What temp do you blanket

[Basketmiss]

I know horses are very hardy but I do see some of yours in blankets, so what temp do you decide to blanket??

Or do you never blanket??

 

[chandab]

I currently don't blanket anyone, although, it won't be long and my senior half-Arab gelding will probably need a blanket during most of the winter. The minis grow so much hair, that they don't need a blanket, unless they are sick or clipped. They all seem pretty content as long as they can get out of the wind.

 

[Reble]

We never blanket our minis in the winter.

Only our foals when born during early spring for a day or two than off they come.

We get good old winter here in Ontario :Cold-Scared

 

[Marty]

I don't blanket the minis. They have big thick hair coats and I don't let them get wet where they would be soaked to the bone.

I do blanket Sonny my QH. He's old and never gets a big coat. He is also a weenie, alas, such as I, and won't leave his stall if it's too hot, too cold, too damp, too windy.....must I go on? He hates the great out of doors. He gets blanketed if it goes below 30 degrees but I also look at the wind chill and the "feels like" temperature and take that all into consideration too.

 

[Jean_B]

I never blanket anything unless it is sick or if it is body clipped for a show and the temps drop. Even when I lived in northwest Wisconsin and it dipped to 30 below, they were fine as long as they could get out of the wind (they were allowed free access to go in or out). As long as there was no wind, even when it was that cold they were usually outside. And if there was a heavy snowfall - they were walking snowdrifts.

 

[Buckskin gal]

We don't blanket during the winter months but about the middle of March my hands get itchy for the clippers and if it is warm will clip one or several and that is when I have to bring the blankets out. It usually will get colder and then we do blanket the clipped ones. Mary

 

[angel_cowgirl]

I've heard 'if you're cold, than they could be too'.

That said, we don't blanket the outdoor horses that live in pens. They all have access to run-in sheds and as said many times before here, as long as they can get out of the wind they seem content. The show barn doors stay down all the way when its usually below about 60 (?) I think...and even when its colder the way the barn is built it never gets below freezing in there as long as the doors are closed. We don't usually have clipped horses then so don't usually blanket anyone, but I know that if they had been clipped or not much hair they would get a blanket. We still have several (about 4) that went to the World show and still don't have a lot of hair. Its getting there, but they come in at night and are stalled. It hasn't gotten real cold here yet though, only a few times so far its been in the upper 30s-mid 40s. Although their saying there could be snow or wet mix on Thanksgiving....

 

[Mona]

I NEVER blanket....well, that is not totally true I guess, but I do not "routinely" blanket just because the temps get down to a certain point. We get plenty of 40 below weather here, and I do not blanket. The only time I will/have blanketed, is if a horse is obviously cold...ie: shivering. This happens sometimes when a horse moves here from a warm climate, even after her has been here a full year or more, and just doesn't seem to acclimate too well. This however, is very rare, and has only happened a couple of times over the years. I also have blanketed mares after foaling if they sweated a lot and are wet, just to keep them a little warmer, and only until the dry off. Basically, just to keep the chill off.

OOPS! Edited to add...Maryann reminded me that yes, I also do blanket newborn foals, but normally not for any longer than a few days, and even then, I try to get the blanket off during the day and blanket only at night, if temps are cooperative.

 

[Miniv]

We don't blanket our horses UNLESS --

-- They are newborn. We blanket brand new ones until they can regulate their own body heat.

-- A horse that's been body clipped and the temps have dropped into the 50's or below. This is usually a show horse and is being stalled.

-- A sick horse. Often they will be shivering, so that's a no brainer.

If I'm not sure about their comfort zone, I check in their "armpits" to see if they're warm. If they aren't, I opt to blanket. A horse tends to be comfortable in much colder temps than we do.......When they are HEALTHY.

A healthy horse with its own winter natural coat is much better off NOT blanketed.

MA

 

[disneyhorse]

Well, with all the above good advice... I will offer you this for my clipped show horses:

They are blanketed at 65 degrees or colder. When their coat starts growing out a little bit, I change from a winter blanket to a sheet, to further acclimate them back.

