RE: [RC] How much fussing with blankets and shelters is too much? - Rae Callaway
I live in a place where cold isn’t
the norm in the winter. We will be at 80/60 and then drop down to 50/30
for a couple of days, then be back up to 80/60 and this pattern will repeat all
winter. I have two horses that get blankets as a matter of course.
They have proven to me that they will not grow extra hair and I’ve seen
them shivering so bad their back legs come off the ground. The rest of
the herd will fuzz up pretty quickly after the first cold front and I’ll
only blanket those when it’s below 40 and raining at the same time.
My bunch only comes into the barn to eat, also, so they’re all weather
horses. It is true, that once you start blanketing a horse in the winter,
you’re going to have to keep blanketing him because they won’t fuzz
up enough to stay warm on their own. I’d keep a close eye on your
horses – do they act uncomfortable when it gets below 40?
Rae
Tall C Arabians - Central
From:
ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Marmite1191@xxxxxxx Sent: Friday, December 02, 2005
3:39 PM To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [RC] How much fussing
with blankets and shelters is too much?
Hi there,
I live in SonomaCounty in California and I am wondering where to draw
the line when it comes to fussing with blankets and shelters. Our horses are
out during the day and brought in to the barn at night or if its very wet and
windy during the day. We have mostly Arabians, one mare is 23
and pregnant, and we have one Paint and one Appy. I have rarely felt the need
to blanket the Arabians but I am now told that I should blanket if the temp
drops below 40 degrees. If this right? Or maybe this is right for the Paint and
the Appy and the pregnant mare and not the others, what do you think? Am I
right in thinking that blanketing too soon can stop them building up a healthy
resistance?
The other question is, do I need to built
shelters for them all from the sun or just for the Paint and the Appy who have
pink skin? Again the Arabians have never had shelters before and seemed to
manage just fine. I would really appreciate advice.
