# Blanketing?



## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

I'm trying to be strong this year and not blanket if unnecessary but it's going down to -17 and I'm wavering. Windsong will be blanketed because she has a thinner coat and Caroline prefers the princess in her blankie. 
The POA has a enormously thick wooly coat, but the mustang has a thinner one and she's shivered in the past. They both have a run-in shed (which they almost never use) but prefer to be out in the weather under trees.
We also have a mini who has a thick coat but tends to feel the cold.
So what do you all think?


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## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

You know my answer to this one! All the years I lived in Montana the only thing that got blanketed were horses that we were trying to keep "short haired" for fall shows and very occasionally one of the older stallions in the unheated and uninsulated barn when we got one of the really cold spells where it ended up in the 20 or 30-below mark.

And yes, I realize Caroline's princess cannot go without her blanket ... but that is another issue entirely! :grin:


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

That sounds pretty good to me Sharon. Last thing I want to do is chase that darned mustang around to put a blanket on her ungrateful self.


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## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

I guess my general rule of thumb in "cold country" was if they under/in shelter and had hay in front of them and were eating or had been eating and were still shivering hard (not just light twitches in flank and shoulder) I considered blanketing.

The only horse I ever owned when I lived up there that I blanketed with any regularity at all was an older APHA stallion with a lot of TB breeding that came from MO and never did grow much hair. He was the one that would get cold in the barn when we got cold spells where it was zero in the daytime and 20-below or even colder at night. He also wasn't a big eater, so giving him more hay to keep the "furnace" running hotter didn't work for him either. For almost everything else I ever owned, the whole solution was just "more hay".


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

I use rainsheets for my riding horses, in this clime.. the clay on their coat just doesn't clean off when wet or damp. Won't put my tack on that muck. So if I want to ride, they get Rainsheets.

Young horses do not get sheets.

Maggie the mini does.. when we get lots of rain and she is wet, then we get a hard frost or freezing she always shivers. She all but put the sheet on by herself. So do Dyfra and Stjarna for that matter.
My horses aren't spoiled are they? LOL

Lisa.. if you have one that doesn't want the sheet on... then I won't worry about it.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

North Dakota is my standard for horse-winters. And we never put blankets on any of our horses. 
Nor did any of our neighbors (unless for someone who was really old, sick, whatever)


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## farmergirl (Aug 2, 2005)

BRRRRRRRRR 

You all know how I feel about my horses shivering in the cold....what can I say, I'm a wimp in the cold and a mother hen with the horses :help:


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## beccachow (Nov 8, 2008)

The only one to get blanketed with any real regularity is the old arab. I wait until he gets a solid fluff going first, then when it gets really cold at night, I will blanket him. He actually comes up to me when he sees me with the blanket, so I know it is appreciated. The others get blankets in case of sudden bad snow or real cold snaps. Recall we live in Maryland, so it gets cold but never really frigid and real snow is unheard of (until this past year!). When I hear it will be in the teens with a wind or precip, they all get them.


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## lamoncha lover (Mar 1, 2009)

I am glad this topic came up. I have a 12 year old mare that the others runout out of the barn. She has a decent winter coat going, is in decent flesh although not as much fat as the other 2 and stands in the cold rain.when it looks like a cold rain I either open up the people door on the side and lock up the other 2 so they can use half the barn but not run her out, or blanket her. I can't stand to see her standing out in the cold while the fat butts sit in the barn. I will want to have a nice sleek coat on her this spring.I have never used blankets much. would it be best to blanket her more so that she doesnt get all furry?


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

It's going down to -35 tonight our problem right now is wind.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

wr said:


> It's going down to -35 tonight our problem right now is wind.


Luckily we're pretty protected from wind.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

No blankets here. Don't want to "kill them with kindness" which is what I have been told by the horse people here. The blankets flatten their coat which takes away their natural insulating capabilities. They will stay warmer with a belly full of hay and out of the wind...or their butts to the wind, which is what mine do most of the time. Mine use their shelter in the summer to get away from heat and bugs. In the winter they use it as a wind block and only come in during the worst of blizzards. 









