Opinions on horse blanketing.

[vicklynn]

Howdy folks. Just finding out the hows and why and when you blanket your horse.
Also, how did you train your horse to blanket? Details details details
Oh and what type of blanket do you use, shoulder cut, full belly wrap vs belly straps??
Oh ya, why do you have the weight and denier you do.
Denier being the outer shell, weight being the filler.


I trained my horse how to blanket like I would a saddle pad, slide on slowly from the front shoulder, of course after letting the horse sniff it out and rubbing their shoulder with it.
I took a few days of just messing with them with the blanket, then getting it on.
For me, it is always important to get at least one front closure and one under belly strap done up while training, then I work on the other front strap and belly strap. Then, if the blanket has rear leg straps, I may or may not push that, up to the horse kind of.

When I apply a blanket really depends on the weather.
If I know it is going to drop below 40 and its gonna hit a cold breeze, may rain, sleet or snow, that blanket is going on. If it has been a nice day, it snowed or rained, I check for temp changes. I will take my horse in, dry them off, and blanket them. It is VERY important that the horse be dry when blanketing, otherwise your blanketing the cold and wet in. I have blanketed damp, but thats it.

All my blankets now have shoulder gussets, belly straps, rear leg straps, and are open fronts, and are water proof. For me, one of the most important things is the interior, I will never use felt lining again, as it rubs my horses chest hairs.
They all get slippery cloth, what ever you call it..lol

For City, I have to have 1200Denier, hes a playful boy and will tear them. Myst can get by with a 600Denier, shes a good girl. I only use med weight blankets. My horses have been fine with them. I dont need any heavier. IF anything, I may buy City a lightweight for those unsure days. Myst handles the cold well, weight wise, but I always have to think about City weight.
To Add...Myst is at her bottom weight for me right now, so I have to watch her to see if she may need a light weight also.

My horses have a pretty thick coat, so for now they are left wet and no blankets. We had 2 cold night, but they did not shake. I also watch body weight, if they start dropping weight, that blanket gets put on.

What did I miss??? Tell me your blanket ways, whys, training?

[Remali]

My horses didn't require any training.....I just plopped the blanket on and they were totally fine with it.

I don't like to blanket, unless a horse is sick or shivering. If a horse has good health, and isn't a senior citizen and has shelter and can stay dry and out of the wind, blanketing isn't usually needed. But some horses have trouble growing an adequate winter coat, so they may need the extra protection from a blanket. So far all the horses I have owned have done great in the winter with a good three-sided shelter. I only had to blanket once and that was when the horse was sick and sweaty and it was a below zero day.

[AppyLady]

I never blanket my horses, so that makes it easy! :)

[vicklynn]

Remali and AppyLady,,,:p...lol.
If only City were that easy...lol.
Poor Myst, when I brought her home, she stood out there looking sad and was shaking.
She sure perked up when I put a blanket on her.

[FredRock]

I currently have three different weights of blankets. The first weight is light; just a nylon sheet to keep the rain off and cut down a little on the wind. I never used to need the sheet, because the old barn I was at kept horses in when bad weather hit, but the new barn doesn't care, apparently. :rolleyes: I showed up the other day and the horses were shivering. I was livid; the horses had no shelter and were standing outside in about 20 degree weather when you consider wind and rain. :mad: And this was after they told me the horses stayed in during bad weather. Apparently short of a snowstorm there is no bad weather.

Anyways, the next weight is medium. I don't put these on until it hits 20 for a few days, or there's snow. Generally my horses' coats can handle the cold but it's the snow/wind that gets them. I have a bellyband blanket for my mare, but criss cross blanket for Fred. I was told that bellyband blankets might not be sanitary for geldings. I always use open front blankets; generally horses are more accepting of them than closed front because you aren't putting anything over their head.

