's not and I'm not going to make her 27 year old body work any harder than is really necessary when I have all the blankets to make her life easier.
Currently she's wearing a light sheet at night and going "naked" during the day. In a couple of week she'll probably be wearing a sheet during the day and her MW at night but we'll see. It all depends on the way temperatures/weather conditions go and how she reacts.

However, on premise, I generally agree with you. I think the average horse does not need to be blanketed nearly as much as most are.


----------



## ruxpinsam (Jul 15, 2012)

I too don't see the need to blanket horses in the wild don't get blankets they learn to survive. People are turning these beautiful creatures into Barbie dolls. 
However I see if a horse is old or not well needing a blanket but other than that its a bit ridiculous.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## iRide Ponies (Aug 10, 2012)

I blanket my Arab because if I don't, she will stand there and visibly shiver. Then she will drop weight and develop a cold.

So i blanket her. My old gelding i didn't blanket, because he had a thick coat and didn't need it.


----------



## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

I put a sheet on my horse in the cooler weather (he's inside) just to keep him clean! And I sheet him lightly sometimes in summer just to stop him bleaching in the sun! 
Crazy girl at my barn puts a quilted blanket on her 'inside' horse during +30oC......he stands there sweating all day.......not sure of the logic in that...


----------



## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

I think maybe it might seem like a craze, because before the world of the internet we were not especially educated about things that were outside of our norm. 

If I had a hardy chubby QH, I wouldn't blanket. 
However I have a skinny TB who I fight to get weight on in summer so heck yes I blanket.


----------



## caseymyhorserocks (Apr 5, 2010)

I blanket when it rains or gets a little chilly. Winter lows are 45, so therefore no snow, but theres lots of rain. I think horses deal better with cold dry weather than mild rainy weather, at least those that get proper coats, and I have that people in snowy dry climates generally leave their horses un-blanketed more over rainy climates where we tend to lean more toward blanketing. If I moved to a cold climate with snow with easy keepers I wouldn't blanket.


----------



## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

I only keep blankets around in case a horse gets sick. Haven't blanketed a horse in years. Knock on wood!

There are days that I'm very glad I'm not a horse, or a deer, or anything that lives outside, but they all do very well.


----------



## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

I am reading lots of explanations as to why we blanket. I don't think we need to do that really, we have our reasons so we blanket. 

Honestly it's like comparing apples and oranges for those who do not blanket their horses. If a chunky QH met my riding goals, I would have so much more disposable income, it's not even funny. No fancy board needs, no fancy supplements, no extra fancy feed, no blankets, no need for shoes - heck the horse would be about $300 a month less expensive.

I am all about that, if I could do less for my horse and he would thrive, I would totally jump all over it.


----------



## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

When I lived in the UK, my horses both owned to turn out blankets, and a stable blanket, and some extras just in case. They were blanketed a lot during the winter when it was cold wet and miserable.

My first couple of years owning horses in Canada here I didn't own a blanket, but now I have one turn out for Ace, and a selection that would work for the others if needed. Fortunately although we get temps down to the -40's mostly it is a sunny dry cold and the horses are perfectly happy in it. There will be a few days here in fall and more in the spring that I have to watch carefully to make sure that everyone is doing OK.

Mind you I own a bunch of easy keepers, they go into winter fat and sassy and usually come out of it the same way


----------



## doubleopi (Dec 27, 2011)

ruxpinsam said:


> I too don't see the need to blanket horses in the wild don't get blankets they learn to survive.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Hmm, not that I am agreeing or disagreeing but this logic is rather flawed...in that in the wild horses that can't stay warm enough....die. And most horse owners generally aren't excited to cull their herds that way. Just like in the wild they don't have vets to help them give birth. The mares and foals also die a LOT. I'm sure anybody who has purchased a mare, put effort into choosing a stallion, paying for the stud fee and making sure she's in foal then waiting the whole pregnancy would not hesitate to call a vet to prevent losing one or both to a complication that modern medicine could have prevented. Just a thought.


----------



## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

Golden Horse said:


> When I lived in the UK, my horses both owned to turn out blankets, and a stable blanket, and some extras just in case. They were blanketed a lot during the winter when it was cold wet and miserable.
> 
> My first couple of years owning horses in Canada here I didn't own a blanket, but now I have one turn out for Ace, and a selection that would work for the others if needed. Fortunately although we get temps down to the -40's mostly it is a sunny dry cold and the horses are perfectly happy in it. There will be a few days here in fall and more in the spring that I have to watch carefully to make sure that everyone is doing OK.
> 
> Mind you I own a bunch of easy keepers, they go into winter fat and sassy and usually come out of it the same way



100% in agreement with this. Whether you blanket or not depends on the climate and the horse. 

There is not a 'blanket answer' ha ha ha my jokes are just so much funnier than anyone elses.


----------



## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Any stock will take cold, what they find hard to tolerate is cold and wet.

I am in the UK where it has been wet, wetter and next week the wettest yet. I hate to see the horses stood with their tails to the wind heads down backs hunched and shivering off all the food they have been eating.

All the horses come in at night during the winter, daytime if it is hot and the flies are bad in the summer. The youngsters and brood mares do not wear rugs (blankets) The other horses are all in full work so they are clipped and need the rugs to replace the removed hair.

What I do hate is seeing horse with thick rugs on when the weather is warm and sunny. They are so uncomfortable.

_I would never rug a foal or a mare with a foal at foot, unless it was sick, the dangers of them getting entangled is far to great._


----------



## pepperduck (Feb 14, 2008)

I have had my horse for 15 years. Last year was the first time she had a blanket on for the winter. Shes getting older and its been harder and harder to keep weight on her. The blanket really makes a difference for her. The other horse however does not get a blanket and he doesn't need one, he stays at a great weight and gets nice and fuzzy.


----------



## cakemom (Jul 4, 2010)

I blanket below forty...my horses come running in to be blanketed, so I feel they like them, they snuggle down in the shavings in their blankets and go to sleep.


----------



## Blueghost (Oct 5, 2012)

We don't ever blanket our horses and they are just fine. We only trail ride and our horses don't get worked out a lot as it is so they tend to be on the plump side even though they only get pasture and are on a dry lot with hay in the winter. No grain because they don't need it to keep on weight. That's our experience.


----------



## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

I don't currently blanket, but my two don't need it either. When I first bought Lily, I almost blanketed her for the winter. She came from KY and is more of a thin skinned pony. We were having a really rough fall; windy, cold, and rainy and she was really miserable. Thankfully, while I was looking for a blanket that would actually fit her she adjusted to the weather and actually grew a coat. I'm sure it helped that she had good shelter, a ton of hay, and grain supplement. Now she grows a good coat on the same schedule as my QH and is happy as a clam all winter. I think sometimes we jump the gun on using blankets on a horse that doesn't grow much of a coat. 

