Four Reasons to Blanket Your Horse in Winter

Four Reasons to
Blanket Your Horse in Winter

Photo Credit: ID 68879872 © Evgeniya Gappova | Dreamstime.com

1. Save Money on Feed

When the outdoor temperature drops below 30 degrees, the average horse burns up to 15-20% more calories trying to maintain body temperature for every 10 degree drop in outdoor temperature. Older horses have to work even harder to stay warm in cold weather. This is why horses need more feed (particularly hay) during winter.

BUT here's the good news: A blanketed horse does not need to burn as many calories simply to stay warm. So blanketing your horses saves you money!

2. Not Just Any Horse Blanket Will Do

Use rain sheets only when the weather is cool, not cold. Here’s why: A horse’s coat is composed of two types of hair, a fluffy, dense undercoat and a stiffer protective coat called guard hairs. The undercoat provides insulation by trapping air and body heat. The guard hairs shed rain and keep the undercoat dry. They also stand on end to create an air pocket that traps heat. If you put a or rain sheet on a horse when it’s very cold, it will flatten the guard hairs, thereby destroying this air pocket. For this reason, the blanket you use in cold weather needs to be well-insulated.

3. Save Time on Grooming Before You Ride

Body clipping a horse removes his natural means of keeping warm, so you will need to blanket him. If you don’t body clip and don’t blanket, your horse will grow a thick, long coat in order to insulate himself from the cold. Unless you enjoy spending most of your barn time currying and brushing out this very long coat rather than riding, you should blanket your horse. Tacking up time is greatly reduced because your horse will remain clean and dry under his blanket.

4. If You Blanket Your Horse, Remove the Blanket and Groom Her At Least Weekly.

If you don’t, you may find an unpleasant surprise in the spring when you finally do remove your horse’s blanket. Your horse may have lost weight over the winter despite her blanket. Or her hair may be matted, rubbed raw in places, or clotted with dirt. Grooming a blanketed horse doesn’t take much time, and it helps you develop a strong relationship with her.

A few more tips:

If you live in an area that experiences extreme cold in winter, buy two medium weight blankets. Put the second blanket over the first when the temperature drops below 20 degrees.

Put a rain sheet to put over your horse's blanket when you turn them out if your blanket isn’t waterproof.

It's a good idea to keep a backup blanket on hand in case your horse tears the one he is wearing.

Be sure to have extra leg straps handy in case your horse breaks one.

Happy riding!

As long as you’re here, check these out!

Equestrian Products That Make Your Riding and Horse Care Easier and Better!

How To Choose a Horse Blanket

Riding Horses During Winter

Horse Care In Winter

Stay Warm in Winter Like Olympic Athletes Do