Is there a reason to keep a horse blanketed in 70* weather?

[Horseaholic]

On the way out of my neighborhood there are two horses that are turned out during the day in full face clinics, a hood, a blanket, and heavy duty leg wraps... all black...its been cold at night...but not that cold They are out all day when its been reaching the mid 70s...these horses have got to be miserable. Is there a reason for this? Like dos this keep the coat extra shiny or something?? I want to give these people the benefit of the doubt that they aren't just being neglectful.

[WashingtonBay]

Well, I don't have a reason to... but their reasons might be...

-To keep them clean
-To keep them from fading
-To keep them from getting pasture scars
-Because they can't get there twice a day to remove them in morning and put them back on at night, so they leave them on.
-To keep flies/biting bugs off them

It's hard to say from a distance if they're heavy or light blankets, or even just fly sheets.

[Remali]

Only thing I could think of, in 70* weather would be if it was a fly sheet and fly mask/hood..... but that doesn't sound like what it is.... I wonder if they forgot to take it off the horses?

[MyMia]

Are they truly blankets (as opposed to just sheets), or could the horses be shaved? Those are the only things I can think of. Even if the horses are shaved, I would think they'd be fine in 70 degree weather!

I'm sure it does keep the coats shinier/cleaner, but I can't imagine how uncomfortable they are if they're somewhat heavy blankets at that temp. It wouldn't be worth it to me!

[vicklynn]

If over 70 degrees, the horses are hotter in full gear.
Me myself, Id not do it. I would think I was looking to make my horse sick or colic.

[Horseaholic]

Yea hrm. It looks like a blanket to me :/ I will say the horses seem to be alert and moving so I guess they may be used to it or???? I just feel bad for them. N with it all black its gotta make them that much hotter.

[Equine_Woman]

I keep mine in a sheet at 70 because I have to keep her clean. . .if it's warm enough or baths I don't keep anything on though. Right now Sterling had a sheet on all week long even though it was in the upper 60s because I have big things we're doing and I don't want to ride a yellow horse.

[WashingtonBay]

I admit I leave mine on during the day sometimes if it's on the line of being too warm, because I KNOW if I take them off, they'll roll in the muddiest spot and I don't want to have to chip the mud off them to put the blankets back on at night. It ain't 70 by day though, and if the sun comes out and it's nice, I like to take them off if I can, so they can get the chance to roll and itch and run naked on the grass. But it does take more time to do that.

[vicklynn]

I can see if its a sheet. They dont hold in the heat a mid or heavy weight blanket does.
A full body dress though? At least they could take the head part off if its not a sheet so they can get some air. JMHO anyways

[CaddoCinnamon]

I wouldn't know because I don't blanket my horses. Sky last year was blanketed but only due to the fact that he had been in a stall at the boarding barn while my other horses were in pasture. I blanketed because he didn't have as much of a winter coat on like the others but this winter none of them have blankets on and it will be down in the single digits this week at night. I do have a foal blanket though for the new foal. Being born wet and cold already I am going to try to protect it as much as possible. When it gets to single digits though I do bring them into the barn. I would imagine that they are hot with being blanketed in 70*

[cheval]

It's unfortunately pretty normal. A lot of people do it. Keeps the horse clean because god forbid they actually have to brush them. I know a lot of show people do it. And a lot of boarding places charge boarders to put and remove blankets so a lot just leave them on.

[Suzi]

It does seem abit warm for blankets. But we may not know all the circumstances. I try to blanket Cora only if I kone the night will be very cold 20 or below. Often these cols snaps may last a few days and she will keep it on even if the days warm to upper 30's. Partly cuz when I leave for work it may still be very cold and may not get home till after dark.