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[RC] [RC] Which Blanket on Trailered Horse? - Deanna German

Val, I think this is one of those "it depends" answers. It depends on the
individual horse. I haul my mare in a stock trailer, and I put at least a
sheet on her unless it's 73+. (Yes, she shivers unless I do that.) I hauled
at this time of year a couple of years ago. She was only stabled at night
and had developed a fair amount of hair, although not what I would call a
full winter coat. Hauled one way with a water resistant, lightweight winter
blanket -- yes it mashes down the hair, but more importantly, she stayed dry
and the blanket acted as a windbreaker. In the other direction, the temps
had dropped significantly so I layered the blankets: fleece, then wool, then
lightweight winter blanket. (I didn't own the teflon coated, uber-warm
heavy-duty winter blanket at that time, but I do now and I've used it!) All
but her butt were toasty (slant load trailer -- definite design flaw!), no
sweating. BTW, all the blankets are breathable.

On my most recent trip in September, on a 4 hour haul home (north) at
sunset, I watched the temperature gauge in my truck and every time it
dropped 10 degrees, I stopped and added a layer. Started out with nothing,
added a thick cotton sheet when it went below 70, added a lightweight winter
blanket when it went below 60. When we arrived home, it was in the mid- to
upper-40's and she was toasty without being sweaty.

So this horse needs lots of blanketing. (Hey, OTOH, she is a great horse for
hot and humid weather!) Another horse might not need anything at all. As
with most things, you have to look at the individual -- and what kind of
trailer they are in -- and decide what's best for that horse.

Good luck!

Deanna


Val wrote:

So at what temps do you decide upon a light cotton
sheet and a water-resistant woollined blanket?  These
are the only two blankets we've got to choose from.
Should I use both perhaps?  Or let her go without
which I think is not a good option?

Thanks,
Val + Sania


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