I do pick the ice off their noses for them


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## wintrrwolf (Sep 29, 2009)

I have always heard the same thing minelson about using blankets. Though I was a bit concerned with my little rescue pony and whether she would be ready for winter when it hit. Both of my new horses have errrr plumped up rather well and their coats are growing in nice and thick. Worse thing is Snick seems to always find mud, roll in it and then share it with Shell (darn fricken muddy horses) ...


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

Something else to keep in mind, if it's snowing out and your horse has a layer of snow/ice on their back, that's a _good_ thing. It means their own insulation is doing its job keeping their body heat IN and winter OUT.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

I've heard the thing about the blanket flattening the coat out too but I've noticed they still can plump their coats up under the blanket. And, if that was true...why would putting a blanket on a shivering horse stop the shivering?
I've decided to watch for shivering...if I see it, I'll blanket that horse.


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## farmgal (Nov 12, 2005)

Once my horses shiver, they get a blanket. They have constant hay, but when -20 and wind is whipping, no way, arctic grade blankets. I couldn't watch an animal shiver, I hate being cold myself... They dont ask for a blanket until, -20 northern air blows in. The really low temps eat up all there energy stores. I believe its hard on them. 

I know my blankets work, within 10 minutes they stop shivering. 

Beginning of February I bring mine from the run, into the big barn, in stalls. There they stay for those 4 nasty weeks we have those extra cold temps. I let them out to play on a sunny day, but usually I just let them run in the indoor arena. Brrrr ... Im cold thinking about it..


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## lamoncha lover (Mar 1, 2009)

i never worried about cold even -40. I worry more about 40 degree rain


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## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

Unless there's a medical reason- old, weak, hair loss/not a winter coat yet.. I only blanket when we've either got cold rain either alone or turning into sleet/snow (no amount of hay in the belly can warm and dry at that point) or if it's in the teens or lower and the wind is fierce. My old lady (late 30s) gets a blanket if it's below freezing, regardless. She has no winter coat and her meals are all about building her back up and maintaining. Since she doesn't get anything from hay she can't stoke the furnace.


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

LisaInN.Idaho said:


> I've heard the thing about the blanket flattening the coat out too but I've noticed they still can plump their coats up under the blanket. And, if that was true...why would putting a blanket on a shivering horse stop the shivering?
> I've decided to watch for shivering...if I see it, I'll blanket that horse.


My Icelandic's just use Rainsheets, so they are light and I like the ones lined with netting. This allows their coat to loft, just like they would do without a sheet.

That extra layer, helps keep the warmth in and it stops the shivering.

On side note... people have to remember every clime and horse is different.
Area's with little or no rain and lots of snow with a healthy horse with a good coat, can go without sheets or blankets.
If you get a combo of cold rain, to a hard freeze with an very wet coat... you are looking for trouble if you don't either.. keep them in or put a sheet on them.
Add that nasty sticky clay... for when it is only raining out.... again.. you want to ride you put sheets on your horses in this area.

Right now.. we have gone through the heavy rain with very wet coats, to snow and now it is below 19* in a sheltered area. Out in the strong wind... it is quite a bit colder.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

bergere said:


> My Icelandic's just use Rainsheets, so they are light and I like the ones lined with netting. This allows their coat to loft, just like they would do without a sheet.
> 
> That extra layer, helps keep the warmth in and it stops the shivering.
> 
> ...


Berge I think you nailed it here. Climates and horses are different. I have never seen a horse shiver....goats yes, horse no. And I would think that if a blanket stops a horse from shivering that would be a good thing. When one of my goats was shivering I was told that the shivering is natural and that is how they regulate their heat. :shrug: The goat should stop shivering as he move around and eats. Which is what happened. My horses run and play to warm up when it's really cold. I do know a gal who blankets her horses every winter and they are still alive  Has anyone had experience with cold weather killing a healthy horse? Or making it sick? I have never heard of that happening...but I live a pretty secluded life lol!


