I have a 22-year-old mini who has never in her life been blanketed. She has an extra long and furry coat and plenty of body fat. But I’m a little worried about our upcoming temperatures which are supposed to be in the negative numbers next week. She will be kept in the barn but is by herself and it is not a very warm barn. I do have a thin cotton stable sheet and turnout sheet I would put over it. Should I be scrambling to find something warmer? I can keep hay in front of her but with metabolic issues I don’t want to overdo it. Thank you for any advice!
My 10yo mini is a total yak now in our Midwest Winter. I can sink my fingers to the knuckle in his haircoat.
Temps have been yoyoing between 20s, teens & single digits.
He (along with my horse & pony) is free to come & go from pasture to stall 24/7/365.
All 3 choose Out over In, no matter the weather.
I check bodies for warmth:
Ear-tips, belly, flanks, brisket & general demeanor.
If those checkpoints aren’t cold, they aren’t shivering or looking sad & snow piled on their backs isn’t melting or soaking to the skin on their backs, no blankets needed.
Mini threatened laminitis about 5yrs ago & is on Thyro-L, but vet never mentioned restricting hay.
I feed 1st cut orchard grass year-round.
Can you get some bales of straw to insulate her stall - banked on the walls they should help & if eaten shouldn’t be a problem*
*I’m no DVM, so check with yours
I’m telling myself 62 days until Spring 
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A cotton stable sheet will likely lay her hair down and make her colder, especially if there’s another sheet on top of it. I’d probably leave her naked, and depending on how you arrange her hay availability now, either shift it so there’s a bit more available overnight when it’s coldest, or add another 10-20% of her normal intake to her night ration so she has more if needed. Being out of even the slightest breeze means she’ll likely be fine
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I blanket my metabolic mini. He does get sensitive to the cold and is much happier in a blanket.
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Has she seemed cold at all so far this winter? If yes maybe look for a warmer blanket, if not I would only give her a bit more hay. If you do put a blanket on her be mindful that the blanket will lay down her hair and take away most or all of her natural protection so the blanket needs to be warm enough to keep her warm. Since she will be in a shelter wind won’t be an issue so a stable blanket opposed to a turnout would be fine.
Since she is in good weight and only some degrees below what she is used to, she will likely be fine.
Horses are designed differently from us, we might feel a 5 degree difference and really feel cold where horses typically don’t. Yes, I am using general language because horses are individual. I currently have a wb that seems cold if she sees a snowflake, the other two didn’t blink at -30.
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Thank you for these helpful answers! Great ideas and information about the blanket/sheet laying down the hair. I have never seen her cold in the 15 years I have owned her but she is older and no longer has a barn mate to help heat up the barn a bit. I’ll be checking her a lot and as recommended spacing out the hay so she will have it at the coldest time of day. You guys are the best, thanks again!
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I would use the straw to insulate the stall and maybe put her sheets on too. If it gets below zero and you have a spare heater maybe put it in the barn?
I can’t think of a single type of heater that wouldn’t give me nightmares worrying about fire.
Barns - even well-ventilated - are firetraps with tinder supplied by hay fines, dust & cobwebs 
MAYBE a sealed, oil-filled radiator (I heated a 12X16 tiled bath with one), but not inside a stall where it could get knocked over or spark at the outlet it’s plugged into.
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