Blanketing and weather variations

[Pico_Banana]

I also worry about the same blanket putting pressure all of the time on the same spots. My solution to that is to try to have both a regular neck with neck cover and a wug cut in my 100 gram and medium blankets, as those are the ones they wear most. That way even if they are in the same weight blanket they can get a different feel.

I also just fell in love with the Back on Track Lycra shoulder guard with padding. I bought it for my guy as I wanted him in BOT more often on his chest and shoulders and don’t love the fit of his BOT sheet. It’s so nice, it’s roomy and doesn’t bind. Am thinking about getting them for my other two horses, as well.

I also just tried the BOT 100g liner. It fits great under his Horseware blankets. It feels a tad lighter than my other 100g liners but I put that on him under a medium when it hit 12 overnight this weekend and he’s nice and warm, not too hot and not too cold.

[Renn_aissance]

@Pico_Banana

I also just fell in love with the Back on Track Lycra shoulder guard with padding. I bought it for my guy as I wanted him in BOT more often on his chest and shoulders and don’t love the fit of his BOT sheet.

Huh. Thanks for this- I didn’t know this product existed, and it may solve a problem as my guy’s shoulder has been troubling him. I’ve considered the BOT sheet for him, but the cut isn’t right.

[HeartsDesireEventing]

I have always made my own chart for the boarding barn with two columns - one for blanketing when it’s sunny/dry, and one for when it’s windy/rainy. Then updated it after clipping Like several other posters, generally I blanket one weight up if it’s windy/wet as opposed to dry.

The chart for each of my horses is very different though - one senior horse who runs cold and has three different weight blankets that start going on below 50 degrees, and one young horse who runs hot and basically isn’t blanketed unless it’s wet/windy, or below freezing.

[lenapesadie]

He’s not clipped and has a “full” coat, but not a hairy yak kind of coat. I had a metabolic panel run on him this fall bc I thought his cold intolerance might indicate PPID or something. His bloodwork all came back well within normal limits. I keep hay in front of him 24/7. He’s just old and lean and little and cold sensitive as best we can tell. I’m unwilling to over condition him as I think extra weight could lead to more serious problems. Cheaper in the long run to buy him more blankets. I ordered him a heavyweight 360 gram with same weight neck cover yesterday lol. I might try a BoT liner for him too as his main “symptom” of being cold is moving slowly / stiffness. Poor little dude. In comparison my bigger, younger, fatter horse was toasty warm in the same weather conditions in just a medium and likely would have been fine in a slightly lighter blanket.

I think the liners are supposed to be warmer than a single blanket of the same total fill weight due to layers but also ideally the biggest layer goes on the bottom so

The XLs are not cheap. I ordered my most recent ones on Black Friday during their 20% off. If I recall correctly, they might also go on sale at MLK day or Presidents Day. I think I recall Stateline Tack having the best price during that end of winter type sale.

ETA: the little pony’s cold intolerance: this fall we had a few days where it drizzled rain constantly but I didn’t put sheets on the horses because the LOW temperature was for real 69 F. Near 80 for high temp. Horses have free access to a big, dry run in that they both use. Went out to feed breakfast one morning dodging the rain in my shorts and t shirt and there’s the little pony shivering his tail off. I felt awful and I know being wet is cold feeling but I’ve never had one shivering in 70 degrees before regardless! That’s when I ordered blood work for him.

[shadesofbay3]

i don’t really understand a liner ? can someone explain to me or am i just dense?

[lenapesadie]

It’s like a base layer that goes under a blanket to make it warmer.

[beau159]

@FjordBCRF

LOL, yup, that would be my quarter horses in the background of said cartoon.

I’m lucky that all 4 of my horses are currently healthy, have good winter coats and do NOT need to be blanketed. For the record, I live in North Dakota. This exact topic is why I avoid blanketing if I don’t have to (I do not show or compete in the winter).

Many nights I think my poor babies are going to be shivering in the -30*F windchills and then I go out in the dark to check on them when I get home from work, only to find them voluntarily standing on the hill … directly in the wind … and then I question why I ever worry about them.

Thankful that I don’t have to worry about blanketing.

[Renn_aissance]

Think about them as sweaters vs. coats. To expand on what @lenapesadie said, a liner is different from a rug because it is meant to be worn underneath of something. Some liners have a full set of surcingles and can be used as stable rugs, but many of them have minimal hardware because they’re designed to clip into the waterproof layer, and that means that they cannot be used as a standalone layer because they’ll slip or go off the side of the horse when they roll. The idea is that you have one rugged/waterproof/outdoor layer and multiple liners that can attach into it, so you can change the weight of your outdoor layer. Because they aren’t waterproof, they can be easier to launder (no specific cleaning requirements and could go in the dryer) so that might be an advantage if you like to wash your rugs a few times in a season and can’t do that at home easily. Doing liners and one outdoor layer is often less expensive than buying a full wardrobe of rugs.

