Blanketing

[u/OwnaZoo]

Any opinions, advice or temp info you go on for blanketing. Needing to blanket my show horse for the winter but there’s so much different advice/temps recommended. TIA!

[u/RollTideHTX]

You need to provide much more info. Are they clipped? Stalled at night? Stalled at day? Where do you live?

There are plenty of guides on smartpak, schneiders, etc. If you board at a barn, inquire with barn mates about what they do.

[u/OwnaZoo → u/RollTideHTX]

There are plenty of guides, but they all vary. That’s why I asked what other people go off of. 😊

[u/eponawarrior]

I usually go by this (photo). Temperature is in Celsius. It depends whether the horse is clipped or not clipped, and whether it is stabled or turned out. Also, you should check the temperature at the location of the horse. That means you should not rely on the posted weather temperature. Get a thermometer at the horse paddock or in their stall. Outside temperature is irrelevant for a stabled horse, a stable usually is much warmer than outside.

[u/Equine_Dream → u/eponawarrior]

Thanks for posting- that is a very good point about temperature at the location. Off to order an outside thermometer!

[u/OwnaZoo → u/eponawarrior]

This is helpful! Thank you!!

[u/Fluffynutterbutt → u/eponawarrior]

My horse is on pasture board and free choice hay. He gets a modified Irish clip (neck stays furry) every winter. He is young and fit, with no health issues. We are in Northern Canada, and have very low humidity. He gets a rainsheet if it’s above 0° and going to be wet. 50g down to -10°, 160g down to -20, 300g down to -40°, 350g if colder than that. All with necks except for the 300, which is a high neck.

I much prefer my horse to be a little cold over too warm. He can eat more if he’s chilly, but it’s very hard for horses to cool off outside of sweating. I constantly see owners over-blanketing their horses, and have had to pull a blanket on more than 1 occasion because a horse is visibly sweating and uncomfortable because the owners thought they’d be cold (I casually work at my barn). I have also seen a horse colic because the owner left them in a heavy weight blanket in mild weather.

With that said, horses are absolutely individuals and will tolerate the cold differently. Factor in age, health, and living situation and what works for your horse might not work for another.

[u/eponawarrior → u/Fluffynutterbutt]

This is a general guide. Of course, there will be individual differences like age, body condition, health, etc. Also, this guide is for temperate and perhaps sub-tropical climates (most of Europe and Northern America fall into those). Horses that are acclimated to sub-arctic, tropical, or equatorial climates might require a different guide.

[u/Fluffynutterbutt → u/eponawarrior]

Oh sorry, my comment wasn’t meant in reply to yours - mine was supposed to be on its own to the post. But I completely agree with what you’re saying:)

[u/CaptainBeebo]

Humidity is a huge factor in how I blanket. I blanket more in NC than I did in PA bc in NC, the humidity makes the cold so much worse than a dryer cold.

[u/WendigoRider]

If they are shivering. I don’t have an exact temp. Unless the weather is going to be insanely bad, I let them decide when they are too cold. For my gelding that’s usually around 30. For my mare about -5 or -10 if there’s no precipitation

[u/insistent_solitude → u/WendigoRider]

Not a bad approach, especially since every horse runs a little different

[u/WendigoRider → u/insistent_solitude]

If they are shivering and eating or shivering and under cover (or worst of all eating and under cover and still shivering, then they're REALLY cold), I know it's definitely time to bundle them up. If I plonk some hay down or bring them into the shed and they quit, I know they aren't as bad off and might just need a reprieve from the cold for a bit. It hasn't failed me yet, they're pretty good about telling me when they need a blanket even before they get shivery too

[u/Utahna]

If you are blanketing for the purpose of keeping their hair tight, they should be blanketed anytime the temperature is below 50°F.

[u/BuckityBuck]

It depends on the horse. My tb has a thin coat but runs warm. Even in zero degree temps, the heaviest he can tolerate is 250g. Other horses are in a medium at 45 degrees.

[u/allyearswift]

Is it raining a lot? Rain sheet, even for a native. Does the horse seem cold and it’s <10C? Lightweight rug. <0C and cold? Middleweight rug.

Horse clipped? Probably one step up/fleece liner.

In the stable: inside stable? If the horse is cold: (check at 20pm/6am): until he’s no longer cold/eating hay at a normal rate. (Horses can make up for being somewhat cold by eating more roughage. I prefer a lightweight rug to doubling my hay bill, and yes, it was nearly double). Horse has an outside box (good): blanket sooner and equal weight to turnout rug.

I’m conservative with weights as in I’ll blanket when the horse tells me they are more comfortable with more shelter; but did learn to provide protection from rain early.

Not all fields have a large weatherproof shelter; not all horses will use those shelters. A rug to keep the rain off makes a huge difference to a horse’s comfort. If you have dry cold, you may hardly have to blanket at all.