I have 4 horses with 24/7 turnout. They have two large 3 sided run in shelters and trees, also providing shelter from the elements. I live in Northern Idaho and we tend to have a wet cold fall/winter/spring. My horses are are unclipped and fuzzy! I have been blanketing with turnout sheets when needed with precipitation, but is this making them colder by not allowing piloercetion of their hair?? If it’s snowing, I tend to let them be at naturale and only sheet them with rain and wind. Is this ok and is it enough insulation??
Forgot to mention…they have 24/7 access to round bale with slow feed net.
You’ll have to get hands on them, observe them, see if they’re showing signs of being cold.
Some horses are totally fine in rain or snow and cold, with just a sheet. Mine are not.
If a sheet is heavy enough to lay the hair down, then you’re looking more at hair density. Sometimes that’s enough, sometimes it’s not.
If snow is piled on their backs and they are happily and quietly munching hay, they are fine.
If noses are wrinkled and eyes look worried, they may be cold, even if not cold enough to shiver
Putting your hand up under the sheet, around their flank, and seeing if things are warm, or cool, can give you a good idea of whether they are warm enough.
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I’d put heavier blankets on horses outside 24/7 in your climate, OP, but I’m old school that way.
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I used to worry that just a rain sheet would make a horse cold, but on my Paint mare with her full winter coat, a rain sheet keeps her quite toasty in that intermediate 3 to 8 Celsius range. But I still prefer her lightly lined turnout.
On the other hand I don’t think she needs a blanket ever at all. She always seems to be dry at the skin, like her own winter hair is a breathable Goretex rain jacket. Also all the flax over the years makes her rather water repellent.
But horses behave differently in different pastures. On her big isolated pasture with a herd I know she did sprint sets a couple of times a day with the OTTB mares and warmed herself up. On field board, she just didn’t move that much. In her stall with runout, there’s no option to move around and warm up. Anyhow you have to look at the individual horse and how they feel. Different blankets fit different too.
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It really just depends on the horse, sorry I know that’s unhelpful! I’ve met some that are unclipped and still need a heavyweight blanket any time it dips under 20 and then I’ve met some that would be totally fine naked if it was -20.
Since yours have access to shelter and forage, they’re probably fine with a lightweight blanket or naked most nights but again I could be wrong. In general the stock horse breeds tend to be a little more hardy with the cold and grow a long fuzzy coat. TB’s, Arabs, warmbloods, sometimes do not. Old or young horses sometimes do not. But again there are always exceptions.
My mare sounds like she’s in similar conditions to yours and I blanket in her 100 fill sheet when it’s sub 20. Sub 10, I’ll do her 300 fill, sub 0, 400 fill in general. She’s a 4 year old warmblood, we live in Colorado, and this is what keeps her comfortable. I usually just have them on at night or if it’s precipitating. If it’s sunny and 0 degrees she’s fine naked.
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Thank you all for your help!!! I ordered 100g fill and I think between that and their un-insulated sheets they should be toasty! As a side note…I checked my horses after all day of snow followed by unexpected downpour. One had the shivers, but got coolers on and dried everyone out and warmed them up with mid weights, which ended up being too warm. The 100g I’m convinced is the ticket for these sloppy temps in the 30’s. Blanketing seems so difficult to master…ugh
