Blanketing Horses

[CountryMom]

We blanket our show horses and they have 24/7 turn out. Never had an issue with it. I blanket when we get below 50. Keeps their coats slick and them from getting nasty dirty. I also blanket the ponies after their full body clips for our Feb stockshow. And we are in South Texas. Years ago had an old old Thorough bred mare that LOVED a blanket. Have an old QH mare now that HATES a blanket. LOL

 

[helmstead]

Ah - show coats...

I never did bother with the hoods when I was maintaining my show horses. I added blankets when night temps hit 40, taking them off in the daytime...then once day temps hit 40 they lived in their blankets.

A BIG part to keeping the show coat is lighting. Keep the barn lights on until 9 pm and turn them back on at 4-5 am...this helps trick the system into thinking it's still summer time.

 

[Sebrightmom]

I know a lot of people that keep blankets on them for show reasons. But they also keep their horses in the barn. Some of the barns are even heated. Good Luck at the shows! I wish I had a heated barn for my own reasons. It is too cold to clean the stalls in the winter. I heated barn would be great. Cleaning stalls wouldn't be a problem, plus I have to milk my goat in the cold barn. I am not much of a fan of winter.

 

[kbarrett]

I don't think I'd own a blanket if I lived in FL. On the rare occasion I blanket it's due to an elderly resident I feel can't handle below freezing temps. or another horse with a health issue I feel may affect it's ability to stay warm. Keep in mind they are turned out with shelter 24/7 with the exception of extreme weather, even for a PA winter.
When working at a showbarn & the racetrack we blanketed however not at the warm temps you listed. Even as a showgroom (Arabs) we never blanketed the showstring as much as you're describing. We typically started at the last couple of shows of the season (late Oct/ early Nov.) then over winter.
Even if you're trying to maintain a short coat for showing purposes that seems extreme. We've had a few below freezing nights and mine are only now starting to show a bit of extra in hair dept lol.

 

[lockedhearts]

I Show and Raise QH and Paints. I am, a fanatic about blanketing, even when I lived in FL.
The main cause of hair growth is less daylight. Mine are under lights in the barn until midnight. I also blanket heavy, just cause I am picky about it. I use a sheet under 70, then add layers the colder it gets . They wear hoods and slinkies as well. I do make sure to take the hoods off as much as possible and if we have warm enough days in the winter I try to bathe them so they stay clean.
Mine have gotten a bit fuzzt due to an electrical issue in the barn which caused me to not have lights for a week.

 

[what was i thinking]

i just rescued a horse that is about 500 lbs under weight, from a trail ride place, they were still riding it. we had to buy it but that didn't matter because it wasn't staying there. we brought it home a week ago sunday. that tuesday they got two feet of snow where it was. it would have been standing in it, day and night. he is out with a blanket now, it is 38 degress. he would not be able to handle it. my other horse that is 33 stands in the snow with in two inches thick on his back and doesn't think anything of it. this skinny guy is the only one we blanketed. i have five and my mom has thirteen.

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

When I lived in Florida (Sarasota County) I didn't blanket either, not even my show stock. What I did do, however, was keep them under lights. That kept them just as slick as if I had blanketed them. In damp and chilly weather I did use a sheet on a sweaty horse after heavy exercise, but just until he had a chance to dry out.

Here in Alabama I do blanket my oldest mare when the temps fall below freezing. My rule-of-thumb is that if I need a heater in the stock tank to keep it from forming ice, then I need a blanket on the old mare.

Horses handle cold WAY better than heat.

HTH

 

[Chirpy]

I have never blanketed any of my horses in any type of weather (although they have access to an inside stall 100% of the time but it doesn't have a door). It's interesting that the horses seldom chose to go inside during bad weather even though they have that option.

However, I did start to blanket my 22 yr. old gelding two years ago in the winter when we have single digit weather with high winds. He started to shake in that weather and I was concerned about him being able to regulate his temperature in those storms. So, he may have a blanket on him a handful of days through our Colorado winters.

 

[Wildsky]

I blanketed my horse last year, she came from CA to Nebraska and it was a bit of a shock to the system.

I used a light/medium fleece blanket between 20 and 40 degrees, a heavy blanket below 20.

This year she's not had her blanket on and has a lovely natural thick wooly coat on already! Just this morning I saw her roll in the snow - so it can't be too cold for her.

She does have a nice big barn, we closed off the second door just this weekend, and piled up hay around the sides, and put shavings on the ground.

 

[SittinPretty]

For my show horses at 50 they get a sheet, and below freezing a heavy blanket with a hood. I usually turnout with them on, and have never had a problem. I also leave the lights on longer.