IF I had a horse that needed it I would blanket, but I'm glad I don't, my lifestyle and budget really requires me to own horses that not hard/difficult keepers. 

I think some people overdo it, but I'm sure there are plenty of people that think I underdo it, as long as the horses are not suffering (and I don't count a day or two of discomfort here and there as suffering) I keep my thoughts to myself.


----------



## BigGreyHorse (Sep 28, 2009)

Coincidentally, I read an interesting article about blanketing yesterday from one vets perspective. Blanketing, and other Colorful Considerations


----------



## ARTEMISBLOSSOM (Apr 3, 2011)

My horses live outside 24/7 with a run in shelter. It gets -40 here often in the winter but I dont blanket for cold, they grow a nice coat. There are a few nights in the fall/spring that I do blanket them though and thats when we are getting freezing rain/snow combined with a steep drop in overnight temperatures predicted. I will put a fleece cooler on them and cover it with a waterproof sheet. It comes off the next morning or as soon as the weather clears a little.


----------



## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Horses in the wild are almost constantly on the move and are uninhibited by fencing. In most cases a horse is colder with a blanket because if flattens the hair against his skin instead of allowing warm air to be trapped. Horses have the ability to control hair rotation somewhat to what meets the horse's needs. Horses often overheat under blankets which can lead to dehydration. A horse with a good coat was blanketed with a heavy blanket which she continually tried to remove. As the winter progressed this poor horse cooked under this blanket whenever the sun shone. What happened to compensate was the hair on her legs grew to about 3" and stood out like a bottle brush. This was not normal for her breeding. This hair was trying to capture cooling breezes and cool the blood in her legs as her body sent overheated blood to her legs. It needed to cool before it went back up to the heart.


----------



## MangoRoX87 (Oct 19, 2009)

I'm in Oklahoma and I blanket. Mainly because is was like 80 a week ago and now it's in the 40s 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## cebee (Apr 4, 2010)

I blanketed my boy the first winter I had him. Got him in the late fall and he was VERY underweight. So was work just to get him up to a healthy weight.,. did not want him shivering all those groceries back off! =) Have rarely blanketed since. Now, if they are forecasting freezing rain, or something, I may blanket them since they seem colder wet than if it is snowy... they are pasture boarded, with run ins, but rarely seem to want to go inside. But as I always remind my husband when he worries about them being outside in the cold... no one brings the deer inside... (and the same goes with blanketing the deer..) 
I have also known horses who's pasture mates make short work of their blankets... shred em...


----------



## cebee (Apr 4, 2010)

I blanketed my boy the first winter I had him. Got him in the late fall and he was VERY underweight. So was work just to get him up to a healthy weight.,. did not want him shivering all those groceries back off! =) Have rarely blanketed since. Now, if they are forecasting freezing rain, or something, I may blanket them since they seem colder wet than if it is snowy... they are pasture boarded, with run ins, but rarely seem to want to go inside. But as I always remind my husband when he worries about them being outside in the cold... no one brings the deer inside... (and the same goes with blanketing the deer..) 
I have also known horses who's pasture mates make short work of their blankets... shred em...


----------



## MangoRoX87 (Oct 19, 2009)

^^^^ Sassy will shred every blanket she comes across -.-
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## TexasBlaze (Oct 4, 2010)

I live in Texas and I DEFINITALLY blanket. Its getting into the 40's at night here and my horses don't have winter coats yet so my yearling and my TB are getting blankets and my mustang and QH would be if i had all my blankets clean. None of my blankets are very heavy though. It rarely gets below freezing here so its rediculous to get a huge blanket for the one day it MIGHT per year. MY blankets are good enough that they will keep them warm if it DOES get too cold but even in 40 degree weather my horses arent sweating when they wear them. My horses probably dont NEED them but it doesn't hurt, in my opinion, to put a blanket as long as the horse isn't sweating underneath the blanket. My yearling is really enjoying his blanket too. He was thrilled when he saw me bringing it out xD


----------



## NBEventer (Sep 15, 2012)

I blanket for a few different reasons.

One is, a horse that doesn't get blanketed grows a huge coat, which is great. However when you ride a horse with a big heavy coat it sweats. And when it sweats it can give them a big chill and even make them sick. 

I seem to always end up having the horse that shivers its weight off. It is bitter nasty cold here. I spend a lot of money to keep weight on my show horses. I am not going to stand and watch them shiver the weight off.

I have boarded in heated barns with heated indoor arenas. When they are inside they have a light stable sheet. When they get turned out they have big heavy blankets with hoods. If they didn't they would freeze outside. 

Plus I wont deny it makes life a heck of a lot easier for me in the end. 

Using the "they have no blankets when they are in the wild" argument doesn't work. Horses in the wild do not live nearly as long as they do when domesticated. 

Its just another one of those things that either works for you or doesn't. Just like the barefoot vs shoes, bitless vs bit etc etc...


----------



## eclipseranch (May 31, 2012)

This thread made me snicker because there will always be people who say blanketing is worthless & people that swear by it. It is not a phase..its been around for a very long time & its not going away anytime soon. Blanketing horses is completely a human deal. I have done it both ways. Horses have to keep their body heat warm enough to not freeze to death. Mother nature will do it whether they have blankets or not. If the goal is to keep weight on an increase in hay will achieve the same thing because the act of eating produces heat. No, horses that wear blankets are not colder. It certainly cuts down on hair growth making the spring much nicer around here. In the year I didn't blanket...spring was horribly hairy..I even ate some . This last spring I barely had to brush any one for shedding & no itchy horses 
Whether you blanket or not is personal preference and not silly or wrong. My bigger pet peve is when people that don't blanket ride in an indoor arena causing excessive sweating and don't allow adequate cool down time & just put them away sweaty & hot...makes me shudder.


----------



## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

AlexS said:


> 100% in agreement with this. Whether you blanket or not depends on the climate and the horse.
> 
> There is not a 'blanket answer' ha ha ha my jokes are just so much funnier than anyone elses.



:rofl::rofl: I do however believe that a lot of blanketing has more to do with making the owner feel better rather than the horse, same as a lot of fancy feeds, supplements, etc etc.

None of my current herd are special needs, and would probably do OK for a majority of the time on grass/hay, no grooming, no blankets, no fancy feeding, Oh wait, there is no probably about it, that is how they live......


----------



## Koolio (Apr 7, 2010)

Although I have blankets for all 4 of my guys,new rarely use them in the winter. They grow wooly coats, have shelter and get extra feed in the cold. We also get cold down into the -40s here, but generally it is a "dry cold". I do blanket them if they get wet at any temperature in winter. We can have freezing rain in the morning and then a bitter wind can come in and cool down the temps by 20 or 30 degrees less than a day. I use the blankets to help them cope with the dramatic changes.