Finally I have one heavy blanket. This is actually a spare bought when Fred wiggled out and destroyed his medium weight one. (or he got it all nasty and it was freezing out, so I got him whatever was at the local tack store.) Typically I try not to use it, but if it gets under 20 for a stretch of time I'll pull it out for him. This one actually has a high neck, I like the high neck. The others I have are either a normal neck or a semi-cutback style where it covers the shoulders.

I try to get 1200-1680 Denier when I can. The sheets I just bought are only 600D, but I don't think they'll get beat up in these pastures. The old barn had a horse that attacked blankets, so anything under 1200 was a goner, and the brat even ripped my 1200D.

[Remali]

Some horses don't grow a real good coat in the winter, maybe Myst is one of them....all my critters get a ton of winter hair, lol. Half the time they never go in the shelters either and they stand out in the snow and wind....goofy horses! Maybe Myst will toughen up now and she'll do better.....when you first got her and she got cold like that, did she come from a warmer climate?

[vicklynn]

Remali. See, thats the thing, I got her in MO, she was out in the freezing ice storms we had, and she gets one thick coat. Why I was stumped when she was shaking so bad,,,poor girl.
She may grow a thick coat, get plenty to eat, but she still dosnt like the cold.
She does handle it better than City, due to weight, cause he dosnt shiver, but she shivers, and now I have to watch her weight. Up hay and dawn blankets.

[vicklynn]

I currently have three different weights of blankets. The first weight is light; just a nylon sheet to keep the rain off and cut down a little on the wind. I never used to need the sheet, because the old barn I was at kept horses in when bad weather hit, but the new barn doesn't care, apparently. :rolleyes: I showed up the other day and the horses were shivering. I was livid; the horses had no shelter and were standing outside in about 20 degree weather when you consider wind and rain. :mad: And this was after they told me the horses stayed in during bad weather. Apparently short of a snowstorm there is no bad weather.

Anyways, the next weight is medium. I don't put these on until it hits 20 for a few days, or there's snow. Generally my horses' coats can handle the cold but it's the snow/wind that gets them. I have a bellyband blanket for my mare, but criss cross blanket for Fred. I was told that bellyband blankets might not be sanitary for geldings. I always use open front blankets; generally horses are more accepting of them than closed front because you aren't putting anything over their head.

Finally I have one heavy blanket. This is actually a spare bought when Fred wiggled out and destroyed his medium weight one. (or he got it all nasty and it was freezing out, so I got him whatever was at the local tack store.) Typically I try not to use it, but if it gets under 20 for a stretch of time I'll pull it out for him. This one actually has a high neck, I like the high neck. The others I have are either a normal neck or a semi-cutback style where it covers the shoulders.

I try to get 1200-1680 Denier when I can. The sheets I just bought are only 600D, but I don't think they'll get beat up in these pastures. The old barn had a horse that attacked blankets, so anything under 1200 was a goner, and the brat even ripped my 1200D.

Id be grumbley at the barn staff for sure...gesh.
Ya, my boy can and will tear a 1200D, but I sew it up and move on..lol.
Sounds like you have all the weights for good measure.

[WashingtonBay]

As I recall, now that you mention it, I think I was the first one to put a blanket on Bay, when I got him BACK at 19 years old. I remember a certain amount of circling and Araby snorting noises the first time I brought out this large horse killing shroud and tried to kill him with it.

And I recall the pony standing OK for it but doing a valiant job of trying to buck it off when I turned her out.

Heh... but they got over it. It is good to caution people that they probably should do this the first time in a safe place with a secure hold on the horse, but probably not tied up, in case it causes a big stir!


I blanket mine pretty much 24-7 from November to March with Weatherbeetas. I've got the European neck for Bay and Cyn's outers, and like that for shedding rain and keeping it out of the neck hole. I couldn't get one of those for the pony, my choices were limited.

They all have a spare blanket too, and I double them up when we have a cold snap.

After doing this for years now, I don't see a downside at all to blanketing. They stay cleaner, drier, warmer, so they go out more and move around more, and to me, this is better than huddling in the shelter waiting for it to stop raining. That might be a long time, around here in winter.

