winter blanket questions

[sherriawright]

Ok, here's the story. Last year I purchased my dad a 9 year old appy mare. The person who had her kept her in the pasture with a lean to and only fed her a round bale. Now don't get me wrong, the mare was very well taken care of, too fat for her own good, shots current and trained out the butt. However, my dad feels like she was neglected. He is wants to blanket her this winter to make sure she is warm. She is kept in a 12x12 stall at night. We are in central Illinois, and I am thinking it's going to be a long, cold winter. It's 64 out now and this is usually the hottest time of the year.

Anyway, about the blankets. What type do you recommend and why. Does she need a "spring/fall" blanket and a winter blanket? Do you keep them on her all the time or just when she's out in the pasture?

Sherri

[Horselessnomore]

I personally don't blanket until it is minus 30C with the windchill and that is pretty darn cold!! My TWH had a great winter coat and was toasty warm in his winter woolies for most of the winter. He is outside 24/7. I think in all total, he wore a blanket for about 1 week this past winter. If they are outside, they will grow a winter coat. Keep in mind though that different horses/breeds will grow different winter coats. Mine is kept in a mixed herd and the QH's coat is not as thick as mine but he does fine.

[Val]

I can tell ya what I do with my boys. Keep in mind we have mild winters here. Snow maybe every 7 years. It does get below freezing though. I personally do not put blankets on them unless it's going to rain and I need to keep them dry. If you keep blankets on them, they will not grow coat and depend on the blanket to keep warm. You can't change your mind in the middle of winter and decide it's to much of a inconveinence to go out there to take them off in the morning (depending how the weather is...You don't want them sweating underneath) and then putting the blanket back on at night. It's a commitment for sure.

[BarnBum]

Originally Posted by Val

If you keep blankets on them, they will not grow coat and depend on the blanket to keep warm.

Blankets will not keep a horse from growing a coat......its the number of hours of daylight, hence the reason people keep lights on in their barn. However, I do know of horses who stay slick being in a pasture all winter. Hard to say. I think its an individual thing with the horses. Winter is our show season here in Fla so we do try to keep slick coats. Hence the reason why we blanket.


Like Val, can only speak for what I do with my horses and also keep in mind we have mild winters too and most Fla barns are built with an open air concept due to our heat. I have a center aisle barn that tends to be cooler in the summer and MUCH cooler in the winter!! I will put a waterproof/windproof blanket on my horse on the days the wind is going pretty good just to keep the draft / mist off the them. I don't want them to catch a chill. Our winters are damp. 50s they get a lightweight, If it gets in the 40's they will get their heavy blanket. I have a hood, but my gelding isn't too fond of it. In the 30's <rare occassion> is when I will layer -I have a few diff blankets for each horse. Just gotta watch and not overheat them.

As far as brands go, I like the BigD and BMB brands. Amigo makes nice blankets, but never have used one. I like closed fronts, the open fronts rub my horses. The high necks are nice.

If you are looking for blankets here are a few websites I like for blankets...

www.sstack.com

www.sergeants.com

www.smithbrothers.com


I also like to go one size up in blankets, b/c it gives the horse mobility room to romp around and get up/down. Plus, if it gets really cold <30s, rare> I can layer like I previously mentioned.

In my personal opinion, once you start to blanket, you need to continue with the blanketing process thru out winter. If the horse has never been blanketed thru the winter, has a shelter and PLENTY OF HAY and is a healthy horse, I think it will be fine. Just make sure, if you do blanket, the blanket stays dry and doesn't keep the horse wet. Hay= warmth. Howver, a blanket wouldn't hurt if you can maintain with it.

I am sure you will get alot of responses on here. Personally, I feel a horse needs something on them in the winter. It saddens me when people post that their horses are shivering. Everyone takes care of their own horse their own way.

They say its going to be a cold winter. My mini is already in a deep shed, not good, making room for his winter woolies ...... its still in the 90s !!!

[RenosGirl]

Well my guy get his coat on the first day it snows....(btw it snows a lot up here and it gets pretty freezing) and he keeps it on all night and sometimes during the day depending on the weather. But most of the time it gets taken off during the day. But I personally go through atleast one blanket a season, normally two per winter just cause he rips them up so badly and all the other horses "testing it out". I know I wouldn't want to be out in the cold without anything on so that what I do with him...also he is outside 24/7.

