Anyone wearing blankets in your barn?

[Jill]

I'm sitting here laughing because I know this thought will horrify you, Marty!!! I remember reading that mud / dirt actually helps to insulate horses and keep them warmer in the winter!!!

 

[jleonard]

We blanket here, but only durring the day if it is going to be really cold and rainy and at night if it is supposed to get into the low teens or colder. Ours are in at night and out durring the day. I know they would probably be fine w/o blankets, but we moved here a few years ago from southern California, so our guys were used to cold being 60 degrees. They are a bit spoiled I guess!

A couple of you asked where you could find foal blankets. I saw one in SS Schneiders that looks really nice, and sooo cute. Their website is www.sstack.com if you want to check it out.

 

[rhea]

Our minis have never had need of blankets - coming from Manitoba they're like wooly little buffalos! They come in at night anyways. But the big horses get blankets in freezing rain (like today) and my wussy show hunter gelding has a blanket for when it's too cold (Usually anything below -15 or -20 celcius) just because he's a bit light in weight and with the blanket he seems to have spent less energy keeping himself warm. We also occaisionally put blankets on our Wisconsin import (She starts shivering below -20 celcius) and our WB mare (My mom is just over protective of her

) But the rest are tough little critters - plus most of them are ponies and they'd never admit to being cold enough to need a blanket, and if they did have one they'd rip it to shreds.

Sure do envy you people with warm weather though!

And Timmy looks lovely in his blanket of course

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

well last week we had lows of 5 and highs of about 18 or so here so yes my Luke the T/B was wearing his blanket for a week with a couple of breaks inbetween.

None of my minis were blanketed BUT they are in the barn in any bad weather so arent out getting wet and standing in the wind

 

[Barbie]

Only blankets here are on Peanut - she was clipped for Mini-O and we've been going down in the high 30's-low 40's. I do bundle her up. Everyone (3 girls) comes in at night - barn is closed up. Little Dawn has so much hair - when it warms up she starts sweating. Want to clip her so bad but would have to blanket her - no way.

Stay warm everyone!

Barbie (in Florida this winter, probably in TN next winter - then you'll hear whining.)

 

[chandab]

No blankets here, even when we were down to -20 or more plus wind chill.

I have horses ranging from my mini weanling filly (little wooly yak) to my 23 year old half-arab gelding (he wore a blanket at one boarding facility because the owner insisted

- he proceeded to shred the blanket). No one is shivering or even seems bothered by the cold. All have grass hay in front of them 24/7. [i do have a blanket for my senior gelding, should the need arise].

 

[Marion]

They are cute, but we don't use blankets here.

 

[whitney]

Just like Sonny my 33 yr old Q.H. mare "mother" gets a blanket on whenever the temp goes below 20. She has a nice layer of fat and a nice heavy natural coat. But I want to keep her as comfortable as I possibly can. Is she spoiled YOU BETCHA. But she has spoiled me for 26 years.

Oh Dusty my 2yr old is getting a blanket on when the temp dips below 20 too, as he had that high fever a little over a week ago, so I want to keep him warm and toasty too.

Everything in the barn gets blanketed when the temp goes below 0.

 

[Tammie-C_Spots]

It's been getting into the single digits here at night and high twenties to mid thirties daily. I don't blanket unless it gets into the single digits and then I do or some of them shiver. My two broodmares don't seem to have a problem with the cold but the others do so I blanket them. My weanling filly, Calista, loves her blankie and comes right over to give it a sniff then stands like a good girl while I do up all the straps

Tammie

 

[littlehorse2]

I blanket. I took them off yesturday and put them back on last night. I took them off today and kept them off tonight. They usually will keep them on if it's really cold. We have a drafty barn and I like them to be toasty. I like them to get some fresh air to their skin so if it's 35 and up no blankets. I went out a couple of mornings last week and they had beards of frozen frst in their wiskers. Trisket loves bieng warm in her blanket, she's the mare we got from Florida. The other 2 could care less, but they get them on anyways.

