Do NOT blanket ANY horses except for some circumstances

[Jean_B]

I have never blanketed my horses - EVER - unless they were clipped....and when I lived in Wisconsin, it was often 30 BELOW ZERO....they were all outside with shelters and rarely went in them...they were walking mounds of snow. Here is the article from Colorado State University:

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Here is some information on winter blanketing that may surprise you.

This is the result of a multi-year study done by CSU, using state of the art thermal detection equipment.

Colorado State University is widely considered to be one of the top three equine veterinary schools in the country: Blanketing horses is one of the worst things that you can do to a horse in the winter.

Horses have the ability to loft and lower their coats to 17 different levels, so it's like exchanging 17 different thermal weights of blankets off and on them all day and night, depending on what they need- except that we don't know what they need as well as they do.

Their 'self-blanketing' process works a little like 'chill bumps' do in our own skin. That's why long-haired horses may seem fluffier on some days than on others.

Only three things make the 'self-blanketing' process not work: blanketing, clipping, and wind.

Not even snow or rain stops their own thermostats from doing the job.

Also horses are in 'neutral' (meaning not using energy for either heating or cooling) when the air around them is between 26 and 38 degrees. Otherwise, they're using energy to control their temps.

So- since they're cooling their bodies when the temp is over 38 degrees, they're having to use extra energy to cool themselves when blanketed in temperatures over that.

Any time a horse that is outside and has a long coat is shivering, it's because the horse has opted to shiver to warm itself, instead of using the option of moving.

Moving generates a considerable amount of heat for a horse, but they sometimes stand and shiver while napping, etc. It does not mean that they need to be blanketed.

However- a horse MUST have a way to get out of the wind in order for their 'self-blanketing' abilities to function fully.

It turns out that blanketing is done more for pleasing the human, than to fill a need of the horse. The horse blanket industry has done a great job of making us think that their product is a necessary part of good horse keeping- when it is actually an item that is very seldom needed.

 

[kaykay]

I have never believed in blanketing horses (Unless clipped)

Kay

 

[~Dan]

Very informative! I learned a lot from reading that. Now I won't worry so much about the horses on even the coldest of days!!

Dan.

 

[cretahillsgal]

I don't blanket any of mine unless they have been clipped or newborn foals for the first 24-48 hours. Never understood blanketing when it is cold if they are in natual coat.

 

[Minimor]

I rarely blanket the horses here. But--if I have one telling me she is cold then she will get blanketed. This isn't Colorado, and I don't think all my horses read the study results!

Early this winter we had some cold weather--very DAMP cold weather, which is unusual for us. Our horses all live outside, sheds for shelter, all the hay they want. One of my ponies was looking quite miserable for a couple of days & I wondered what her problem was. On day 3 of the cold damp weather she was started shivering. I chucked a waterproof blanket on her & she warmed up. The shivering stopped--and the change in her demeanor was remarkable. No more miserable expression--she was bright eyed and happy looking again. Apparently she had been feeling the cold even though she wasn't actually shivering, hence the miserable, sad expression. Once that cold spell ended I took the blanket off & she has been fine since. It's turning cold again now but not that damp sort of cold and so far she is staying warm on her own. Study or no study if she starts showing signs of being cold again, she will have her blanket back on.

 

[JMS Miniatures]

I noticed a week or 2 ago that my one who hasn't been clipped in the past couple of years already started to look pretty sleek in his coat and we have been having temps often in the 40s or 50s this year being a mild winter and we finally dropped near 0 or for sure in the wind chill and his coat fluffed back up again.

I don't blanket mine except for when they are clipped and they are outside 24/7 with shelter. I have heard that the only time you need to really blanket them in winter is when they are actually stalled because the lighting fools them.

Jean do you have a link of the study? I've been reading there's no such study at CSU?

 

[targetsmom]

I only blanket one of ours over the winter, and of course any that are clipped. I thought Princess needed a blanket because she gets clipped in late September, but then saw other horses clipped the same time who grow nice thick winter coats. Now that I found out she has anhydrosis (doesn't sweat), I think that may be the reason she doesn't get a thick coat. It certainly affects her ability to adjust to heat in the summer, so I think it might do the same in the winter. And in the winter I stop feeding her the One AC supplement which does help her sweat.

 

[JMS Miniatures]

My 2 who were clipped for Nationals is fuzzier then my one who hasn't been clipped for more then 2 years. I have to contradict myself and did blanket 2 broodmares after an ice storm. Instead of going into their shelter they stood outside and act like Minimor's horse did. Couldn't watch them be misserable like that.

The only thing I would add to the study as circumstances is if the horse is too skinny to be able to regulate its own body temp. It may have a good winter coat but if it doesn't have fat to keep itself warm he will just get skinnier and thats no good.

