Q about blanketing and a thermometer I can read at home

[B-burg_Dressage]

No recommendations on a thermometer–sorry.

I have a partially clipped (usually a trace clip) OTTB who I like to keep well blanketed since he’s not an “easy keeper”. Generally on 24/7 turnout but with access to our barn, which he will utilize when really windy or wet. Always has hay in front of him, but increase in the frigid temps as he’ll eat more.

Taking into account wind/sun/rain these are my general temp ranges:
40-50 = turnout sheet with no fill
30-40 = medium
20-30 = heavy
10-20 = heavy with hood + extra hay
Less than 10 = medium under heavy with hood and inside at night + extra hay

I change blankets during AM and PM feeding only. Tend toward letting him be a touch cold in the mornings rather than risk too hot in the afternoons.

Then I also have a yak horse who only gets his blanket when it’s below 20 and probably just for my peace of mind rather than a real need. He has a sheet and a heavy and I never use the sheet.

[Horselove5]

@Equkelly

if you don’t, it’s time to leave. Full care is unfortunately not custom care.

Yeah, it should be the owner’s decision, especially in this case of active involvement.
I now don’t blanket my unclipped youngster, after I found him in his hooded sheet in 68F sunny weather. He was pretty wet underneath and the BM was right next to his paddock. So I naturally asked why, and they just answered well it’s windy while wearing a t-shirt. I really feel sorry for some horses that are over blanketed here (NorCal).

[Scribbler]

I am currently looking after my main mare and a project horse. They are in stalls with runouts. Not enough space to gallop around and warm up, barn open so it never really heats up inside. PNW so biggest issue is rain.

Main mare gets a good coat and runs warm. She enjoys a 100 gram turnout blanket when we get down to C 3 or 4 and sleet.

Project mare is a Speshul Flower and shivers if she gets wet. I’ve already had a rain sheet on her so she will be willing to walk out of her stall to poop. When it gets cold she will have a 400 gram turnout. That’s a bit more than necessary but was what I got on discount in her size.

A clipped horse needs blanketing all the time. They aren’t clipped.

I like to delay blanketing as late in the year as I can. But you can have 2 horses in the same barn with torally different needs. So temperature is only part of it.

[Equkelly]

@Horselove5

Yeah, it should be the owner’s decision, especially in this case of active involvement.

But that’s not realistic to just have every single horse owner decide what they want their horse wearing at all hours of the day. This is why when you look at barns you ask when they blanket/ unblanket and at what temperatures etc. You just don’t go to a barn with a wildly different blanketing protocol than yours.

[Horselove5]

@Equkelly

This is why when you look at barns you ask when they blanket/ unblanket and at what temperatures etc.

The OP already mentioned that there’s not even a termometer there, at least not one in display for everyone. So it’s really peculiar how they make this call every day.

[Equkelly]

@Horselove5

The OP already mentioned that there’s not even a termometer there, at least not one in display for everyone. So it’s really peculiar how they make this call every day.

I don’t think it’s peculiar. I think plenty of people decide what to blanket based on just how it feels at the barn and not what temperature the thermometer says. I’ll look at the temperature forecast ahead of time to give me an idea of what it’s going to do but the temperature alone really doesn’t determine what blanket weight I use.

[Horselove5]

@Equkelly

plenty of people decide what to blanket based on just how it feels at the barn and not what temperature the thermometer says.

This is precisely what Op is trying to solve with this thread. It doesn’t look very professional and the decision should ultimately be made by the owner, because you know, they’re the one paying the bills

[scislandsprite]

That’s usually what I do too but OP mentioned that their barn location doesn’t seem to get picked up by weather forecasts so might be a little difficult on the days where the temp is jumping around

[Equkelly]

@Horselove5

This is precisely what Op is trying to solve with this thread. It doesn’t look very professional and the decision should ultimately be made by the owner, because you know, they’re the one paying the bills

I’m just telling you, any barn I’ve ever been at where an owner thought they were entitled to a totally different blanketing regiment and thought they would get that by installing a WiFi thermometer in someone else’s place, they would be laughed off of the property.

