I have a backyard barn with 2 healthy 11-year-old horses. I have been blanketing them so far this winter but frequently find them too warm as we’ve had an unseasonably warm winter and their coats are very thick (no clipping).
They seem to prefer not wearing blankets, they always seem very itchy and happy to get them off. They have 24 hour hay, run in shelters with 24 hour turnout to move around and I check on them 4 times per day (so I’ll know if someone is cold).
I’m wondering…can I just stop blanketing them mid-winter?
Contrary to popular belief, blanketing has zero effect on how much haircoat a horse grows. Genetics and daylight play far more of a role in determining fuzz factor.
Your horses will fluff back up once you pull their blankets and so long as they other healthy and in good weight, they should be fine.
My horse does not agree with this statement.
He will agree with the fact that the start and stop of hair growing has everything to do with day light and not temperature. The part he does not agree with is the fact that how warm they are has no affect on how much hair they grow. When ridden all winter and provided with layers of blankets he never had any winter coat. When retired and not blanketed at all he looked and felt like a yak. Same city so same amount of day light hours.
I agree that the OP should see how her horses do with out blankets. They might be fine.
I agree with both @Abbie.S & @trubandloki Your horses will let you know if they need blankets back on.
Horses start to feel cold at 40F and show discomfort by shivering, standing heads down, tails tucked, generally looking unhappy.
I check brisket, belly, flanks & ear tips.
All warm & no blanket needed.
I had a WB bred in Australia where the climate was like Florida.
Imported to FL at 6 & spent the next 8yrs there.
I got him at 14 & he came to my Midwest farm in December with a showslick coat.
Blanketed, he got plushy at best & even left unblanketed never grew more coat than that.
What does “blanketing them so far this Winter” really mean? Blankets 100% of the time, just changed weight depending on the temp? At what temp did you start blanketing?
Itching is pretty common - blankets means any shedding hair stays trapped and can start scratching. They don’t get to roll and scratch their skin on the ground.
If the are warm, not losing weight, not getting body sore (from too much shivering at night, or just general muscle tension from being colder), they don’t need blankets. Blanket when their coat can’t do it’s job - too windy, too wet.
Actually blankets do affect hair growth. Skin temperature plays a role, so if you’re keeping skin warmer with blankets, the body doesn’t need to produce as much/thick of a coat in order do the job.
Genetics and daylight play far more of a role in determining fuzz factor.
Biggest role for sure. But temperature of the skin, which is affected by both blanketing and by the environment, also affects it.
I was commenting more based on science and less on anecdotes. I too have a horse that doesn’t fit the typical.
But perhaps “zero effect” can be changed to “minimal effect”. The winter coat is made up of assorted hair lengths and starts growing long before most cold climates actually get that cold. What you tend not to see as much of in blanketed horses is the longer guard hairs as those do continue to come in and are influenced by local climate. Blanketing also creates a sleeker, smoother coat, making it difficult to judge how fluffy the horse actually is.
Ultimately it matters less what the horse looks like and more what he tells you he’s comfortable with in terms of cold tolerance. I’ve seen woolly mammoth who shivered like a leaf whenever it dropped below 20F, and then there’s my guy, whose coat is quite short but apparently very dense because lives out and naked and naps through subzero blizzards and doesn’t bat an eyelash…
Well mine started by going out blanketed every day, but something changed at the barn (I am still figuring out what), and the only ones going out with blankets all the time are the ones whose owners insist – the ones who get layers, always a neck cover, etc. Mine is 22 and doesn’t grow a lot of coat, but since the start of the year, she has gone out unblanketed most of the time, and has been fine. She is stalled at night, so that’s a difference from OP. She is blanketed if it’s rainy or really cold or really windy. E.g. this morning it was 22 when she was turned out, and she had on a lightweight blanket, but by midmorning it was up to 28, there was no wind and it’s a sunny day, so the barn manager went around removing blankets from all the horses except the ones with fussy owners,
Many horses are blanketed part-time. Mine is only blanketed when it feels like single digits or worse. He has a plush coat and is inside at night, so he is mostly uncovered.
I think your horses will be fine if you remove blankets when it is relatively warm. Then just monitor their comfort. I think they will appreciate not overheating in a restrictive blanket.