 

[Connie P]

I have never believed in blanketing horses (Unless clipped)

Kay

I absolutely do not believe in blanketing horses either Kay unless they have been clipped and the temps dip. Obviously if I saw someone shivering then of course I would blanket, but in 17 years of owning mini's I have never had that happen once.

 

[Sue_C.]

I have looked everywhere for a link to this article, and what I find so far...is that is doesn't exist.

If anyone can find a link, I would love to have it, please.

That said...I whole-heartedly agree with it, no matter who wrote it...blanketing is far over-done, and under-done at the same time. Over-done in that horses are being blanketed that don't need to be, and under-done in that they are blanketed with blankets far-far too light to make up for the loss in natural coat loft ability.

 

[susanne]

.

...and yet the guilt trips some of those pro-blanketers give those who don't...

.

 

[little lady]

Excellent information, thanks for sharing. Just what I thought, mother nature is pretty darn good at taking care of her animals.

Now I must add I am sure there are circumstances that may require blanketing.

 

[Flying minis]

I was told this same thing 20+ years ago by an old horseman. Blanketing "lays down" the hair, causing a LOSS of insulating ability, so you would have to blanket at least as much as the hair would insulate, just to be "even". We blanket only if it's cold and wet, and horses are shivering. Last year, in the whole winter, I blanketed one horse (out of 11) for 2 days, and that's up here in the frigid northland.

 

[Jill]

This has been my way of thinking and advice forever just about. I just pointed out loft on a recent blanketing thread. Sometimes we want to treat our horses like hot house flowers, but in reality, this is rarely in their best interest imo.

 

[~Lisa~]

I have always blanketed some of my horses and will always continue to do so. Not every horse is the same, not every horse grows a decent winter coat, not every horse can handle the same temps the same. One shelter does not cut it not every horse can get in when they NEED to as opposed to then they are allowed to. Cant tell you how many times I see one run in for 10 + horses- some aged horses do not handle the cold as well as others- granted my horses are stalled at night my horses always have somewhere dry to lay down and yes some are still blanketed all winter long.

Pardon the pun here but to make a blanket statement that horses should not be blanketed is to me as silly as saying all horses should be kept in a pasture in order to be happy and healthy.

 

[minie812]

The barn door is always open here so have never blanketed except once when Fiesta (22 yrs old) was shivering last year when we had a cold snap and I did cover him in his stall and he stopped. The ole boy was looking at me like Hurry up! One other time when we had an ice storm and power was down for three days and a mare foaled we did cover the foal until we got him dried and warmed up. The minis in this area have very heavy coats this year even though the weather has been mild. I think we are due for some COLD!

 

[Matt73]

Well that's silly. So when my one mare that starts shivering violently when the temp dips below -5c, I should just leave her be? Um, no. That would be cruel, no? She's got a nice thick blanket on right now.

I have always blanketed some of my horses and will always continue to do so. Not every horse is the same, not every horse grows a decent winter coat, not every horse can handle the same temps the same. One shelter does not cut it not every horse can get in when they NEED to as opposed to then they are allowed to. Cant tell you how many times I see one run in for 10 + horses- some aged horses do not handle the cold as well as others- granted my horses are stalled at night my horses always have somewhere dry to lay down and yes some are still blanketed all winter long.

Pardon the pun here but to make a blanket statement that horses should not be blanketed is to me as silly as saying all horses should be kept in a pasture in order to be happy and healthy.

Guess I said the same thing. I totally agree.

 

[Marty]

I don't blanket my minis as a rule either but I would if there was a need. I keep them out of the wet and wind the best I can as not to invite a problem. Its always a good idea I think to keep some blankets on hand in case the need arises.

My old quarter horse does wear a blanket in winter. Its required.

 

[Songcatcher]

It turns out that blanketing is done more for pleasing the human, than to fill a need of the horse.

I think this is often true regarding many things we do. We tend to forget they are animals. Sometimes it is our interference that causes the problems.

Oklahoma is noted for its rapidly changing weather. In general (of course there are always exceptions to the rule), my horses are on pasture with run in sheds available 24/7. In the nastiest weather, I often see them outside with sleet or snow on them when they could easily go inside. Of course, if one seems to be feeling miserable, I will put them inside with a Kal-glo heater.

 

[Jill]

I think, kind of "duh", of course there are some reasons and some specific individual horses who should be blanketed at times, but as a "vast rule", it is NOT in the best interest of MOST horses -- IMO. The loft is crushed and if you start blanketing for the season, then you are caught with the need to continue. That said, you should see the blanket wardrobe we have for our minis and biggie "just in case" and "if clipped". Wouldn't you know, they all wanted their blankets to be purple