I have a fuzzy horse with an early bib clip. I have had to negotiate blanketing with the BO. Historically (and at this barn) he has only been blanketed when the “feels like” is in the low 20s. In the winter he has daytime turnout with a three sided shed. This has worked well, except the BO is getting into blanketing more and more. She has a hard time letting my horse be “naked”, Since my horse has anhidrosis, the last thing I want is for him to be over-blanketed. Oh and he has also destroyed a number of blankets! His main blanket now is closed front so he cant rip the front fasteners off. He also has a liner and one other turnout. So now I will likely cave earlier and let him be blanketed in the 30s!
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Apologies if I missed this suggestion in an earlier post…
Could you hang a small old-fashioned thermometer in the barn and have clear instructions for the groom who fills in on the off day – below xyz degrees blanket on, above xyz degrees blanket off?
Btw, I’m in NorCal and when “winter” hits (California style…), my clipped horse wears a Baker sheet during the day and a 200 gram Rambo blanket over that at night. But the day has to really stay chilly for that to happen. Otherwise it’s just the blanket overnight. I’m a minimalist… (Two years ago, I bought a 400 gram Rambo for the really cold nights and have yet to even remove it from the package!)
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Then you need to go to a place where that is not a common occurrence. I’m just still not understanding how you having an accurate reading of the barn temperature should make a lick of difference. I mean somebody is there at the barn. Nobody is feeding or mucking stalls remotely.
I get the sense that you think you knowing the accurate barn temp will keep the barn staff more accountable on removing your horses blanket in a timely manner. That will not happen. If they already suck at removing the blankets on time, a thermometer from Best Buy will change nothing.
Time to leave… you are not getting what you are under the impression you are paying for.
Yeah, no, you probably will never need that 400g Rambo! Even before climate change, unless you’re at higher elevation and get snow.
Yes, I can get an old fashioned thermometer, but I’m mainly interested in finding out what the temperature actually is. So, for example, if my app says it’s going to be 45 degrees, but the barn thermometer says it’s 40 degrees, and this disparity is consistent over a period of time, I’ll be better able to judge blanketing needs.
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It’s a very reasonable ask.
My last boarding barn blanketed per my directions. The bill was commiserate with services rendered. I would have been unhappy, like you, if the service wasn’t provided that I was billed for.
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Oh certainly, I was already paying additionally for them to remove the blanket in the am regardless of the weather and their “feels”… Didn’t happen! but sure, we borders have bad reputation, while paying on top, and how dare we expect them to follow simple instructions 
Maybe being nice to ppl and asking kindly helped…not once, but 3 times. Didn’t even occur to me, that it’ll be an issue (coming from a direct culture) and also, not familiar with the case, you mentioned. Anyway…
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I find your attitude appalling and it reeks of elitism and classism. If you walked into any barn I’ve ever been at you’d be told to get lost. Just yikes. You don’t get to instruct how someone else runs their business. Nope nope nope. Goodbye.
If you need to install a camera on someone else’s property, not once, not twice, but THREE times… you are the problem.
Lol! A contract is a bilateral obligation - one pays and the other does the service as per agreement. How outrageous indeed!
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So, where you live there must be an endless array of barns offering different services to choose from? All within reasonable driving distance and within your budget? If so, never leave. Everyone else is not so lucky.
Seconding the comment of huge variations in temperature in SoCal. Summer high: beach where I live - 72; barn (29 miles inland) - 90. Winter low: beach - 50; barn - 25.
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It’s a visual, and a data point to assist in determining what blanket is suitable.
And if it does nothing, it sure doesn’t hurt.
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Yes, I think that’s why OP would benefit from having a thermometer device that can connect to the farm offsite. The forecast can give a decent estimate of what will happen later in the day. If I turn my horse out at 7AM with clear skies but the forecast says at 8AM there is a 100% chance of strong rain, that will influence my decision of whether I put anything on my horse when turning out.
Anyways, the vast majority of barns I’ve been at will adjust to what your horse requires within reason. Some even prefer blanket charts where the owner will write stuff like “If it’s 40-50F and heavy/significant rain is predicted, please put [specific rainsheet/turnout blanket] on. Otherwise 40F and up, leave blanket off.” or something like that with more info/blankets for specific conditions/temperatures.
