The great blanket debate

This pretty much sums up my current mood (yes I'm rather crabby! WTForecast app does make me smile tho )

I got adventurous (ie bored) last year and made this meme. It actually went a little "viral" on facebook as anyone with horses...or any other farm animal...can probably relate.

I try to give my horses the best of both worlds. A-circuit luxury when needed, but they get to be horses. They live out in a mixed herd 24/7 (for the most part...when ridiculous weather moves in they get stabled, but generally they live out with free access to good shelter), have unlimited hay (in a slow feed net to mimic grazing intake) in winter and unlimited access to 20 acres of pasture the rest of the year where they freely roam. Minimal grain that is soaked in hot water before feeding, proper minerals. Acupuncture and veterinary care is on tap for every issue. Preventative medicine (teeth, feet, deworming) on schedule and monitored. I aim to keep them barefoot (not always possible but so far, so good!). In a nut shell, their every whim is catered to while I hobble around popping advil and shovelling...well...you know, all kinds of things that start with "s".

The topic of blanketing horses is quite fascinating to me. One of those areas of "expertise" where if you ask 10 people for their opinion you'll get 25 back, break up at least 2 marriages and start a riot..and none will likely apply to your horse's situation. There will be at least 5 who insist that no horse on the planet ever needs a blanket. Or to be clipped. Or fed grain/shod/wear a bit/regular halter/be dewormed....oh the can of worms you can open. Add in 100 different style of blankets varying in price from reasonable to "that's a mortgage payment" and I can see why so many just give up and buy the one in their favorite colour and pray nobody judges them.

For the record..I fully admit most horses don't require blanklets. Generally the "rule" is as long as they aren't clipped, can get stay out of the wind, stay dry and have plenty of hay/water they should be good to go. My mare somehow rolled out of her winter turnout in -32C weather and didn't freeze solid. In fact she seemed quite pleased with her magic trick.

Plenty of so-called "studies" show this. The "natural" horsemanship followers throw them at you. To them I say 3 things.

(1) there's nothing "natural" about the modern-day horse (seriously...my warmbloods are bred to be both competitive in the dressage ring and to perish if left to fend for themselves for more than 8 hours. The only animals more suicidal and less able to make good self-preservation decisions are sheep! And yes we have those too!). The "wild" phenotype horse is a short bodied, short-necked, low riding animal designed to be energy efficient. My 17+hh, long-legged/bodied/necked horses are about as energy efficient as the 1988 SUV I drove my 1st year in practice...pretty sure I bought the local gas station owner a nice retirement home, just like I'm currently doing for the local feed mill.

(2) Most horses don't live where mine do. Try keeping them in Canada. Specifically the Maritimes. With horses that you actually try to ride in winter (and therefore having a yak-like winter coat = 6 hour dry time). And then there's moments when you find this at 17C and know the temperature is dropping down to -20C (seriously!)

I guarantee none of the "no scientific, 100% opinion" studies are done in my climate. That would involve living here in winter...and I can't say I recommend it right now. Catch me in July when it's the opposite problem and we're looking for shade and ice water.

(3) there's way too many exceptions. And I find horses don't particularly like rules. At least mine don't.

I live in the land of crazy weather. We have what's lovingly referred to as a "wet" cold with a chance of 3 seasons in 1 day. The thermometer may say -10 but the feel-like is -29. One day it's -35C. The next it's +15C and raining, causing the barn to flood. Then back to a deep freeze 6 hours later and we're both skating and turning into icicles. Here's the current forecast as I write this

I literally have no idea what to wear myself half the time, never mind what to put on my spoiled, freeloading horses. 2 nights ago the windchill was -25C. By 2pm yesterday it was barely at the freezing mark and as I pulled rugs back to put on freshly-washed shoulder guards, I discover my gelding was so hot he was almost dripping with sweat. Steam actually boiled out and hair was matted. Ooops.

Fail. Please Try Again. Or in this case, dry my horse off and lose a layer as rain (blanket?) rot is always looking for a way to make a bad situation even worse, oh brilliant vet/owner/breeder/rider. Afterall, I'm supposed to know what I'm doing 😶 (he was fine healthwise for anyone concerned, in 45min dry, dressed and out bouncing about).

Then there's feed efficiency to consider. When you shell out a good $100+ on grain and your horses need at least 30lbs of hay just to maintain status quo in IDEAL conditions, it starts to make a lot more sense to blanket so they maintain body condition more easily. With the price of hay and grain skyrocketing, and in some cases become scarce, this is definitely a factor.

There's also time and money. Blanketing takes up a lot of both. And once you start you're kind of stuck with it, especially if you body clip (even if you don't, all the natural protective oil in your horses coat will end up in the blanket, leaving your horse's coat smooth and clean looking...and utterly useless against wet weather) . What starts off with good intentions as being a money and time saver can quickly turn sour when your precious pony and his friends develop an appetite for ballistic nylon and a love for shredding things.

So yes. I'm "pro-blanketing"...BUT only if you can do it correctly. I see so many under blanket/over blanket/blanket wet (or worse yet, turn them out in blankets not waterproof). By putting things on an animal, you take on the responsibility of their thermoregulation. I too was sweating in my parka yesterday. But unlike my horse, I was heading into a warm house and could change into dry clothes. My horse would have been left overheating and possibly at risk of getting chilled (temp tonight -16C, by tomorrow afternoon it's supposed to be +6C and raining).

My tips/tricks (remembering my horses live out in winter in a cold "wet" climate) :

• layers are your friend. My horses all have stable rugs, regular rain sheets and heavier winter turnouts. I mix and match as needed. Backup your rainsheets (because I guarantee if you don't, bad things will happen when you least want them to).

• fit the blanket properly. Too big/small will result in rubs and in extreme cases injuries. They should fit like a jacket, not a tent or spanx.

• unless your horse is in individual turnout and is an absolute saint, minimum 1000D for turnouts. I prefer 1680D. Expensive doesn't = stronger. Most tack shops will let you try as long as the blanket stays clean....an old bed sheet works wonders.

• get them pro-cleaned in cold water once a year, and re-waterproof each time. I use about half a can of silicone spray (for tents...found in any camping section) for each blanket (remembering my horses are big so their blankets are huge...most likely 1/3 will do most sizes). Dirty blankets (on the inside) damage coats and can lead to skin infections. Leaky blankets = wet blankets, and wet blankets will leach tbe body heat from your horse and give them a chill that is far worse than if they just get wet like normal.

• avoid using hoods if your horse will be wearing them 24/7. They tend to cause pressure sores and will ruin the mane.

• check them often. Ideally twice daily. And by check I mean undo straps and readjust. Take them off and groom as often as possible (even if not riding).

• body clip if needed. I find a "bib clip" is all most need to regulate with blankets on, not sweat badly when worked but still have plenty of coat so they don't end up needing 4 heavyweight blankets.

• tuck tape (the clear red tape meant for vapour barrier etc on houses) is the greatest material for patching blankets. Sticks to just about everything and stays bonded in cold. Heck stays bonded in the wash!