If and when we have a horse in work at a stable, I also blanket. When they work indoors they get really sweaty and I don't like to out them out wet. The blanket prevents them from growing a really thick coat so it is easier to blow dry them before turnout. This is a rare occurrence now that we keep the horses at home.


----------



## xJumperx (Feb 19, 2012)

I blanket all of mine - but they all have reasons for it.

Cowboy shows, so we have to keep him slick. He also has a neck hood, and a little face cover for the night. If he wasn't my show horse, I'd let him blow up like a fuzzy wuzzy balloon, though.

Diamond is a little bitty Arab, and she gets really hard to handle in the winter if she doesn't have a blanket. She will literally shiver, prance, buck, and run until she is sweating when she is cold. Then, of course, she is all wet, and gets a cold. So I have to keep her blanketed.

Oats has Moon Blindness, and is also 23 and arthritic. So the poor man just doesn't fare well in cold weather. 

Everybody gets their blankets off on warm days, and groomed every night. I had a horse before, Harley, that went blanket-less, and had no problems. We got down in the -20's, but he just fuzzed up enough, and he was fine  He has no health issues, and didn't show - so there was no need. I don't think it's neccessary unless you show, or it's something health related.


----------



## NBEventer (Sep 15, 2012)

One of my favorite things to do with a blanketed horse is pull their blanket off for a few hours in the afternoon on nice days and let them romp and roll naked in the snow. 

I watch the horses in my care carefully. If its a nice day with the sun shining I let them hang out without blankets while I am around. I then will throw their blanket back on when I am leaving or if they look cold.

If I didn't ride all winter and school heavily I probably wouldn't blanket. But since I do ride and they sweat from working, I blanket. 

I am currently horseless and work with other peoples horses. So I just do whatever the owners want. 

But at the end of the day. Yep I will blanket my own horse. And one of the biggest reasons is it makes things easier for me. I can try and justify it saying its for the health of the horse blah blah blah.... but it all boils down to making my life easier.


----------



## eclipseranch (May 31, 2012)

NBEventer said:


> One of my favorite things to do with a blanketed horse is pull their blanket off for a few hours in the afternoon on nice days and let them romp and roll naked in the snow.
> 
> I watch the horses in my care carefully. If its a nice day with the sun shining I let them hang out without blankets while I am around. I then will throw their blanket back on when I am leaving or if they look cold.
> 
> ...


very well said!! a nice roll in the the snow almost as good as a mud puddle in the summer =)


----------



## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

The reason I did blanket my horses one winter was to keep them dry & clean so I would have minimal grooming when I rode, HAH. The goofballs invented of a game of "Let's shred each other blankets & watch the old lady buy more!" They don't need blankets and I can towel them down if they are wet or muddy when I want to ride.


----------



## eclipseranch (May 31, 2012)

waresbear said:


> The reason I did blanket my horses one winter was to keep them dry & clean so I would have minimal grooming when I rode, HAH. The goofballs invented of a game of "Let's shred each other blankets & watch the old lady buy more!" They don't need blankets and I can towel them down if they are wet or muddy when I want to ride.


I have a gelding that can make almost anything in to a toy..thankfully he leaves his and everybody else's blanket alone. When we used to board they would leave on halters at turn out (which I hated by the way) and horses used to use them to irritate each other and pull on them frequently causing a need for a new halter..I can understand your frustration.


----------



## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

I only blanket the one or 2 I'm going to ride, if I have an older horse who's having trouble keeping weight on, or the very young. Otherwise.....butt nekkid! I do bring them in if we get a wicked wind or ice storm or snow or rain storm, but on nice days, even if it's below 0 they can be blanket-less and do just fine as long as they have plenty of hay.


----------



## rookie (May 14, 2012)

we have a few horses and fewer blankets. Everyone lives outside with run ins. We have blankets for emergencies. It snows or sleets for two days straight and someone is shivering, they get a blanket. We check ever few hours see if they are sweating and remove the blanket. A lot of people get upset because their horse stands out in the snow. They bring the horse in and blanket it thinking the horse is cold. Horses are not stupid (they might act foolish) they are not going to put themselves in a situation where they are uncomfortable. If they are standing out in the snow at 5 pm its because they are comfortable there.


----------



## WSArabians (Apr 14, 2008)

I have a few oldies that feel it when it hits around -50 and down, but I don't generally blanket unless it is needed. Horses are built for survival; we mess it up.


----------



## Jore (Dec 4, 2010)

Around here, I rarely see it.. I agree when people say it depends on the horse. 

Personally, I'll definitely be blanketing Indie throughout the winter.. currently, she's wearing a rain sheet (no fill) because it's been quite rainy lately combined with a bit of wind at night. (she's still a bit skinny and we're trying to get weight on her, so it's easier when not all the calories are spent trying to keep her warm).

In the summer, I have a fly sheet for her because we suspect that she's allergic, as she came to me covered in hives.. and once we threw a fly sheet on her, there was a big improvement.

This winter, she'll wear a heavyweight blanket because we're presuming she'll still be on the slim side. She'll also have a stable blanket for days/nights when it's too cold for them to be outside.


----------



## caseymyhorserocks (Apr 5, 2010)

ruxpinsam said:


> I too don't see the need to blanket horses in the wild don't get blankets they learn to survive.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


And horses in the wild are completely different from domestic horses. People bred horses for domestic uses like pulling carts, riding into town, meat, milk, etc., not for their hard hooves or thick winter coats, which in a lot of horses has been outbred. 

Like someone else just said, I dont blanket for cold, I blanket for wet. I prefer my horses not shivering in the rain.


----------



## eclipseranch (May 31, 2012)

Jore said:


> Around here, I rarely see it.. I agree when people say it depends on the horse.
> 
> Personally, I'll definitely be blanketing Indie throughout the winter.. currently, she's wearing a rain sheet (no fill) because it's been quite rainy lately combined with a bit of wind at night. (she's still a bit skinny and we're trying to get weight on her, so it's easier when not all the calories are spent trying to keep her warm).


Actually, I believe it depends on the owner, not the horse.

I will blanket soon as the temps are dropping but rain sheets? wouldn't even consider them. I worry about lightning but rain..not a second thought...unless, of course its freezing temps outside and then their blankets are waterproof 

as said in an above post plenty of hay takes care of that calorie burn issue.


