To Blanket or Not To Blanket??

[K Sera]

I've lived north (Michigan) then south (SW Florida) now NW Louisiana, and I've had the opinion that if the horses coats have not been altered by us, such as clipping, etc.... mother nature takes care of them as far as warmth of the coat they grow for the climate they live in. Other than stalling mine in VERY COLD RAINY/ICY weather, they are well equipped for anything that comes along. Any modification to what mother nature supplies them makes them susceptible to things that would normally be no problem otherwise because of being blanketed, etc... The blankets, etc... are more a comfort for us sometimes, I think ... makes that "guilty" feeling we get a little easier to deal with ...

Nothing wrong with doing all we can to make our little ones happy! It was 19 degrees this AM at my place and I was COLD feeding before work ... the horses looked great!

 

[capall beag]

I have a fullsized Appy mare that is always blanketed and in from 4pm. She has a very light natural coat and was underweight when I got her. She definately would be cold without one.

My mini mare is not blanketed but always has shelter and it faces the sun. She comes into the larger shelter connected to the barn at night and I give her deep bedding for added comfort. She has a really thick coat and I think would be cozy enough.

Today is freezing!! I will give the mini extra deep straw bedding tonight and bring them in earlier.

When it gets below about 10 not many animals enjoy it IMO!! in particular here now because we had heavy snow on the ground and they can't move around much.

I don't think I baby mine but I do consider them and their wellbeing on a daily basis!

Mine aren't spoiled just loved and cared for

I think it is really important to take into consideration what they are used to. It is very hard for them to adjust to quick variation in temps, just like it is for us!

Now 30 feels warm to me, it didn't 3 months ago

 

[whitney]

Anytime the temp hits 0 I blanket the entire herd. My 36 year old Q.H. mare gets blanketed when it falls below 20. Extra hay to everyone when temps fall below 20.

 

[whimsical]

I don't blanket mine either unless there are exceptions.

However coming from South Louisiana and now in Texas I know that 50 with the humidity can be down right misserable. And 50 in North Texas isn't all that bad. So I would guess in florida and the coastal region the temps might not seem so low and they are blanketing but it feels much colder. A human can't seem to put on enough layers to help.

 

[skanzler]

Our Training facility is located in central Washington State, we hit as low as 10 degrees and as high as 40 degrees during the winter months. I do not blanket anyone. They have full hair coats and they are used to this climate. If we have a wet snowfall or rain/sleet and it is going to be cold I bring the entire herd into the barn for protection.

As someone else said earlier, the blankets etc are sometimes more for our own piece of mind. That being said, those in the south, most of the horses don't put in a heavy haircoat and I can definitly say that if mine did not have sufficient haircoats they would be blanketed if the temps were to drop.

I hope everyone stays warm and that this winter will be over soon.......

 

[Sue S]

I have 12 minis and I never blanket them, it was about 7 below last night, I put them in the barn at night with lots of straw on the stall floors, They are outside right now, its 12 above here this morning but suppose to get up to 21 degress, they love the cold weather, they are out running and playing, I will put them in the barn around 4:00 before sun goes down. We give them extra hay to keep them warm, they usually get feed hay 3 times aday besides there sweet grain except on the cold days. Can't wait till next week temps suppose to be up to almost 50 in weather man is right. Going to be a heat wave yay.

 

[Tatonkas Dream]

Outside Dallas TX area here and lived in West Palm most my childhood. I blanket if someones been clipped or partially clipped. I am currently training one stallion to harness/cart and he gets a blanket if it goes below about 40, he was clipped in late fall so has some coat but not a full one. Rest of mine are currently woolie mamoths - oddly enough with the mild weather we had in the early winter this year I almost partially clipped one of my girls, Suiox, as she was sweating on the warmer days.

My rule of thumb big or small is if I am activily working them alot I would rather clip / blanket then deal with really thick winter fuzz for grooming and cooling out/drying after the work session.

Coming from South FL I'd rather clip and blanket as the warm days tend to out weigh the cold snaps, and while I was in FL I had standard size and only one so he was always working.

I also feed extra hay, think its great for them, they esp love the warm soaked alfa cubes this time of year

and depending on the temp and or winds will stall some overnight with extra coastal/grass hay.

Most of the time they are free to come and go as they see fit... I have one mare who is always the first to hunker down in a stall and gladly stays in til it gets warmer.

 

[Minimor]

It was mentioned young foal get blanketed. How young and how cold?

That may have been me that said that. In our case, if we have early spring foals (Late March to early May) they are likely going to be blanketed any time the temperature drops to freezing or below, up until they're 2 to 4 weeks old. If they're fuzzy enough & seem to handle chilly temperatures okay then we don't blanket. we've found that as long as the temperature is above freezing and the foal can get in out of the wind (ours have open sheds for shelter) they are fine without blankets. And we had the one filly born in early Feb. when it was -30 & she was blanketed for weeks. She had to be blanketed initially, and was happy to have her blankets on even when she was a bit older--for the first couple months.
On the other hand, the filly we had born in early September the one year was never blanketed at all--winter arrived in mid October that year and she was fine with just her own thick coat through the entire winter.

 

[dreamlandnh]

I'm in NH and tonight on my way home from work it was 5...in general I do not blanket. Only time I really do is when they have been clipped late in the year and the winter woolies are not on yet or early in the spring and they have been clipped.

Mine do go in the closed up barn each night and then out each day.

 

[Rebecca]

I'm in NH as well. Today it was -11 around noon time!

The girls stayed inside. I do not usually blanket unless they have been clipped, which I don't even think of doing in these parts during this time of year. Kassie grows a nice think winter coat but Covergirl, my rescue mare, does not have such a thick winter coat. It never really grew all the way in but seemed to keep her very warm for a while anyways. This morning I went out to find her shivering from the cold. I felt so bad!

I have been keeping a blanket on since as it is below freezing still with the wind. Hopefully it warms up soon!

Also- Many of the 'biggies' where I ride do not grow long winter coats and are blanketed in winter, I see this more with the biggies than the minis. Do minis' hair just generally grow thicker/longer/warmer????

 

[New2Minis]

I'm in NH as well. Today it was -11 around noon time!

The girls stayed inside. I do not usually blanket unless they have been clipped, which I don't even think of doing in these parts during this time of year. Kassie grows a nice think winter coat but Covergirl, my rescue mare, does not have such a thick winter coat. It never really grew all the way in but seemed to keep her very warm for a while anyways. This morning I went out to find her shivering from the cold. I felt so bad!

I have been keeping a blanket on since as it is below freezing still with the wind. Hopefully it warms up soon!

Also- Many of the 'biggies' where I ride do not grow long winter coats and are blanketed in winter, I see this more with the biggies than the minis. Do minis' hair just generally grow thicker/longer/warmer????

I would say that Mini's definately get a thicker coat. Although one of my 'biggies' looks like a hamster! LOL

 

[targetsmom]

A bit off topic but still about dealing with cold- our horses all still go outside on these cold days, especially if it is sunny. Lying in the sun under the huge overhang was a VERY popular activity yesterday, as was running around to keep warm. Our barn doesn't offer much heat due to its design, and half our herd is out 24/7 anyway (with lots of well-bedded and protected shelter).