I think they’re a pain in the ass and our former barn manager threatened to kick me out if I moved to a liner system; she would rather have dealt with four rugs than three liners and a sheet.

[Arelle]

After I had a mare very nearly rip her leg off on a blanket strap that refused to break when caught on the fence (horses!), I try to minimize my use of blankets where possible.

That said, it’s unique to each of my horses. I have one older mare (almost 27!) that very likely broke her neck last year. Since then, she’s mostly recovered - but I’ve noticed that if she gets even slightly chilly, her ataxia seems to be worse (likely arthritic changes in the neck). Thus - she’s wearing a blanket even if it’s just a cooler breeze … she’s one I’d rather have too hot than too cold. Alternatively, my main show horse runs hot and we operate him about 10 degrees cooler than everyone else - if they’re in sheets at 55, he’s not getting one until it’s 45, otherwise he’s sweating under them.

My place also doesn’t have great windbreaks, so I pay close attention to weather variations. Like everyone has said - clouds, wind, etc can make a big difference on how comfortable it actually is outside.

[tabula_rashah]

I have 6 horses and do self-care. I honestly just go by what it feels like, the individual horse and the day by day weather, I don’t use any hard or fast rules/-. My Fjord doesn’t get a blanket unless it’s going to be a cold, soaking rain (which around here is often followed by a fast temp drop and strong wind) but on the opposite end of the spectrum, my Saddlebred mare shivers at the drop of a hat and gets bundled up like Ralphie’s little brother even though she’s not clipped at all. The saddlebred and her Arab boyfriend are also the only ones that come into stalls if the weather is really bad- everyone else prefers to stay out

[FjordBCRF]

@tabula_rashah

Ralphie’s little brother

I love this

[one1horse]

At my barn we use color coded paper wrist bands (think like the wrist bands you get at an amusement park or when you go to a concert to indicate you’re over 21). You can buy them in a huge pack on Amazon.

Each color corresponds to a temp range so owners can indicate which blanket they want their horse to wear in each temp condition. It also helps the ESL barn staff figure out what to put on the horse because we can just say “everyone is in green!” and they know to put the blanket with the green tag on the horses.

The wristbands are kind of plastic-y, so they actually last through the wash pretty well, and are cheap so if one gets ripped off, we can just add a new one. https://a.co/d/eVsOiL5

[Montanas_Girl]

@one1horse

At my barn we use color coded paper wrist bands (think like the wrist bands you get at an amusement park or when you go to a concert to indicate you’re over 21). You can buy them in a huge pack on Amazon.

Each color corresponds to a temp range so owners can indicate which blanket they want their horse to wear in each temp condition. It also helps the ESL barn staff figure out what to put on the horse because we can just say “everyone is in green!” and they know to put the blanket with the green tag on the horses.

That’s such a clever idea!

[lenapesadie]

I agree the liners are a pita. Though I can see the appeal of maybe having two TO sheets a few hoods and some liners. Sheets are easier to wash than a big heavy blanket for a lot of folks.

For myself, I have a variety of different weight blankets plus some liners for each horse. I like having options and back up options lol

[endlessclimb]

I am not happy with how my PE liner fits. I feel like it pulls the TO sheet funky both at the shoulders and on the haunches.

I won’t be relying on a liner set up again.

[JumpWithPanache]

I pay a bit more attention to blanketing for my 23 yr old borderline Cushing’s horse who is two years post-founder. He’s never been a particularly easy keeper and still doesn’t grow a ton of coat, so I tend to keep him a little on the warmer side rather than have him use his non-existent body fat to keep warm. The eight year old WB tends to run warmer, is in great weight, and still plays around enough that I’m not as worried about him even though he grows less coat than the old man. We’re also close enough to the ocean that when we get wind from the east, it is bitter even when temps are sunny and mid-30s. The hardest part is that I’m usually at work around 6 am, so I try to keep at least a sheet as a base layer to hold in some of their heat if they need less than a medium for the daytime.

TLDR: yes, I do take weather variables beyond just temperatures into consideration

[lenapesadie]

Is it under a PE sheet? I have a liner for my PE medium and don’t have that issue. I know some folks use different branded liners and sheets without issue but the few times I’ve tried it the fit has been not right.

[endlessclimb]

Yes, same brand. The whole set up is very heavy, as others have mentioned.

[CanteringCarrot]

The PE blankets are just heavy. Ridiculously so when wet.

I have one PE liner and it seems to do ok. It’s a 250g liner that goes under a 100g outer. I’ve only used it for a few days here and there in the coldest of cold. My PE setup is a back up. I prefer my Horseware stuff.

I find the Horseware liners to be fine. I’ve been using them for years.

[mombc24]

I am intrigued by these:

Stable horse rug Winderen Thermoactive Zoom 100-350 145 cm (6'6) |...

They’re expensive, but when you factor in the cost of a whole set of blankets vs just this and a waterproof turnout sheet to go over it, it could be worth it…