----------



## QuarterHorseLuv (May 23, 2012)

It's my horses first year living outdoors full-time in 9 years. I bought a winter blanket as a "just in case." I don't plan to blanket unless he needs it. In previous years we've gotten freezing rain and with the colder temperatures this gets the horses shivering so I would rather spend the money as a precaution then not have one when I need it. Otherwise he has lots of free choice hay and I'm sure he will grow a good winter coat. He's not a dumb horse, there is shelter and he knows how to use it. It's just that darn freezing rain and cold temperatures can easily make a horse cold. He has his people looking out for him, he will be blanketed only when he needs it. 

I don't believe a horse needs to be blanketed unless its being clipped or its shivering in the cold weather and dropping weight due to not being able to grow enough of a coat, age etc.


----------



## AQHSam (Nov 23, 2011)

I was told that if horses are kept in the pasture you should never blanket. Even a few days of blanket use will stunt under coat growth. When it gets cold the best thing is to feed a premium hay that will generate more gut heat. We use round bales so the horses can graze at will. But we do not get below the 20s often. So maybe the advice is a regional thing.


----------



## AQHSam (Nov 23, 2011)

Shivering will drop weight? hmm. Sam needs to drop a few pounds. I am getting an idear 

Lol


----------



## kassierae (Jan 1, 2010)

I've never used a blanket, but then again I don't do much riding in the winter. I will be blanketing my gelding for the first time this year, only because he's at a boarding barn and I will.be riding daily. I'd rather not have to groom for two hours then cool him out for two more hours. All the others are nekkid. They're already growing hair. If it gets below about 18* fahrenheit they stay in the barn over night with a little extra hay then get kicked back out during the day. I often find them snoozing in the sun quite comfortably.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## grayshell38 (Mar 9, 2009)

I will be blanketing my 24year old this year. Mostly I am worried about her getting wet and shivering all of her hard to keep weight on. The majority of days she is a fluffy bison, but if she gets even slightly damp, she's out there shivering.


----------



## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

I used to blanket my horses on cold days blah blah blah....made me feel better. One day it warmed up and when I took Red's (former horse) blanket off he smelled like old cheese. OMG he stunk to high heaven. No more blanket. 

I also did some research and learned how they fluff up their coat to keep warm and can actually turn the hair into the direction they need to help keep them warm. Blanketing damages the ability to do that. I live near the coast in southeast Texas and when it is cold here it is a wet humid bone chilling cold to me. Horses...not so much. Last Christmas Even I rode Biscuit in 40 degree weather with a drizzling rain. I had two shirts and a windbreaker jacket on....no hat. I was more than warm...and I rode 5 miles with it drizzling rain on me. I was fine...until I got off of Biscuit and THEN I got cold. OMG he can produce the heat! 

Having said that, if my horse was ill, had a chronic condition, was shivering and miserable...yes, I would blanket him but as it stands now... the Weatherbeeta's weren't used last year and won't be this year either!!


----------



## ThursdayNext (Oct 18, 2011)

My climate isn't just cold, it's damp. It's the rare snowstorm here that doesn't start and end with sleet and freezing rain. Could my horse stand that? Yep, probably. Could *I* stand that? Yep, have done. But it was bloody miserable. Seems to be pretty miserable for the animals, too. Don't see why my horse has to be uncomfortable because I have some kind of principle.

I might feel differently about this if I lived in a cold and dry climate, and if my horse typically put on a nice woolly coat, but he doesn't do that. His winter coat is a total joke compared to the coats that a lot of the horses in the barn put on. It's not the blanketing - none of the horses are getting blanketed now, and most of the other horses are well on the way to getting wicked thick coats. My boy sheds his summer coat out along with everyone else, but the difference between his summer coat and his winter coat is, like, 1/8" extra length per hair. He doesn't seem to have much of a Hair-Making Gene.

The only thing I ever need to clip on him, ever, is his beard and his fetlocks. And even his fetlocks are just kind of cute, not shaggy.


----------



## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

*stares at pile of blankets hanging next to her locker*

Welllll.... I may be a bit excessive...
To be fair though, Ronan will be clipped this winter (trace clip, leaving head, legs, belly and a good chunk over his back) and will be in work 4-5 days a week in moderate to heavy work. I have a whole range of blankets to accommodate Mr Prissy Pants. He's a very skin-sensitive horse. I live in Alberta where our winters range in temp from +10*C to -40*C or lower with windchill. We generally stay in the -15 to 0 range through most of the winter, with a week to two week long cold snap that brings us down to -30 to -50 with windchill. 
I have: 
Fly sheet 
Rain sheet
Mid weight liner
Mid weight turnout with neck
Heavy weight turnout with neck
... as well as quarter sheets and coolers.


----------



## WSArabians (Apr 14, 2008)

LOL Allie, he probably has more blankets then you do!
I have a barn full too, but rarely pull them out. And when I do, I end up hating them a little bit for every rip in every $200 blankets that they put in. LOL


----------



## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

Hahahhaa - yes, he does have more blankets than I do... but I have more winter coats!! 
I could have killed him this summer... I spent $190 on a Weatherbeeta Textilene blanket for him (the super thick plastic like material) because he's so bothered by bugs, and the **** horse ripped off the neck within a month. A month after that, I had to cut the tail flap off because it was so shredded. The second time he wore his rain sheet, he Hulked the front snaps clean off. Sigh.


----------



## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

MySerenity said:


> My one horses trainer texted me today and asked when I was bringing her blankets and sheets out to the barn. I responded that I wasn't because she was living outside this winter so I didn't see a need for it. She was all shocked and texted back "you aren't going to blanket her at all!!"
> 
> When I was a kid were horses tougher? I didn't own a blanket for my horses until I started doing a spring clip job for showing. They looked like wooly mammoths, lived outside and were never cold.
> 
> ...


If your horse is in training, I totally get it. It is, for many reasons already stated, easier, and that equates to time when a horse is in training. A blanketed horse typically can be groomed very little, be ridden, cooled a bit, reblanketed and back out. Without a blanket, the cleaning prior to riding is MUCH more, plus if the horse is worked it will sweat and be wetter (more fur to stay wet longer) and be longer to cool before it can go back out. (even tho you cannot reblanket a wet horse). Also-some trainers clip in the winter to make cool out easier...so then the horse will need a blanket also. I do what I want when mine are at home. When they are at the trainers-I would rather the trainer be spending their time RIDING than grooming or cooling.


----------



## SEAmom (Jan 8, 2011)

Mine is. He did as a baby and he does now because he'll get body clipped.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Copperhead (Jun 27, 2012)

I'll never blanket my horses for no reason.

On occasion I do think of my mare out in the field. We'll be getting a frost tonight with a freeze warning. But then I remember she's a fat, healthy horse, and her species has been doing this for thousands of years. What do I know? She's a horse. I refuse to treat her like a poodle. Unless there is an illness that needs attention, she'll not get a blanket. She's suffered through below temps before without one, she'll survive them again.


