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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 599
 
| I’ve never blanketed because I know it’s a huge commitment - but I plan on riding a lot this winter and think it might be a good idea to start.
I live in North Georgia so temps aren’t terribly cold. We get below freezing overnight but during the day it warms up a bit. They’re turned out during the day and stalled in a draft free barn overnight.
IF I decide to blanket, what needs to be done? How often do blankets need to be removed for grooming and checking weights and for rubs?
How do I know what weight of blanket is needed? How many should I have on hand in case blankets get wet or torn?
I’m wanting to hear all aspects to determine if it’s worth it or not.
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 Expert
Posts: 1304
 
| Bumping because I'm curious too! |
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  Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4553
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | since your in a warmer climate a lighter fill is more suitable. if you are turning out in the weather then you will need a waterproof turn out versus a winter stable for horses that never leave the barn. the correct size shouldnt leave rubbing. I prefer closed blankets cause they fit better across the chest,but if used as turnout they do get muddy and wet and kind of a pain to take off over the head. since I dont have an arena or barn the blanket stays on. I un do back straps to check back and ribs to make sure everyone is getting their fill. leave on or take off as you feel necessary, to cold leave on ,to warm take off. I have only needed one blanket per horse all winter. If your horse is a houdini, dirty,and have access to barbwire and such you may need 30 blankets per month to keep him warm.  |
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 Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12704
| I'm in Virginia, which is too warm for heavy weight (except in a freak blizzard, 2 in 18 years since I've had my farm). My show horses will get a rain proof sheet when it starts getting to freezing overnight, then the mid-weight will replace that sometime in December when the lows drop to 20 and the highs will be under 55 for the day. Even northwest of Atlanta in the hills I would think a light weight blanket or rain sheet would suffice for all except the coldest times. Mid-weight is too much for temps over 50 to 55. I try to have a spare or two for destruction over the winter, but these days you can always find an available blanket online and delivered within a day or two. |
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Sock Snob
Posts: 3021
| Since you live in ga maybe get a breathable lightweight blanket. So if the temp.changes to the warm the horse will not.swest to bad. I had one and they wouldnot sweat at 65 degrees. The blanket costs more but its worth it in the
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 BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25351
Location: Bastrop, Texas | You don’t need a dam blanket in Georgia. |
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 Living on the edge of common sense
Posts: 24138
Location: Carpenter, WY | Bear - 2018-09-09 7:55 AM You don’t need a dam blanket in Georgia.
LOL...I've got to agree. I'm in WY and the only thing that gets a blanket here is the old mare and only when it gets below 0. Most of them just get dense coats and not long coats on them
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 595
Location: North Dakota | Are you trying to blanket to avoid the excess hair in winter? If so that won't help you. You need to put lights up to increase the daylight starting like 3 weeks ago to keep that excess winter hair away. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 403
Location: Armuchee, GA, NW section of Ga | I too live in Georgia, up in the NW section. Closer to Chattanooga. I have 6 horses, a nice barn which has over stalls radiant heaters over each stall. 5 of my horses are old, three have health issues and are really not rideable. But as a reponsible owner, I will not sell because I do not know that a new owner would care for them like I do. I bred them, I raised them, so until it is time to put down I will keep them. But In our section of Ga, it really doesnt get cold enough to blanket until mid/late January. Then I do blanket, light weight, water proof blankets. They do well. About half have good coats, and I suppose I could not blanket, but I worry if they catch a chill. Given they are older and health comprimised. And on warmer days I remove blankets. So I put on, take off, many times during winter here. My barn is up on a hill so we have alot of cold wind. The stalls stay open and they go in as they like. i shake my head alot wondering why they stand outside under pasture shelters in snow, rain or wind....but they do and seem happy. I recently discovered the pleasure of round bales of hay. For the past 20 years it has always been square bales which enabled me to minitor their intake daily. i want them going into winter months with a nice layer of fat on their bones. But in short, I do blanket, but not daily. I should mention that I am now 64 and perhaps that may have a factor in not only round bales but the blankets too.
Edited by janjan1 2018-09-09 12:54 PM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 599
| MidWest1452 - 2018-09-09 1:50 PM
Are you trying to blanket to avoid the excess hair in winter? If so that won't help you. You need to put lights up to increase the daylight starting like 3 weeks ago to keep that excess winter hair away.
