By nature, horses are well equipped to handle the temperature changes and weather conditions that occur as seasons change. They are sleek with ultra short coats in summer; winter has them naturally wrapped in warm, wooly fur. Left to their own devices, horses manage cold, heat, wet and all variations of climatic changes without human intervention.
The Horse of Today
But this is now and most horses are no longer running free. Horses must live their lives at our beck and call and whims. The great majority of horses are kept in stables; many are confined to paddocks and pastures. Some horses have to rough it while others are coddled and pampered. We clip them in cold weather, exercise and work them in heat – you get it – they serve our folly, sport, pleasure and more. No longer free to roam the range, horses depend on us for their very lives.
It is up to us, then, to treat them well, give them the best possible care and give back. All of this has changed how we house, treat and care for our horses. Now there is need to blanket and pamper, especially our show stock. We must protect our horse friends against the elements and pesky biting insects. So, horse clothing has become a staple in the horse industry and in the horse world.
Horse Blankets Are Part of Today’s Horse World
At www.DressYourHorse.com equine wearables are our specialty and we like to think that we know a little something about blankets and how and when to use them. Our own Old Gray Mare is penning this timely discussion so that you can make the basic decision: to blanket or not to blanket. In a separate article, the Old Mare details different types of blankets and sheets. For our purposes here, she discusses why to get a horse blanket and how to keep your horse comfortable and safe in it.
Should My Horse Wear a Horse Blanket?
Scenario 1: The Show Horse – It is New England and you are hitting the show circuit nearly every weekend. Your showing season is short and the time that your horse carries the glossy, sleek and polished summer coat is likewise short. In this part of the country, for some horses, coats begin transitioning as early as September and miniature horses and ponies put on the wooly bloom even earlier. In any event, the sleek coat for this year’s show season is over early. To have any chance in competition, you have to clip – and we’re talking a whole body clip. It is then necessary to keep the horse warm and protected. In this case scenario, a blanket or sheet or both are necessary.
With this blanketing comes an additional responsibility, however. Fall weather in New England can have hot spells and also cold temperatures with great fluctuations on a day-to-day basis. Your horse is clipped so it is necessary that the blanket goes on in cold, comes off when it’s warm – it is essential to maintain the horse’s comfort level based on temperature changes, and your responsibility is to toggle between heavier and lighter horse clothing.
Scenario 2: The Family Horse in summer – Your horse is living nightly in a stall and is turned out regularly during the day. He is quite content and happy with his living arrangements – the stall is cozy and warm. But in summer the flies bite hard and often and the mosquitos don’t give your horse a break. You spray the horse each time he is turned out during fly season. So the horse spends his day grazing, sleeping and stomping. He rolls and stomps some more – the fly spray’s effect starts to wear off and now your horse gets increasingly uncomfortable. At the end of the day he’s only too happy to come into his sheltered stall. In this scenario, a fly protective sheet AND a face/ear mask are recommended. Horses are exposed to a number of dangerous health conditions that result from biting insects, especially sleeping sickness. While no fly sheet will completely protect him, a fly cover used together with fly spray will help.
Scenario 3: The Family Horse in winter – Your horse is regularly turned out and the seasons come and go. He has staved off pesky biting insects; he’s gotten wet in driving rain; he’s happy to live outside during the day but he’s often more thrilled to be brought in. Sometimes it is not just the food that he’s after – he appreciates the shelter too. As the season changes, his coat thickens. His natural coat offers a lot of protection against the conditions but is it really enough? You don’t get the chance to exercise him regularly and field turnout is his daily routine. In this scenario, he should be allowed to wear a turnout blanket to ward off piercing wind, rain and snow. Quite possibly you can use the heavier turnout during the day and dress your horse in a stable blanket at night.
Scenario 4: To Blanket in Cold Weather or Not to Blanket -- Here is The Old Gray Mare’s perspective and a cautionary warning. In cold weather, a single lightweight or inexpensively-made blanket may actually be worse for your horse than no blanket at all. Picture it -- The hair on a horse’s coat flattens down from the weight of a blanket. It loses its natural insulation qualities and leaves the horse colder than without the horse blanket in the first place. Therefore, careful selection of a winter horse blanket with insulation is imperative.
Scenario 5: Grooming and Cleanliness -- You love your horse and enjoy having him. Yet the grooming chores and daily maintenance gets shortchanged at times. You don’t have a horse vacuum and have very little time to groom. Yes, in this scenario, it is a good idea to blanket your horse. A horse blanket or a stable sheet will protect the coat, prevent grime in the coat, and best of all, eliminate matted hair and spots on the coat. It does much of the grooming for you and most definitely helps keep your horse clean. You will have to make certain the blanket is not too heavy for the conditions, or the sheet is too light, or you need to add another blanket. Always be concerned that your horse has freedom of movement in his horse clothing. Well, you know now what to do to have a comfy, cozy horse.
So far we have discussed a few instances in horse care and confinement that may require blanketing the horse. There are dozens more but you get the point – It is likely your horse will need to be clothed now and then or all the time. Once you have made the decision to blanket your horse, you must consider quality of the blanket, safety of your horse, excellent fit, freedom of movement, weight, turnout versus stable blanket and so on.
Here are just a few of the reasons to blanket your horse:
* Protect the clipped horse against cold temperatures
* Provide additional warmth for thin-skinned, short coated horses
* Protect regularly turned out horses
* Enhance shine and condition of coat
* Keep horses clean
* Maintain coat color and finish
* Protect against cuts, scrapes
There are also reasons against blanketing your horse:
* Danger of possible injury to the horse
* Risk of entanglement by legs, feet, even the tail
* Blanket too large – horse rubs
* Blanket too small – horse rubs
* Horse does not like to wear blankets and sheets
* Horse is destructive and works at ridding himself of horse blankets
* Expense of purchasing blanket
* Maintenance of blanket and cost to clean
* Blanket may be too cumbersome for your overactive horse
All of these pros and cons are valid but only you know your horse. If he is obviously uncomfortable in horse clothing and risks injuring himself to get it off, then it is best to keep him in his natural state. The show horse that is clipped will definitely need a body and neck covering in addition to close observance of fluctuating temperature. Horses that race, train, event, jump, hunt – just about any discipline – will probably require blanketing.
You may have decided to purchase a horse blanket or horse sheet but hold off – there are so many choices on the market and online. Decide on your budget. Horse blanket come in many fabric choices, weights, styles, with and without insulation and the list goes on. The Old Gray Mare suggests you carefully read up on the various types of horse blankets and consider your circumstances before you purchase. Another article describing horse blankets in great detail is due out shortly and, certainly, there are many other sources to check out as well.
Do your homework and make the right decision for your horse friend.
This article and other horse-related articles by The Old Gray Mare can be found on the www.DressYourHorse.com website.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment