Blanketing help for extremely warm barn

[ihearttbs]

I rent a block of stalls in a large insulated barn that the barn owner completely shuts up in the winter. Due to all the horses’ body heat, it on average stays about 20 degrees warmer in the barn than outside. Edit to add we are in New England so blanketing (outside at least) is a must for most of the winter.

I’m trying to figure out the best blanketing strategy for horses that go out all day (9+ hours) with no shelter and then come into this barn in the evening to make sure they are warm enough outside but don’t overheat in the barn. I unfortunately CAN’T be at the barn twice a day every day to change blankets AM and PM. I’m always there from about 3pm-10pm for a night check and able to come AM sometimes but it’s a lot for me to do both every day and the morning staff at the barn will not do blanket stuff. Also due to how warm the barn is, most of the horses haven’t grown full winter coats, just minor ones, so leaving them naked all the time isn’t an option.

Thanks for your advice!

[Bonnie2]

Bad news. They need twice a day blanket changes. Or to stay out except for feeding/riding. Or to stay in and get turned out only while you are there - to change the blankets.

[JB]

What are the actual temps? 20* warmer in the barn at night might be the same temp as outside during the day

[4horses]

You probably can get away with a lighter weight blanket than whatever you are currently using. Day time temps are usually warmer than night time temperatures. So if it’s warmer in the barn then it’s probably about equal to daytime temperatures. People tend to over blanket anyway. Just check the weather forecast and make sure you go check on them if it rains/snows and change out wet blankets for dry ones.

[trubandloki]

@JB

What are the actual temps? 20* warmer in the barn at night might be the same temp as outside during the day

This was my thought too.
It is typically warmer outside during the day than it is outside at night.
They will come into the barn that is the same temperature as outside (since everyone is outside) and the horse’s body heat will likely keep the barn from getting colder as the night goes on, while the temperature outside drops.

[theresak]

The barn I’m at has a converted dairy barn with a hay loft above and stays so much warmer in the winter too. It’s a struggle blanketing a horse that lives in that barn - if they run hot at all, you need to blanket for the temps inside the barn, no matter how cold it is when they go outside. If it’s a horse that doesn’t run hot, you can blanket them a little warmer but still not what I’d do in an uninsulated barn.

The issue with blanketing is half the reason I keep my horse in the uninsulated barn on the property. It’s hard on the humans but so much easier for the horses.

[OceansAway]

It’s possible they might grow thicker coats if you turn them outside without any blankets. One of my horses had a sleek, thin coat going into winter and I was worried, but letting her body actually adjust instead of blanketing allowed a good winter coat to grow in.

[JB]

@OceansAway

It’s possible they might grow thicker coats if you turn them outside without any blankets

It’s too late to grow more coat. We’re just a couple of weeks away from the Winter Solstice, daylight length isn’t going to get significantly shorter, and at which time coats will slowly, and with increasing speed, start forming the new Summer coat and shedding the old Winter coat.

[trubandloki]

@JB

@OceansAway

It’s possible they might grow thicker coats if you turn them outside without any blankets

It’s too late to grow more coat. We’re just a couple of weeks away from the Winter Solstice, daylight length isn’t going to get significantly shorter, and at which time coats will slowly, and with increasing speed, start forming the new Summer coat and shedding the old Winter coat.

And to add to that, I am not sure more coat is what the OP wants. If they are riding their horses all winter more coat might not be a good thing.

[OceansAway]

Technically, that’s what I always learned as well, but two horses in our barn just grew significantly thicker winter coats in the past 2 weeks with the temperature change. I always thought it had to do with daylight as well, but there must be other contributing factors, like blanketing, etc? The OP made it sound like a thinner coat was compounding her issues, but in general I hate thick coats when I’m trying to ride in the winter due to how tough it is to cool them out and dry them off, so I get it!

[atr]

My thin skinned, light coated unclipped horse lives in a heated, insulated barn with all day turnout. We live in the mountains so it gets pretty cold here. The barn does have good airflow (much to the horror of the guys working on the heating system at the moment.)

He lives quite comfortably all winter in a medium weight blanket. He’s more likely to get overheated running around outside on a sunny day than he is standing in his stall on a cold night.