Yes, I was hoping to avoid the long hair that curls against their skin from sweat under the girth and saddle pad. If blanketing doesn’t lessen that, and I’m too late for lights, the. They can stay in their natural state as they’ve done every winter. I have coolers, was just thinking it might be easier to avoid that this year. |
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 Famous for Not Complaining
Posts: 8848
Location: Broxton, Ga | Bear - 2018-09-08 9:55 AM
You don’t need a dam blanket in Georgia.
No you don't.........Js........and when I lived in Ohio horses do fine there without a blanket...as well.......... |
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Duct Tape Bikini Girl
Posts: 2554
| Blanketing won't prevent a winter coat. Being under lights will, but you needed to start earlier.
I live in Texas, and although I allow my horses to grow a winter coat, I give them a working clip. Get your heavy duty electric clippers and shave hair off entire girth area and up between front legs all the way up the underside of neck. Not having thick winter hair where the major arteries are helps keep them from getting so hot during winter workouts. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 599
| luckyjo - 2018-09-09 4:27 PM
Blanketing won't prevent a winter coat. Being under lights will, but you needed to start earlier.
I live in Texas, and although I allow my horses to grow a winter coat, I give them a working clip. Get your heavy duty electric clippers and shave hair off entire girth area and up between front legs all the way up the underside of neck. Not having thick winter hair where the major arteries are helps keep them from getting so hot during winter workouts.
Thank you!! I’ll look into this - I’ve seen many English horses with clips like that! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 595
Location: North Dakota | dRowe - 2018-09-09 1:09 PM MidWest1452 - 2018-09-09 1:50 PM Are you trying to blanket to avoid the excess hair in winter? If so that won't help you. You need to put lights up to increase the daylight starting like 3 weeks ago to keep that excess winter hair away. Yes, I was hoping to avoid the long hair that curls against their skin from sweat under the girth and saddle pad. If blanketing doesn’t lessen that, and I’m too late for lights, the. They can stay in their natural state as they’ve done every winter. I have coolers, was just thinking it might be easier to avoid that this year.
You can still add lights but they might still get hairy but 3 months from now they will start to shed rather than later in spring, so you will be better off still. You just won't catch all that hair like you would have if you started early august. |
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Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12704
| Bear - 2018-09-09 9:55 AM You don’t need a dam blanket in Georgia.
Tho I agree that horses in GA, NC, SC probably don't 'NEED' a blanket . . it sure helps to keep them clean so mud doesn't get in the long coat. I can spend my entire daylight hour after work just getting one clean enough to ride. And if the horse gets sweaty at all it gunks up something terrible with no way to rinse for months. NW Georgia is mountainy and can be much colder than the rest of Georgia.
Just another side to the blanketing issue to think about . . |
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 My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | lonely va barrelxr - 2018-09-09 6:25 PM
Bear - 2018-09-09 9:55 AM You don’t need a dam blanket in Georgia.
Tho I agree that horses in GA, NC, SC probably don't 'NEED' a blanket . . it sure helps to keep them clean so mud doesn't get in the long coat. I can spend my entire daylight hour after work just getting one clean enough to ride. And if the horse gets sweaty at all it gunks up something terrible with no way to rinse for months. NW Georgia is mountainy and can be much colder than the rest of Georgia.
Just another side to the blanketing issue to think about . .
I'm in SE corner of AR, and last year we got COLD (for us) and stayed that way for awhile; Chan's ponds stayed frozen solid for a week or more, with single digit wind chill. Dan HAD to have a blanket, but the other 4 were pretty cool too! We don't blanket very often, but if it got 32 to 30, Dan got his blankie. Now that he's gone, we will probably change the routine by a few degrees. (Putting on and taking off blankets for 5 horses, sometimes daily, does get old. But it's just something we have a responsibility to do. I do realize not everyone feels that way tho!) |
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 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6437
Location: Montana | teehaha - 2018-09-09 11:25 AM Bear - 2018-09-09 7:55 AM You don’t need a dam blanket in Georgia. LOL...I've got to agree. I'm in WY and the only thing that gets a blanket here is the old mare and only when it gets below 0. Most of them just get dense coats and not long coats on them
I have to agree, no blanket should be needed in GA. I live in Montana, and have one gelding I'll blanket a little bit at the start of the season because he doesn't start getting a coat until later and we had some really wild weather changes last fall...from like 45 to 0 in a matter of a few hours. I just kind of wait and let the horse and the weather tell me what I need to do. |
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 The Bling Princess
Posts: 3411
Location: North Dakota | I live in ND where it can get to be 60 below zero and I don't blanket. As long as you are getting your horse out of the elements, like rain and wind, you'll be fine. You're not going to stunt the hair growth because you need lights to do that, not blankets, so therefore my opinion would be don't mess with blankets. The only time I ever blanketed was when we'd have cold, fall rain...soaks them to the bone and usually has some wind behind it. Then they got blanketed til they dried off, but I think what helped them most was just getting them out of the rain and extra food in their bellies. |
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| Bear - 2018-09-09 8:55 AM You don’t need a dam blanket in Georgia.