Other barns I’ve been at even have a real feel thermometer thing in the barn which shows details like the barn temperature real feel vs. outside real feel, the current humidity %, etc etc for the barn manager to when figuring out blanketing. It’s actually very helpful to have that tool to reference since I blanket my own horse instead of the barn manager so if you got the OK from the trainer/barn owner to put up some wifi weather device thing in the barn, others might even like it too!
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This is actually a very good point. The weather device/thermometer/whatever kind of device will either be helpful or it won’t change the situation at all. As someone at a barn with a weather device in the aisle, I don’t understand how having it in the barn would negatively impact the blanketing situation because it’s just an extra piece of information that you can use or not use.
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To take pictures of showing 68 degrees to justify leaving blanket off Dobbin.
But petty is my favorite color so….
Agreeing with the middle paragraph.
Every boarding barn I’ve been to lets the owner give a general range of temps/conditions that you’d like the horse in whichever blanket. One even put a chart on each horse’s stall during the winter for her staff so they would know which blanket to use. Not perfect, but usually worked really well.
Didn’t add to the number of blanket changes–still just got it changed AM and PM, but gave the person an idea of which blanket to use (or go naked).
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I asked if I could get a wifi thermometer for the barn and she laughed me off the property.
Just kidding.
She said, “Sure!”
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[quote]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.[quote]
I’m sorry, my quote feature keeps failing and I’m too dumb to figure it out. All I wanted to say, is, the cameras we had were only in the apartment we were renting. Despite the many rumors out there, that’s the truth of it. If a person is renting a home (in any form) they are allowed to have home protection. That’s what we had. And, they were only there for occasions when we might be away. The barn was a mile down the road, so had nothing to do with surveillance of the barn. Just our valuables.
This is the problem with the “know-nothings,” on the other threads. Their “consensus,” means nothing also. I know you’re not trying to start anything & I appreciate VERY much you taking the time to ask other cothers “what IF…… (paraphrasing here & not trying to put words in your mouth) …. LK didn’t do even a fraction of the things you have accused her of doing? Wouldn’t you be pissed?” That’s a great question - but- sadly, they already know what they’re claiming are lies, they either don’t care, or, deliberately want to spread lies. Some of this we know bc it was shared with us in (evidence) discovery via texts messages. On that, I can’t yet elaborate. Lord, I wish I could! And, if I could, a person like you would get that info first for doing her best to be neutral and fair. I seriously thank you for that.
As far as blanketing- I decide that myself on a night by night basis, and horse by horse case. Some of my horses say “neigh,” to blankets on cooler nights, and some say “YAY!” I enjoy knowing them all well enough to know which horse is which on that front. Never does a night go by where I, myself, don’t personally check the inside temp against the outside temps (and an hour by hour weather prediction) and then, feel for a breeze feel over their bodies and decide if I should blanket. Even if the barn provides the service, I just prefer doing it myself. Making sure blanket hooks are turned inside & can’t get attached to their hay bets. Comes with the benefit of also making sure no one is colicky, & everyone is drinking and pooping!
At my current barn, more specifically, the barn my horses occupy, I do have “nanny cams,” in each horse’s stall- but with the expressed permission of the owner. And, we were glad to see that the other barns on the premises had full surveillance too. Anyway, just my thoughts. I have nothing against your thoughts, as I’m (hopefully) sure you already know. 
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Yes, totally! I’m beginning to notice, though, many people are in vastly different situations wrt geographical locations and distances to their respective boarding barns.
Personally, I have privately hired grooms who work together like a well oiled machine. On the other hand, I live 10 mins away from the barn and I rent a small apartment on the premises - for after my morning lessons, so I can take a nap and (maybe) shower before driving home. It’s also nice incase of a late night vet issue - which I’m sure we have all experienced on more occasions than we’d prefer. In Fla …. there are so many horse “boogeymen,” for which to be on “look out.” Summer sores, harmful weeds, fungi, snakes, etc. Deciding to blanket is something I do myself, by myself. Luckily, I live close enough to make several trips back n forth and if I’m tired, I can rest in my small apartment on the premises.