----------



## ShannonSevenfold (Oct 11, 2008)

I drive past this massive uppity barn on the way to my barn and I saw they started blanketing about a month ago. Even on days when it's over 70 those poor horses have blankets on. I've only ever owned pasture horses and they were never blanketed. My new horse is a tad underweight and will be stalled at night in a heated barn, so he will be getting a light blanket when it gets cold here.


----------



## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

Shannon-if he is underweight and being kept in a heated barn, I certainly would be using more than a lightweight come the really cold winds, particularly in Jan/Feb-at least here in NY, which is pretty similar. It gets REALLY cold, and you are keeping it in a HEATED barn. JMHO


----------



## MySerenity (Jul 18, 2011)

> I refuse to treat her like a poodle.


****! and amen!


----------



## NBEventer (Sep 15, 2012)

Is this when I say the horse I was leasing was in a blanket all summer? She had her heavy blanket all winter then her rain sheet and then she had a kool coat ok while living outside all summer. Funny enough when I put my hand under the blanket she was cooler under the blanket then her pasture mate who was a dark bay and sweating. Meanwhile my horse was cool as a cucumber. 

I blanket in the summer because the bugs are horrible and eat the horses alive. I love the kool coat. Better then any fly sheet I have ever seen.


----------



## Supermane (Sep 23, 2007)

I've always blanketed, though, I do show year round so my horses are also full body clipped.

All my horses have a light, a medium, and a heavy. I also have a california weight, which I keep for my mare that lives outside (she get banket clip every year) when it's an in-between temperature.


----------



## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

:rofl: Saw this










and thought of this thread


----------



## corgi (Nov 3, 2009)

My horse is outside 24/7 with only some trees for shelter. I bought her last February and made sure she had a heavy blanket. She was severely thin.

She is at a healthy weight right now. The BO told me this weekend that I needed to buy her a lightweight waterproof blanket to use right now because lately, when the BO goes out in the morning, Isabella is shivering. Her winter coat has not come in yet and it is dipping down into the 40's here at night.

I am torn and don't know what to do. I don't want her shivering her weight gain away...she is finally looking good. But if I put a lightweight blanket on her now, will that keep her winter coat from coming in...

Confused.....


----------



## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

None of mine have waterproof blankets. They do however, have stable sheets for when they have to be in their stalls because of bad weather. Since they can't huddle together and share body heat when they're in their individual stalls, I felt this was the best of both world.

I rarely use the stable sheets except for the old guy, and only when the temps dip below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Neither the younger Arab nor my 'delicate' TB seem to need them. I find that extra hay is the best way to keep their weight up during the winter, rather than blanketing.

Since I don't show any more and rarely ride once the temps get below a certain point, there's no need for me to clip and rug the horses.


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Everything is relative to where you live, the individual horse and what you do with your horse and how you manage it. No hard and fast rules
I wont feed extra to keep a horse warm when I can throw a blanket on it - they pretty much get the same all year around - increasing hay as the grass disapears to make up for that loss.
If your horse shivers and loses weight its cold, if its looking happy and well its OK
If you clip your horse then it will need a blanket
If you dont clip your horse and still ride it enough to get sweaty you need to make provisions for cooling it down before you turn it out - or stable it.
We always had some sort of outdoor blankets on our ridden UK horses as it was way too much work to scrape layers of dried or wet mud off them every time they were ridden
3 of my 5 horses still dont have anything that resembles a winter coat so they are getting a thin rug on now when we have colder nights or wet/cold days. The other two are fine
The ID will get clipped soon as she's sweating way too much when ridden to be comfortable so she will get a blanket on then
Having a horse thats shivering and losing weight is wrong
Having a horse thats too hot and sweating from over rugging is wrong
Anything else is totally the choice of the individual owner


----------



## Delfina (Feb 12, 2010)

My horse has more blankets than most tack shops.

I own a bunch of rain sheets and those are the most used. Not because it actually rains (which it doesn't... :-x) but because when the wind is howling at 75mph, he practically cries to go in the barn if he doesn't have a sheet to cut the wind. 

He has a perfectly good shelter (two of them actually) but he hates to use them because he can't see other horses while in them. So his preference is out in the open with a sheet or in his cozy stall with everyone else in their stalls. 

I see no GOOD reason for an animal to stand outside cold and shivering while I sit in my nice warm house. My Mastiff gets cold very easily, so yup.... he has a blanky too. Can't tell you how many people make rude comments when the see him out and about with his blanky on. Lessee.... no blanky = dog refusing to leave the house for more than a 5 second dash out pee and run back. Blanky = dog that has zero desire to be inside unless I am.


----------



## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

The decision to blanket or not is something I have been struggling with. This is the first year that my horse is MY horse (not leased) so it's really the first time it's been my decision. My leased horses always had blankets provided by their owners, and since the BO will put blankets on/off it wasn't any extra work for me (though she is better about putting them on than about taking them off, I think).

I'm still leaning towards not blanketing this winter, but my trainer keeps subtly suggesting I get him one ("So-and-so is having a yard sale this weekend, and I know she'll have several blankets in Garzo's size...") However, he's young, at a healthy weight, and already has a nice, fluffy winter coat. He's stalled during the day and gets 'turned out' inside if it's actively raining. If I end up needing to clip him (due to too much sweating during rides) or I see him dropping too much weight I won't hesitate to get him a blanket, but at this point I'm not convinced he needs one.


----------



## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

MangoRoX87 said:


> ^^^^ Sassy will shred every blanket she comes across -.-
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


There's a blanket for her too: SmartPak Ultimate Ballistic Nylon Turnout Blanket "10 Year Indestructible Guarantee- the fine print:
We are so confident in the toughness and durability of the SmartPak Ultimate Ballistic Nylon Turnout Blanket, that if anything happens to this blanket within 10 years of your purchase, we’ll replace it—no matter what! It’s that easy."


----------



## gigem88 (May 10, 2011)

I rarely put a blanket on mine, but it doesn't get that cold down here!


----------



## AQHSam (Nov 23, 2011)

gigem88 said:


> I rarely put a blanket on mine, but it doesn't get that cold down here!


Nod. Same boat here. We blanket the horses that are stalled and in training since they never get to grow a good winter coat in the barn. I think the bigger concern with blanketing in our environments is the daytime temps. 

The 20s at night is one thing but then it creeps up to 70 by 2pm and if you didn't get that blanket off the horse early in the day the poor thing is ROASTING.


