Blanketing the Unclipped Horse

[Lord_Helpus]

My 3 retirees (19, 24 and 24) were fuzzy and fat and not wearing blankets at all until the weather dipped into the low 20’s for 5 days. So I blanketed them in their heavy weight blankets.

Now the weather is back to normal: 50+ during the day and 38’ish for the low at night. Before I put on blankets their coats were fuzzy and would insulate them at these temps. Now? I don’t know.

They are unblanketed during the day, but I do not know what to do at night. Their necks are still fuzzy but the hair on their backs lies down and is smooth and shiney.

Am I committed to blanketing for the rest of the winter, or will the hair puff back up to keep them warm in the mid 30’s at night?

[mountainhorse]

Blanketing for 5 days will not affect their hair growth and warmth for the rest of the winter. The hair will fluff back up as they need it. If you were blanketing them regularly, then yes, but for 5 days? Nah, they are fine. Establish a degree scale where you decide to blanket or not-such as, if it dips into the 20’s, they are blanketed, anything above, they aren’t. It depends on your horses and how they handle the cold…
If you only blanket during the 20 degrees nights, then I would recommend not blanketing in the 30s and see how they are. Give extra fibre and hay at night and they will be OK.

[Lord_Helpus]

Thanks MH, I just went out to feed (armed with blankets), and saw that the hair was fluffing nicely (to say nothing of the coating of mud from rolling ) So I did not blanket — They are nice and fat and happy, but I do worry since they are getting along in age.

This is also the first year I have not clipped everyone, so “blankets optional” is not within my comfort zone yet.

[SaddlebredHunter]

I agree with mountainhorse.

Here in florida we sheet at 50-40 then blanket 30 and below. It differs a bit for our clipped horses. Then again our horses are used to 90 degree florida weather so I’m sure your scale will be a lot different.

[Lady_Eboshi]

My rule of thumb goes by the Three Conditions: Cold, Wet, and Windy. Two out of the three and blankets are optional down to 15 degrees F; though I usually rug even the woolly-bears when it’s staying that cold, if mainly for public relations. If Cold, Wet, & Windy happen ALL at the same time–blankets ON!

Hard keepers and the thin coated I would blanket for those reasons alone.

[ReSomething]

I blanket the old guy even though he looks like a yak what with the cushingoid coat. Generally it’s at 20 or lower. I like to ensure that all those calories I shovel down him are staying on him rather than getting used up heating him.

He fluffs up quite rapidly, it’s not a problem.

[tinah]

Next time you are worried about their fur being smooshed down, a curry comb works wonders. sometimes I throw a blanket on them if it’s down in the twenties during the day for a night just so they are sleek and shiny for a bit. They don’t seem to mind. I down blanket for real unless they are acting cold in the single digits and/ or it’s wet.

[Renn_aissance]

LHU, from the owner of one wooly bear to another (seriously, you should see T right now, he looks like a stuffed toy)- they. are. fine.

If their coats are slicked down, it means they are not cold enough to need to poof up. The hair coat is doing its job. When it poofs, the hair coat is still doing its job. If they poof and clamp their tails, or get tight-muscled, or hoover up all their hay at an alarming rate, the hair coat has done as much of its job as it can, and the horse wants a rug.

I still rug up my wooly bear, although not as much as I would if he were clipped, of course- he has told me as he has gotten older that he appreciates having more clothes on. But I go by Lady Eboshi’s guidelines, more or less, to factor what he is wearing- Cold, Wet, and Windy. Cold alone or Cold + another condition means blanket according to the temperature range; if all three co-occur, or particularly if the temperature drops suddenly, I add an extra layer. You live in a generally-warmer climate than I do, so Cold means more to your horses than it does to mine!

[fooler]

In addition to the great info provided about I check:
their tail - if tucked between their cheeks, the horse is very cold
their ears - if cold at only tips they are normally ok, if the entire ear is cold - they are cold.
their stance - if all tucked up or hunched up they are cold.

Finally their reaction to the blanket - normally if they don’t want it, they will try to get away from you or be a pain about it - if they want a blanket, they will normally stand still and you should see their body start to relax as they warm up.
My wooly bear gelding does not want any cover at all at around 25 and above. He will will move away, offer to nibble or kick when I put it on. And if I don’t remove it quickly enough in the AM, he will skinny out of it.:yes:

[Real_Rush]

My old biddy (who is officially 26 now) gets a medium weight turnout blanket if it gets below freezing, or if in low 30s and very windy and/or rainy. If temps dip into low 20s or teens, I add a nice, heavy fleece underlayer. And I always provide more hay to all my guys when the temps drop colder than normal. Old mare gets a good helping of warm, mushy alfalfa cubes with her meals to give her a little extra high protein fiber boost.

[aforbes]

There’s a good guide to this at http://tuffhorserugs.com.au/rug-warmth-guide/. Trial and error is the only way to know for a start, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to it that works every time.