To Blanket or Not To Blanket…That Is The Question!

There’s a “study” circulating around the internet that claims blanketing is bad for horses. No sources or references have been found to back up the study that claimed to be sponsored by CSU, and it was later identified by CSU as a hoax. Similar thoughts have been floating around for a while though (read another one here), and I’ve always heard conflicting view points at every barn I’ve been to. The summary of this article is that horses in the wild don’t need blankets because the natural static that their coats produce when left untouched and is enough to keep them warm. This article then goes on to claim that if you stop grooming or doing anything that would press your horse’s coat down (and take away that static), your horse would be fine left alone and “naked” in the cold. This is also assuming that your horse is healthy and has access to hay 24/7 and room to roam around.

Before I offer my opinions, let me first say that this topic is so subjective and often elicits much debate among horse owners, which is why I’m not encouraging you to do one thing or another. However, I would like to share with you the reasons why I’ve chosen to blanket my horse after years of leaving him un-blanketed all winter. My opinions are in no way based on scientific research or study, just my own experiences and observations.

First, I’d like to address the general idea that horses should not be blanketed in the winter and how impractical it is for the modern horse owner not to do anything that would cause a horse’s natural coat to lay down flat. Chances are, you still plan to ride your horse this winter. And I’ll bet that you certainly plan to groom your horse more often than you ride. Both of these go against the claims that you should leave your horse un-touched all winter, but I would like to reason that bringing your horse into a domestic setting has completely altered his natural state of being. If you care for a herd of wild horses that you don’t plan on handling and they have adequate food sources and shelter, leaving them “naked” is a great idea. It’s not like you’re going to attempt to blanket a wild horse anyway! Most of us have taken our horses out of their original habitats and now house them in paddocks and barns. We ride them regularly and groom them often. Both of these things make their coats lay down and prevent them from standing up and providing that natural insulation of static between the skin and fur. But if we domesticate them, we have a responsibility to care for them properly and that also means grooming, exercising and blanketing if you feel that they need it. I’d also like to point out that wind and rain also make a horse’s coat lay flat and lose the properties that naturally keep them warm. In some climates, this is OK, but if it is excessively cold the horse will also be very cold.

Dancer didn’t wear a blanket until a few years ago. What made me change my mind? Climate change. It’s that simple. When I was younger, I remember long nights at the barn bundled up and cold but never experienced sub zero temperatures. Or intense 100+ heat either. And we never had this much snow, no matter how hard I hoped and prayed for more snow days! The climate has been changing and we’ve been forced to adapt with it. I first noticed that Dancer might need a blanket a few winters ago when he was in his paddock, coat frosty with snow and looking miserable as he tried to escape from the strong wind in his shelter. It was nearing Spring and temperatures were rising slowly, so I opted to wait until the next year to see what the climate was like. And then it was colder. So I did a ton of research, talked to my trainer and went for it. Dancer was not thrilled at first, but there were definitely a few instances when he was “naked” during the sunny warmer days and as the evening grew colder and darker, he welcomed the blanket.

I think the important thing to keep in mind here is that every horse is different, just like every climate is different. We have intense, biting wind here in OK that rips through just about every layer you put on. Mix that with rain or snow, and you’ll have a really hard time keeping warm. I feel that my horse is more comfortable with a blanket on during these colder days of winter and I wait as long as possible to put it on. (My own rule is that if it’s consistently 40 degrees or lower during the day and colder at night the blanket stays on all the time. I usually start with putting it on at night when it gets below 35 and then ease into keeping it on as it gets really cold during the day)  I’m not concerned with keeping his coat short because I don’t show him during the winter months, so he isn’t clipped either. I’m mainly concerned on keeping him warm, dry and comfortable. If you do clip your horse, you’ll have to blanket more often, of course. Is it a lot of work? Yes, definitely. It requires constantly checking the weather, keeping and eye on the condition and fit of the blanket, and caring for the blanket in general (washing, repairing, etc…) Is it worth it? I think so. I like knowing that my horse is protected from the harsh elements and is more comfortable in the rain, ice and snow.

I’ll leave the blanketing decision up to you, but I do encourage you to assess your current climate and your horse’s living environment before making a decision. If you decide to blanket and would like some tips on choosing and caring for your blanket, check out my blanket guide here: BLANKETING 101. And my new favorite (and free) app for all horse owners who blanket is the SmartPak Blanketing App. Just input some info about your horse and your location and this app will tell you if you should put a blanket on and recommend a blanket weight for you. It’s amazing!