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Wind chill as low as -40 tonight?! Help me decide what to do for my horse please!

7K views 22 replies 11 participants last post by  candandy49 
#1 ·
Okay, so I just checked the weather and the low tonight is going to be -18 degrees, with a wind chill of -30 to -40.. wind between 15 and 30 mph.

I'm a little worried about my (20 year old) horse, because that is cold. He has spent all winter outside in the pasture with no blanket and seems to be doing fine. I could be overreacting, because I tend to get myself worried about nothing at all.

My question is, should I blanket him? He has a very heavy winter coat right now - he is incredibly fluffy. I do have a heavyweight turnout blanket with a neck cover, but I don't know if that will benefit him or not a this point.

We've had quite a few bitter cold days and nights like this, but I don't know if we've had one quite this cold... I'm really at a loss! What do you guys think?
 
#2 ·
Rhivia, he'd get more good out of being given free choice hay than blanketing, especially since you say he already has a nice, thick winter coat.

Can you give him his very own bale of hay overnight? That will help keep him happy and warm.
 
#3 · (Edited)
i'm curious to see what others opinions on this are, as well..

last week we had it get that cold just for a day; my horse isn't blanketed and has been fine all winter but i kept him inside that day just in case. rather be safe than sorry. if i couldn't have kept him in, i probably would have put a blanket on him, and i agree with the extra hay.


edit: just wanted to add if he wasn't as old as he was, i probably wouldn't worry if he has a nice coat.. my horse is 6 and if he had a very thick coat i think i would've left him outside, with shelter of course. but my horse that's 20 always stays in or gets blanketed on extra cold days. maybe i baby them too much though. my mom's a worrywart, i kinda inherited it from her
 
#4 ·
I agree with Speedracer..
I don't know if he has a run in or anything but that will cut the wind also.
If your really worried about it put the blanket on him it couldn't hurt. Unless he's like my horse and sweats with a thick blanket on..
 
#6 ·
The extra hay would be a really good idea. I blanket my horses if it gets REALLY cold. With weather like that I would blanket him..If his winter coat is really fluffy I wouldn't worry so much. Definitly don't blanket him if its going to rain or even mist. The moisture will freeze on his blanket and make it worse than anything.
 
#8 ·
Thank you everyone for your input!

I should have mentioned that there is no run-in or shelter available. He is in a 40+ acre pasture that all of the barn's horses share during the day (not ideal - I know), and he and maybe 4 or 5 other horses stay out at night. There are a lot of hills and low spots for some natural protection, but not even many trees. However, they are fed hay by one of the gates and that area is pretty vunerable to the wind.

I do think they get an adequate amount of hay to last them the night.
 
#10 ·
I would not blanket him. Instead I would give him free choice (nicer quality if you have it so he can eat more) hay and make sure he has a good windbreak. If he's kept with other horses and the shelter isn't large make sure there is something else he can get behind or under to stay warm.

It was bitterly cold a couple weeks ago, -30 without windchills. I gave each of my horses a bale and a half a hay each day. They were getting over 60 pounds of hay each. They didn't eat it all but I could be secure in the knowledge that they could eat as much as they needed.

ETA - Ok, not cool. At the very least each of those horses need their own bale of hay overnight. And it needs to be put in the low spots where there are windbreaks. They shouldn't be fed in the windy spot when it's that cold.
 
#17 ·
A horse's haircoat is very think, but it must be allowed to stand up for it to be effective. A blanket compresses the coat, and can make a horse colder; or conversely, the horse could overheat if it isn't as cold as we think. The compression factor is also why its advised to groom the horse through the winter so the coat can stand up.
Ever notice how snow stays on a horse's coat? That's because there is so little heat escaping (it's kept against the horse's body) that the snow doesn't melt.
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#12 ·
Not a stupid question, Buck.

A horse who isn't used to a blanket could overheat, which can cause all sorts of issues.

None of mine have been blanketed this winter, including my TB. They all have nice, wooly winter coats, and when the weather's rainy/snowy, I put them in their stalls for protection against the precipitation and overload them with hay. All of them, including my coming 25 y/o, are fat and sassy.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Ahhh.. Ok that makes sence thanks

The other boarder at my barn has a 29yr old and a 25yr old and all she puts on them is a thin sheet to break the wind. plus they have stalls they can go in and out and globs of hay they are fat as well... And most the time even when it is raining/snowing they are all standing outside..
 
#14 ·
And by blanketing a horse you are taking away all of it's natural insulation. If a horse is out of the wind with adequate hay most are warmer and much more comfortable without a blanket than with it.

When it snows my horses will actually trade off sitting in the lean to "warming up" and cooling off in the wind/snow.
 
#15 ·
Shelter (windbreak), free choice hay, and warmed water. The windbreak is obvious; it cuts the wind down and with a horse or two in it, it becomes much warmer. Free coice or extra hay so the horse's energy is kept up, as more will be burnt through keeping the horse warm. Lastly, an adequate, warmer-than-ice-cold water supply to keep the gut working. :)
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#19 ·
Thanks guys, I really appreciate all of your advice!

I called the barn manager and asked her to bring him in tonight. I figured it was worth the $10 or $15 that it would cost to keep him in a stall for one night. Better safe than sorry!

So, he will be in a warm, dry stall with lots of hay tonight! :)
 
#21 ·
I'm glad you did that. My older horse has lost the ability to keep himself warm the way the others do. By morning mine would be almost nearing convulsions with his shivers. I've gotten to where he comes in even in the summer if it's raining. Or I'll put a thin sheet on him. (he can't eat hay so it's hard) but yours sounds like he's still at the point where he's able to maintain his own body heat.
 
#23 ·
Very good advice going on here about the cold Winter weather temps and during the Winter temps for horse management. The only thing I want to add is that horses fair far better in the colder temps than the warmer Spring and Summer months. The only real concern is for horses on pasture is to make certain they have sufficent wind breaks to get out of the cold winds.
 
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