:)

[vicklynn]

Ya know WB, I was thinking about you after I posted this.
Made myself go gesh vick, your a dork.
The reason you like WeatherBettas, is the initials...WB
ok, dork moment over with.

I agree with handling them not tied up, they need to get away from the big ole bad blanky if need be.
I can just see Bay and the killer blanket...LOL
Storm was that way, circles and circles,,,I laughed, he snorted..lol

[WashingtonBay]

I hadn't realized that myself ;)

Once he figured out it wasn't going to kill him, he changed his tune, he'll now stick his head through to put it on when it's chilly, so I never have to undo the chest straps... on any of them. :)

[vicklynn]

Ya, Myst is that way, but I still undo the straps. Would be nice not to, Ill have to work on that with her.
I can probley do that with City, as Ive put a slinky on, took me a couple minutes and he just stood there, wondering IF I was ever gonna find the eye holes for him...lol

[Flair]

I was pretty OCD when it came to winter with Flair. He had a really nice Weatherbeeta Orican midweight for the nights when it was cold and windy and rainy, and then a Saxon sheet for nights when it was cold, but not enough to require a midweight. He never got clipped either and he had a thick coat, but being older, the blanket was really a big help in keeping him warm.

And then last winter, I kind of didn't have to deal with any blanketing because I didn't have a horse. And this year, I've got a woolly hairy pony who's getting a trace clip. My reason for wanting to clip him is because we've got no idea what the weather patterns this winter could be for Southern California. Could be dry, could be wet. It's looking like we're going to have a fairly dry November and possibly December since most of our rainfall is from January to March. But things are looking pretty good that we will have riding time, so I want to clip the pony so that he won't sweat up too bad.

Got him an ultra lightweight blanket to wear once he gets clipped. If I was leaving him au natural, I probably wouldn't blanket him unless it was really cold and raining. In Southern California, we don't get below freezing a lot at nights, but even still, it's not good for a sweaty horse to get chilled, so it's sort of become the norm for horses to get clipped in some way, be it a low trace clip or a pony clip.

[lovesfortune]

Thanks guys. :)

[cyb]

When I blanketed Cisco for the first time he was a little spooked by it but he got over it really fast with no special training, I thought I was going to have a real battle with Willow because she spooks easily, but no she stood perfectly still, in fact when I blanketed her the other day I didn't even halter her first she never budged I think she really likes her blankey. LOL

[KCandAllegro'sMom]

KC loves his blankets. He has a lightweigh t/o sheet, a med. t/o blanket, and a heavyweight t/o. He doesn't get much of a coat so I usually start blanketing with the sheet when it starts getting into the 40's at night then go up in weight as the temps get lower.

I have been looking for blankets for Allegro, but $ has been tight lately so I haven't bought him any yet. He's got an ok coat and has been sweating so once I do get him a blanket I will probably give him a trace clip since the weather fluxuates a lot here.

The big boys are turned out during the day and sometimes overnight depending on the weather. Otherwise they are stalled at night or in bad weather during the day.

I don't blanket the minis because they grow coats like wooly buffalo, though I do have blankets for them. They don't really like wearing them anyway.

The minis have access to come and go as they please. They ususally choose to stay out, even in the rain.

[WashingtonBay]

It is VERY important that the horse be dry when blanketing, otherwise your blanketing the cold and wet in. I have blanketed damp, but thats it.

I might disagree a little, with a caveat. If the horse has gotten really cold, blanket them, even wet. It will warm them up. They will actually dry, in time, through the blanket. But much better, would be to dry them as much as you can with towels, blanket them, then swap with a fresh dry spare blanket an hour later. And that damp blanket? Bring it inside, if you want it to dry.

The blankets will dry best ON the horse. Their body heat will dry it. If it's been raining overnight, I leave the blankets on even if it warms up, until the blanket is dry, or they will never dry by that evening hanging in the barn. It's never good to put a damp blanket on the horse.

