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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 324
| Alright, I don't want any ugliness about blanketing my horses (I know it's unnatural, so is trimming their feet, floating their teeth, riding them, balancing a proper diet, etc. it goes on forever).
With that being said, the winters here aren't particularly ugly. Our average lows are usually low 30s-high 20s but we do have our occasional night that gets down into the teens.
I didn't blanket my filly last year, but I'm trying to decide if I should blanket her this year. Her mama didn't ever grow much winter coat and she seems to be taking after her (mine have pretty much all lightly started growing their fuzzies--YIKES).
What is everyone else doing with their yearlings? |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 600
Location: Oklahoma & Texas | I blanket mine when it drops below 32 at night |
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  The Color Specialist
Posts: 7530
  
Location: Washington. (The DRY side.) | I don't blanket anything. Mine don't get heavy LOOKING winter coats, but their winter coats are THICK. It gets down to zero or below here occasionally. Never had any issues. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| If you are going to blanket, you need to keep blanketing.
The blankets push the hair down which causes less insulation in the hair, it also removes the oils that assist in repealing water/snow.
I only blanket the ones I am riding as the pad pushes the hair down, my cripples, and donkies.
If it gets really cold 40 below, we just give more straw. We also have wind breaks/trees.
If I have a horse loosing weight then I will blanket. |
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 Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
| RacingQH - 2015-09-19 11:23 AM
I don't blanket anything. Mine don't get heavy LOOKING winter coats, but their winter coats are THICK. It gets down to zero or below here occasionally. Never had any issues.
Some of ours get really fuzzy, but others just get a thicker coat. A large part of our herd will spend the winter months turned out to pasture. They have a wind-break and are supplemented with round bales as needed. I would rather provide extra hay as needed if it gets very cold instead of blanketing.
I have blanketed horses that are ridden regularly through the winter. But I am able to remove blankets as needed and have different thicknesses based on the weather. There are times during the winter that our temps will be cold overnight but warm up considerably in the afternoons. So it's too cold to take them off during morning chores, but they need removed in the middle of the day. Blanketing is a chore in itself!
You could have a blanket available if the weather turns and your horse appears to need the extra protection from the cold. This way you could blanket as needed if needed, and still allow her coat to do its job. |
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 Ms. Poutability
Posts: 2362
Location: In my own world | I use to follow the rule of blanketing the ones I rode and the oldie that needed it which left a yearling without a blanket 2 years ago. She was young and fat so I didn't think she needed one. Well what I have noticed is that if my horses have blankets on they will go or stay out in the weather more than coming in the barn. But my yearling followed the herd and she wasn't protected like the others. One day she came in wet and shivering. Everyone else was fine. So I blanket everyone that runs together now. Which is all of mine. All 6 of them??. It's a lot of work but they stay out more rather than pooping in the barn!! |
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Veteran
Posts: 180
| I personally wouldn't blanket a baby/yearling unless it dropped below freezing. Even then if they are inside the barn they are probably fine. Just throw some extra hay and if you have a barn with doors shut them. Their body heat will warm a barn up. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1229
Location: Royal J Performance Horses, AZ | The only thing i blanket around my place are clipped horses, Youngins im showing, or new borns if they are early Jan/Feb babies and its pretty cold here. (haha its AZ that hardly ever happens) |
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 Three in a Bikini
Posts: 2035
| I only blanket if they are in a situation where they will get wet and won't dry off... |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 639
Location: God's country...aka TEXAS | I blanket all of mine. Including weanlings, yearlings etc. Just make sure you keep it up. Putting a blanket on only at certain temps doesn't do any good. They have to get used to not having that thick winter coat. It can be a lot of work, but I think its totally worth it. And it makes them a little more broke in my opinion- having to be used to wearing something like that. |
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 It's not my fault I'm perfect
Posts: 13739
Location: Where the long tails flow, ND | I've always blanketed my horses, I run through out winter and hate dealing with sweaty gross horses, keeping them lighter on the hair department is easier for everyone when it comes to cooling out etc.
Even the babies and horses I don't run get blanketed, I live in ND so it gets well into the negative double digits. |
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 Expert
Posts: 3782
Location: Gainesville, TX | We blanket our weanlings and yearlings after it gets pretty cold. If we have them up for riding (because of the heavy hair coat), we also blanket. If they are out to pasture and have sufficient fat cover, we don't. |
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