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Elite Veteran
Posts: 667
  
| stayceem - 2014-12-10 6:31 PM
I do a lot of layering... when its gets to low 50s at night and its still show season ill put a sheet on at night. When it gets to the 40s ill start putting a sheet w/stable blanket underneath. When it gets 30s or below I put a midweight on. When it gets to below zero or single digits, I put the heavy weights on.
I do the same. People think I am crazy because all I do is change blankets all winter long.. and I am always checking the weather.
They are my babies and I dont like long hair. So there you have it :) |
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 Chasin my Dream
Posts: 13651
  
Location: Alberta | When the temperate gets in the 20's at night....only the horses being rode get them, rest nothin and we have a weanling and 24 year old who do fine even in -40 with shelter and hay. I have different blankets for the temp, today we r in the 30's so all blankets are off during the day. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1162
Location: White Mountains of AZ | I've always seen people work their horses and while they are still damp, throw a blanket over them at nights....So they are wet with a blanket in 30 or - weather? |
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 Expert
Posts: 2457
| QH<3er - 2014-12-11 1:25 PM I've always seen people work their horses and while they are still damp, throw a blanket over them at nights....So they are wet with a blanket in 30 or - weather? NOPE> That's a crap move to do to your horse, IMO.
I throw a cooler blanket on, allow 'em to dry, then throw the regular blanket back on.
I liken it to this ... If you go run your booty off 'til you're a sweaty mess, then just throw a sweatshirt on, then stand in the weather ... How will you feel? Cold as h3!!. But if you allow yourself to cool down and dry, then throw the sweatshirt on, and THEN go out in weather, you'll do alot better.
Edited by lindseylou2290 2014-12-11 1:31 PM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1162
Location: White Mountains of AZ | That's what I was thinking! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 683
Location: Ohio | I have mare that was born and raised in Canada but cannot grow a winter coat to save her life and her filly is the same way so they both get different weight blankets when the temps drop under 40. If not they both drop weight and battle the shivers all winter (no matter how much hay is in front of them). I have 2 cow ponies that turn into woolly mammoths every winter so they only get blanketed sparingly (nasty wind chill or -0 temps). This year has been crazy with it raining all day and then getting in the 20's at night so they all get waterproof turnouts to keep dry.
People who blanket their horses when wet are just plain lazy. If you can't take the extra time to cool them out and get them dried off... don't work them! I also never understood putting sheets on horses in cooler temps, doesn't that just flatten their hair out where they can't keep body heat trapped (seriously, I'm curious)?  |
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Expert
Posts: 1477
Location: In the land of peanuts and cotton | I have two that doesn't grow winter coat so they get a thicker blanket but my other ones get the thinner ones that are just a little thicker than a sheet mostly just to help keep the wind off them. They all get sleezy's to keep there hair flat and pretty. It doesn't get very cold here so we don't usually take a show break during the winter.
Edited by TessBelle 2014-12-12 8:09 AM
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Expert
Posts: 1477
Location: In the land of peanuts and cotton | mruggles - 2014-12-10 2:43 PM
the ones we use get blankets but nothing else (young or old) and we get -30, -40 up here...........i gave mine a bit of time off, they will be coming in next week and stalled at night with the lights on and i keep blankets on inside and heavy turnouts on outside.....
m
Me and my horses would literally freeze to death if it got -30. If it hits 30 here that's freezing. We was in the mid and high 70s and 80s last week. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1162
Location: White Mountains of AZ | TessBelle - 2014-12-12 6:12 AM
mruggles - 2014-12-10 2:43 PM
the ones we use get blankets but nothing else (young or old) and we get -30, -40 up here...........i gave mine a bit of time off, they will be coming in next week and stalled at night with the lights on and i keep blankets on inside and heavy turnouts on outside.....
m
Me and my horses would literally freeze to death if it got -30. If it hits 30 here that's freezing. We was in the mid and high 70s and 80s last week.
I wanna be where you are!!! 70's and 80's!! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 306
| I'm in Minnesota and I never use to blanket in the winter unless I was actively riding one. This year however I blanketed my two hard keepers, they are both appendix quarter horses and tend to drop weight. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1162
Location: White Mountains of AZ | If the horses already have a decent winter coat, would you still blanket them? ( this is for anybody ) Or just when it gets 0 or - or that freezing wind? |
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 Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
Location: In The Snow, AZ | We have a 9 year old Appendix bred, a 14ish year old quarter horse and a 4 year old Appendix. The 9 and 14 year old have good winter coats. The 4 year old we got out of Phx, AZ; warm weather. He has zero winter coat. The 14 year old is a hard keeper. Everyone gets blanketed if its going to be under 32 degrees at night. Heavy blankets. They come off during the day unless its freezing rain or snowing.
I get to go into an insulated house with a roaring wood stove, and crawl into my bed with a heating blanket on. The least I can do is blanket my ponies. |
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Chasin my Dream
Posts: 13651
Location: Alberta | QH<3er - 2014-12-12 8:33 AM If the horses already have a decent winter coat, would you still blanket them? ( this is for anybody ) Or just when it gets 0 or - or that freezing wind? I'll bite......no I wouldnt blanket if they had a good coat and weren't showing any sign of stress (shivering, weight loss) when the temperature got really cold. If/when it does I'd rather have them with good shelter and a ton of hay then blanket(if I'd never blanketed them to that point)
Another point Ive discussed with people is giving a horse more grain (or grain at all) when it's colder, they utilize forage best to product energy to stay warm, grain takes energy to digest, which is energy they could better utilize to stay in warm....
Edited by dream_chaser 2014-12-12 10:01 AM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1162
Location: White Mountains of AZ | dream_chaser - 2014-12-12 7:58 AM
QH<3er - 2014-12-12 8:33 AM If the horses already have a decent winter coat, would you still blanket them? ( this is for anybody ) Or just when it gets 0 or - or that freezing wind? I'll bite......no I wouldnt blanket if they had a good coat and weren't showing any sign of stress (shivering, weight loss) when the temperature got really cold. If/when it does I'd rather have them with good shelter and a ton of hay then blanket(if I'd never blanketed them to that point)
Another point Ive discussed with people is giving a horse more grain (or grain at all) when it's colder, they utilize forage best to product energy to stay warm, grain takes energy to digest, which is energy they could better utilize to stay in warm....
Ok... they get grain and hay and I've never seen them shiver/drop weight! Frost on them, yes ! |
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 Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
| Runninbay - 2014-12-10 6:22 PM
If it gets below 32, I typically blanket them. Mine are 9, 15, 19, and I have a weanling as well. Age isnt a factor. Its going to be 30 tonight so they will all have their blankets on. People can say all they want about horses not needing blankets...I say bull. If it was me out there, I would want to be covered up so I do the same for them.
Exactly how I do it. Always checking the weather to see if im gonna be blanketing that night! |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | My 2 horses that live outside 24/7 don't get blanketed. They have shelters and get pretty fat and fluffy. The one that lives in a heated stall at night gets blanketed when he's outside during the day since he doesn't grow as good of a coat in that nice warm barn.
ETA-my oldest horse is 12 so age hasn't become a factor yet.
Edited by cavyrunsbarrels 2014-12-13 3:15 PM
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