[Princessa]

7 month old Arabian. At which temperature should I start with the turnout blanket? Also, at which temperature should he stay in his stall? He will be gelded next month. Not sure if that makes a difference or not. Thanks! :wink:

 

[goneriding]

I usually don't blanket. If the baby isn't shivering and has shelter, hay, water and is in good health, I would not blanket, just my 2 cents. Their coats serve a purpose.

 

[squirrelfood]

Agreed. Blankets are to make OWNERS feel better.

 

[Saddlebag]

My arab, only once in 10 years needed to be blanketed. He wouldn't stay in the shelter or even bum up against it. The weather was cold, rain/snow and windy at the beginning of winter. He was blanketed for the day only. As soon as that weather subsided the blanket was removed. Last year we got the same weather at the beginning of winter. My qh was wet and shivered for two days. There was beautiful hay in the shelter but no, he too wouldn't go in. This year I'm prepared with a waterproof rain sheet, brand new. Now we probably won't get that weather!

 

[PaintHorseMares]

We had a terrible winter last year and our colt was fine without a blanket.
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[squirrelfood]

Shelter, hay, and a winter coat keep them warm in most all weather. If a horse is shivering, blanket til they stop and give more hay. Digesting long fiber builds body heat.

 

[jazzy475]

Most healthy horses don't need to be blanketed. When temps drop feed more hay all he can eat. Best to leave them outside horses need movement and being locked up prevents that.

My horses survived a very cold snowy winter with no blankets last winter they did just fine,they were outside 24/7.

 

[BugZapper89]

This would all depend on what his purpose is. My show stock has been covered up and brought in and kept under lights since the end of August. I can't let them blow their show coats. If its just a backyard animal them you don't even need a blanket , but should provide some form of shelter either a stall or run in to get out of the weather

 

[Roman]

^ You can't groom their coats clean? Instead go once and leave the blankets to keep their coats all perty and shiny?

My horse doesn't get blanketing at all. And even in the dead of winter who it's snowing and there's plenty of room in the shed, he'll stand right outside it!
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[jimmyp]

-35 for a week straight here last winter, my yearling (well he was about 10mo at the time) was good to go, just make sure they have plenty of water and plenty of free choice hay and they should be good to go.

Also he was in the barn out of the wind.

Jim

 

[jaydee]

Foals do tend to grow thicker coats than older horses but in persistent rainy weather that coat can get flattened down and then it doesn't do a very good job on insulating them. If he's stalled at night so he has a chance to dry out then he should do fine without a blanket, if he starts to drop weight despite getting well fed & stands shivering and 'tucked up' then he will need one.
I would also blanket if he starts refusing to go outside and wants to stand in all the time - they need exercise to reduce colic risks
A lot of horses won't stand in shelters because they fear getting trapped in an enclosed space with other horses - not because they enjoy standing out in a blizzard.
Really you should do what's right for your horse based on what he needs and not what anyone else thinks he needs.
As long as common sense is applied and you don't get them overheated, blankets get removed regularly and the horse brushed out and checked over and you use the right weight for the temperature nothing ever died of having one on.

 

[KigerQueen]

If he wont use the shelter blanket with a waterproof blanket in wet weather. Their coat cant work right if its wet. If you dont mine him fuzzy dont worry about it. just use as needed.

 

[Saddlebag]

Normally my horses aren't blanketed but some just don't have quite enough coat in early Nov. Most years we don't get the cold wind/rain/wet snow combo at the beginning of winter. Horses get spooky in a barn or shelter when it's windy as it plays havoc with their senses and the walls block their line of sight. This is why they prefer to bum up against a wall.

 

[IndianaJones]

I dunno folks...horses move in the wild when the weather changes. They change their own environment to keep comfortable. Wild horses live primarily where?

I don't mean to be controversial...but to hear a baby in -35 without blanketing makes me cringe (no offense really...it's just how I feel). If you contain an animal you are responsible...when do you blanket? After they go down? If they don't you are in the clear? Sounds miserable. I use to live in Montana and see all of the cases of frostbitten ears (half gone or missing)...and all the good ole boys saying "everything was fine".

 

[Saddlebag]

Yesterday was windy and the weather switched back and forth from fine rain to fine ice pellets. I kept an eye on the qh but he was doing fine so no need for the rain sheet. Horses have very thick hide on their rumps and that's why they'll stand with their rumps to the wind, rain, hail, etc. How would blanketing protect the horse's ears?

 

[Ninamebo]

^ You can't groom their coats clean? Instead go once and leave the blankets to keep their coats all perty and shiny?

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Just an aside- the lights and blankets have nothing to do with the horses not getting groomed on a regular basis- it is a way to trick their systems into keeping their short summer coat for showing, therefore a blanket is necessary to help the horse stay warm where their winter coat would usually do the job. Does not mean they do not also get groomed on a regular basis. Some people show for a living and take necessary measures such as lighting for coats seriously, and that is okay for them.

Sorry for the tangent, to the original question, I agree that unless the colt is showing signs of weight loss, shivering, or it is raining, coat is plastered down and cold/ windy, he should be good with basic shelter and hay. Not sure where OP is at, but some parts of the world don't ever get cold enough to have to worry about this.

 

[jaydee]

You have to make decisions based on the individual horse - it didn't seem too cold here on Saturday even though it rained all day yet two of my five horses came in visibly cold so I got it wrong for them