[JB]

Skin temperature does influence things to a small degree, which is why frequently blanketed horses don’t grow as much hair as if they were never/rarely blanketed. And along the same East-West line (I never remember which lat/long that is) a horse in more temperate NC is likely to have less of a coat than a horse in, say, northern New Mexico or southern Colorado.

Coat thickness comes from the thickness of the hairs, and the density of the hair follicles, and then length of hair can add to the impression of “thicker”. And sometimes, it’s simply that they are fluffing their hairs more which leads to the illusion of thicker.

It’s not that coats aren’t still growing a bit, but density doesn’t change, thickness of individual hair doesn’t change, so the only thing that could change is a little length, and then the fluffing-ness. The length is simply due to the little bit of growth, the fluffing-ness can totally be due to the colder weather

[Pico_Banana]

What about those Bucas blankets that boast they are appropriate for a 50 degree temp range? I have never used them myself, but am intrigued by them.

Power Turnout - Bucas

[walktrot]

My horse had teddybear ears according to most of the little kids. His coat was so thick it took forever to shed out. Started in mid-February and finished up before the summer solstice. I had a couple of months to enjoy his short, shiny summer coat…

We were very lucky when we moved to a new barn. The BO was as close to a perfect BO as you will find. It was expensive but was the lap of luxury with individual care… There were 20 horses and they had 12x12 stalls always open to individiual runouts. In the summer it included fly masks, fly spray, fly sheets, fly boots, sunblock if it’s hanging on the door. No piink noses. They had unlmilted blanket changes to suit the weather, which varies some here in Maine. BO sat down to chat with a few of us one afternoon. He was naked and I was leaving. I asked her what he needed for overnight. She said medium. She got up, said goodbye and walked out. So did I. He was blanketed when I got to the stall.

He was on pasture board for 20 years. was 27 when we moved. He seeemed to enjoy being pampered as long as the back door to the runout was open. She sold the barn but the new BO kept most of the services including blanketing.

I got the Horze Avalanche blankets. Very well made and easily adjusted to fit. He was narrow in front and these kept his shoulders dry. 40 and below I usually blanketed, but that gradually went up to around 50 when he hit his late 20s depending on precipitation.

[IPEsq]

I have this scenario with very cold outside and a heated, closed up barn (though heated just enough to protect the pipes basically) and a clipped horse. Who does not like to be cold in that he will run around and look for ways to be destructive to the facility and himself far too much outside. What makes things easier is to have “pajamas” that the horse wears all the time (e.g., Amigo Insulator blanket), and then a turnout that goes on top. But you still need a human willing to do some minimal blanket putting on/taking off when they leave the barn and once closed in.

[Shagyas_Rock]

I can chime in a bit about the Bucas Atlantic turnout. We just moved 3 1/2 months ago and our new barn is also a converted dairy barn built into a bank with a hayloft. It’s pretty cozy.
The Bucas Atlantic turnout - 200 gram - which my thin skinned, silky coated Arab/WB cross is wearing seems to have some excellent temperature regulating qualities…it keeps her toasty when it’s 23 degrees (if there is precip or windchill I add the neck rug)
But the barn is between 35°-40° depending on the time of day or night, and how windy it is, and she has never gotten overheated in it. I stick my hand under the chest, under the shoulder, and under the haunch to check her warmth level and she always seems comfortable…I haven’t noticed any heat blasts coming out from under the blanket.
This is my first Bucas and I have been impressed. This It’s 4th winter…no tears or snags or loose stitching either.

[Texarkana]

@JB

@OceansAway

It’s possible they might grow thicker coats if you turn them outside without any blankets

It’s too late to grow more coat. We’re just a couple of weeks away from the Winter Solstice, daylight length isn’t going to get significantly shorter, and at which time coats will slowly, and with increasing speed, start forming the new Summer coat and shedding the old Winter coat.

In exactly 2 weeks I can promise my one horse will begin shedding, regardless of the temperature. She is like clockwork every year. Which doesn’t seem like particularly good evolutionary design to begin dumping your winter coat before the coldest weather even hits.

[Libby2563]

@walktrot

BO sat down to chat with a few of us one afternoon. He was naked and I was leaving.

In today’s edition of Fun With Pronouns, I read this as though the BO were the “he” and I thought, “Yeah, I’d be leaving too!” Unless maybe he looked like this:

[Fiesta01]

I had to read that sentence a few times to figure out exactly who was naked, also.

[scislandsprite]

Mine is already starting to shed, sigh