Too often we enforce “Grandma rules” I.e. “I’m cold so you must bundle up!” ðŸ˜
I blanket, but I keep track of the weather so I know what the high and low temperatures are and what precipitation is forecast. He is pasture boarded on round bales. He gets a ridiculously fuzzy coat. Kids point out that he has teddy-bear ears.
He maintains his weight but has never gained any extra pounds to burn up in the cold weather. My priority is to keep him dry and warm so he doesn’t burn up too many calories. Now that he has hit 25 he gets a rain sheet below about 50 degrees in the spring and fall. He is in a medium weight blanket all winter unless the weather gets extreme - prolonged cold (zero) or heavy/blizzard snow storms. Then he gets a heavyweight or medium weight with a neck cover.
I look at some of the stalled horses and some of them are seriously over-blanketed when they are in as well as turned out. That makes sense for a horse that doesn’t have much of a winter coat (or clipped), but there are some fuzzballs out there sweating when it’s 40-45 and sunny.
See how they do - we blanket our oldest (32) at night but if the sun is out, it’s not extremely windy and it’s above 32 she’s naked in the daytime. She wears a lightweight under 40 at night and a medium in the 30’s but she gets too hot in the daytime unless it’s rainy or really cold.
Yes, you can stop blanketing them. Since your horses have 24 hour access to hay and a shelter, they have means to keep themselves warm (as long as the dominant horse can’t monopolize the hay).
I’m in Florida. I only blanket when it drops below freezing with a wind chill. Or drizzly with a wind chill. Just because if it drops from 80 degrees to 28 degrees, they have no time to adapt and I’ve noticed some shivering in the early mornings.
If they aren’t shivering, then they are fine. I always check the neck to see if they are cold. If they are attacking the hay and have twitchy neck muscles, they are cold.
Soooo, you have horses that are used to being blanketed that you aren’t interested in blanketing anymore? First, match the coat the the temperature. It seems you aren’t. My horse is blanketed and turned out 24/7. Many of the barn horses are, and are blanketed to their needs. Many aren’t, and were only blanketed with bad weather. Early Feb is not the time to change their needs.
Not blanketing them in early Feb isn’t fair. If you want to do this, increase their fuel to make up for your decision.
I would consider dropping your blanketing regime in Feb as unfair. You have provided warmth to your horse and now you’re taking it away in the coldest weather. If your horse seems “itchy”, perhaps you are mismatching the blanket weight with the weather. IT’s best not to project your thoughts on your horse. Blanketing should be matched with daily temps to make your horse comfortable.
My horse is blanketed, and is turned out 24/7. They don’t move around enough to generate heat in cold weather and a very great run-in (like my horse has) doesn’t do anything to generate heat. It blocks sun and wind. My horse gets his blanket at night and off during most days because of where he lives. You should accommodate your mid-winter horse as well.
Well, of course. You can’t just put a blanket on them and leave it for 5 months. Most people blanket “part time” - so, only when necessary. You just have to keep track of the weather.
If they are too warm, then yes - take it off.
If it starts to get colder than it has been, consider blanketing.
If you notice they are shivering or hunched - definitely put a blanket on.
Eventually you will figure out the temperature pattern for each horse. I have 1 out of 5 blanketed right now. My older TB mare wears a mid-weight blanket as soon as it is about 30F. If it goes below 5F or so for any extended period, I switch it to a heavy-weight blanket. She has 24/7 access to a stall. My Dutch WB will get a mid-weight when the TB gets a heavy weight. My APHA mare is NEVER blanketed. I don’t think she knows what cold is. The mini is also never blanketed.
Don’t over think it - If they appear comfortable blanket-less, let them stay naked. If they are anxious or shivering, they need it back. Watch their reactions when you go to put the blanket on - most horses have very distinct, readable facial expressions and body language.
My generally-wussy QH is extremely easy to read - there have been days where he’s shivering and staring me down for his blanket in 40°F, but yesterday he was perfectly content to remain naked in a wet, windy 26°F when I fully expected him to be begging for warmth.
I let my horses have opinions about their blankets and I only blanket if they seem cold, or if I expect colder than usual weather. My horses have long coats.
The worst weather for me is 33F, rainy, and windy. I sometimes find them cold in that weather even if they are happy at 20F with sun or snow.
Length of night/day and daytime temp is also a factor IMHO. If nights are short and the day will be warm, they might not need a blanket but if the day is not warming and the sun is not out, they might need more blanketing at night. Keep in mind I live in a climate where swings from 20 F nights to 70 F days are fairly common.