Ha, I decided I was not going to blanket last year- that lasted about 2 days when I walked out and my 23 year old and my younger who doesn’t grow a coat were shivering -in south Texas. I know they shiver to keep warm but I do not want them having to work to stay warm-very spoiled. They came running when I brought out the blankets. I have 2 who hate blankets-run from me - so I do not make them wear one. |
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BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25351
Location: Bastrop, Texas | Shivering is an exception. If there’s a freezing rain and you have a horse that’s shivering, especially an older one, that’s different. That’s pretty uncommon in southern states, but as a rule, I don’t think blanketing just for temps in the 30s and 40s is necessary. I’ve seen people down here throw blankets on their horses as soon as temps dip below 50. Seriously. An awful lot of people in northern states never blanket even in extreme sub zero temps. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1514
Location: Illinois | I'm going to be the odd one and say a blanket will help with hair coat. But, it's not super significant. I'm in central IL and I blanket as mine are outside in all weather and I don't have control over when/if they can come in and also can't have hay under them all the time for internal warmth. I board, so whatever they do is what happens. I have 3 who wear the same size so I have 2 older ripped/repaired blankets I use as spares if needed. I agree with light to keep a coat off, but mine will only grow about 80% of their usual coats when I blanket them with no lights. So it does help to some degree but not enough to keep it from growing in. I prefer blanketing because it keeps them cleaner and like I said, because I can't keep them warm with food and they're in the middle of open corn fields with no trees or anything as wind block. They have small lean to areas but I've never seen them use them. I don't ride from Nov-Mar so I don't ever care too much about hair. A blanket does keep the cushings horse from growing a 5" long coat like he did before I blanketed him, but he's a special case. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | As long as your horse or horses can get out of the wind and have a good wind block or shelter I see no reason to blanket a horse when the temps drop into the 30's maybe 20's and we do get into the teens {and last year we hit single digits a few times}, I live in SouthTexas {San Antoino, Seguin area} and have never put a blanket on any of my horses.. I have seen a few horses around here that their owners feel the need to put a blanket on and they are sitting out in the rain shivering because their blankets are soaked or it warms up during the day and its hits the high 70's after a night of a freeze and these horses still have blankets on. Let mother nature do her job.. Horses will still grow their winter hair blanket or not.
I have good wind blocks for all my horses and I live up on a hill and that winter wind sure can cut threw here when those cold fronts come in. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2097
Location: Deep South | I live in South Alabama and I absolutely DO blanket horses that I'm working/running throughout the winter. It does prevent them from growing as long of a winter coat, if done correctly, which is the whole point of me going through the extra effort of keeping them blanketed.
No our temps don't get nearly as cold as northern states, but we have such a wet cold. It 's just different, if you've never been here to experience it. Also our weather fluctuates heavily during this season. I know that we don't NEED a blanket down here. Horses that aren't being hauled don't get one and are perfectly fine. But they cool out faster, look much nicer and we don't know if it's going to be 20* or 80* at the barrel race on the weekend, but I don't want to run a sweaty woolly mammoth on the weekends that it's warm.
To answer your questions OP: I usually take mine off every morning when I turn them out, unless the temp is going to stay cold and rain that day. Rain and warm up they come off, cool weather and plenty of sun they come off. I never want to leave them in a situation where they might sweat underneath. I use a medium weight turnout. Invest in the high denier turnouts. 1200D or higher at least and waterproof. Unless your horse is just really bad with blankets you shouldn't need an extra. |
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SHOOT IT
Posts: 1170
Location: TEXAS | Thank you. Blanketing a horse is my pet peeve. I live in Texas and it DOES NOT get cold enough to put a blanket on a horse (I agree that there may be exceptions). It amazes me how many people will put a blanket on their horse when the temps get below 40 and will leave them on, even when the temps crawl back up to 60 or 70. Drives me crazy! You are doing more harm than good. If you have a place where the horse can get out of the wind and rain, no blanket is needed, IMO. |
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BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25351
Location: Bastrop, Texas | This thread is one of those subjects that comes up once a year like clockwork, and the result hasn’t changed in the last 10 years.
