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Blanketing Chart

Horse Care
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#1

Sorry in advance for this ridiculously long post.

Are there general temperatures that people use for blanketing charts? This is my first fall without being able to get to the barn daily, currently able to do 3-4 days/week. The barn I board at is now requesting all boarders to have a blanketing chart for their horse. However, I’ve never really put it into chart formats since I’ve always just eyeballed it based off of temperature + if my horse feels warm under her blanket. I am in MA so it can get chilly but it’s not cold right now, although fellow boarders have started blanketing so I’m thinking I should at least start drafting my blanket chart.

I saw some example charts online but they look really warm, most of them advise start blanketing an unclipped horse at 40+ Fahrenheit. I feel like my horse will be too warm since she’s a very easy keeper (a bit chubby) and is a foundation Morgan that grows a pretty fluffy coat in the winter that I haven’t clipped in a couple years.

However, she’s out during the day without access to a run-in or shelter when it’s raining/snowing etc but inside at night in a barn that is usually ~15 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than it is outside. I know hay really keeps them warm, especially 24/7 or free choice hay, however they get fed hay 3x a day so I think that will influence things a bit.

Not super sure how to set it up for temperatures without being overly complex and annoying for the barn staff. I think the majority of boarders tend to start blanketing around 50s or even 60s but was worried that she’ll melt if I don’t make my own chart since I think there’s sometimes a tendency to over blanket in my area. The blankets I used last year were a 250g Rhino Vari-Layer Plus (has neck cover) and a 100g Rhino Vari-Layer Wug, both waterproof/turnout. I also have a 0g Horze high neck rainsheet (like a Wug basically) but I get a little iffy about 0g sheets in case they get soaked through.

I was thinking of something like:

  • 45+ F: No blanket

  • 35-45F: If raining, 100g Rhino Wug. Otherwise no blanket

  • 25-35F: 100g Rhino Wug

  • 15-25F: 250g Rhino Plus

  • Below 15F: 250g Rhino Plus with 100g Rhino Wug on top

Does this look too warm? Not sure if I should change widen the 3rd & 4th temperature ranges but also feel like I am way overthinking the numbers. I personally am freezing all the time but my horse is probably not. Also pondering whether I should bring back my hay net for her PM hay so then it’ll last longer at night when the temps are dropping.

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#2

I think it really depends on your horse. For my horse, even unclipped, this would not be NEARLY enough- his is more like sheet at 55 (I generally use this level only if windy/raining, or early in the season before his coat grows in/if he’s clipped), 100g at 45, med at 35ish, and heavy at 20ish, but I always tell the staff to err on the side of keeping him warmer.

My mom’s horse will probably wear a sheet when it’s ~40, and a medium when its ~25ish. There are other horses at the barn that wear no blankets ever.

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#3

A ten degree window is SO narrow, probably requiring multiple changes every day. Is that what you normally do?

I usually think in terms of above freezing, below freezing, and below zero. Going off the “real feel” can account for wind and rain, is that an option?

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#4

There aren’t any hard and fast rules.

I have a fat Morgan and a hard-keeping Cushings pony, neither clipped, both have access to stalls and to pasture day and night. In winter I drag bales out into the snow and break them open, as much as they can eat, as well as hay nets in the stalls. I feel it is extremely important to feed as much hay as possible when it gets really cold. They’ll eat twice the amount as in summer.

I used to blanket them far more than I do now. I start with medium turn out blanketing at 20 F – WITH wind chill factored in. At about 5 degrees they get the heavy blankets.

They never seem in the slightest cold, although if it’s really nasty out they will hang in the stalls. Sometimes. My pony is stall-phobic and it takes a lot for her to voluntarily shelter.

#5

Above freezing: no blanket for the unclipped, unless it is raining and windy.

5 Likes
#6

Ugh, I really don’t like this system of blanketing, although I understand why it is needed. Far more important than temp are wind and precipitation. Your horse (Morgan, unclipped) would be fine with nothing if it was a dry still night at 15 f. However damp and windy at 40 might have me using a medium. It also SO depends on the horse – I have 2 here that will shiver at 55 and wet, while others are perfectly comfortable.

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#7

Agreeing that rain and wind are bigger issues for the fat and hairy. My tb runs COLD and his back gets tight if he’s chilly so we start blanketing when the temps stay under/around 60 at night. I would find a chestnut popsicle if I used your chart :rofl:.

For yours, I’d almost be putting that 0g on for under 50 and rainy or windy, since it doesn’t sound like there’s good shelter and hay outside. Inside I’m sure they’ll be fine with nothing. 100g on for real feel 20-35. Anything under gets a medium or heavy. Do you trust that your barn will notice if pony is outside shivering or sweating? It may take a few trial runs to figure out where they’re comfy.

1 Like
#8

I sort of understand why BM would want this input from boarders, but in all honesty, couldn’t this be left to their (BM) discretion to direct staff?
After all, they’re the ones at the location & can best determine what type of blanket - if any - is needed.
Boarders can have their blankets available (marked to identify) & they can be put on as needed.