You should go to a barn with a similar blanketing protocol to yours or you should leave. You should not go somewhere and install a thermometer in their WiFi and expect that to make them blanket your horse more to your liking. It won’t work and will probably get you kicked out.

@scislandsprite

That’s usually what I do too but OP mentioned that their barn location doesn’t seem to get picked up by weather forecasts so might be a little difficult on the days where the temp is jumpin

My barn doesn’t either but it doesn’t matter a ton. This is what I’m saying, the physical thermometer reading probably doesn’t go into blanketing decisions a whole lot anyway. When I got my first hard keeper I thought I’d make it super analytical with this temperature gets this blanket but realistically it just depends on the time of day, whether it’s cloudy, sunny, windy, raining snowing, how long I think it will rain or snow, the humidity, whether they have hay, what my schedule is for the next few hours and so on. You really just have to trust whoever’s there on the ground and go with their judgment. If their judgment sucks, it’s time to leave.

[Bristol_Bay]

You’re making assumptions I can’t even keep up with. I’m not saying I want special treatment. I would just like to know rather than guess how cold it gets in that particular microclimate. It’s my first winter there as an owner. If there’s a reliable thermometer that helps trainer and grooms make decisions about blanketing, that helps everyone. It won’t get me kicked out.

What has usually bothered me at other barns is the guesswork. Like it’s overcast, must be cold, guess I won’t bother unblanketing.

There’s not exactly a barn on every corner and I’m not going to leave just because of it. I ride in the morning so I know the blanket comes off and doesn’t come back on until the guys leave, but then, we’re not into full winter yet. If I need to take one of my heavier blankets up there, I’d like to know that the temperature justifies it.

The dispute, as I said, is minor. One day a week a different person does the blankets and not in a timely fashion. Maybe by everyone knowing rather than guessing how warm it is, the process can be improved. The dilemma is that if blanket guy decided it’s cold and doesn’t unblanket, he also isn’t returning to blanket in the afternoon. Maybe that can be avoided.

[Bristol_Bay]

@Horselove5

Yeah, it should be the owner’s decision, especially in this case of active involvement.
I now don’t blanket my unclipped youngster, after I found him in his hooded sheet in 68F sunny weather. He was pretty wet underneath and the BM was right next to his paddock. So I naturally asked why, and they just answered well it’s windy while wearing a t-shirt. I really feel sorry for some horses that are over blanketed here (NorCal).

Exactly what I’d like to avoid by making it a more objective decision.

[Equkelly]

@Bristol_Bay

What has usually bothered me at other barns is the guesswork. Like it’s overcast, must be cold, guess I won’t bother unblanketing.

There is no way to avoid guesswork though. There are times I blanket when I shouldn’t have and there are times when I didn’t blanket heavy enough. I get it wrong all the time and I’m usually just responsible for like 4-8 horses and they’re all either mine or my friends horses that I know super well.

[Angela_Freda]

If you set a blanketing regimen, which goes up in blanket weight according to temp, but also wind/rain/etc…
You can also then describe each horse as “runs cold”, for whom blanketing goes up in weight to compensate, or “runs hot” for horses for whom caretakers go an option lighter in weight.

[Horselove5]

You’re contradicting yourself. At first you said that the temperature should be agreed upon, then you’ve changed you position saying the owner should just trust the blanket guys. OP just wants to agree on the threshold temperature ffs! It’s not a rocket science and she/he probably knows better the said horse.

@Equkelly

I’m just telling you, any barn I’ve ever been at where an owner thought they were entitled to a totally different blanketing regiment and thought they would get that by installing a WiFi thermometer in someone else’s place, they would be laughed off of the property.

Well, that’s your experience and it sadly speaks a lot about the barn’s, you’ve been to. I haven’t installed a termometer, but a camera in several different places and never had a slightest issue with anyone on it. Not to mention that there are high end barns out there providing this service for a small fee.

[Equkelly]

@Horselove5

You’re contradicting yourself. At first you said that the temperature should be agreed upon, then you’ve changed you position saying the owner should just trust the blanket guys. OP just wants to agree on the threshold temperature ffs! It’s not a rocket science and she/he probably knows better the said horse.