People, including myself, state their opinions. Nobody learns anything, and nobody changes their mind. It’s kinda like New Years....a meaningless holiday. The only thing that changes is our age.
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 Witty Enough
Posts: 2954
Location: CTX | KKCOWGIRL - 2018-09-10 10:17 AM Thank you. Blanketing a horse is my pet peeve. I live in Texas and it DOES NOT get cold enough to put a blanket on a horse (I agree that there may be exceptions). It amazes me how many people will put a blanket on their horse when the temps get below 40 and will leave them on, even when the temps crawl back up to 60 or 70. Drives me crazy! You are doing more harm than good. If you have a place where the horse can get out of the wind and rain, no blanket is needed, IMO.
^^^this^^^.
I don’t blanket at all. I leave the house around 6am and get back around 5pm. That means they either get cold for another hour or 2 after I take a blanket off, or they sweat when the temps go up during the day. We do have a run-in where they can hide, and round bales to keep warm.
Also, I do have several wool coolers which I use if a horse is sweaty after working in colder weather. Put one on after work, and replace with a dry one when the outside is wet.
And our warm up and cool down take longer. |
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My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | Bear - 2018-09-10 10:05 PM
This thread is one of those subjects that comes up once a year like clockwork, and the result hasn’t changed in the last 10 years.
People, including myself, state their opinions. Nobody learns anything, and nobody changes their mind. It’s kinda like New Years....a meaningless holiday. The only thing that changes is our age.
This made me laugh; you, Bear, have the most unique ways of looking at things  |
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 Poor Cracker Girl
Posts: 12150
Location: Feeding mosquitos, FL | I vote for a judicious clip. Blanketing is work and I'm lazy.
I have one mare that grows enough hair for everybody on the farm. I clip the bottom of her neck, her chest, and her girth area. It looks kinda odd but it helps her stay cool when it's warm and I haven't taken off so much hair that she's freezing when it's cold. |
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 Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
| I blanket ... every winter.. now this year I'll actually have the barn with nice stalls... I'm still going to blanket but I've decided to use just a lighter weight stable blanket.. doesn't need to be waterproof, just breathable. The same people around me continue to question me EVERY SINGLE YEAR and try to lecture me about why I dont "need" to but I let it go in one ear and out the other.. my horses, my choice, my chore ... namaste |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 575
| want2chase3 - 2018-09-11 4:59 PM
I blanket ... every winter.. now this year I'll actually have the barn with nice stalls... I'm still going to blanket but I've decided to use just a lighter weight stable blanket.. doesn't need to be waterproof, just breathable. The same people around me continue to question me EVERY SINGLE YEAR and try to lecture me about why I dont "need" to but I let it go in one ear and out the other.. my horses, my choice, my chore ... namaste
Same. Central California temps absolutely do not require a blanket, but I like short, easy to cool out coats in the winter. Plus I think they're prettier without all their fuzz. lol They come into the barn under lights at night and get blanketed, and then get turned out in the morning naked. My horses, my choice is the best/most accurate statement!
The really crazy ones to me are the cowhorse barns close to us. Blankets on if the temp is under 70. 
Edited by rpreast 2018-09-12 1:18 PM
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
| I thought hair growth was based on day-light hours...like reproduction. Actually it is. If you don't want hair growth your going to have to do more than blanket, which is not going to slow or stop it. 15+ hours of light a day in order to slow the growth, then you blanket to help with warmth.
Blanketing because your riding isn't really necessary if you consider the above. Blanketing because it makes you feel good about your care for your horse, than who cares what anyone else thinks. Just don't make your horse stand out and sweat all day because you think he looks loved in a blanket. |
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Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
| This post actually raises a question for me... my daughter just decided last night that she wants to show the little yellow horse in halter for the next FFA fair which I believe is first week of January. Hes slicked and beautiful dark dappled as of right now. We do have lights in the barn but am I too late to start to try and keep him slicked, he will be blanketed with a sleazy as well when the time comes. This is her first year in FFA showing something, so we are rooks ... she wanted to do lamb but we cant find one this late in the game.