These are only issues during the transitional month or so when I'm only blanketing at night. Once November comes, they stay on, except for occasional nice balmy days, when I let them run naked awhile.

[lovesfortune]

Okay, dumb question. You keep them on 24/7. You never take them off? Or do you take them off once a day for grooming and then put them back on? Or??? I am so out of my league with blanketing...

[WashingtonBay]

I leave them on. I don't groom them every day. Every couple weeks or so if it's nice I take them off and let them run and roll in the mud and whatnot, and then I have to groom them. ;)

I check under them once in awhile to see how their weight is holding up, as it can be hard to evaluate them with the blanket on. But IMHO, they don't need to be groomed just to be groomed.

[lovesfortune]

Okay. I'm sure I'll think of another question in a bit. ;) Gotta keep you busy WB!

[Remali]

When I got Daanex, he'd been blanketed already so he was real good. I got Kara as a yearling and she hadn't been blanketed, but she was so calm and quiet about everything....she never minded the blanket, even the first time. Not sure about Ness tho, she seems a bit more "reactive" to things than Kara was, so Ness may be more of a challenge....lol. Hoping I won't have to blanket her tho, she is on pasture board and I really don't like blanketing them if they are turned out, just in case they get hung up on something (altho they can get hung up in a box stall too, had that happen once).

If I leave a blanket on for any length of time, I usually like to check underneath it and give the horse a quick brushing.

[lovesfortune]

Well if i decide to go the blanket route this year, I'm sure I'll have to do some training. My 17 yr old and 13 yr old Appy's have NEVER seen a blanket. And I'm already having to take is S L O W with the barn since they've never been in one of those either.

[Annie&Dixie]

When I started working with Dixie (last winter), Sherri wanted me to blanket her. She seemed to be fine with blankets and didn't really require any extra training. Dixie is also boarded outside.

Right now, I generally blanket her when it gets down to 40 degrees or 30...right now it's 60! It's hard right now with Ohio because it's warmer during day and then pretty cold during the night and I just can't make it out everyday to blanket and un-blanket. I know I worry too much, I think the blanketing is more of a comfort to me right now...I just feel bad if she's chilly at night, she also doesn't have much of a winter coat at the moment.

On to the blanket. My blanket is the DuraTech Viking from Schiender's. 1200D, Waterproof, Open Front, Belly Straps, Leg Straps, and Shoulder Gussets. It's just a turnout sheet and it works out fine, this is what the BO uses on all of her horses as well. I acutally prefer the bellyband style and considering that one of my belly straps already ripped off, I am prefering that style even more. By the way [this is a little rant], I just bought this blanket at congress, not even two weeks ago. I called Schiender's to tell them about it and see if they could send me a new one, they wanted me to ship the blanket back to them, have them repair it, and then ship it back to me...and, get this, they wanted me to pay for the shipping! For one stupid belly strap! I finally convinced the person to just send me the belly strap, I've got a friend who knows a better way to sew it on and then that way, I don't have to pay the extra shipping.

[Blue]

I try not to blanket unless I have to, and I never do it when the sun is out. Blue stays in his stall most nights, he won't get a blanket in his stall. Period. Most people put blankets on their horses in the stalls but I don't know why. I get warm in there and even have to take my jacket off. We close off the doors (leave one end open for fresh air). The only time I blanket is at night when Blue is out and it's under 30ish degrees. That's if it's clear. If it's raining or windy at all he'll usually stay inside, but if he were outside he'd get a blanket. If it ices or rains during the day this winter he'll have his blanket on because I don't like to keep him in during the day. :) I'm not sure what kind of blanket Blue has...I'll have to look tomorrow. It's a new one that his owner got him. We haven't used it yet this year.