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

Wee Maggie... she is a mini... once she starts shivering.. she doesn't stop, until her light blanket is put on.
Not willing to take a chance with her.. 

I knew someone (won't call her a friend, specially when I kept saying that mini needed a blanket) with mini's and one of hers won't stop shivering and she refused to put it in or blanket it.. was dead the next day. So it can happen.
Knew a couple of others that got pneumonia (Both issues were confirmed by Vets, neither places really had any shelter).... but it was in this clime.. very wet coats, then a hard frost, the small ones especially, find it impossible to stay warm and tons of hay doesn't help.

I have lived all over the US... and the area you live in, really does make a difference.


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## Common Tator (Feb 19, 2008)

I am visiting my folks in Washington State. Nearly every horse here is blanketed, and has been since long before I got here. My first week here it rained all week, and the horses wore their dirty, wet blankets all that week. Now it is cold and snowy and they are still wearing those blankets, that still looked wet from the rains. I think they would do better without the blankets.


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

The blankets while looking wet.. keep the horses dry underneath.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

bergere said:


> Wee Maggie... she is a mini... once she starts shivering.. she doesn't stop, until her light blanket is put on.
> Not willing to take a chance with her..
> 
> I knew someone (won't call her a friend, specially when I kept saying that mini needed a blanket) with mini's and one of hers won't stop shivering and she refused to put it in or blanket it.. was dead the next day. So it can happen.
> ...


Or they are too busy shivering to drink enough and they colic.


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

We didn't blanket Star the first two winters, even though it was very cold at times. She had shelter, tons of coat, good weight and lots of food and warm water. She thrived, never was the worse for it. Last winter, it was cold and nasty and she was ill. We blanketed her and she was glad for it. 

I ran into a woman that said that she'd done a test with her 4 H'ers and under a blanket was 10 degrees warmer than the skin of the horse without a blanket. When you add in wind and wet protection, I can see that sometimes a horse would really benefit. I believe that, if you know your horse, it will tell you if it is really uncomfortable and needing more to keep it comfortable and healthy. 

I'm handing her blanket down on Freecycle to someone with an older Quarter horse that needs a bit of extra warmth this winter. Star ripped up the rear of the blanket scratching her bottom, but its a nice warm blankie and I hated to throw it out.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

Just blanketed the mini...poor little thing was shaking like a leaf. She's a happy girl now.


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## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

Granny Carol- I can attest to that woman's test, lol. There've been times that i've stuck a hand under the blanket and it's been so warm and cozy that i've wished I could be under there with them!

Shari- True, if the blankets are waterproofed. Not many people that I know have waterproof blankets. I have some that are and some that aren't. I try not to use the non-waterproofed ones unless I have no other choice.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

RamblinRoseRanc said:


> Granny Carol- I can attest to that woman's test, lol. There've been times that i've stuck a hand under the blanket and it's been so warm and cozy that i've wished I could be under there with them!
> 
> Shari- True, if the blankets are waterproofed. Not many people that I know have waterproof blankets. I have some that are and some that aren't. I try not to use the non-waterproofed ones unless I have no other choice.


I remember when you couldn't buy anything but New Zealand rugs to be waterproof and they were a mess to deal with. Most people I know buy turnouts instead of stable blankets because they're so inexpensive now. I can't even imagine buying a plain old stable blanket now, the turnouts are so nice and breathable.


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

I test waterproof blankets where I live... if they are really waterproof here.. they will be everywhere! ;O)
And I checked them every day, just to make sure. 

I remember those days Lisa.. you are right those NZ rugs could be a pain. 
Now a days, one has a lot of choices for good waterproof rain sheets (turnouts).

