12/12/2023
Every winter, with the first snow or real cold, there is a buzz online about whether, or not, we should blanket our horses. The moral police are battling it out with those who are up on their science. While the rest of us make popcorn and sit back to watch, let me just say this.
If my horses are ‘easy keepers’, letting them go unblanketed in the cold months is a gift towards their long-term health. The act of staying warm means that they will burn extra calories, without undue hardship. The ponies are (finally!) allowed to run out with the main herd because the cold will mean that they do not need to watch their waistlines. Here, the extreme cold has killed off the grasses and grazing is now like feeding ‘lean’ hay.
This ‘going without’ is nature’s way of giving fat horses a metabolic reset. I see so many horses and ponies who are missing out on this chance to reboot their systems, by being kept rugged up and warm.
On the other hand, if my horses are ‘hard doers’, needing more and more feed to maintain condition through the coldest months, then I will blanket them in cold, wet or windy weather to better replicate the months when they were warm enough. It is far cheaper for me to maintain their condition, as though it is perennially summertime, than it is to reverse the downward trend of losing weight.
For once these high-mettled or older horses begin to lose condition, like reversing an ocean liner, there is a very long time between switching gears and changing direction! I truly hate seeing Thoroughbreds or senior equines of all breeds allowed to lose their roundness and their toplines over winter. I will also keep these horses munching constantly, rather than feeding them two or three daily meals, for it is this processing roughage that generates their inner heat.
No matter the camps in which your horses or ponies belong, remember that a horse who is working to stay warm seldom stays fat. This can be good; this can be bad... depending upon the horse.
Pretty much the only rule I live by when it comes to blanketing horses, is this: USE YOUR COMMON SENSE, though it can seem a rarity in today’s world of keeping livestock. I have included a few links to past posts on the subject, just for your reading pleasure!
On leg straps, from 2022: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=522338459261200&set=a.2555510891129129
Why and when, from 2021: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=486705259491187&set=a.5046540568692803
On and off, from 2017: https://www.facebook.com/livingwellridingbetter/photos/a.941914435822124/1892521350761423/
If you are blanketing your horses for coat condition, none of the above info is going to matter, much. You will be blanketing, period… especially if the horse is under lights, or is body clipped.
Please be mindful of the weight (warmth) of the blanket and neck piece, that it truly matches the demands of the weather and to unclothe your horse every day or two, so that he, or she, may be thoroughly groomed… after a good roll for wellness.
Yes, we can have lovely coats for the show ring, along with happy, comfortable horses!
