The Blanket Debate

There are many people out there who discourage the idea of blanketing horses saying that horses have their own best protection from winter elements - their coat. And that people actually hinder their horse's ability to stay warm by putting artificial warming on them (ie blankets and sheets) and by doing so, it flattens their coat and disallows them to insulate themselves.

Than you have the other folks that have some sort of blanket on their horse year round. Fly sheets in the winter, lightweight rain turnouts in the fall and spring, and the midweight to heavy turnout or stable blankets for the winter.

My opinion? I agree that horses are their own best protection. There are plenty of horses that are thrown out to pasture in the winter with maybe a shelter, fuzzy and warm with just the aid of good hay thrown to them daily. This is best for the horse that is infrequently or not at all worked in the winter. In an ideal situation, I would keep Milo in the same conditions. However this doesnt always meet the needs of the rider/owner or horse. I like to ride my horse in the winter and I also keep him in a stabled environment.

Certain considerations to take into account when considering blanketing or not blanketing a horse:

• Living Conditions: Is your horse in a large, well lit and warm barn or facility? Is he in a smaller barn with less lighting and heat generated by other horses? Or is he in a pasture type situation with just a run in shelter?
• Type of workload: Are you planning on showing your horse this winter? Do you plan on just the occassional ride? Or are you not going to ride at all or very little?
• Feeding Options: Is your horse on a good and frequent hay supply? Does he receive grain too? The best natural insulator you can give your horse is a good hay supply all winter long.

For Milo, he will be living in a shelter/stall with large paddock overnight, and turned out in a large pasture during the day. Our coldest temperatures here get to the teens. Milo also gets a good load of hay (three times a day) and a cup of grain daily for his supplements. And I also plan to ride him frequently. So for Milo's situation I will most likely have him under a midweight blanket and a modest clip.

Now is a good time to start thinking about you and your horse's winter conditions. Do you need your blanket cleaned or repaired before the winter months set in? I know I do!