Glad you put a blanket on your Mini Lisa. Some of them just can't deal with the cold. 
Maggie is one that has never been able too. And I swear I can see her smile when she sees me coming with her blanket!! VBG


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## farmergirl (Aug 2, 2005)

I remember those New Zealand rugs, too, Lisa.
They were ugly and heavy and hard to clean.

Now, every blanket I buy is waterproof, and they all have shoulder gussets so that the horses can romp and play with them on.

In fact, I sold the last of my non-waterproof Big D stable blankets through this message board a couple of years ago. I don't ever lock the horses indoors anymore, so they need to be wearing only waterproof clothing when they are blanketed.

I lived in Oregon for years where, just like the ones Tator saw in Washington, almost all the horses at the barn wore turnout blankets in the fall and winter.
I can't imagine that anyone with a horse in Washington state would bother buying something NOT waterproof, lol.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

Yup...and if they're wearing a blanket outside, it should have leg-straps or it won't stay on well through their outside romping. Most catalogs and tack places call blankets or sheets with leg straps, "turn-outs", and I don't think you could even find a turn-out that isn't waterproof at this point.


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## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

The last ones I bought that weren't waterproof and had leg straps was when Stateline Tack was coming out of PetSmart. So that's been.. four years ago? They're a heavy lined denim but not at all waterproof or even water resistant.


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## ShyAnne (Jun 18, 2008)

This winter I will blanket with a medium weight waterproof just on cold wet nights. It doesnt get very cold here maybe in the low 20's, to teens, but the horses are used to 100's in the summers and thats a big temp difference.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

It was -35 this morning so I feel compelled to demand a nice warm stall and will consider any barn in a snow free zone.


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## farmgal (Nov 12, 2005)

My neighbor says her horse doesn't shiver. Then when I go there its shivering terrible. She didn't even notice her shivering, poor thing. She don't own a blanket and this horse is old and real skinny. I got one of her blankets right off her couch and put it on the horse...lol pinned it up. Hey, I have done that before, when I get in rescues and have run out of blankets. 

I have 6 blankets and rotate them, 2 are waterproof. I wish, I had a big washing machine. Three of my horse blankets are huge thick. They will not fit in my washer and I bought the biggest washer they sold...So I take them to the Laundromat but stink the place up... I dont even wait around to dry them, for fear someone will yell at me...lol And others must do the same because our local little Laundromat has a sign "NO HORSE BLANKETS" and I never washed any there, so it wasnt me...lol 

Us horse people are bad huh...:icecream:


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## farmergirl (Aug 2, 2005)

wr said:


> It was -35 this morning so I feel compelled to demand a nice warm stall and will consider any barn in a snow free zone.


Always a room for you at our place, WR. You can help me with retraining the cribber I took in last year


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

ShyAnne said:


> This winter I will blanket with a medium weight waterproof just on cold wet nights. It doesnt get very cold here maybe in the low 20's, to teens, but the horses are used to 100's in the summers and thats a big temp difference.


The temp difference between summer and winter isn't really a factor. We've been down to -25 here in winter and 100 degrees in summer. The horse's coat grows and sheds to accommodate the seasonal shift.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

ShyAnne, if it was difference between summer and winter temps, every animal in Alberta would be dead. Our summer temps can be as high as 100F and our winter temps can go well below -40F.


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## Jackie (Jun 20, 2008)

wr said:


> ShyAnne, if it was difference between summer and winter temps, every animal in Alberta would be dead. Our summer temps can be as high as 100F and our winter temps can go well below -40F.


Yes indeed! And if you are lucky enough to live in certain areas of Saskatchewan you have in fact seen -58F (-50C). It got to that once here last year and once in Quill Lake where I was living the year before that. 

We just went from above freezing to -30C in a week. So lovely to live here! lol!


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## Jackie (Jun 20, 2008)

We must remember that there is a HUGE difference between a wet winter and a dry winter. For us, it almost NEVER rains between Nov and March. Like just about impossible although the odd time it does happen. Also the air is dry dry. That helps in keeping warm. As long as my horses can get out of the wind they are fine. And right now they are being kept on 160 acres with trees, hills, etc and they can pick any warm spot they choose. 