----------



## HarleyWood (Oct 14, 2011)

no not unless its super cold windy. or if a bad storm is coming i only blanketed my 45 year old TB that had little weight on him. my QH has had it on a few days in the winter just because i feel like its too cold out when im cold. he got his winter coat and turned darker already so hes getting ready so i may not need to this year. my moms horse got his im still waiting for my other horse to get it but he hasnt gotten much yet so he may get one thiss year.


----------



## Tarpan (May 6, 2012)

My horse has 24/7 turnout. I live in the south, where the winters are mild, and Buck grows a winter coat that would put a musk ox to shame. I will not be blanketing this winter, and have ramped up my grooming efforts to help him shed out his wimpy summer coat. 

On the other hand, the moment it dropped below 60 degrees I gleefully busted out the sweaters for my dogs.


----------



## NBEventer (Sep 15, 2012)

HarleyWood said:


> no not unless its super cold windy. or if a bad storm is coming i only blanketed my 45 year old TB that had little weight on him. my QH has had it on a few days in the winter just because i feel like its too cold out when im cold. he got his winter coat and turned darker already so hes getting ready so i may not need to this year. my moms horse got his im still waiting for my other horse to get it but he hasnt gotten much yet so he may get one thiss year.


You have a TB that is 45?!?! That is simply amazing. Sounds like you are one heck of a Momma. My heart just melted when I read that. I have never heard of anything beyond a pony living that long.


----------



## Copperhead (Jun 27, 2012)

We tend to condition our animals based on how we treat them. If its cold and they get a blanket and they are pampered, they will expect that instead of finding ways to keeps themselves warm and dry.

If my horse refused to go inside the shelter because she couldn't see her pals, then she better find another spot to stay dry in or she'll get wet. Thats just that. I refuse to blanket her to keep the rain off her because she won't go into the shelter. She either goes in the shelter, or she'll get wet.

Animals will learn how to adapt to changing weather as long as you give them proper food, water, and shelter away from the wind and rain. You start blanketting and pampering and they will forget that they can cope in that weather without your help.

I guarantee my poor pony is out there shivering her buns off. We just went from some mild fall weather to frost overnight with a freeze warning, and rain all day today. She is getting her winter coat but its not enough right now for that chill. She better eat that roundbale up and gather in the lean-to, or she's gonna be one cold pony. I do trust her to handle the cold weather like a horse, though. If I blanket her, it means I don't trust her to handle herself right in this weather. But I do. She's done this for a couple seasons now and has survived because she had the proper provisions. She has my full trust that she'll do it again.

Maybe I'm just mean  I treat my horse like a horse and expect her to sruvive like a horse. 

If the conditions were different then I would probably blanket (ie: underweight, ect.) but they aren't. She'll be fine.


----------



## poppy1356 (Jan 18, 2012)

Well my dear officially has more blankets than I have winter coats..

And dare I say.... my dog had her winter coat on yesterday morning when we were out doing chores.

I've consulted with my vet about blanketing so I'm not just going at it willy nilly because a blanket is pretty. 

My horse lived through 18 years of hell she deserves to be a princess now.


----------



## BarrelRacingLvr (Feb 26, 2012)

The horses that are getting rode, hauled, and ran get blanketed. As it gets -21 degrees here and then we also get cold Canadian North Wind (we live VERY close to the Canadian Border) also live in a nice valley so the wind is HORRID and blows terrible (good 20-35 gusts each day). 

The horses that get blankets do so because I want to keep them looking decent when hauling, keep them warm as they get lots of food but they don't have self feed like the horses in pastures as they are in their own seperate pens and we don't have 20 million shelters for our horses.


----------



## Missy May (Feb 18, 2012)

I only ever blanketed my horses in extreme conditions before. But, my mare has never had much of a winter coat so I blanket her on cold nights in winter months. She likes her blankets. 
However, she is _already_ starting to hair up - for the first time in her life she appears to have the makings of a normal winter coat! From this, I predict that it will be a cold winter.


----------



## AndersonEquestrian (Sep 25, 2012)

I went to the masseuse a while ago and she explained that I might be having neck/head aches because the window is above my head and I leave it open a lot. She said that the random drop in temperature makes my muscles tense up which causes me to be stiff and sore. It makes quite a lot of sense to me. This is part of the reason why I blanket is to make sure my horse's muscles stay at a constant temperature.. I at least try to accomplish that although I am limited to it.

I haven't been quite as on top of it because I am not competing. So I just make sure when I go to ride they are warmed up enough before doing any real work. =]




NBEventer said:


> I blanket for a few different reasons.
> 
> One is, a horse that doesn't get blanketed grows a huge coat, which is great. However when you ride a horse with a big heavy coat it sweats. And when it sweats it can give them a big chill and even make them sick.
> 
> ...


----------



## horsesrox (Oct 9, 2012)

MySerenity said:


> My one horses trainer texted me today and asked when I was bringing her blankets and sheets out to the barn. I responded that I wasn't because she was living outside this winter so I didn't see a need for it. She was all shocked and texted back "you aren't going to blanket her at all!!"
> 
> When I was a kid were horses tougher? I didn't own a blanket for my horses until I started doing a spring clip job for showing. They looked like wooly mammoths, lived outside and were never cold.
> 
> ...


no i dont blanket my horse unless it is really cold i somtimes blanket my 25 yr old when it is cold but i agree if it is not cold they dont need them if they are not clipped


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Copperhead said:


> We tend to condition our animals based on how we treat them. If its cold and they get a blanket and they are pampered, they will expect that instead of finding ways to keeps themselves warm and dry.
> 
> If my horse refused to go inside the shelter because she couldn't see her pals, then she better find another spot to stay dry in or she'll get wet. Thats just that. I refuse to blanket her to keep the rain off her because she won't go into the shelter. She either goes in the shelter, or she'll get wet.
> 
> ...


 My friend had that approach with her mare last year and it got the worst case of rain scald and mud fever ever
Basically they have no common sense to survive in the wild because the conditions you are keeping the horse in isn't the same as living in a feral herd. They see standing out in all weather a safer option than being in the scarey shelter out of sigh of their buddies - now that is basic herd instinct where survival is safety in numbers


----------



## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

I'd love someone to come and tell Reeco that he couldnt have a rug on!

He does not grow a winter coat and this year in the height of summer on a glorious is slightly windy day I picked him up from the vets and as i was getting him ready to load he started shaking, I had the vets look at him as I thought he was having a drug reaction or something. They were very concerned but couldnt find anything that could be causing it. I popped a rug on him whilst one of the vets went to get the senior vet and within 5 mins he had stopped shaking!
Total and utter wuss!!


----------



## BCtazzie (Jun 7, 2011)

I rug my guys. One is clipped and the other is soft.


----------



## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

copperhead, I'd perfer my horses not to suffer in anyway.

