I need a blanket for a late foal. He’s right at 5 weeks and its going to be in the 20s and wet next week. We don’t have a barn but he has a wooded area for windbreak that’s very effective.
What’s a good brand to buy? With a wooded area I want something tough. I would prefer not weatherbeeta due to some very bad experiences with them on warranty items.
Schneiders has a few options for foal blankets. I have been pretty happy with their blankets for adult horses. I have never used their foal blankets.
Bumping this back up for more input.
I am sorry but that set up would terrify me. I hope everything goes ok.
amigos?
[QUOTE=Hampton Bay;7250983]
I need a blanket for a late foal. He’s right at 5 weeks and its going to be in the 20s and wet next week. We don’t have a barn but he has a wooded area for windbreak that’s very effective.
What’s a good brand to buy? With a wooded area I want something tough. I would prefer not weatherbeeta due to some very bad experiences with them on warranty items.[/QUOTE]
I’d be worried about anything that fastened in the front in a woodened area as youngsters can strangle themselves pretty easily with blankets and trees. This year we got amigos cuz they have expanding chests to accommodate growth and no hardware on the chest. they seemed to run about $40-50s. We also keep an indoor type weatherbeata newborn blanky on hand if someone gets sick - stock up while on sale for $20-25. If you only have one foal, check the used horse tack classifieds as people often have one that they’re getting rid of.
congrats on your new baby!
Um seriously? So your babies go out naked all winter if you have a few trees? Foal blankets have Velcro generally. I’ve yet to see Velcro hold against something that weighs several hundred pounds.
Now I remember why I don’t usually bother with this board.
Can’t speak for her but yes, my foals go out naked all winter as do their dams. But they are in the stall in inclement weather so it isn’t an issue. Not saying it can’t be done your way, just that it would worry me greatly.
[QUOTE=Hampton Bay;7251644]
Um seriously? So your babies go out naked all winter if you have a few trees? Foal blankets have Velcro generally. I’ve yet to see Velcro hold against something that weighs several hundred pounds.
Now I remember why I don’t usually bother with this board.[/QUOTE]
Me? My foals don’t go out all winter without blankets, which is why I stated what blankets we got this year.
We don’t have trees where the foals are pastured. We have a run in for that pasture and a snug stable for really ugly weather.
I remember when I was young and not in charge, that someone had a foal that was hanged by his blanket and the lesson I was relaying to you to be careful. This foal blanket on the market right now does not have the Velcro on the front, so it could cause a repeat of the same tragedy I remember from my younger days in a tree filled pasture. http://www.chicksaddlery.com/page/cds/PROD/FOAL/BB2500
I’m pretty sure I saw other similar blankets marketed this year when we were shopping.
I am sorry you are disappointed with this board, my suggestions were meant goodheartedly, which is why I congratulated you on your foal. Best of luck to you.
[QUOTE=Hampton Bay;7251644]
Um seriously? So your babies go out naked all winter if you have a few trees? Foal blankets have Velcro generally. I’ve yet to see Velcro hold against something that weighs several hundred pounds.
Now I remember why I don’t usually bother with this board.[/QUOTE]
Definitely not ideal, but in your case where you get WET cold rainy conditions and the fact that your foal is only 5 weeks old, a blanket of some sort will be necessary until he gets to that magical 3 month mark when they seem to develop better weather resilience/tolerance and he will have had time to grow a better coat, roughly by about January.
In cold dry snow conditions, no blanket would be necessary - seriously! But cold wet rain is a different game entirely. Young foals who get wet quickly descend to hypothermic, to ataxic, then dead in very short order - as one of my neighbor’s learned the hard way. Even nursing warm milk from momma will not be enough to keep his furnace firing. Wet = cold. Period. They can actually get so cold that they can’t coordinate their suckle and either it runs out of their mouth, or they aspirate on it leading to pneumonia literally within hours.
You can try the various brands that are suggested above by others, but whatever brand you get, make sure the snaps will break super easy or the Velcro pulls apart easily. Some velcro is tougher than you think! Foals can quickly get into sticky situations and you want the blanket to make a clean break clear off his body or else you’ll end up with a hog-tied foal and a downed foal is a dead foal. I would keep a super sharp eye on the foal every second he is wearing a blanket. Foals get into trouble so easily it makes your head spin.
The instant the bad weather clears, get the blannie off him!
The other thing I would do is wander through your grove of trees and remove any low-lying, broken branches, and all stubbies that stick out from the trees, etc. Raise the branches to about the foal’s wither height. Basically just try to remove anything in the grove that could potentially get caught on strapping. He can use mommy for some windproofing. It’s more important to get the branches away from him.
In the future, however, it would be more ideal to figure out some sort of run-in shed situation where you can lock mom and baby inside there when it is miserable outside, useful for even spring/summer babies. It doesn’t have to be pretty, or expensive, just as long as it is functional and serves its purpose well.
[QUOTE=SonnysMom;7251164]
Schneiders has a few options for foal blankets. I have been pretty happy with their blankets for adult horses. I have never used their foal blankets.[/QUOTE]
Schneider is all i buy… LOVE THEIR BLANKETS, great prices, great quality. All my baby blankets size 52-64 are on their third generation (or third year depending which youngster they are on)… and are all in GREAT condition still.
[QUOTE=rosebudranch;7253298]
Schneider is all i buy… LOVE THEIR BLANKETS, great prices, great quality. All my baby blankets size 52-64 are on their third generation (or third year depending which youngster they are on)… and are all in GREAT condition still.[/QUOTE]
Thanks, just ordered some of these…
[QUOTE=rosebudranch;7253298]
Schneider is all i buy… LOVE THEIR BLANKETS, great prices, great quality. All my baby blankets size 52-64 are on their third generation (or third year depending which youngster they are on)… and are all in GREAT condition still.[/QUOTE]
Can I ask which one of Schneiders you bought? I see some foal ones but they don’t appear to be in the 52-64 range,or maybe I’m just blind 
Thanks!
[QUOTE=Kmsuds;7255400]
Can I ask which one of Schneiders you bought? I see some foal ones but they don’t appear to be in the 52-64 range,or maybe I’m just blind
Thanks![/QUOTE]
Look under Junior/Blankets/Sheets
[QUOTE=EllenAspen;7255492]
Look under Junior/Blankets/Sheets[/QUOTE]
Thanks
If you have a really good windbreak with the wooded area and the foal has good coat, I’'d skip the blanketing at all.
What weighs several hundred pounds? - obviously not a 5 week old foal … but, yes, velcro can/will hold very secure depending on the rating.
And I’m still confused, 20 degrees F would be below freezing (of water) so wouldn’t it be snowing?
(& no this is not meant to be snarky, I’m honestly confused)
Another vote for Schneiders junior fit. Love them!
hope its ok to tag along on this thread with my own ?----Filly was born July 8. Is still at breeder until at least January (perhaps longer? if weather or readiness dictates such) but I do want to purchase/have a sheet /and or blanket as breeder did say they’d work with it in order for her to be accepting of it in case weather deems we need it on her (filly is in Texas, but will be shipped here to VA)… knowing I’m looking for a blanket for her at probably age 5/6 months for the winter/wet time…can you suggest a type? (waterproof sheet? vs. heavy fill?..sheet plus separate liner for colder temps?) as well as advise me on typical sizes? I know she’ll outgrow anything one ‘year’ to the next, but would like to get safest size? that will still allow a season’s growth… Also----I personally? like closed fronts—but don’t know if that’s harder? to train a baby to…is the discussion on this thread saying: closed fronts are better…Velcro? is second choice, and open front/buckles are third choice? Thanks in advance!!!
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