I understand the Pookie Syndrome, had a BO friend who insisted “If I’m cold, they’re cold” :roll_eyes:
Nope, doesn’t work that way.
On a 40F sunny day I need a jacket.
My horses do not, they’re perfectly happy in this situation. Add a breeze, even a stiff wind, still okay.
40F & rainy, they’d need a waterproof sheet only if they had no access to shelter & only if they get soaked to the skin.
Haircoats do a pretty good job of insulating & letting water run off - bellies generally stay dry.

I live in the Midwest, where Polar Vortex temps & blizzards happen.
I own a single midweight (200g fill) blanket for each of my 3: 20yo TWH, 22yo Hackney Pony & 8yo mini.
Blankets go on if temps stay below 0F for days & come off if the sun is out.
Blankets on if snow is melting on their backs, off once they’re dry underneath.
So, they’re blanketed for at most 2-3 days (checked 3X daily for warmth) in the above conditions.
They grow yaklike coats & stay comfortable - tested at loins, brisket, bellies, eartips.
This formula worked for my WB who was bred in Queensland Australia (FL-like climate), came to me after 6yrs in FL in early December, showslick.
I blanketed him that 1st Winter. After that he grew a merely plushy coat, but tested warm & went unblanketed.

It really isn’t Rocket Science, your horses will let you know if they need blanketing.
And who better to decide when & what than those who are caring for them daily?

1 Like
#9

It really depends on your horse. I blanket all three of mine differently.

At 50F my pony and one horse gets his Lightweight turnout if no sun or rain, QH gets one starting around 40s and no sun or if raining.

32F and below is a medium w/neck cover

15F and below is heavy with neck cover, except one horse gets a liner under his blanket but he is cold natured.

#10

Another consideration is when and how often the staff will be changing blankets? Before and after TO? Once a day only?

I was always in a tizzy so to speak when blankets would go on at 4 pm and the blankets were selected for the night time low that might show up at 4 am for 3 hours. Like please don’t smother my horse for 12 hours in a too heavy blanket.

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#11

This seems reasonable to me as a fellow MA resident, but I think the 10 degree window is going to be difficult for barn staff to handle. If they have multiple boarders with multiple blanketing chart schedules, they are in for a rough winter.

The temperature is generally irrelevant; it’s the precipitation that matters. Mine are warm down to 15F with no blankets provided it isn’t snowing; even then, they’ll be naked if the forecast is only a dusting of snow. The property does get some big wind gusts but I don’t tend to blanket up unless the windchill is extreme.

I also follow the “above freezing, below freezing, below zero” metric. I used to blanket much more conservatively but as I have gotten older and gotten to know the horses better, I think they’re happier without blankets unless it’s wet and cold. I stopped using heavy-weights and mostly only use 100Gs all winter; there are a few days where they will be in mid-weights if the temperature takes a sudden dip (IE was 30s-40s all week and next week is single digits) and there is prolonged precipitation is on the forecast.

We do have one geriatric QH that needs to be blanketed more and he’ll get a 100g while the rest go naked. He used to be practically immune to any sort of weather, but in his old age with cushings and no teeth, he is more sensitive. So it’s really horse dependent, too.

4 Likes
#12

I’m not sure why this in response to me specifically but…

Including on blanketing unclipped horses in dry and still above freezing weather :wink: I certainly have one who needs cover, either a 100g or a medium, in that scenario.

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#13

I’m from MA. When I was a kid the lesson horses/ponies were unclipped and unblanketed all winter. Out all day unless the weather was TRULY gnarly, then in at night. So I am a pretty minimal blanketer!

I’d do something like a light rain sheet from 50 to freezing, 100g from freezing down to 15 - 20 degrees, 250g at 15 and below.

You know her best but I have a hard time imagining needing 350g of fill on a unclipped Morgan in good weight, unless they have health issues or run REALLY cold. My clipped horses in NJ used to do fine with a 250g as their main blanket all winter and an extra 100g liner for the really chilly weeks.

2 Likes
#14

Everything depends on everything :crazy_face: If you want to work your horse through the winter without having to spend ages cooling/drying afterwards, start blanketing (sheet really) early and often. They will grow less coat and consume fewer calories the warmer they are kept with blanketing.

IME, zero fill rain sheets are the bomb. They cut cooling from wind and rain but it has to be HOT for them to get sweaty.

If you’re not working your horse, you still need to keep this in mind:

I have rarely had my horse at a place where there are shelters, and even with turnout times reduced for the colder, nastier weather, it still gets downright miserable when it’s windy/rainy/cold. Sheeting or blanketing is not an option, it’s a necessity.

FWIW, I can keep my horse super comfortable AND with a nice short coat all winter with a rainsheet with neck, a 150g with neck, and a 300g with neck. I’m in Southern Ontario, Canada and have rarely double blanketed the past few years, but the option to throw the 150 over the 300 is there if the horses go out during a -20C or worse cold snap. Often they don’t though, because those beautiful sunny, no wind but super cold days we used to get are a rarity now. It’s usually super shitty out when it gets that cold - wind or wind-driven snow pellets. Blech.