[Dakota Sunrise]

When I got Dakota he was pretty thin (he's still lean now, but was much skinnier when I bought him) and he doesn't grow much of a winter coat. I blanket him because he will stand there and just shake and shiver if he gets wet and chilled. Plus he's 19, and a hard keeper so I want to help him out every way I can. And knowing he's toasty warm and dry on the coldest winter nights lets me sleep soundly.:)

Come to think of it I never did "blanket train" him. I probably was the first person to ever blanket him.. but I just one day took a lightweight sheet out (he wears that on the inbetween days), let him sniff it, then told him to stand and eased it on to his back. He just stood there so I got it adjusted for him and sent him on his way. He's pretty laid back.:D

He has a Saxon 1200 denier medium weight blanket. It does get get pretty cold here but the medium weight has always been enough for him. It's 100% waterproof which is a must for me. I also like belly and back leg straps, as well as a tail flap. I prefer 1200 denier because they hold up better and I want it to last.

Beauty has the same blanket as Dakota, just a bigger size, lol.:p She was skinny and neglected when I bought her. The first time I laid eyes on her (which was in January) I immediately starting eyeing her up for blanket sizing. She was so thin I knew she'd freeze for sure without one.
I didn't think I'd have to blanket her this winter except on the coldest days because she has gained a lot of weight and is getting a winter caot, but she proved me wrong when I came out on a 45*ish morning and found her wet and shaking. So now she gets blanketed same as Dakota.

I didn't have to blanket train her either. When her old owners delivered her after I bought her she was wearing a ratty old blanket when they unloaded her from the trailer- but at least that told me that she was allready familiar with blanketing.

[grandmadeb]

For winter, Al has 3 blankets. The WB is 1200 denier and 200 fill. the Everest is 1200 denier 350 fill, and the Kodiak is 1680 denier and 450 fill. He also has a stable blanket for inside , a WB, We keep a lightweight sheet over the turnout blankets to save on wear and tear and to keep the mud off the harder to clean blanket. I can throw the lightweight in the washer and rinse the mud off. The turnouts have to be sent out. The barn is in a hilly area and gets lots of wind and in the winter, it can be damp and downright bone chilling.

[missdixie]

LOL when i first started to blanket Dix she would run away, blanket flying in the wind like a superman cape ( not attached to her, but still hanging on somehow ). I do a medium blanket starting in early Oct. because I like her to have s hort coat so she doesn't sweat out too bad when we work in the winter.

[FredRock]

Okay, dumb question. You keep them on 24/7. You never take them off? Or do you take them off once a day for grooming and then put them back on? Or??? I am so out of my league with blanketing...

If it's possible, I try to take them off once every day to just check and make sure there aren't rubs, especially if I just bought the blanket and don't know how it fits the horse. I mean, it might move a little bit more than I think it does, or I strapped it a little too tight or loose so it might not fit the way it should.

But if I know how the blanket fits I only take it off when it gets too warm for an extended period, or when I use the horse.

[grandmadeb]

It comes off once a day so he can be brushed and checked or changed into the stable one so the turnout can be swept &/or hung to dry. He just really loves to be fussed over and enjoys the treat that follows!

[John Boy]

I keep it pretty simple , my horse loaf's in and out of his stall into the main pasture.
When it's winter (standard blanket) Purple for royality- - - -
I look for snow patterns as well as how cold it will drop at night.
Rule of thumb 10 degree's or colder close eye on night time temps.
If I know it will be zero or colder , it goes on him before I leave for work (2nd Shifter)
If it drops when I get home 12:30 a.m. I will put it on.

When it is 0 or sub below zero , it's on him day and night. He is a TB.
If I can give him comfort - - - - > why not assist him.
Ironically this current horse is a tough guy , and unless the temps are 10 below he will not stand in his loafing stall within the barn , but stand out in the barn yard.
(That might be part of the reason why I have to keep a closer eye on him)

[fire1]

I have a weatherbetta this year with a hood. Fire likes his blanket, just hold it up and he puts his head right through the neck hole and then buckel it down. I take it off when I ride, but otherwise it si on 24/7 in a pasture. Fire is partially clipped do to much hair.

