To Blanket or Not to Blanket

[jtkorth]

Hey everyone, so I’m just wondering whether or not I should be blanketing my horse. She’s unclipped, but has been blanketed pretty much 24/7 since December. I only have one blanket and it’s one of the SmartPak thinsulate blankets. I believe it’s 220g fill with 1200D. My horse grows a pretty thick winter coat and she survived winters in Washington state (before I bought her she was hardly blanketed), but now I live in California and after I bought her 2 years ago I got a blanket for her. It’s kind of weird though because she’s already beginning to shed her coat and it isn’t even February yet. She also has a body score of around 4, I’ll attach pictures of her that I took on Sunday. It’s been around 35 at night but during the day it gets to around 55-60, either sunny or partly sunny with clouds. I’ll also attach a picture of the forecast for this next week. The thing is that I can’t take her blanket off until around 4 because I’m still in high school (I’m 17) and it’s a 40 minute round trip and I don’t really have time in the mornings, so once I’m actually there to take it off after school it’s just about time to put it back on again. There’s someone at my barn who does morning and night blanketings, but it’s sort of expensive and I’d only want to do it if it’s absolutely necessary because like I said, I’m still in high school and other than boarding and shoes, I pay for everything she gets and I don’t want to have my parents have to pay $60 extra a month just to have her blanket if it’s not the best choice for her.

I should probably add that she’s in a pasture 24/7 with 3 other horses and a run in shed.

Here is a picture of her just so you can get an idea of her coat

Here is a picture so you can get an idea of her body condition (she’s almost 7 years old, and she’s sort of a hard keeper, she gets 4 flakes of grass hay a day and 2 scoops of senior feed grain every day I go out to see her (around 5 days a week, sometimes 4 sometimes 6) (vet recommendation) if I should be giving her anything else please let me know, she’s easy to keep in shape in every other season but the end of fall, winter, and beginning of spring. basically when the weather gets cold.)

and Here is a picture of the coming weather forecast of the town she’s boarded in

For the past 2 days I’ve just ditched the blanket because I figured it’s better for her to be possibly a little cold at night but not be sweating for hours during the day, but is that not right?

I’m sorry if this was sort of confusing, if there’s any questions I’ll answer them. Thanks in advance

[Simkie]

Those temps are well warmer than what I consider “blanket weather” for an unclipped horse, but I understand things are different in California And if she’s leaner than you like, there’s certainly value in keeping her a little warmer when it’s cool to save some calories.

But if she’s sweating, I would not blanket her, or I’d pay the blanket person to remove the blanket in the morning. Can’t you put it back on in the evening?

[SaratogaTB]

I would leave her in a lightweight sheet to protect against wind and getting wet when its chilly. 220g is too warm for the temps you said, especially if not clipped.

[Laurierace]

No blanket, way more hay. Horses create body warmth through digestion, keeping her eating all the time will keep her warm in those temps after the solstice. PS all horses start shedding after the solstice. The one in the summer too it just isn’t as noticeable since their hair is short then.

[jtkorth]

That’s what I thought too, especially since she spent 5 out of almost 7 years of her life in the rainy PNW. That’s a good idea, I can talk to the blanket person about that, and I do go there every evening I have the chance but I also work and when I get shifts they’re from 5-9 on school nights, for example this week I’m working on Wednesday and Thursday from 5-9 and wouldn’t have a chance to get to the barn unless I go after my shift.
When I do go there after she’s had her blanket on all day, though, she is a little damp and warm underneath it.

[jtkorth]

That’s what I thought too, especially since she spent 5 out of almost 7 years of her life in the rainy PNW. That’s a good idea, I can talk to the blanket person about that, and I do go there every evening I have the chance but I also work and when I get shifts they’re from 5-9 on school nights, for example this week I’m working on Wednesday and Thursday from 5-9 and wouldn’t have a chance to get to the barn unless I go after my shift.
When I do go there after she’s had her blanket on all day, though, she is a little damp and warm underneath it.

[tazycat]

I wouldn’t blanket for those temps even if she a little lean in the weight department. She’ll be fine naked a Being rained on isn’t a big deal. Those temps aren’t cold enough to warrant a blanket.

[jtkorth]

[QUOTE=Simkie;9029829]
Those temps are well warmer than what I consider “blanket weather” for an unclipped horse, but I understand things are different in California And if she’s leaner than you like, there’s certainly value in keeping her a little warmer when it’s cool to save some calories.

But if she’s sweating, I would not blanket her, or I’d pay the blanket person to remove the blanket in the morning. Can’t you put it back on in the evening?[/QUOTE]

That’s what I thought too, especially since she spent 5 out of almost 7 years of her life in the rainy PNW. That’s a good idea, I can talk to the blanket person about that, and I do go there every evening I have the chance but I also work and when I get shifts they’re from 5-9 on school nights, for example this week I’m working on Wednesday and Thursday from 5-9 and wouldn’t have a chance to get to the barn unless I go after my shift.
When I do go there after she’s had her blanket on all day, though, she is a little damp and warm underneath it.

[jtkorth]

[QUOTE=SaratogaTB;9029835]
I would leave her in a lightweight sheet to protect against wind and getting wet when its chilly. 220g is too warm for the temps you said, especially if not clipped.[/QUOTE]

I agree with that, but I only have that one blanket for her and if I do order a sheet like that for her it would come too late, like the rain would have already passed.