1 Like
#15

Has she been comfortable with similar set ups before?

My horse is an air fern with a yak coat so I only cover him if it’s precipitation and wind below 32. He probably doesn’t need that but he’s old and arthritic so I feel better.

He has a 250 and wore it twice last year when it was teens with high winds.

I would use a hay net at night but mine isn’t stalled so I can’t answer that.

#16

Sorry for clarification, I just use those as the maximum temperatures of the day if that makes sense? So if it’s going to get up to 30F during the day then I would use the 100g Wug since I’d use that one in between 25-35F. I usually do multiple changes a day, I think my barn will do one change when going out & one change when bringing in. Good point about the real feel, maybe I’ll write that the temperatures on the blanket chart are based off of the maximum “real feel” for the day since it can definitely be more accurate? On the plus side, all the weather apps seem to show the “real feel” throughout the day & week which hopefully will make it easier to make blanket decisions.

Yes this is one of my concerns too, I think I’ll definitely bring back the hay net once it starts getting into chillier territory. I don’t think I can give more hay but hopefully having access to the hay for longer via the hay net use will help.

So part of the issue is that we don’t actually have a barn manager right now, there will be a few different people doing the blanket changes. I think they blanket a little differently, hence the request for charts!

I think in the past I’ve blanketed somewhat similarly to this but hard to say as I didn’t go too hard off of the temperatures, usually just the maximum “real feel” of the day based off of my weather app!

#17

Ten degree windows are so narrow that it’s within the “miss” range of the forecast, though, ykwim? Especially if there’s no barn manager, it might be smart to make this as simple as possible.

Just as an example, here’s my approach:

Above freezing: 100g
Below freezing: medium
Below 0: heavy

I used to error on the “keep them cooler” side of things, but modern blankets are SO breathable. Once, I was away from home, and it got MUCH warmer during the day than I expected. I’d left a horse in a 400g, and temps went to almost 60. I was just beside myself, sure she’d be a sweaty mess…and she wasn’t. At all! :joy:

So now I error to the warm side and just worry a lot less. Not 400g at 60 degrees warm, but if they’re in mediums and temps get to 40, I’m not going to stress about swapping out to 100g for the day. There’s SO much overlap in where they’re comfortable. I think more about temp trends than small excursions.

2 Likes
#18

personally for us I would add Wind Speed and Direction into that chart as if we have no wind and sunny it can be very warm even on a 15 degree day

Adding in a wind speed of 40 MPH from the north and it can be Cold when in the 50s

2 Likes
#19

As someone who put a plan above with some 10deg windows, I completely agree that’s too narrow :laughing:

For me, it’s more of a limit than “he must be in this blanket at this temperature”- like, if he’s in his medium already and the temp is going to go a bit over the max for his medium, he can stay in his medium. If it’s going to go WAY over, then a change is needed. But if it’s going to go under the “max” for his medium, then he should at least have that on, not less. My barn does not adhere strictly to them, and they know to keep him in more clothes rather than less when in doubt. The only time I’ve ever seen him sweat in a blanket was a day when he had his medium on and it unexpectedly got up to 60deg and sunny, oops.

As others have said, those numbers just apply to the highs/lows for the day, his blanket will only get changed at AM and PM feed times by staff. He typically ends up needing his blanket changed a lot during the shoulder seasons, but once it’s winter, the changes are pretty infrequent. I live in Maine FWIW.

#20

My barn accepts blanketing charts within reason and has not kicked me out of the barn for mine. For them to work, the barn and the chart makers need to be operating under some commonly understood parameters:

  • How are we calculating temperature? At our farm we use the real feel for outdoor horses, which accounts for rain and wind, and the actual for indoor horses.
  • Do we blanket for the high, the low, or the average of a period? At our farm, during the day horses are rugged for the high and during the night for the low, with staff discretion applied in case of wild swings for 20 minutes before turn in. When I rug my own horse I rug for the average over the period of time.
  • Whose weather app decides how cold it is? This is important. At our farm the barn manager writes on the whiteboard the high and low that she sees at a given time and staff blanket accordingly. It may be different from what my weather app says at 7PM. That’s fine. I can blanket my own horse if I don’t agree.
  • How many times are we changing rugs? Here we change at turn in and turn out, a max of 2x a day.

So with all that in mind I have a blanket chart that has an “inside” and an “outside” column and a row for the real feel temp range for each 10-degree interval plus one for “too cold to live,” and this has not yet gotten me thrown out of the barn even though my horse owns 4 blankets and 3 hoods. The farm’s master chart, which applies to any horse who doesn’t have their own, is the same except 15-degree intervals.

By the way, in devising how many layers the horse needs to own and how I rug him, my goal is that when it’s below 20 the staff are only going to take off and put on a top layer, and also that for any temperature range, if a rug is soaked, frozen solid, torn to shreds, or home in the wash, the horse can be appropriately clothed with his other layers.

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