Blankets and Preg. Horses

[LittleRibbie]

S. Florida is having a major cold spell and we have had frost on plants the last few mornings. On Sun. night I decided to blanket everyone ( my blankets are not the real heavy duty ones but are good for the Florida cold )Well I started to get nervous about blankets for the 2 preggos....I guess I didnt want them too tight, too loose, being preggo do they hold their heat better? I was afraid they may get down to roll (shifting baby ) and get caught up somehow? I ended up getting up and going out to the barn a couple times during the night to check and then just decided the risk with getting hurt scared me too much and the blankets came off the girls. Ive never worried about blankets before and its really only the two girls that make me a little aprehensive.

So I guess my ?? is Do preggo horses hold their own body temp better or do they get colder? Do they need to be blanketed more or less than the others? Normally I would prefer to have the blanket belly band ( its the wide type ) snugger rather than looser but I dont want it uncomfortable with a shifting baby on board either. They are both given plenty of hay ( probablly too much ) before I go to bed so they do have plenty to eat to stay warm I think. Thanks for your help with silly newbie baby ??s!!

 

[Marty]

I'm not sure if pregnant mares get hotter or colder than any other horse. Good question.

As far as Holly is concerned, she has never worn a blanket and has lived through single digits just fine. She is probably relieved to get some cold weather for a change. I'd get that blanket off of her and keep it off. I think keeping them out of the wind and wet is important as well as a shelter, but no blanket.

 

[LittleRibbie]

Marty my darling....if you read my post, I clearly stated that I took the blankets off both girls. Holly does not have a blanket on now nor did she have one on for more than 3 hrs on Sunday night when I decided the risk of getting hurt was to great and I took it off!! Im still wondering about their body temp though.

P.S. Nicky has been sporting his new purple blanket the last few nights!! He doesnt seem to mind it and it looks cute too

 

[ssshowhorses]

I dont know if preg mares would hold body heat more or less then non-preg horses. I had one mare this year that I blanketed. She stays a bit on the thin side so my theory was that because she is pregnant I would rather her be putting her extra energy and nutrience/fat into the baby then using up that energy and fat trying to stay warm. If any of my mares get on the thin side I immediately blanket them but if you mare is at a good weight and has a decent hair coat there is no reason why they should need blankets. I dont think blankets would be anymore dangerous for preg mares then other horses, up until they are relatively close to foaling they really shouldn't be rolling anymore then normal. Hope this helps!

 

[Eagle]

Everyone does it different and temperatures are also vary varied but I thought I would put in my say. I prefer not to rug my mares as it just gets too complicated. I worry about them getting too hot ( The only time in my life that I haven't felt the cold was when I was pregnant, I was always as warm as toast. The same thing is said about fat people (no offence meant to anyone) and I sure was fat when pregnant, eating for two and all that.)

Yes I am not a horse but I think nature is kinder on mothers- to -be.

They grow so fast at the end and the straps are never long enough so you then have to buy extra belly straps. Then I am worried about baby nursing with a rug on mummy. gggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I go natural.

 

[Michelle@wescofarms]

I don't know if they're warmer or not. Interesting question, but I would imagine about the same as the foal needs to be kept at a constant temperature.

Minis unless they're unhealthy for whatever reason (thin, sick) or clipped really don't need to be blanketed like the big guys. Their natural coat is very insulating. If they have adequate hay to eat, the digestion of the hay will keep them warm (kind of internal combustion engine). Just up the hay.

Putting the blankets on/off flattens their coat so it defeats the purpose and doesn't insulate as well - make sure to fluff them up when you take it off. Or if it's started to early in the year, they won't develop an adequate winter coat.

 

[Marty]

Ribbie my dahling......it all depends on what color the coat is....

 

[Miniv]

(Good one, Marty.

)

Seriously, we've never had to blanket a pregnant mare in 20 years. And of course, if one was blanketed and foaled that would be a mess......plus, it would make things difficult for a newborn to try to locate the faucets.

 

[disneyhorse]

I would guess it to be dependent on the individual horse. In most cases, MOST horses which are acclimated to the local temperatures should not need to wear blankets. If it is very cold, they may need extra hay to burn and a place to shield themselves from the elements.

However, if the horse shows signs of being cold (like shivering) I would then blanket.

I am 6 months pregnant with twins myself right now, and I get just as cold as I did when I wasn't pregnant. They don't appear to be much "oven warmers" as I'd hoped. So who knows.

Andrea