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 695
Location: Windoming | I've blanketed my horses for 25 years. It does keep their winter hair in check, and it keeps them from getting too hot when I ride in the heated indoor barns. Also has the added benefit of keeping them clean, so it keeps grooming to a minimum. That's important when you only have two hours to groom, saddle, ride and unsaddle two horses. This is in Wyoming. I tried not blanketing one year. All you had to do was walk your horse once around the barn, and they were a sweaty mess. Impossible to cool down before taking them out into subzero temps. I don't blanket the horses that don't get ridden in the winter, unless conditions warrant it. |
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Expert
Posts: 1857
| want2chase3 - 2018-09-12 2:07 PM
This post actually raises a question for me... my daughter just decided last night that she wants to show the little yellow horse in halter for the next FFA fair which I believe is first week of January. Hes slicked and beautiful dark dappled as of right now. We do have lights in the barn but am I too late to start to try and keep him slicked, he will be blanketed with a sleazy as well when the time comes. This is her first year in FFA showing something, so we are rooks ... she wanted to do lamb but we cant find one this late in the game.
I don't think you're too late to start. It should help keep the growth down to a minimum. You will at least promote his summer hair to start to come in early and the shedding process to begin earlier than normal.
Make sure that you put your lights on a timer, you don't want 24hrs of light, more like 14-16hrs. |
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 Member
Posts: 20
| Check out the Smartpak Blanketing App. You put in your location and it tells you what to do based on weather and if they are clipped or what. I am in North Florida. We have weird weather in the winter. So I blanket during the most extreme of it to keep them dry. I also have a hard keeper so I blanket her to avoid unnecessary calorie loss when its cold. This year I plan to have my horse in a steady work program all winter so I will body clip him and that will mean I have to blanket him. Mine stay outside all the time. |
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Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
| FlyingJT - 2018-09-12 4:02 PM
want2chase3 - 2018-09-12 2:07 PM
This post actually raises a question for me... my daughter just decided last night that she wants to show the little yellow horse in halter for the next FFA fair which I believe is first week of January. Hes slicked and beautiful dark dappled as of right now. We do have lights in the barn but am I too late to start to try and keep him slicked, he will be blanketed with a sleazy as well when the time comes. This is her first year in FFA showing something, so we are rooks ... she wanted to do lamb but we cant find one this late in the game.
I don't think you're too late to start. It should help keep the growth down to a minimum. You will at least promote his summer hair to start to come in early and the shedding process to begin earlier than normal.
Make sure that you put your lights on a timer, you don't want 24hrs of light, more like 14-16hrs.
I'm planning on having them turned out during the day, weather permitting. None of my guys do well being stalled 24/7 for more than 3 days. They get to kicking and get grumpy. I'll have to get a timer for sure! |
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 Ima Non Controversial Girl
Posts: 4168
Location: where the wind blows | Not sure where you all live that say blanketing doesn't help prevent winter hair growth only lights do. I'm in Sask Canada and we get dang cold. Minus 40 on occasion with -45 wind chill. I only blanket the horses I plan to ride all winter at an insulated indoor. I start blanketing at night about now then the blankets stay on all day once it's cool all day. The horses I blanket do not get even close to the same winter hair coat as the non blanketed horses. My horses aren't under lights. They certainly aren't summer slick but the blanket does prevent a full winter hair coat. I blanket to prevent the ful winter hair coat so when they get sweated up when I ride they don't take hours to dry before I have to trailer them home and turn them out in their pen. I blanket with a heavy duty waterproof blanket. If I'm not riding a horse in the winter they don't get blanketed. But good feed and lots of it is a must. Mine have a round bale in front of them 24/7 in the winter. And they are able to hide in big coulee's to get away from wind. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1079
Location: MN | I used to live in GA and the only time I really blanketed was when it was cold and rainy. Just made sure they had a nice waterproof sheet to keep them dry. Now that I live in Northern MN, I DO blanket mine if it is below 10 degrees. Anything above 10, the blankets come off because they've grown such thick hair and will sweat. The only time they'll stay on is if its super windy. I think my horses are genuinely thankful for their heavyweight, wind proof blankets when its -40 below and crazy windy out LOL. |
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Blanketing in the winter