[Carri]

This is what I do, which sounds different from what most on here do, but is what most people around here do.

We are in GA, and have pretty mild winters, but we also show pretty much all year round. I know that lights are what are supposed to determine winter coat, but my horses are not under lights, and they do not grow thick winter coats at all, where other horses in the same barn who are not blanketed get woolly. And, I know it is the blankets, because Sweet Pea was a woolly booger the first year we got her, and then the second year, we blanketed her, and she grew a very light winter coat.

When it is below 50, we put on a sheet.
Below 40, we put on a medium weight blanket.
Below freezing, we put on a fleece liner under the medium weight blanket.

It is a lot of work, taking everything off during the day and putting it back on in the evenings, but one of the biggest things about blanketing is being willing to get out and take them off as soon as it starts to warm up, you do NOT want your horse to overheat, it is way more dangerous than your horse being cold.

[seerfarm]

If she is going to be in a tall at night, I would suggest perhaps a layering type system.

This would allow for a lighter blanket while she is in, and the another to add underneath to get out when it is clowing and cold.

The main thing is that it is windproof, waterproof and breathable. This will allow for her coat to stay dry and protect her from the wind.


Turnout blankets with High neck blankets with shoulder gussets are an excellent choice for the outdoors. A light stable blanket for in the stall.


http://equestrian.doversaddlery.com/...Landa&x=10&y=5

Above I have listed one of the layering system style blanket sets (first one on the page) that come with all 3 in one price.

[Horses&Soccer]

Sherria you and I are nearly neighbors, weatherwise. I blanketed my TB when it got to single digits only because she never developed a good winter coat and mine are out 24/7 with a run-in. The others got good coats and didn't need blankets. If your Dad's mare is going into a stall at night she'll be warm there and really doesn't need a blanket. If she starts shivering she will need to brought into the stall though. The blanket did get to be a hassle, those days when it suddenly decided to get warm and it needed to come off so she wouldn't start sweating and then put back on in the evening when the temp dropped. And yes, according to the Farmer's Almanac and the NWS it's going to be a long, very cold, and very white winter. They finally agree for a change. I was afraid that we'd have to pay for this great cool summer we've had, oh, well.

[99horses]

I have never had to blanket a big horse here but what about a weanling? At what temps do they need a blanket? Marshall will be about 7 months old when it gets really cold here and I want to make sure he stays warm.

[dreamcleaner]

Do I blanket? No. Would I? Yes.

I prefer not to blanket. I really believe in can inhibit their natural winter coats. The hair fluffs up to keep in warmth, a blanket will inihibit that. We've all seen them, horses with snow and ice on their backs not melting, and horses in wet blankets.

I've never had to blanket, but I would, some horses just don't get the necessary winter woolies. That is something I hate about the 'new' horse. I have no idea what their winter woolies get like. And I check constantly. I relax the second winter.

[breburtch]

I wouldn't blanket her. If she has all her life been out 24/7 and not blanketed she will grow a nice thick coat and be plenty warm(might even get a little warm in her stall)
But if you do decide to get a blanket I'd just get a light wieght winter blanket and put it on her only when it's really cold, if she is shivering, if it's freezing raining and really nasty out(although I'd imagine she'd be kept in if the weather was really nasty)

You could go with a more expensive brand like weatherbetta but personally I like shedrow...there cheaper to buy but just as good and durable as the bigger names

[Kelpie]

I agree with Carri, though I live in Vermont and our winters are much colder. (My horses have a 24hr run out situation, with heated water.) Layering according to the temp/wind chill has worked well for me. I also rarely blanket during the day. The reasons are 1) the temps can swing upwards of 50 degrees C in 12hrs, 2) I am not home during the day to remove blankets as it warms up. I worry more about the horses overheating and sweating then getting too cold. The sweat is hard to dry from thick winter fur, and a wet horse can chill really quickly. Also the temperature changes can potentially cause colic; usually because the horse is not drinking enough.

When it is below 20 or below freeing with rain/sleet, we put on a sheet (wind and waterproof).
Below 0, we put on a heavy quilted blanket.
Below -20 (or below 0 with wind chill), we put on a wool liner under the quilted blanket.

