What about blanketing?

As we manage our horses in colder weather, the question arises of whether or not to blanket. According to most veterinarians as well as many university studies (links found below), the short answer is “no”, although there are certain circumstances where blanketing may be necessary.

When given hay 24/7, access to shelter, free choice salt and access to water, horses do fine in even the coldest winters, even when temps dip into the double negative digits. Horses are naturally equipped to handle cold weather and do not get cold nearly as easily as humans do. Studies have shown that the body temperature of a healthy horse does not begin to drop until 5 degrees Fahrenheit. Blanketing horses in temps above 5 degrees is actually counterproductive and can lead to overheating, skin diseases and illness.

What are the the circumstances when horses do need to be blanketed? When the have been clipped, when sick or injured, if significantly underweight (lower than a body score of 3), older horses with difficulty moving around enough, if the horse has been recently(within 12 months) moved to a colder climate from a warmer one, when it is windy and rainy below 20 degrees F and when there is no available shelter.

With the research in mind and respect to the way owners “feel” about having their horses out in the cold Maine weather we have come up with the following blanketing protocol that we feel will alleviate worry of the owners and still fit into our “natural” horsekeeping philosophy:

Although we do not believe that it is necessary to blanket any healthy, unclipped horse during the winter months, we feel that it is not unhealthy to the horse to have a waterproof breathable sheet on in rainy conditions below 45 degrees Fahrenheit that is removed after the rain has stopped and/or to blanket a horse when temperatures (or wind chills) are below 5 degrees Fahrenheit if an owner decides to do so.

~https://thesoulofahorse.com/blog/a-amazing-article-on-why-horses-should-not-be-blanketed-in-winter/

~https://www.totalequinevets.com/client-center/resources/TEVApedia/blanket-or-not-blanket

~https://www.all-natural-horse-care.com/living-outside-year-round.html#:~:text=Living%20outside%20year%20round%2C%20with,gains%20information%20about%20the%20environment.

~https://extension.psu.edu/when-to-blanket-a-horse

~https://www.extension.iastate.edu/equine/body-condition-score