Winter weather, cold and rain - does your horse need a blanket to protect him from the elements?
Winter is here, in some places returning with a vengeance. Should you blanket your horse to protect him from the elements?
The answer, like so many answers with horses is: It depends.
Of course that answer doesn’t help much, so here are some guidelines:
In general you want to avoid blanketing your horse. Horses grow a different type of coat that helps them remain comfortable in winter weather. A couple types of hair grow: a fluffy undercoat that helps trap air next to the body and longer hairs that help to shed water from their backs. This winter growth of hair should help your horse stay warm in most winter weather. However, this doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be sheltered. With or without a blanket your horse should have shelter from rain and wind.
Sometimes your horse may require a blanket.
If he is blanketed during summer or fall in order to keep him clean the growth of his winter coat will be inhibited and he will continue to need a blanket during the winter months.
If his coat is clipped he will need to be blanketed in cold weather.
If he has trouble maintaining a healthy weight or is underweight when the cold, wet weather arrives he will need a blanket. During the cold months a large percentage of energy from food goes to keeping the body temperature up. Without some extra body fat and a good winter coat they will have difficulty keeping warm and will lose even more weight.
If you blanket your horse make sure you take the blanket off frequently, check for spots where it may be rubbing the hair off, creating sores. Brush the coat to remove dirt and flaked off skin. On warm days leave the blanket off and allow the horse’s skin to breath.
Use common sense. Is he sweating under the blanket? Then he doesn’t need one. Does he look cold and miserable? Then he probably is. He needs one.