In the wild horses would huddle together under trees to keep warm, if they couldnt keep warm they would die end of. They also would not stand alone in a shelter as that means being isolated from the herd and also could lead to death. Horses very very rarely go into caves (AKA field shelters) because thier instincts scream at them that that is where the predators live!

Humans have bred out a lot of natural survival machanisms out of horses and we have removed thier ability to roam over hundreds/thousands of acres to find the best spot out of the weather.

If a horse is shivering then it is not coping and needs warming up and looking after.

Personaly I do think you are being mean, verging on cruel perticularly as you know the horse is miserable and dont seem to give a ****


----------



## Sherian (Aug 28, 2012)

I blanket - while I agree that most horses can take a lot of cold if they are dry and out of the wind, but I live in Canada and it seems that its always either wet and cold - wet hair does not fluff and insulate or there is a killer wind that cuts through their coat. The one study I read years ago found that an adult horse that is shivering needs 60% more calories to maintain their body condition (nevermind growing if young stock). Now the study was done by a feed company but even if 60% is exaggerated, my feed bill is high enough as it is - blankets are cheaper in the long run.
In an interesting twist to think about, I knew a couple of horses over the years that were quite miserable in the spring because it would warm up faster then they could shed. One we had to clip because she was getting heat stroke - in her case it would have been much pleasanter for all involved to simply remove a blanket than clip a sweaty, cranky mare.


----------



## NBEventer (Sep 15, 2012)

I will say that small ponies tend to do well with the winter weather. We have a little Welsh pony in our school that gets a huge fluffy coat. He doesn't get anything but hay. He gets 3 - 4 flakes of hay a day. He is a chubby monkey with a big fluffy coat and hair to spare. Meanwhile the rest of the horses are bundled up in heavy blankets and get their hay and feed upped for the winter.

Our pony doesn't let go of his winter coat either though. I have to body clip him in the spring. 

Horses are funny creatures. Even when I have had horses that lived outside all winter I blanket them. It just makes everyone happier in the end.


----------



## GotaDunQH (Feb 13, 2011)

I live in Massachusetts and have always used blankets....for 50 years now. My current horse that I've owned for 11 years does not grow much hair in the winter, so it's a nylon sheet when it's below 55 degrees, and winter blanket when it's below 40 degrees.


----------



## Jore (Dec 4, 2010)

Sherian said:


> I blanket - while I agree that most horses can take a lot of cold if they are dry and out of the wind, but I live in Canada and it seems that its always either wet and cold - wet hair does not fluff and insulate or there is a killer wind that cuts through their coat. The one study I read years ago found that an adult horse that is shivering needs 60% more calories to maintain their body condition (nevermind growing if young stock). Now the study was done by a feed company but even if 60% is exaggerated, my feed bill is high enough as it is - blankets are cheaper in the long run.
> In an interesting twist to think about, I knew a couple of horses over the years that were quite miserable in the spring because it would warm up faster then they could shed. One we had to clip because she was getting heat stroke - in her case it would have been much pleasanter for all involved to simply remove a blanket than clip a sweaty, cranky mare.


I definitely agree about the winters here.. I can be bundled up in a long sleeve shirt, a sweater, a winter coat, a pair of mittens.. wool socks and my winter riding boots, and still be numb. It's also usually wet and really windy. Not to mention that only one pasture has an actual shelter.. so the horses usually get brought in at night anyways and when it's too cold, each group has a turn being turned out in the arena with bundles of hay everywhere.

While I agree that it's completely up to the owner, usually the owner's decision is based on their individual horse as well as the typical weather. I could name a few horses at my barn who would do fine outside with no winter blanket, due to having an abundance of body fat and being healthy.. yet there are also those (like my mare) who don't grow a nice winter coat and are more difficult to keep weight on even in the summer months.


----------



## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

faye said:


> If a horse is shivering then it is not coping and needs warming up and looking after.
> 
> Personaly I do think you are being mean, verging on cruel perticularly as you know the horse is miserable and dont seem to give a ****


That is your opinion, mine is that it is in no way cruel, and I think it is rude of you to say that Copperhead doesn't give a ****, there is nothing in the post that says that to me.

We have been given the ability to shiver to warm ourselves up, horses shiver to warm themselves up, no need to run for a blanket everytime they shiver. Once again though the geographic disparity means that people often look at their own small area and think that everyone has the same conditions.

There is a world of difference between a soaking wet horse standing out in the wind trying desperately to shiver itself warm, and a well covered dry horse shivering because of a temperature fluctuation.

The term 'hay burner' is a great description for a lot of horses, it's just what mine are, they burn through a lot of hay to stoke the internal fires and keep them warm. This morning they look cold and damp, so it's time to start forking some hay to them, because they will need it, we have gone from 26*C to wet slushy snow in a week, none of us are really prepared for that sort of change Brrrrr, and yes I'm going to cruelly make them 'suffer' through the next couple of weeks while they toughen up, and nature catches up with herself.

Again like Copperhead, anything that isn't coping after the adjustment period will have blankets, and I HATE this time of year, it is hard on all of us, but I don't baby them.


----------



## SEAmom (Jan 8, 2011)

With the crazy cost of hay here in the midwest, I won't be relying in extra hay to keep my horse warm. Unless, of course, I want to take out a second mortgage to pay the increased board fees for the extra hay.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Copperhead (Jun 27, 2012)

Oh, she's not miserable. My horse has a herd of about 10 horses who are in the same situation. Tons of hay, lots of shelter and water, and they are all very fat. If she shivers now and then, it won't kill her. She'll have her coat in very soon and she actually a bit overweight to begin with.

I would care very much if she had no way to keep herself warm. If I hauled her, she would get a blanket for the trip. If I clipped her, she would get a blanket to stay warm. If she was a horse who didn't grow a thick coat, she would get a blanket. If she was ill or underweight, she would get a blanket.

She has everything she needs to survive. This is the LEAST of the crazy weather we have seen. If she can't make it in this weather, I'd be very, very concerned. This is nothing compared to -40 degree weather my friend's horse go unblanketted in. It was 35 degrees out. Hardly scarey weather at all.

I'm sorry that I don't pamper her like a pet. Shoot, I don't even pamper my pets that way. And I'm sorry that its considered cruel now not to do so. But this is the way I keep her, and she has thrived on it for several winters. I don't see a reason to change it. 

I guess my mare has more common sense than some horses, because she has never been pampered and knows where to stand to get out of the rain, wind or snow. She uses the lean-to when she doesn't want to get wet, regardless of if the whole herd is in there or not. No, she's not in the wild. But she's also never had someone bolt out and chase her down to toss a blanket on her because it reached 35 degrees.