I have personally NEVER seen any of my own horses shivering. Ever. And I have owned or co-owned at least 50 horses in the last 12 years (and I am not a breeder). 

But..I babysat three horses from California and it happened to be the most brutal winter on record. I got three rain sheets, three stable blankets, two heavy winter blankets, two blanket liner and I had to learn how to blanket. One was a mustang and didn't grow hardly any hair at all, but he NEVER shivered and was fine. I never blanketed him. A horse that was supposed to be arab/qh cross that I SWEAR was 100% tb needed a blanket, but wasn't too bad. The registered paint just about froze to death on me. I had to buy super high fat feed and just pump it into her as best I could without giving her laminitis. She wore a heavy heavy blanket the whole first winter. Snapped out of it and didn't need a blanket at all the second winter she was up here. Then the poor thing got shipped back down to southern california.


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

wr - you could come here too, but its 12 below, so no great benefit there! I had to make an indoor pen in my grooming shop (in the garage) to exercise my three Silky Terriers - two of them are getting old too and even so I couldn't bear to put my girls out in this weather! So, they have an x-pen in a warm room with papers for an hour or so at a time to get comfy before they come back in the house. One of them is 14, another 13 and the "baby" is 8 and they DON'T grow a winter coat, they are non-shedding and the coat isn't heavy. 

At least this won't likely last long and we did put in a wood burning stove this fall to supplement the furnace, it's pretty warm inside here!


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

Should get a T shirt for where I live in Oregon... Got Rain? 

Thats the problem we have in the winter... lots of rain.. then freezing weather, Ice..snow.. then back to rain... more Ice and snow... its wild I tell ya. ;O)

I did not have to worry about the horses when I lived in NH. All we had was snow and lots of it.

WR... is up to 19* this morning.. you can always come visit here. VBG

Once I finally make it over to VA... I am going to have to body clip the horses for at least a year... they have never been in heat like that during the summers and the winters are much warmer than they are used too. Was 70* in Dahlgren yesterday.. can you imagine a poor Icelandic in full winter coat in that heat.. Dyfra was sweating up a storm (no sheet on) first week of Nov here when it made it to 58*. Had to hose her off in the evenings, she was so hot.


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## ShyAnne (Jun 18, 2008)

I didnt mean to imply that the temp difference is why I blanket. I live in Texas with long, hot, humid summers, (yesterday I was wearing shorts). My horses dont get much of a winter coat, and when it rains, and its below 40 I blanket. Like I said WET COLD NIGHTS  What I was meaning with the temp difference is that my horses handle the heat better than the cold, and they dont grow much of a winter coat.


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## beccachow (Nov 8, 2008)

Do you guys think the breed plays into it as well? I hear lots of folks saying their TB's need blanketing, I know my old Arab needs it as well. My Chincoteague pony, oddly enough, was shivering last winter despite having more hair than my chow chow dogs :shrug:. The appy and the palomino (I suspect he is QH) could care less.


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## farmgal (Nov 12, 2005)

I have 2 appys. The mom, Bess, came from west virginia, she gets cold fast. This is her 5th winter with me. It did not make a difference. she even got cold in the middle of summer, we had a cold rain and the wind picked up. I had to blanket her then. I believe the birth place of the horse plays a role, along with certain breeds and overall condition. That appys filly, Coda, was born here and she builds a nice winter coat, but still asks for a blanket usually about 2-3 weeks after mom does. Both horses go into winter with lots of fat but Bess dont make much winter coat, like coda. Seems more thin, tb, sb and older horses need blankets. 

I know of some places where people leave there horses in that death cold wind with little wind block and most of their horses eventually come down with arthritis. They walk stiff and seem to have less muscle tone. They come out of winter looking thin.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

I don't want to rain on anybody's parade but more often than not, humans blanket horses because it makes humans feel better.


