11/29/2021
Whenever weāre faced with our first weeks of minus temperatures, the questions start rolling in about whetherāor notāto blanket horses. I donāt have all the answers but I can tell you this: I trust a great deal in common sense.
I blanket: cold horsesā¦ wet or shivery horsesā¦ clipped or slicked-off horsesā¦ those that are losing condition or who are hard-keepersā¦ those who do not have enough room in their turnout pens to stay warmā¦ horses who are feeling āoffā or are recovering from sicknessā¦ those who have been newly turned out to pasture after years of being stabled... those kept in strenuous work.
Many times, these horses only need blanketing for a spell of bad weather, before returning to their natural state.
I do not blanket: overweight horses or native breeds of ponies, as dealing with cold gives them a much-needed metabolic resetā¦ or those who are hairy, healthy and in good flesh, no matter their ages.
I watch my horses and pay attention. I do not colour my decisions by the size of the cheques that purchased them, or the fact that I do not particularly enjoy winter. Their comfort is my guide.
I find that previously stabled horses will come to me in the yard, tucked up and shivering, for their blankets. I help them, of course but find that over the next few years, they will acclimatize, growing fat and hairy and eventually, wanting nothing to do with being rugged up. This is good news and proves again that it can take three years for horses to fully adapt to āturned outā life. Being turned out is a far different scenario than having āturnoutā, a point that many of us donāt yet understand.
Common sense can tell us when our harder doers are needing help. Older horses who are beginning to outlive their teeth require us to be watchful. Once they start losing condition, it is an extremely hard trend to reverse. A warm horse needs far less feed to stay in shape.
Many hard keepers, it seems to me, are dealing with either ulcers or nervous digestive upset. So, what do we tend to do? We bring them in and feed the dickens out of them with hot, commercial feeds. Their bowels turn watery and despite our best efforts, they grow fretful. Their weight continues to fall off. Iāve learned that if I can keep these horses warm and turned out with the greater herd, they will happily thrive with free-choice grass and hay on which to pick.
I donāt leave my horses blanketed for long periods. The pressure most heavy blankets exert on the top of the withersāwhether or not they are high-necked (which is best) or cut-backāpaired with the pressure on the points of the shoulders, will actually shorten their free range of movement over time. If and when I have rugged up horses, I am committing to spending a certain amount of time checking and resetting these blankets, daily. I do not wrap them up and then, forget about them.
Horses always appreciate a chance to roll and stretch without their blankets, to have a good itch and to graze without any pressure on their fronts. If it warms up a bit, my few blanketed horses will have their clothing pulled, going for the midday hours au naturel.
Too many horses are left wearing winter weight rugs when the need has long passed.
Keeping turnout rugs in good repair can get expensive. Some horses will honour their blankets and these will look like new after months or years of wearā¦ Other ruffians require a rotating wardrobe whilst I run around looking for torn-off surcingles and leg straps.
Blankets, even the best of them, can come with their share of hazards.
One day, calling the horses up to the yard, I could see Pilot standing off alone along the far fence line, while the rest of the herd raced in. He stayed behind, motionless, and the pit in my stomach told me to make haste and go out to him. Good thing I did, for the big gelding had snapped himself by the front of his blanket to a half-mile of barbed wire fence. I was lucky that day. Iām very careful, any more, to make sure the front snaps open towards, and not away from, a horse's chest.
Do I prefer to keep my horses unblanketed? Yes! Am I too proud or set in my ways to offer blankets with horses that could use the help? Nope, no matter the scientific studies and opinions passed around online.
Rather, I have learned that very old or thin horses are cold horsesā¦ and when the temperatures dive, cold horses need a lot more feed. Remember, too, that wet or windy cold is a far different scenario than dry, still cold. Shelter is everything. If our horses canāt get out of freezing rain or fierce winds, they can drop an alarming amount of weight. Depending on the individual horse, this may, or may not, be a good thing.
Using ordinary common sense, staying watchful, Iāve been able to bring my fat horses through the winters, slim and healthy, while my hard-doers can make it to springtime, just round enough.
Some days, some of my horses need blanketing. Most days, most of my horses do not.
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