I’m not. I’m just saying it’s your job to get a sense of how their blanketing works when you tour the facility. If that will work, move there and trust the blanket guys to do what they said they will do. Otherwise don’t move there. Full care doesn’t mean you get your version of full care, you’re paying for the barn owner/ managers version of full care.

@Horselove5

Well, that’s your experience and it sadly speaks a lot about the barn’s, you’ve been to.

Why? Every barn I’ve ever been at has been up front and honest about when they blanket and unblanket. If that doesn’t work for somebody, they just don’t move there. That doesn’t make the places I’ve been neglectful. I’ve been at trail riding barns full of quarter horses and stock breeds where they just don’t blanket at all and boarders know that ahead of time. If their horse needs a blanket they don’t move there.I’ve also been at competitive barns with no indoor therefore nobody does a full body clip which means most horses do fine with one blanket on and off a day. If somebody with a full body clip thought they could move their horse there and get 3 blanket changes a day, they would be wrong. Just go to a place that meets your needs. I don’t see why this is so hard for some boarders to understand.

@Horselove5

I haven’t installed a termometer, but a camera in several different places and never had a slightest issue with anyone on it.

Well I hate to be the one to tell you this but the consensus on the Barisone/karanek threads is that installing a camera on somebody else’s property is way out of line and a huge no no and I actually would agree.

@Horselove5

Not to mention that there are high end barns out there providing this service for a small fee.

Right and know that going into it. If the set up is “hey well blanket as many times as you’d like it’s 4 dollars a change” then that’s what you get. If the setup is “we don’t blanket” that’s what you get. If the setup is “we blanket when we think we need to” then that’s what you get. Neither of those options is better than the other. It’s just different standards to meet totally different needs. It’s not hard.

[Horselove5]

@Equkelly

Full care doesn’t mean you get your version of full care, you’re paying for the barn owner/ managers version of full care.

You’re paying for what’s agreed upon and it absolutely shouldn’t be one sided. OP wants to establish exactly that with the BM - if the temp is 65F (for example), then remove the blanket, otherwise leave it be. Is it really that hard to agree upon such simple terms?! Makes me wonder what type of barns are out there…

P. S You misunderstood my comment, I meant there are high end barn that offer 24/7 camera surveillance of your horse.

[Equkelly]

@Horselove5

You’re paying for what’s agreed upon and it absolutely shouldn’t be one sided.

Yes it should be. If I’m a barn owner/ manager I’m budgeting my time, energy, storage needs, and staffing needs into the price of your board. If the way I operate is every horse gets blanketed around this temperature if they need it, then that is reflected in your board price. If your needs exceed what my protocols are then I can no longer accommodate you or at least not at the same rate everyone else is paying. This is why borders have a bad rep.

[luvmyhackney]

This thread reminds me why I will never board on my property.

65 degrees can feel really nice on a sunny, no wind day or feel extremely cold if no sun and strong breeze. Blanketing is more than a WiFi thermometer.

Either blanket yourself or trust the barn you pay to make the best decision they can. You should already be familiar with it as it should be included in the barn contract. There probably isn’t a huge temperature difference between places 30 minutes apart though. Maybe a couple degrees at most.

[Equkelly]

@Horselove5

P. S You misunderstood my comment, I meant there are high end barn that offer 24/7 camera surveillance of your horse.

Ok so if that’s what you want then go to a place that offers 24/7 surveillance. You don’t just install cameras on someone else’s property like it’s no biggie. No way in hell would I ever have the nerve to ask somebody if I could install my cameras on their property.

[Bristol_Bay]

Where I live you can have significant temperature differences within 30 miles. My house can be dead calm and at the barn there are 35 mph wind gusts. The weather app I use gets its data from the local high school, which is in a residential and commercial area not far from the barn, but the barn is at a higher elevation and in a valley.

All that aside, however, let me clarify that I am not demanding that whoever does the blanketing make a decision about which blanket to use. I can leave whatever appropriate weight blanket hanging there and put the others away. It’s included in what I pay for grooming. But the grooms have one day off and another guy does it that day, and I pay extra for that service. I just want the service done and in a timely manner, period. I don’t want to arrive at noon and find my horse still blanketed. And I don’t want to have to put his blanket back on on a 60 degree day because the guy decided not to unblanket that day.