Blanketing with a new horse

Hi everyone! I am soon receiving a new Paint Gelding. He is an adoption. Over the past 5 years, he has been sent to pasture in the winter without any protection against the elements (blanketing, shelter, ect.) with a herd of 40 horses. And every year one of their horses dies from the extreme cold. I will be rehoming him into a pasture of 5 other horses and a shelter, but he will be there year round and all day long. Even if its snowing. I will try to bring him inside to groom him everyday, but that will only be for an hour or so at a time. So I have decided to blanket, but I am unsure how to approach this. Lightweight or heavy weight blanket? And what brands/styles are good in harsh winters? It must be water proof. Any Blankets you guys love? I only have to money to buy one good blanket right now. So it has to last me all winter!

Note: I live in nebraska. We often get up to 4ft in snow and below freezing tempatures. He's used to it, because that is where he is from. But I would still like to make it easier on him.


Thank you!

Please also note he is roughly 13 years old. And a very fat boy He also grows a quite a fuzzy coat. He is quite calm too. So a blanket would not scare him, it would just take some getting used to.

It's a personal choice, really.

You will find some people on here who would say "no, don't blanket" and others who will say you should.

IMO, there is no right or wrong answer.

PERSONALLY, I do blanket when they are outside( we don't have a run in), even my big fat hairy draft. And I live in southern PA where we rarely go below zero. I also stall them during ice storms or blizzards.

Since you have decided to blanket, and he DOES have a run in and you only want to buy one blanket.....I would probably go with a lightweight or medium weight....i definitely wouldn't invest in a heavyweight as you will only be able to use it during extreme cold...so it's use would be limited.

Lightweights usually are around 180 grams of fill or thereabouts.

Medium weights usually are around 220 grams of fill or thereabouts.

Since your horse grows a nice thick coat, has shelter....I would think that the only thing he really needs from a blanket is waterproofing...since he likely won't stay in the run in constantly and will likely wander out of it even if it is snowing or raining.... My personal opinion is that considering what we know of your circumstances, a lightweight would be best... certainly, I would NOT buy the blankets with 300 or 400 grams of fill.

Rambo blankets seem to be the best, but they are very very pricey. Same with Kensington.

Just remember: water resistant or water repellent IS NOT the same as water proof.


More important than brand name is that you want something 100% WATERPROOF.

Thank you so much for your help. Because he is an adoption, he will be checked up on by the rescue agency frequently, and I need to make sure he maintaining his body temperature. I think a lightweight blanket will be my choice, considering he is used to the weather. Do you know of any other brands a little less expensive? Like 100 or under. I plan on buying my blanket from Statelinetack.com

I definetly need something durable. I'm assuming he won't take good care of it because he has never had one before. Haha

My OTTB has a few Saxon, one Weatherbeeta, and one Tough1 blanket....I have horse blanket obsessive compulsive disorder....

Saxon: ok. Tend to run a bit small so if your horse in chunky or in between sizes, you may want to order a size UP. We have had some waterproofing problems after time....it seems as if the waterproofing doesn't last as long as it should...i mean after years, not days or weeks. But it's only ONE of the saxon blankets, the other two are still waterproof, but they aren't as old as the other one.

Weatherbeeta: these seem to be a bit more quality blanket. He has one of these and we like it. They tend to run a bit larger, though. So if your horse falls in between sizes, you may want to order a size down.

Tough1: he has one of these and we really like it. He has the zebra print one that stateline carries. IT's a heavy weight though, so if you can find this blanket in a light or medium weight, it is a very good blanket.

Some good blankets you may want to consider: since he's in a herd and an outdoor horse, denier matters...you want a high denier blanket....

Saxon 1200D Medium Turnout Blanket 150g - Statelinetack.com

Weatherbeeta 1200D Original Turnout Blanket - Statelinetack.com

Tough-1 1200 Denier 200G Turnout Blanket - Statelinetack.com

I see some brands I don't recognize like Big D and TuffRider....perhaps others have had some experience with those....

The most important thing in your circumstance is at least 1200 denier and fill around 200 grams or less.....

I was definetly considering the weatherbeta's. Do you know more about the warrenties that come with horse blankets?

If you guys haven't noticed, this is my first horse.
I've been riding for 8 years, but this is the first one i've owned.
Super exciting, yet nerve-racking.

Also, does anyone use a neck sleeve for their horses? Or is it really unnessesary?

If he has good weight and keeps it, has access to quality hay 24/7, gets a good winter coat and has other horses to huddle with he shouldn't need a blanket. You could use a light or middle weight blanket for cold snaps or if it rains. Otherwise if you use it regularly, it will mat his coat down so it doesn't work when you take the blanket off. If your horse stays too warm with the blanket on, he'll sweat or could lose his winter coat. I wouldn't use a neck sleazy on him unless you are planning on doing shows where winter coats are frowned on or you clip him
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Good point, I didn't really think it would mat is coat down. I think we'll end up getting a lightweight one. So we can use it in the spring when its warm and raining, too. He only has 5 other horses in his pasture, compared to his 40 he's been with. It gets really harsh here, it ends up being below zero a good 40 percent of the time in late december/early january. And it blizzards a lot very suddenly. So I wouldnt have time to go out and put his blanket on before it gets bad. I guess I just planned on keeping it on at all times in the winter.

Would a lightweight one still do damage to his coat? Even if I fluffed up his coat almost every day by grooming him? I just want to keep the snow off his coat.

Note: He will not be recieving grain. And he will be ridden.

Actually, when the horse gets snow on it, it will for a natural blanket. Kind of an igloo effect. Even a light weight blanket will make his hair lay flat and lose it's insulating effectiveness.

We live in ND and have just as bad winters. Our horses are outdoors 24/7 and only have trees for shelter. They have good hay free choice and do just fine without blankets.

Just my opinion but horses are better off left outdoors and no blankets. Granted some need them if they are older, have health issues or have a hard time keeping weight on.
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