When trailering, I might blanket a little warmer just because of the wind chill factor.

Andrea

 

[Marty]

Ummmmmmm 40 BELOW!!!!!!!!!!

You have got to be kidding........I would flat out die :Cold-Scared :Cold-Scared :Cold-Scared

 

[Jill]

I have tons of blankets but the only time I use them is if I clip early in the season, or the night before a show. If you blanket an unclipped mini (or full size horse) you lock yourself into doing it for the season because the blanket will take the loft out of the coat, which is what helps it provide warmth.

We've had nice fluffy snows here, and I can look out and see snow resting unmelted on the backs of my horses. THAT is how well their coat naturally insulates them.

 

[Danielle_E.]

Ummmmmmm 40 BELOW!!!!!!!!!!

You have got to be kidding........I would flat out die :Cold-Scared :Cold-Scared :Cold-Scared

ROFL OH!

No Marty, you would be fine if you had a natural blanket like our minis do, they look like baby yaks, lol, and believe it or not they love the cold when they have that kind of a coat.

I do not routinely ever blanket my minis. Just like Mona I blanket a newborn till they dry off, that is usually end of April of end May when that happens. Mares I don't blanket unless they have sweated but they have birthed in a stall and don't usually need it. If it's -40 out then I don't put them out anyway in those temps, only if I am home (during the week) and I can control them coming in and out, so they might go out for an hour or so just so they can let off some steam or else they get rather rambunctious. I have this year, as of yesterday started to blanket my 30 year old arab mare, the other arabian I don't blanket unless it gets very cold. It was -9 last night (celcius) and I blanketed Sherry (30 year old arab) and will keep her blanketed now until the spring. When she goes out this morning she will have only the 1 blanket BUT if and when it gets to -20 she will be double blanketed, second blanket will be a lighter one then the one she is wearing now. You learn here that for humans and animals, layering, is the way to go and you would be very surprised how warm you stay. Often if I am doing stalls in those kinds of temps I have to remove clothing becaus I am in a sweat myself

.

Now, I have a little guy in my barn, Val's 5 month old colt, that I am putting weight on him so yes I am going to suggest to Val to get him a blanket or I will make one for him for the time he is here with me. Looks like he might just be moving just down the street from me

with a wonderful family

 

[Minimor]

Yep, we get 40 below here too; last winter we had 2 1/2 weeks of that kind of weather, 40 below & with the wind blowing a couple of nights it was the equivalent of 55 below. Brrrr. Our horses were not blanketed in that weather and they seemed to be just fine. The exception was one little gelding that was lame--her was blanketed because he couldn't move around and was feeling the cold.

I do keep blankets in a variety of sizes, so that if someone is injured or sick they can be blanketed. And, newborn foals get blanketed if they're born early in the year when temperatures still get down below freezing at night.

 

[Basketmiss]

Wow I am with Marty 40 below!! I would freeze too! I am the coldest natured person.. I cant seem to get warm in the winter.

I think my horses would be fine just not me...

Keep warm you guys in those really cold places!!

Here in Missouri it might get 10 below not much colder than that thank goodness!!

 

[minifancier]

With all that hair, no blanket is needed. In fact I don't even Own a blanket that would fit a mini.

Never have blanketed a mini in all the years I have them, just is not needed, and if you do put a blanket on it Flattens the hair down and when turned out without that blanket on, because the hair is not fluffy but flat against the body the animal Will Get Cold~! So I just don't even put one on, even if I had one.

 

[Sandee]

You just have to "get a feel" for when to blanket, no pun intended. I try to not use the blankets until it gets really cold (it's Wisconsin). If I see anyone shivering, I blanket. But there's always an exception. Like last year we got a warm spell in Jan and by Feb my stallion was starting to shed out and then winter returned. I blanketed him so he could contiune to shed without being cold.

My rule of thumb is check for blanket need when the temp drops below 40 and all blankets off at 50 degrees.

 

[ruffian]

While we don't get -40 (thank goodness) We do get below 0, but I like the others don't blanket under normal circumstances. I did have a 33 year old mare that just couldn't get weight on, and her hair was thin, so I blanketed her.