Blanket question? Freshly clipped.

[suz]

I just clipped my guy a couple of days ago (for the 2nd time this summer!) because of this incredible heat/humidity we're STILL having down here!

Now, of course, we're FINALLY getting a cold spell and in a couple days, we are supposed to have a cold morning dipping into the low 50's possible 40's!

Question: Should I blanket or sheet him for that morning since he's freshly clipped? It is supposed to be in the 70's-80's during that day but drop low that evening/early morning. He is in his stall, not in the field.

Any thoughts as to blanket or not for that night? Does he have enough hair to "fluff up" to keep him warm? I used a #10 blade.

Thanks!

Suz

 

[Barbie]

Personally, I would put something on him. I just clipped my mare last weekend with a 15 and she will have at least a sheet on. I have to clip my 2 fillies for the show next weekend and they will definitely wear a sheet/blanket depending on the low temperature. We're expecting the low 50's here.

Barbie

 

[Becky]

When the temp goes below 60 here, any clipped horse will be wearing a blanket.

 

[MinisOutWest]

60 is our magic temp here too for a medium blanket, and 40 is when the winter blankets come out. 20 is when the hoods come out.

 

[LittleRibbie]

Hi Suz....you gotta admit..the cool air is going to feel good after the summer we've had LOL. But back to the horses....

I have 3 recently clipped ones here and will blanket 2. One is a houdini and will take the blanket off anyway. I may clip all horses one more time befor Nov. but ( I may get slammed here ) once their winter coats grow I very rarely blanket in the winter. When I first got the minis I bought everyone new blankies and loved seeing them wearing them...but I think that was more for my benefit and not really what the horses prefered. The last few yrs. IMO their coats looked better the next summer when I didnt have them all bundled up. They have plenty of hay/grass to munch on during the chilly nights to keep them warm and they all seemed fine.

P.S. are you going to the Ocala show...I may take a ride up to watch

Heidi

 

[Sue_C.]

Definately! Even in the heat of summer, when I clip, I at least use a polar-fleece sheet. In this time of year, even where you are, a winter blanket on a clipped horse, at least for the first month, I would think would be needed at night, and early morning. My horses will shiver hard when first clipped, when it is in the middle of summer...imagine how it feels to loose ALL natural protection from the wind and cooler air. I figure, if I don't want to stand outside naked, neither do my horses.

 

[Marty]

Yup Suz, sheet him by day during in the early cool mornings until it warms up, and blanket by night until his hair comes back in. Just think of him as being naked without a cover.

 

[wingnut]

Yup Suz, sheet him by day during in the early cool mornings until it warms up, and blanket by night until his hair comes back in. Just think of him as being naked without a cover.

Suz, would you mind if I jumped on your post w/another question? I'm trying to determine if I need to run out and get at least one blanket this weekend.

We here in the mid-Atlantic are having drastically below normal temps (low-mid 40's during the day, upper 30's and low 40's at night) for the next couple of days. Our yearling has a good thick coat as does our newest weanling. Our 10 yr old mare has thicker coat than she had this summer but it's by no means thick. The other weanling has coat developing but nothing as thick as the yearling/other weanling.

On top of the cold temps, it's also raining. We kept them stalled last night (2 to a stall). We closed both doors of the stall (top and bottom). Our barn is actually a run-in shed w/a tackroom that we've added dutch doors to.

I'm thinking at a minimum I need to find a coat for the 10 yr old mare. I plan to measure her tonight and contact my local mini tack shop (an hour drive) to see if she'll open up for me tomorrow morning (she doesn't have a standard open/close schedule).

I'd appreciate any input on whether I'm being overly cautious or am spot on in my concerns.

 

[Sue_C.]

It never hurts to be over-cautious. If you buy one, and don't need it, Oh well...but if you don't buy one, and find you need it...the poor mare will be cold. As for coat lengths, I have had horses with a very light natural coat, not be cold, and have heavier coated horses shiver in the wind...go figure.

Just remember, if you decide to blanket, you should have two...and they have to be heavy enough to really-really keep the horse warm. Many times people just throw a light blanket on the horse, thinking they are doing them a favour...when all they are doing is flattening the coat, and making the horse colder, because the hair cannot stand up and trap warm air.

 

[wingnut]

It never hurts to be over-cautious. If you buy one, and don't need it, Oh well...but if you don't buy one, and find you need it...the poor mare will be cold. As for coat lengths, I have had horses with a very light natural coat, not be cold, and have heavier coated horses shiver in the wind...go figure.
Just remember, if you decide to blanket, you should have two...and they have to be heavy enough to really-really keep the horse warm. Many times people just throw a light blanket on the horse, thinking they are doing them a favour...when all they are doing is flattening the coat, and making the horse colder, because the hair cannot stand up and trap warm air.

Thanks Sue_C. what you say makes sense. When I call the woman who owns the tack shop, I'm sure she'll guide me on what would be best to buy, especially for our area.