[jtkorth]

[QUOTE=tazycat;9029868]
I wouldn’t blanket for those temps even if she a little lean in the weight department. She’ll be fine naked a Being rained on isn’t a big deal. Those temps aren’t cold enough to warrant a blanket.[/QUOTE]

So you think she’d be fine getting rained on during the day and then going thru the lower temperatures at night even though she’ll be wet? (Actual question, I don’t mean for it to sound rude lmao). I’m probably being dramatic for saying “lower temps” because it’s just mid-high 40’s hahah.

[jtkorth]

I would ask my horse’s pasture mate owners, but one is clipped with a blanket at night, another is unclipped without a blanket, and another is unclipped and gets blanketed at night. All over the spectrum. Lmao

[candyappy]

Is there no shelter? I don’t care what the temps are she can be chilled in 50 degrees if she is wet to the skin and there is a wind blowing. With those temps she really does not need a blanket under normal circumstances.

What she does need is more hay. Deworming or her teeth floated ( or all 3) . I can see her ribs.

[cyberbay]

Well, to do well in the cold weather, she needs:
-unlimited potable water; if possible, slightly warmed to encourage drinking
-unlimited hay without wasting any
-shelter from inclement weather (per her decision)
-ability to move around.

Horses stay warm via their digestive tract. So that’s why unlimited hay. Shelter to protect from wind and/or wet, per her choice. Ability to move about to help generate additional heat.

Horses have double coats, so the top layer of hair helps shed the rain, and the fluffy undercoat does the heat retention.

But, horses need to build up their systems through the fall and early winter in order to be able to really weather-proof themselves. Blankets on, then blankets off, then back on, off, on… I am not so sure that that intermittent use is good, and that it might actually make them colder.

If you are not able to provide a roomy shelter or her paddock doesn’t really allow moving around, then a turnout sheet maybe is in order??

I think horses do far better than we want to allow them to do for themselves. But, I remain a blanket weeny and do use them…

[jtkorth]

[QUOTE=candyappy;9029920]
Is there no shelter? I don’t care what the temps are she can be chilled in 50 degrees if she is wet to the skin and there is a wind blowing. With those temps she really does not need a blanket under normal circumstances.

What she does need is more hay. Deworming or her teeth floated ( or all 3) . I can see her ribs.[/QUOTE]

she’s up on her deworming and her teeth are fine, she’s just one of those horses that’s hard to keep during the winter time for whatever reason. Her ribs are visible, but they’re a lot more visible in the picture than they are in person for whatever reason.

She does have a run in shed that she can do into, but it is 3-sided with an open wall. It’s pretty large, all 3 of the horses in her pasture plus her could fit in it if they wanted to.

[tazycat]

Shelter is available and she has plenty of hay I wouldn’t worry about blanking. Not that big a deal to be able to see ribs. If my horse wasn’t so hairy I’m sure his ribs would be visible ,but hair hides his ribs.

[melula]

I wouldn’t blanket for those temps. She has a run in to get out of potential weather. I also wouldn’t use a sheet on an unclipped horse. Hair stands up when ponies are chilled for more insulation. A sheet prevents the hair from doing so.

[jtkorth]

[QUOTE=cyberbay;9029956]
Well, to do well in the cold weather, she needs:
-unlimited potable water; if possible, slightly warmed to encourage drinking
-unlimited hay without wasting any
-shelter from inclement weather (per her decision)
-ability to move around.

Horses stay warm via their digestive tract. So that’s why unlimited hay. Shelter to protect from wind and/or wet, per her choice. Ability to move about to help generate additional heat.

Horses have double coats, so the top layer of hair helps shed the rain, and the fluffy undercoat does the heat retention.

But, horses need to build up their systems through the fall and early winter in order to be able to really weather-proof themselves. Blankets on, then blankets off, then back on, off, on… I am not so sure that that intermittent use is good, and that it might actually make them colder.

If you are not able to provide a roomy shelter or her paddock doesn’t really allow moving around, then a turnout sheet maybe is in order??

I think horses do far better than we want to allow them to do for themselves. But, I remain a blanket weeny and do use them…[/QUOTE]

She does have unlimited potable water, but we can’t warm it. I don’t think we can do the unlimited hay thing, and even if we were able to my horse is at the bottom of that pecking order so she wouldn’t be able to get it. She does have shelter though and does have plenty of room to move around and she plays with the other horses a lot.

The building up does make sense and that was what I was worried about. I had it on her for pretty much all of december and for most of january up until I took it off on Sunday and haven’t put it back on.

[Scribbler]

My horse is unclipped, in a stall with a small runout, and we’ve just ended a rare PNW cold snap. A few months back, I read the article that was making the rounds about horses being taught to indicate blanketing preference.

So I though, let’s see. I took off her blanket for the day, and left it hanging in the stall. I came back at night, and she brought it to me and I put it on (horse already plays fetch). The next few nights I blanketed her while she was eating, then I got a chance again. I said “bring me your blanket” and she went and brought it to me right away. Again, a few nights of blanketing her while she was eating, and then the cold spell broke. It was raining, but up in the mid 40s F / 7 or 8 C, and she was getting a bit itchy from the blanket. I turned up at the barn to find that she had just tossed her blanket out of sight out the door of the stall (it was a little wet, clearly had been tossed out as soon as she saw me arrive). I said: bring me your blanket, and she looked at me with a “what blanket? I do not see a blanket and I do not know what you are asking” look on her face. So I didn’t blanket her again, and she’s been fine.

[Simkie]

Scribbler, that is HILARIOUS :lol:

[Ready_To_Riot]

That’s a real article. Lol

But your horse is skinny because she isn’t getting enough hay. What is your horse eating all day? Nothing?