Re: RC: Re: Re: What about blankets when trailering?

["Tiffany D'Virgilio" <dvirgilio@mindspring.com>]

on 10/25/01 8:43 AM, Heidi Smith at heidi@sagehillcmk.com wrote:

> My biggest concern re blankets is WET horses with no way to get out of it.
> Our horses are quite comfy in their own fluffy hair at -40F, given plenty of
> good food (and that IS a time where alfalfa is nice), and if anything,
> blankets mash down the hair and make them colder.  Same for trailering in
> the cold.  But if they are WET (say, 33F and raining), their hair gets
> flattened and is no longer a good insulation layer.  I'd be far more apt to
> blanket in, say, Seattle, than in an eastern Montana blizzard...
I agree-the only time I blanket is when it is going to be wet AND cold. This
year will be great-I have a four stall barn and they can stay in in the
really bad storms. One other thing-if you are going sans blanket, you need
to make sure to keep your horse clean or at least brushed out. If they get
coated with mud, they can't fluff that hair and keep themselves warm, so
daily currying is needed.
Tiffany