I do believe that they start depending on us to keep them warm and dry if we let them depend on us for it. They forget how to do this themselves because its done for them. Much like rehabbed wildlife. At the facility I volunteered for, we had to keep human contact with the animal at a minimum and had to keep feeding as naturally as we could for them, so they wouldn't start depending on humans and seeing them as a food source when set free. 

Taking the horse out of the wild doesn't kill its natural survival instinct. Taking away the need for survival does, however. My mare (along with any horse I've ever owned) knows how to take care of herself like her species has done for thousands of years without human help since she is given the supplies to do so. None of my horses were ever pampered in cold weather, and they all knew what to do. I like knowing that she doesn't need a human to keep her dry and warm. She can do it herself with the shelter thats provided. 

I think we humanize the horse too much. Its cold out, so the horse must be cold. What do humans do when its cold? We wear a coat, so we think our horses need one. No, not really. If you give the horse the things it naturally needs to keep itself warm, it will keep itself warm. It doesn't automatically become stupid because its behind a fence. It becomes stupid when humans do the work for them (ie: blanketting in 35 degree weather) for years and years and so when the human finally stops, they have no idea how to handle themselves.

This, of course, does not go for the horses I mentioned aboved (underweight, ill, under developed winter coat, clipped or hauled horses etc.)


----------



## BlueMonday (Jun 8, 2012)

Red Gate Farm said:


> It gets to minus 40 up here and I don't blanket.
> 
> Both horses are happy and healthy.





Copperhead said:


> Oh, she's not miserable. My horse has a herd of about 10 horses who are in the same situation. Tons of hay, lots of shelter and water, and they are all very fat. If she shivers now and then, it won't kill her. She'll have her coat in very soon and she actually a bit overweight to begin with.
> 
> I would care very much if she had no way to keep herself warm. If I hauled her, she would get a blanket for the trip. If I clipped her, she would get a blanket to stay warm. If she was a horse who didn't grow a thick coat, she would get a blanket. If she was ill or underweight, she would get a blanket.
> 
> ...


You both beat me too it that's exactly what i was going to say, the horses are not domestic pets, they grow their coat thicker for the Alberta winter, maybe its because we have a dry cold.


----------



## eclipseranch (May 31, 2012)

BlueMonday said:


> You both beat me too it that's exactly what i was going to say, the horses are not domestic pets, they grow their coat thicker for the Alberta winter, maybe its because we have a dry cold.


actually, horses have become domesticated by humans, grain of any type is not a "natural" phenomenon either. Even my dogs grow a winter coat (triple coated aussies) and they are inside the house most of the time.

However, back on topic. I will say again both blanketing and not blanketing is a personal horse owner choice. Neither is wrong. Clearly, the members who have posted state that they increase hay availability & their horses have shelters...this along with mother nature's switch to produce a winter coat is far from being cruel. A horse will expend a lot of energy keeping itself warm, as does deer, some dogs, birds, rabbits, squirrels, and any other animal that lives outdoors during winter months. If an owner chooses to blanket their horse, (or dog for that matter,) to decrease the amount of energy expended on keeping warm they are not silly or "babying" their animals. And yes, my horses are domesticated pets that happen to live outdoors....they are still horses at the end of the day who love their jobs, nicker for a scratch, a treat and sometimes play with their tails held high with just plain enjoyment of the moment!


----------



## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

Ughh, Eclipse has 666 posts:shock:


----------



## NBEventer (Sep 15, 2012)

Golden Horse said:


> Ughh, Eclipse has 666 posts:shock:


:twisted::twisted::twisted:


----------



## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

Can't help but to unload my two cents....

In NE Nevada where it gets -20 in the winter, I never blanketed. Those horses were just fine with bifg fluffly coats. Even it it snowed and they had two inches built up on their backs, which meant they were insulated and not losing heat. They knew how to deal with the conditions. They knew how to break the ice in the river and dig through the snow to find the grass. If the snow got a big hard crust they got fed hay just like the cows.

Take them same horses and move them to NE Texas. Different ball game. Even though the winters may not be -20 and snowing. The rain and wind is what kills them, they are miserable! They are turned out in cow pasture with no run in shed(just like at home in NV), when the grass is no good I always have a round bale out in the feeder so they can munch on it at their leisure. But when it rains sideways and they get wet and cold and get to shivering I will admit to drying them off with a towel and blanketing until the rain stops.

The key to blanketing is the weight of the blanket, in my opinion. I understand the thought about a blanket laying the hair down and allowing it to fluff and trap the heat but if you blanket with the appropriate weight even if the hair is laid down from the blanket the insulation should keep the horse warm. For example, throwing a waterproof sheet on when it is raining, windy and 33 degrees....he most likely is still going to be cold, miserable and worse off than if he didn't have the sheet at all.


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

It is the rain that does for them. Our TB broodmares never got rugged up, they did have a shelter that they would use - I know we dont get the extreme cold in the UK but it was always the wet weather that did for them. We had some youngsters living out one year when it rained every day for weeks and weeks and we ended up blanketing them because we just physically couldn't get enough food in them to stop them from losing weight.
The whole hair fluffing up will keep them warm is something of a myth disproved by biological science knowledge. The hair stands up when its triggered by the cold feeling on the skin in an effort to keep the cold air away from it - it happens with humans too we just done have enough hair for it to be effective and that same fact applies to many horse breeds that man has interfered with through breeding or just didn't evolve in an area that got that cold. A prehistoric breed like the Exmoor is going to cope fine provided it has a food source but a fine coated TB is never going to do so well or will need way more food.


----------



## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

I think it comes down to common sense. You keep an eye on your individual horses, if they are regularly uncomfortable/unhappy, are not adjusting, and/or losing weight, then a blanket is a good idea. 

Yeah, my horses have days here and there where they aren't all that happy with the weather. Either it got cold too quickly or too warm quickly and their coats aren't where they need to be, but a day or two isn't going to hurt them (probably is beneficial in terms of helping their body adjust to the changing weather pattern) and as long as they have adequate shelter/food I see no reason to jump on blanketing/clipping. Again, if I had a horse that wasn't adjusting I WOULD blanket, however I've yet to own one that didn't. I don't think anyone is saying don't blanket a horse that needs it, just a healthy horse is generally just fine in most circumstances. Especially if they have good shelter and feed. 

Frankly I spend more time miserably cold and/or hot during the year than my horses do by far.


----------



## Horseybex (Oct 13, 2012)

Most of the horses I ride get clipped (usually trace or chaser) so they all have light-to medium rugs... I think.


----------



## eclipseranch (May 31, 2012)

Golden Horse said:


> Ughh, Eclipse has 666 posts:shock:


bawahaha Happy Halloween =))


----------