Christy

 

[Sterling]

I've never had to blanket my minis in the winter...they're already growing yak coats by September. I've watched Hershee, because he's a different coat consistancy than Manny, his coat is very soft and looks thinner, but when you press your hand down in to it, it's insulated. So nope he's not wearing anything either...just what God gave him naturally. Hershee's blanket looks similar to Timmy's. It has two velcro bands that come up around the belly with a wide belly strap just like yours does. I really like this blanket. too, it does'nt twist all over the place and when you look at him from behind it looks as tho he's wearing a skirt...too cool!

 

[Sue_C.]

Yes, I guess you pretty well have to blanket Timmy, but I wouldn't think of blanketing any of the others.

It has dipped as low as -18C here, (-4F) a few nights, and my horses are generally outside day and night. They have been just as warm as toast when I go out to check them, and throw out some extra hay, before I go to bed.

 

[bluerogue]

Well, I'm with most of the others here Marty... mine only get blankets if they are shivering or sick (or they're clipped for showing, but I don't clip any where near cold weather- learned that lesson already). I did have my coming two year old colt in a blanket most of last winter because the little nerd would roll and really cake himself in mud. And then he'd shiver, and we'd have to use the blow dryer on him, and then the blanket. But he hasn't done that this winter, yet. I'm hoping he has gotten over the urge to turn hisself into a mud ball! I'm in northern California, so it rarely gets cold enough to bother any of them. And even then they don't really seem to notice. We had a really bad storm come through last week, lots of high wind, tons of pouring rain, and none of them seemed to care about it. They all have shelters they can use, and since they never did appear to get very wet, I'm assuming the smart little beggers stayed in them most of the time. I think the looks they were giving me were just attempts to make me think they needed more food! Worked pretty well, too, the crafty little boogers!

 

[Marty]

UPDATE:

Our weather seems to have gone coo coo.

It is going to quit freezing now so they say and we are in for a warming trend.

Rain on Christmas. Joy. Feel my joy. More mud.

And then warm.

Duh.

This is nuts.

 

[Danielle_E.]

I don't ever blanket my minis UNLESS they were lets say clipped for a show in late Sept. or Oct. then I might BUT they get such a hairy coat that they truly don't need it and it's counterproductive in that case. The hair stands up a bit and traps all the heat to their skin. By blanketing you push down that hair that is trapping all the warmth and it's truly not needed with hairy minis. If it's -27 celcius like it was here last week well then they stay in during the day while I am not here and go out when I get home for a limited time. Now I do blanket my 29 year old arabian rescue because of her age but I have to say this year she looks amazing, fat and hairy too. My other two full size horses don't need it but like I said in really frigid weather their time outside is very limited so no chance of them getting frosbite or shivering cold.

 

[The Dynamic Duo]

the farm i go to, they had blankets on skinny ones and babies such as rita

 

[Farmhand]

No, I just put my "artic carhartts" on and am good an toasty

 

[_minihorses4ever_]

Blankets? No way! High today is 72! The coldest high we have had this year was 40.

 

[billiethekid40]

I have a *really* light but water proof blanket I use during wet snow or rainy days, it sets on top of the hair so it doesn't ruin his insulating capabilities. I also have a winter blanket "just in case" for if he is sick, and a wool cooler so if he gets wet from rain or work I throw it onhim till he dries, then I curry his coat so it flufs back up again. I've had to blanket over night only a few times, when he got soaked to the bone in an unexpected slushy snow shower while I was at school. Again, blanket came off when the sun came up, I brushed him and got him moving and eating hay and he didn't suffer from ebing blanketed for the night. I wouldn't blanket as a rule because I don't need to, but I also don't have a problem with anyone wanthing to clip and blanket, provided they are going to put the effort into keeping up with a proper blanketing routine... if they want to go to the expense time and money wise, then so be it!

 

[Hosscrazy]

I just finished trace clipping my guys - we're in the mid 80's!

I do own a couple blankets. They're packed away in the garage somewhere...I think I used them once, years ago when we had one chilly night...

Liz R.