Hello, I have a 12yo warmblood, not shaved. As I am extremely busy person and he goes in his paddock everyday I want to blanket him with something to save some time and nerves cleaning him every day for an hour. Note that his rolling skills are unbelievable. Here we have temperatures from - 5c to 6. This is 32 to 42 F. I am thinking about 100g or 0g turnout blanket. He is stabled at night and also loses weight during winter… Any advice?
Hello.
First of all, I’d wonder why a 12 year-old loses weight in the winter. Second, I’d ask whether you’re at home or boarded, and whether anybody will be there to change his clothes as needed.
In temperatures like that, I like a sheet over a light liner on an unclipped horse, maybe with an unlined hood if it’s rainy. That allows you to remove the hood and/or sheet when he comes in, and shake it clean or wash it if it’s really a mess.
If there’s nobody to change clothes, though, you could try a 100 or 150g rug with a slightly higher neck. Beware of rubs, though - if you leave the rug on for days on end, without grooming at all, that can easily happen.
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If he has a healthy coat, I would put no more than an uninsulated rain sheet over him at that temperature. They are effective windbreakers to keep the chill off. Anything lined would cause him to overheat on a sunny day. I use rain sheets down to about -10C (at the advice of my vet). I wonder if there are any health concerns with a horse wearing a blanket all day every day? Like maybe skin or coat health? I also think it’s worth doing a nutritional analysis if he’s becoming underweight.
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Hence the very light - and I do mean light - liner. Something breathable - like cotton - helps to keep moisture down under the sheet.
When it’s consistently cold, like in the single digits, I’d say no. There’s little danger of sweating at those temperatures, and I’ve never had a problem yet, just so long as I groom now and again and change blanket styles to prevent rubs.
It’s those middling temperatures that are such a pain in the neck - hence my feeling that the OP will have trouble finding a single blanket weight that’ll work every single day.
Yes…especially a 12 year old WB as they tend to be relatively easy keepers in general.
I agree that a sheet will probably suffice. But it also depends on the horse - is he fat? Thin? A hard keeper?
At 32-42F…I would probably only blanket overnight but I realize that doesn’t help with grooming. So, my recommendation would be that a sheet during the day and possibly a light blanket overnight, depending on daily temps.
Thank you all very much! As far as weight explanation, the weight loss is not drastic. He does not work that much in the winter and is suspect its more of a muscle mass problem.
Schneider’s make a blanket that is a layer of polar fleece between an outer shell and a nylon liner. My thin skinned OTTB can wear it through an array of temps without over heating or getting cold. He has two. I layer them if it gets really cold, - low 20’s, and he has a rain sheet for warmer days. I like it much better than any other blanket I have tried, including the Optimo system.
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Hey, that sounds very handy.
Do you remember what it’s called? I could totally use that!
They call it Tekno-fleece. It is listed under the weight option on some of the blankets.
https://www.sstack.com/armorflex-challenger-turnout-blankets/p/17121w/a1/100000000398/av1/100000007711/a2/100000000521/av2/100000008562/a3/100000000522/av3/100000008564/a4/100000000376/av4/100000008675/
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Depending on the actual weather, I have seen horses as cold, or colder, with a no-fill sheet, in temps under 40. Sunny but windy? Usually not an issue. 32 and raining? I’ve seen them shivering if the weight of the sheet lays the hair down enough.
100gm fill is perfect for iffy days that aren’t really that cold. 200-220gm medium weights can be great for cloudy windy 40* days, but might be too warm for 32* with sun and no wind if they’re just standing around in the sun.
If his weight loss is actual weight loss, then he needs more food. Or more blanketing. If it’s just muscle mass, that’s fine, but you really need to determine which it is.
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Oh, I see - maybe that’s why I never noticed it. I like Schneider’s a lot, and I can definitely see this weight as a layering piece.
Thank you!
Um…yeah… The weight loss is concerning even if it is muscle. That is doubtful as fat goes first. And if the weight goes in colder weather, most likely fat being burned to keep him warm.
IIWM, Id use the lightest blanket available - 100g or less - and add a fat source to his diet.
I had a 19yo WB who came out of Winter a bit ribbier than I liked. Adding Nutrena Empower Boost put the weight back in a little over a month - 20% fat, mostly from rice bran.
After that I began feeding the Boost in late Fall & continued through Winter. No weight lost.
This horse went mostly unblanketed through my Midwest Winters - including temps in the teens & single digits.
His successor - my 18yo TWH - looked a bit skinny this Spring. I put him on straight rice bran & he filled out. I fed a mere 1/2 cup daily & just increased that to 2X daily to keep weight on over Winter.
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Agreed. It really depends on the horse - and totally agree that a blustery, wet 40 degree day is definitely “colder” than a bright and sunny 30 degree day.
Assuming the horse is not fat I also agree that more food and a blanket is a good idea.
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