But in my experience not every horse needs blanketing. Some like my pony have very thick coats, healthy easy keepers usually do fine with little blanketing. The best advise I got when I started worrying about blanketing was.... a horse uses food to keep warm just give them more hay if you are worried they are cold.

All that being said every horse is different, watch your horse, they will tell you what they need. My hoses rarely even go into their shelter unless the weather is really awful. I think sometimes I blanket them because I am cold, not because they are!

[seerfarm]

Originally Posted by 99horses

I have never had to blanket a big horse here but what about a weanling? At what temps do they need a blanket? Marshall will be about 7 months old when it gets really cold here and I want to make sure he stays warm.

A lightweight wind/waterproof sheet to help with wind and or wet might not be a bad idea as this is his first winter in a colder climate.

My hubbies family is from the mountains in PA. and I know the cold blowing wind may be more of an issue. Alot of wind can lift the coat so to speak and expose the skin...this allows heat to ecscape and can make the body temperature drop, more quickly on a younster, sick or aging horse.

[BarnBum]

[quote=Kelpie;1368807]

When it is below 20 or below freeing with rain/sleet, we put on a sheet (wind and waterproof).
Below 0, we put on a heavy quilted blanket.
Below -20 (or below 0 with wind chill), we put on a wool liner under the quilted blanket.

quote]


No way !!!!!! I will stick to my Fl winter !!!

[breburtch]

lol I think it's funny hearing people in the warmer climates talking about blanketing in like 20 C weather and to us here thats a warm summer day lol.

My last horse I blanketed was because she didn't grow much of a coat I had a rain sheet for when it was below 0 a light for below minus 10 med weight turnout for below minus 20 and a heavy weight for below minus 30 and if it's below minus 40 she was kept in with a stable sheet

[MOOSE1]

I haven't read all the replies but I honestly DISAGREE that ONLY the number of hours of light makes a difference in their winter coat.

I know for a fact that the horses I used blankets on last year had WAY less winter hair than the ones I didn't. And the ones who had blankets on didn't have any difference in anything else other than their blankets.

I will be blanketing EVERYONE this year as I get sick of all the winter fur from the ones I don't. I might even do some early lights on some of them too. We will see who the winter goes!

[Carri]

I know! I think one big difference though, is our horses here don't grow hardly any winter coat, so when it does get cold, they are not prepared! Also, my horses are stalled at night, so can't huddle together to keep warm. Not the ideal situation, but it is the best I can do.

[A J]

When I lived in WI, when my horses were out 24/7 they only got a blanket in that wet sleety freezing weather - otherwise, the only other horse we ever blanketted was a thinner Arab that just got cold so we'd put one on him in the coldest weather.

Once I was boarding, my horse was in a heated barn at night and out all day, so I definitely blanketted when it was below 30 outside. When I had a horse outside but partially clipped due to sweating when riding, he wore a heavy blanket all the time once I clipped him and never had an issue with him being cold or losing weight.

Now, here where we have milder winters but I'm working my horses year round, I prefer to blanket using a layering system. That way, when it's slightly cooler I have several options: Sheet alone, sheet with fleece liner, blanket, and blanket with fleece liner. We do get below freezing and wet and windy, so it can actually be pretty yucky even if we don't have the extreme cold.

In your dad's case, if she's in at night and out during the day, I'd probably choose a layered system if the barn isn't heated. If the barn's heated, he could probably get away with just one blanket when she's turned out.

[Kendra]

I blanket all winter ( day and night)

I think you have more problems with putting the blanket on and then taking it off , then putting it back on again ~ it makes it hard for the horse to regulate his internal furnace.

We feed tons of free choice hay for fuel.

I mostly blanket to keep them dry because we ride alot so I don't want them wet and it keeps their hair down a bit so they don't get overheated when working and they cool out easier afterwards. If it's cold out we use 1/4sheets to ride.

I usually go for an affordable blanket as I go through a few ~ they play rough

We keep the horses out as much as possible as we have a HUGE run in and lots of trees in the pasture. Horses come in twice a day for grain and stay in if the weather turns nasty although they would prefer to be outside no matter what the weather.

Also when I'm cold I can stick my hands inside their blankets ~ MMMMM toast!!

[Carri]

I am sure in Ontario, that is true! Here in GA, they would get way too hot during the day if we left their blankets on!