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Dunfilly July 11, 2011 at 11:27 pm

My thought is: if it’s wet, and it’s going to drop below freezing, I throw the blankets on. I guess I just feel bad for them, but I’d rather be safe than have a middle of the night vet visit! I’ve never had a problem with the coat not growing when I do that, and (knock on wood) haven’t had any colic because of the weather…

kazzee July 12, 2011 at 12:04 pm

I LOVE Schneider’s. I bought a 1200D, waterproof, 300 gram polyfill winter blanket from their website for $70 and I absolutely love it. You can find basically anything from there. Their website is http://www.sstack.com Good luck!Edit: here’s the link to the list of blanket’s from Schneider’s. It should be ordered by price from lowest to highest.http://www.sstack.com/shopping/browse/directorymain.jsp?itemID=549&itemType=INDEX&iMainCat=91&iSubCat=549&ViewAll=true&sort=2

jocelyn July 12, 2011 at 11:53 pm

I would buy a blanket. As long as the blanket fits properly and is not chaffing, you can leave it on her. When you first leave it on her, you will need to check and make sure it is not rubbing the hair off her shoulders and or haunches. (they make lycra “undergarments” to prevent this).

CH July 13, 2011 at 11:55 am

Winter coats grow in in response to diminishing daylight as well as temperature. Feeding extra fats in the early fall help to bring in a good winter coat.If you can let her live more naturally, as in free to come and go from her stall day and night, she will grow a better coat (and be mentally and physically more sound). If there are lights on in the barn all night they will interfere with normal winter coat developement as light plays at least as much of a role as temperature. Heat in the barn will also be a problem.I have had horses in Alaska for 30 years and only blanket when it is very windy or wet. I only have a run in shed that is rarely utilized. Even as cold as 30 below I do not blanket. My horses have all gone well in to their 20th years with this system. One was 29 before lameness claimed him and the current one is a 21 1/2 year old QTR/TB mix that I have had 17 years.Of more importance is adequate roughage since it is digestion of hay that produces the most body heat for the horse. Adequate water and salt are also important. Grain is not even necessary if hay quality is good and plentiful. That said, because my horse is a hard keeper, I do supplement in the winter with clean oats (about 2 cups a feeding) and rice bran (about 1 cup) with a cup of oil mixed with hot water twice a day just to make sure he keeps his weight.If you need a blanket the ones made by Weatherbeeta/Toklat or Orican have a generous cut and the high neck (http://www.jeffersequine.com/ssc/pop_prodimage.asp?CID=1&id=0032715) that covers half their neck. I prefer that since the blankets that are cut to fit behind the withers cut into my high withered horse when he puts his head down to eat. If the blanket is wind and water proof even a light weight one will help, but if she is not acting cold (standing hunched up, tense looking or shivvering) she is better left unblanketed since it will mash down what hair she has and she will lose the normal loft of the coat that keeps them warm. She will also never grow a coat if always blanketed then you are stuck with one the whole winter.Be sure you do not get too heavy of a blanket or she will sweat and that would be worse than no blanket at all. 360gram is a pretty heavy blanket for bad weather.

K F July 13, 2011 at 11:50 pm

NOW.Or would you rather you waited until he’s shivering and colicked?Put it this way, if you can’t stand outside for an hour with only a light sweater on, your horse is cold, too…………………………….And, FWIW, protein has nothing to do with keeping a horse warm. The act of digesting forage keeps a horse warmer. Literally, ‘burning’ calories. That is NOT to say you should dump extra sweet feed in front of him when it’s colder out. Please read up on basic horse care. Cherry Hill published some wonderful books for the first time owner. Also, find an equine vet NOW before you need one. It would be horrible if your horse suffered due to accidental neglect.

Darby July 14, 2011 at 12:08 pm

try and find a closed front blanket they dont come off but if you cannot find this a normal combo rug is fine but she would need a heavyweight because it is supposed to be very snowy this winter. as she is in a indoor barn then she will only need a fleece in there.hope this helps

Alicia July 14, 2011 at 11:37 pm

Anything over about 45 I take blankets off. If it drops down really cold again you can always put them back on. It is kind of a day to day thing until the weather stays warm going into spring.

doublerranch74851 July 15, 2011 at 11:34 am

My mini has such a heavy coat that I only blanket in the worst of weather. There are supplies that specialize in mini blankets and most tack catalogs carry them. Such as vally vet, country vet, etc.I only use a medium blanket on our mini.http://www.aminihorsesupply.com/blanketssheets.htmlhttp://www.minitack.com/ http://www.tackforminis.com/blankets/index.asphttp://www.miniexpress.com/mxProductsByCategory.asp?intCatalogID=20&strCatalog_NAME=BlanketsRemember, Google is your friend!

xchancex331x July 16, 2011 at 12:16 am

Do you have any friends at the barn that have one size smaller blanket? If so, you can borrow it just to tru it on your horse for a minute and see how it fits hope this helps