Blanket or No Blanket??

[LB27]

I am back and forth about whether or not I should purchase a blanket for my miniature filly. Depending on when 'winter hits' she will be around 6 months old. She has a nice big shelter but we can get pretty cold up here in the Midwest. She is not clipped and I don't plan on clipping her this year. Should I have one and only put it on her if it's in the negative temps? Would love to hear peoples opinions/experiences. If you recommend one should it be a thick winter blanket or maybe I should just get a light weight one to add a little extra insulation for her?

 

[minishowgirl]

I would get one just in case it gets really cold. I get the turnout blankets by Tough 1. Like this... http://www.chicksaddlery.com/page/CDS/PROD/PTM625 for mine.

 

[Riverrose28]

If I were you, I would buy one just in case she falls ill, but otherwise she won't need one, in fact they fare better in the cold weather then in the heat! They also love the snow, Mother Nature will take care of her! Also horses have a built in heating system, the blood vessels dialate at the skin to warm it, and constrict to keep it cool, plus sweating. I've had horses stand outside in the snow with icles hanging off of them and they are just fine and warm next to the skin.

 

[Lori W]

I agree with everyone! As long as she has shelter, she should be fine. If it's cold with rain or sleet, I sometimes put their waterproof winter blankets on, but it's really more for me than them! Their thick haircoat will provide all the insulation they need. Blankets tend to mash down their natural loft and make it less effective at keeping them warm. But it's always a good idea to have one on hand in case of illness. We use the Tough-1 blankets, too - they're relatively inexpensive and last several seasons since we're not using them very much.

 

[Jill]

I think it's usually better not to blanket. If you start, you will need to continue all winter as the blanket will take the natural loft (what keeps her warm) out of her coat. I think it would be a good idea to have on on hand in case she gets sick, but feel that horses are nearly always better off w/o a "routine" blanket.

Enjoy your new horse!

 

[targetsmom]

Agree with everyone: No need to blanket unless clipping, horse is sick, or rare cases where they get wet and temps drop. So it is good to have one on hand and if you have several minis (like we do) I like to have an adjustable one to use in cases like this. Or, because your mini will be growing. Whenever I DO use a blanket in these circumstances, I will usually toss it in my dryer to heat it up so I am adding warmth, not just conserving body heat. Be sure to take fuzzy pics of your mini for us!

 

[mydaddysjag]

I have a fleece cooler and waterproof winter blanket for every horse here, but Its rare to actually need one. I may have used them three times this past winter, once before clipped, and twice after they were clipped. I learned the hard way that I have a stubborn gelding who WILL stand out in driving rain in the winter, and he got soaked to the skin, then the temps dropped cold that night. He was shivering, so he got blanketed He wasnt going to dry before night so I tossed the fleece cooler on him, with the blanket overtop and gave him 3 flakes of hay to munch on all night. After a couple hours I pulled the cooler off and just left the blanket on until morning. I have kensington blankets, they are the only ones Ive been able to use on slightly damp horses, they dont trap moisure like the others do.

I dont blanket in winter unless a horse is shivering, and in all my years with the minis, they only shiver if they are emaciated (had a rescue we had to blanket) soaked to the skin wet, or body clipped.

 

[chandab]

I only have two that seem to need blankets on a regular basis in winter: a mare with minimal winter hair growth and the Cushings gelding (he grows lots of hair, but has problems with thermo-regulation, which comes with the disease). Otherwise, only sick or clipped horses get blanketed.

Here's Dolly at 7 months old in the middle of winter, as you can see Mother Nature provided her with plenty of protection.