For anyone who lives far away from their boarding barn, you kind of have to trust the BO and staff to make those decisions. If you are there at least once a day, riding & training, you have good idea of the weather and how your horse/s is feeling, weather wise and other. Most BO’s will happily blanket (or not) based on your request. Even if you say, “hey, I’d like my horses blanketed w their light weight sheet if the temp reaches 60 & seems to stay that way,” they’ll likely understand. If you’re paying for blanketing services, it’s their job to listen & oblige your request.
That said, if a boarder becomes a nuisance about blanketing and unblanketing & wants this done a thousand times a day - just bc the temp has risen or fallen by 1-3 degrees, the BO will be quickly annoyed. (FTR- I only blanket if the temp is going to reach 55 and stay that way, or colder, thru the night & until I arrive at 6:30 am to warm up horse # 1 before my trainers arrive.) By 9 am in South Fla … it is well above 60 and blankets come off. I think most BO’s would know this & do their jobs. But, if any boarder is worried that their horse will end up sweating bc a blanket wasn’t removed, that’s a bigger problem than a horse being a tiny bit chilly for a short period of time.
Honestly, the more hands on you (g) can be with your horse/horses, the better & easier it is for you (g) and the horse/s…. And especially, for the BO. If you (g) can only get to the barn 1 time a week - it’s either trust the staff, or find a barn with a staff you (g) do trust entirely.
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I once worked at a farm where each horse had a blanketing chart with temperatures and some horses were out sweating in their blankets all day because I’d get yelled at if I used my judgement rather than following the chart. I quit that job because I couldn’t handle mistreating horses because people didn’t trust my judgement. I would be inclined to trust the judgement of the staff, with occasional spot-checks to monitor the state of the horse.
Now I have a small backyard farm with three boarders plus my two. Of the 5 horses, two have basically the same blanketing needs while the other three are unique. It’s not just temperature, but also wind chill and humidity that determine when blankets go on. In my mind I have approximate ranges for each layer of blanket for each horse but it’s mostly based on observation. There have been occasions when I check them and they’re too warm, but that is rare.
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Blanketing can be such a pain for both owner and barn manager. Current barn doesn’t make judgement calls or have a system for blanketing. It’s the owner’s responsibility to notify BM of which blankets to put on based on daily weather. I got a small whiteboard from the school supply section and put it outside my horse’s stall. I can usually leave 2-3 days of notes there. My current horse is unclipped, but when my old guy was fully clipped I generally did:
Sheet: 40-50° (55° if raining)
Mid + neck cover: 30-40°
Heavy + neck: 10-30°
Any colder and I’d start layering.
The BM charges a $25/month fee for blanketing. There’s no specification on what’s covered by that fee in the boarding contract. I asked BM for clarification and it’s either one full change a day (old blanket off, new blanket on) or blanket off at night in stall and back on in the morning before turnout. Anything beyond that is either owner’s responsibility or an additional $25 per month. Blankets don’t go on if the temp suddenly drops or come off if it’s hot unless we do it ourselves. There have been days where I’ve taken care of the BM’s personal horses in addition to my own, because they were soaked and shivering. That inattentiveness with her own horses and boarders’ horses is one of several reasons I’m leaving, but I digress.
New barn’s contract specifies “unlimited blanket changes”. It’s a different program and a different level of service than the barn I’m currently at. I have a thin-skinned TB who tends to run colder than most. Trainer there has several horses like him and is used to adjusting blankets until she gets a better idea of the individual horse’s needs. It’s a better fit for us in a lot of areas, this included.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a mature, civil conversation and requesting a thermometer or a different blanketing protocol. It’s also the barn manager’s right to say no to that, though, in which case I’d look for a different facility that better meets your needs.
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I generally start blanketing when temperatures drop to 30 degrees, but there’s SO much variation in chill factor, based on wind, sun and humidity that it’s hard to make a hard and fast rule based on numbers alone. (Picture Dublin in February: it might be 45 degrees out, but the dampness and lack of sun make you colder and more miserable than a sunny, windless 25 degree day in snowy Oslo.)
And then there are individual differences in horses based on clip, age, coat quality, health, breed, weight . . . yeesh.
When in doubt, or between seasons, I rely heavily on lightly filled blankets in the 100 - 180g range. Here in Maine, where the weather is very changeable, these are amazingly handy. They’re much more flexible and forgiving than you’d think, and the barn staff will appreciate that too, I’m sure.
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