just a question

Sarah's horse comes in on saturday...(dec 20th), my 2 horses are out side 24/7 with a run in barn, sarah's new mare is use to being in a stall at night and turned out in the day time, my question because of this she dosn't have the think winter coat I would like her to have....just wondering if I should be blanketing her at night's while turned out and take it off in the mornings untill her coat get's thicker?

Id probably blanket her for now. When I got my TB she didnt have a thick winter coat so I was stuck blanketing her all winter. We took it off it was a cool day and she was literally shaking. So id probably blanket her if she doesnt have that thick on a winter coat.

I would blanket her if she's cold (shivering, feels cold to the touch). If she seems fine, then leave her naked.

I got a blanket for Montana because he was always blanketed, but he has yet to show any signs of him being cold.

Horses are good at adapting :)

Unless she was stalled in a heated barn, chances are her coat is sufficiently long enough to be left alone but I would certainly watch her for a few days.

Agreed. I've seen only a handful of horses who despite the cold weather never seemed to grow a coat so those ones had to be blanketed. Just keep an eye out on her and go from there.

I also agree with Iridehorses. Keep a close eye on her and only blanket if she's showing definate signs of cold. My thinking is that blanketing "just in case" could further hamper her growing in a sufficent coat. Hold off till it's necessary. My $.02

I would blanket. Nothing is worse then waking up in the middle of the night wondering if your new horse is cold. I read an article that says it takes a horse 21-27 days to acclimate to a new climate. I usually touch there ears if I'm debating whether or not to blanket. If they are cold then I put one on. I have no idea where I got that from but I've done it for years.

I would just watch her... a blanket can actually hinder the horse's ability to control her body temp. The hairs move to allow more or less surface area to be subject to the air. If you stop the movement, you are restricting her ability to adapt to her new environment. Make sure she has lots to eat and straw to eat is a great body heat generator. If she shows signs of being cold, OK, throw a blanket on her, but otherwise leave her be. She has a run-in and other horses. Likely she'll be fine.