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## Jackie (Jun 20, 2008)

wr said:


> I don't want to rain on anybody's parade but more often than not, humans blanket horses because it makes humans feel better.


Yup. I try to keep my horses as natural as possible. Like I said, the only horses I ever blanketed came to Canada from southern california and there is nothing natural about that. But even then, it was only the first winter.


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## ShyAnne (Jun 18, 2008)

wr said:


> I don't want to rain on anybody's parade but more often than not, humans blanket horses because it makes humans feel better.


Yep, Makes me feel better to know they are dry and warm... snug as a bug in a rug.


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## 2horses (Jul 19, 2004)

I'll be keeping an eye on mine tomorrow - we've been in the 80's (near 90 today!) the past few weeks and tomorrow the first significant cold front of the season, complete with rain, is expected to drop temps about 40 degrees for us and have pretty strong winds as well. My old guy has been shivery in previous years, and I suspect he may need a blanket if he gets wet tomorrow and possibly for the few nights coming up that it's supposed to freeze. I know that doesn't sound like a big deal to those of you in really cold areas right now, but I think sudden drops like that can affect them to some degree, until they adjust to the lower temps. My girls have enough personal insulation that all they will need (most likely) is a windbreak.

I hope to get a ride in tomorrow morning before the front hits, supposedly sometime around midday, and then plan to spend the cold windy part of the day in front of the fireplace!!


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## CNCfamily (Sep 13, 2010)

wr said:


> I don't want to rain on anybody's parade but more often than not, humans blanket horses because it makes humans feel better.


Exactly! LOL! I lived in SoCal for four years and shook my head at all the crazies out there that blanketed at 60 degrees! 

If it makes anyone feel better, all of my horses lived through a crazy blizzard here in Eastern Idaho the last couple days. We had 40 mph winds and blowing snow and now we have negative temps. You could tell they weren't happy with the wind, but they all lived through it!  They got a thick layer of ice formed up on their coats and put their butts to the wind and ate at their big piles of feed! One of my mares was shivering, and i actually DID contemplate bringing her in the shed and letting her warm up a bit. Too bad i cant catch her ornery butt! LOL! But even she made it through! They felt good enough to bust my gate and make me chase them around at midnight last night, so i'd say they are just FINE!


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

CNCfamily said:


> Exactly! LOL! I lived in SoCal for four years and shook my head at all the crazies out there that blanketed at 60 degrees!
> 
> !


Not everyone who blankets or sheets at 60 degrees is crazy. If a horse is in full training, it's probably blanketed to try to keep the winter coat shorter or he's maybe been body clipped. It's not great for the horse to have a full winter coat and get soaked with sweat after a hard ride in winter. It takes a long time to dry them and you can't just rinse the sweat off every time you ride.


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## Jackie (Jun 20, 2008)

LisaInN.Idaho said:


> Not everyone who blankets or sheets at 60 degrees is crazy. If a horse is in full training, it's probably blanketed to try to keep the winter coat shorter or he's maybe been body clipped. It's not great for the horse to have a full winter coat and get soaked with sweat after a hard ride in winter. It takes a long time to dry them and you can't just rinse the sweat off every time you ride.


I had to go and figure out what 60F is to me. That is 16C. For me that's shorts and t-shirt weather. I would take my kids to the beach if the sun was out. In my opinion a horse would be FINE even if it was totally body clipped. In that weather my horses all have short summer coats (my summer can and does get a LOT warmer, but still...)


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

Well I sure was thinking about this thread last night! It was around 30 all day with freezing, misting rain. Schools and such closed early because of all the ice. The goats were a little wet, the horses were soaked. The wind shifted and the temp dropped...it's 2 degrees right now. I took an armful of towels out to dry everyone off as best I could. I realized it would be futile to dry off the horses because they would just go back out in it (unless I made them stay in...which did cross my mind). I do have a couple of really nice blankets that I purchased but have never used. Then I came in to call a friend in the area to see if she was doing anything different with her horses due to the weather. She said no..they will be fine. Then I read WR's post #46 and I was able to let it go. This morning I see the horses standing at the gate so I know they are alive anyway! lol. I'm headed out now to feed and check on everyone.