[natisha]

On the rare occasion that I needed to use a blanket I used one with a belly band & removed the back leg straps. My old mare hated the leg straps & the blanket never shifted but it was custom made for her.

[SedonaThunder]

All four of mine have 1200D medium weight blankets but they're only on if it's going to be below 30 overnight AND not get over 50 the next day... unless I will be home the next day and can remove the blanket so they don't get sweaty or overheated. Usually January/February are the only months they seem to wear their blankets consistently and then they are still removed for turnout time 4 to 8 hours per day. When I bring them back in at 10pm I towel dry them and put their blankets back on.

As for training... it never even occured to me!:doh: I just walked up, showed it to them and threw it on. I KNOW Timber wore one so no big deal but I have no clue about Sedona (he ran around the paddock a few times the first time and still does some nights), I highly doubt Thunder ever did (he isn't a blanket fan and will run if given the choice but has learned from repetitition that I WILL WIN so he usually stands there) and I know Lele never had one on. The first time I walked up to put Lele's on she lost her mind - exploded out of her stall into the paddock and then stood in the corner and shook! She was so pitiful but it was freezing out and hubby and I figured we just had to get it on - so we did... and so she tried her darndest to buck/shake the thing off. She will still run out of her stall into the paddock if she sees me coming with it but once I walk over to her she just stands there while it's put on.

[grandmadeb]

We had a blanket that did not have the back leg straps and the darn thing blew up over his head and he was a raging maniac!! We had the blanket cleaning/fixing lady add the hardware for the elastic rear straps.

[jeezitsjacki]

Ben has been blanketed all his life im pretty sure. He is a show horse.. so usually that comes with blanketing. He has a sheet in the fall and spring, and a winter blanket from about november till february or sometimes march. When I got him he was very used to the blanket. But he hates static.. he will flip out if you take his blanket off and he gets shocked.. so I spray it with static gaurd when it gets dry out

[zoel_222]

I keep light weight sheets on my girls whenever it's raining because I hate scraping wet gooey mud off of them. Riding a wet horse bareback is just very unpleasant and it ruins my pants.

Right now I have McAlister sheets which are pretty nice quality but Weatherbeetas will always own my heart. I have one Weatherbeeta that I need to fix. Last year it came undone and Auda put a foot through it and it and ripped a big hole along the seam. Those blankets are tough but they can't stand up to a draft horse foot.

For weight, I really just like the LW sheets. My horses are tough Alaskans who KNOW about cold, and since moving to Oregon it's been like a nice tropical vacation. :p I just like the light weights to keep them clean, but I will put on my medium weights if they look really cold or are shivering (so far just Auda who has needed it because she came from Texas, the sissy :rolleyes:). In Alaska I'd put sheets on to keep off snow/rain except for Willy who had a crappy stall that was not completely closed off so he had a really nice thick HW weatherbeeta. I try to avoid going less than 1200D, but unfortunately I just bought two blankets that seemed exactly the same (or so I thought) but one's only a 600D. :mad:

I hate the full belly wrap. I tried it once and it was just not doing it for me. It pulled the blanket over to one side and I could never get it quite snug. I get shoulder gussets, two belly straps (NOT one) and elastic leg straps. Open front also. I also like the contour fit but those are $pendy!!

What else did you want to know? Ah yeah training. Well, my horses are all pretty well desensitized so first time blanketing is no biggie. I fold the blanket in half, put it on the horse, unfold it, buckle it up and send them on their merry way.

And that is the story of Zoe and her horse-blanketing adventures :D

[Miracle Whip]

Sorry, my horses are outdoors 24/7 with a stall shelter. They do not wear blankets. If there is a snowstorm they huddle in the shed together. It is fairly narrow so the outside horse blocks the wind and snow. Both are healthy 6 year olds.