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## CNCfamily (Sep 13, 2010)

LisaInN.Idaho said:


> Not everyone who blankets or sheets at 60 degrees is crazy. If a horse is in full training, it's probably blanketed to try to keep the winter coat shorter or he's maybe been body clipped. It's not great for the horse to have a full winter coat and get soaked with sweat after a hard ride in winter. It takes a long time to dry them and you can't just rinse the sweat off every time you ride.


Well then just about EVERY horse in EVERY pasture must have been a show horse!


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

Jackie, after the weather we've had +16 would be pretty exciting but show horses are blanketed even in the summer to prevent fading.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

Jackie said:


> I had to go and figure out what 60F is to me. That is 16C. For me that's shorts and t-shirt weather. I would take my kids to the beach if the sun was out. In my opinion a horse would be FINE even if it was totally body clipped. In that weather my horses all have short summer coats (my summer can and does get a LOT warmer, but still...)


Body clipping can leave less of a coat than a summer coat and the owner is also trying to prevent any more coat growth by blanketing. Many people put extra light in their horses stalls to increase "daylight" and fool the coat into not growing any more as well. And then there is the sheeting during summer to prevent coat fading, as wr says.
I guess it's all dependent on the horses's purpose.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

CNCfamily said:


> Well then just about EVERY horse in EVERY pasture must have been a show horse!


In SoCal....might well be true.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

wr said:


> I don't want to rain on anybody's parade but more often than not, humans blanket horses because it makes humans feel better.


And of course there are exceptions to the rule, but yeah, I agree too.


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## farmergirl (Aug 2, 2005)

beccachow said:


> Do you guys think the breed plays into it as well? I hear lots of folks saying their TB's need blanketing, I know my old Arab needs it as well. My Chincoteague pony, oddly enough, was shivering last winter despite having more hair than my chow chow dogs :shrug:. The appy and the palomino (I suspect he is QH) could care less.


Absolutely! Looking at the cute photos that Minelson posted, I see stocky horses with short ears, relatively short faces and deep girths with short legs that have nice thick coats.

When I walk out to my barn, I see long-eared, long nosed, thinned skinned Thoroughbreds, one with long legs and the other with REALLY long legs.
And the really long-legged guy doesn't grow much coat at all. When the wind blows and he's naked, he stands his little coat up to a mere 1/4 inch or so.

I blanket when it's 40 F or below, and if it's wet and blowing rain and 45F or below. The horses appreciate it. They willingly bow they heads so I can slip the blanket over their heads without unbuckling the front straps and appear noticeably more content when I have finished connecting all the leg and belly straps.

If my horses, particularly the really tall guy with the longer legs spent a winter in Alberts sans blanket, I don't expect he would survive.


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## 2horses (Jul 19, 2004)

Well, I got my ride in this morning, Becca worked up a good sweat (it's still 80 degrees), and I decided not to rinse her due to the high humidity - I was afraid she wouldn't dry completely before the front blows in. Sometimes it's really hard to know exactly what to do to take care of them best. Her coat is still pretty short, but I know it will fluff up just fine. As long as it's dry.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

farmergirl said:


> Absolutely! Looking at the cute photos that Minelson posted, I see *stocky horses* with short ears, relatively short faces and deep girths with short legs that have nice thick coats.


Spencer & Joey thank you for not seeing them as fat


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## farmergirl (Aug 2, 2005)

Minelson said:


> Spencer & Joey thank you for not seeing them as fat


They don't look fat to me  Just perfectly, pleasantly plump!
Ain't nothing wrong with that through a winter like you've got going on.

The wind has really picked up here and the temperature felt like it was dropping every hour this afternoon. Presently near 40 and of course my boys have their blankies on


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