ok, so I'm not quite sure if i should blanket my horses.   There out on pasture 24/7 and they have there big run in, we put plastic up so the wind can't get in, it keeps most of the warmth in, and the horses can go right through it.  I think Tucker is taking the cold harder this year, since hes in his 20's we baby him more. The other day we found him laying down in the pasture, every inch was covered in mud, it looked like he took a bath in it! Sugar has been playin in the mud also, and its just so fun to clean off! I recently noticed that her nipples have turned gray on the tips..???? prob just from the cold no worries??? shes my 10 yr old quarter horse, but sometimes she acts 2!

 well any ways  its starting to get about 30 Degrees at night and around 45-55 in the days. We have 1 blanket for each horse, it can be used for a medium or heavy it says on the tag i guess. we are supposed to get rain/snow showers Wednesday, first snow of the year! The horses have there winter coat but I'm thinking maybe just start blanketing at night for extra warmth???? what do you guys think?

I usually don't blanket unless there is a need (i.e. older horse/sick horse). So I would consider blanketing your 20 year old. I also blanket if the weather is going to start as rain and turn into snow as it gets colder. Be sure to blanket before the rain starts so the blankets go on DRY horses. For the rest of the time your run in should be sufficient.  

I only have a light wieght and a medium wieght.  If its going to rain and its not below thirty i just use the light, if its really cold at night I use the medium.  during the day though if the sun is out he goes naked unless he is standing around shivering. 

My horse is usually never blanketed...they have sufficient winter underwear to keep them warm if they have a shelter to get out of wind and wetness. 

 The only time I will blanket is if I have worked the horse into a sweat during a workout; then I blanket, walk him dry, fluff his coat back up, and turn him back out.

And of course, I will blanket if a horse is sick...that's a given.

 Most horses like cooler temps than we do.  They are equipped with a nice coat that fluffs up and acts as insulation. When we blanket we smash down those hairs so they cannot stand up.  And so, IMO, blanketing for warmth should only be done when you KNOW the horse is cold, ie shivering or you know the weather will be such that they will become wet and chilled.  I do not blanket tho I have put one on a horse who was shivering for a few hours or overnight in special cases.  My horses are out 24/7 with access to shelter.  Shelter is the key. Windbreak and a place to get in out of the wet if they wish.   Otherwise simply keep an eye on them and if they seem to be shivering excessively then they may benefit from a short term blanketing.  

I think some instances is a judgement call...like today in Michigan...it's 37, cold front coming through, winds of gusts over 45, rain, sleet, snow showers all day...Starlette has a really light winter coat (at least compared to what I am used to with my first horses years ago) and even though she is no longer in the show barn, but at my place with natural lighting schedule, she still has not grown much of a coat. So, today I chose to put on her weatherproof turnout sheet, just to keep her dry and to act as a windbreaker more than anything...she has access to the barn, but she always chooses to stay out, probably an overreaction to being stalled so much the last two years.   It will come off tonight in the barn, and won't go on unless we get another nasty day...if it's just snowing, I won't use it, or with warm rain, but today is very nasty! And since I am not home during the day to put it on if she shows signs of cold, I have to make a choice in the early am :)

 

 

depends on the horse.  my girls are out 24/7 and if it is just winter cold, they wear blankets only at temps below minus 10 or 12 or so.  also depends on the wind chill factor.  we get a lot of wind!  if it is wet and cold, the mare wears a shell because she will shiver and be unhappy.  the filly, thus far, is perfectly fine.  however,  it has been raining/hailing/wet snow for a good 24 hours now and will drop to minus 3 tonight so i intend to stall them tonight.  i likely would not if i had a shell for the filly but i refuse to buy one and have her grow out of it, lol!  also, if the rain/cold had been going on for 3 or 4 days, they seem to get tired of maintaining body heat/getting wet all the time?  and so i bring them in occasionally for that reason too.  they have access to the barn and shelters in their pastures but i know the mare occasionally appreciates a nice cozy stall as long as she's not in it longer than 1 night!

Well thanks for sharing all of your opinions, they really helped. I guess im just over reacting to the cold. My 2 have very nice coats on them, allot thicker and healthier looking this year so i guess they can stand being out there. There run in is big, but i also know it keeps them warm and most of wind out. I just baby my horses, and i dont want them to get cold! lol my idea of it being cold IS the 30 degrees, but they can stand that fine.

My b/f said once it starts getting around low 20's to 10 degrees out at night then we will blanket ( only at night to keep them warm)   Let the sun heat them in the day time.   And of course if we are having a bad storm or high chilly winds exc..then we will blanket in the day time also. so thats my blanketing schedual for this winter!

I started blanketing Sadie, who is 23, around last week. Our temperatures have been about what yours are lately. I would blanket your older horse because they have to work harder to keep themselves warm.

i tried telling him that but he said its still to warm out for it. all we have is heavy blankets right now also.  So what just blanket him at night when the temps. get down low? and when it rains/snows exc...

okay...this is only my opinion, but you have to realize that i totally baby my horses...lol!

when it was that temps at my place (it has since turned really cold...yuck!), they were out with no blankets during the day, but they were blanketed at night.  but you have to understand that three of the five are total pansies and are total grouches if they're cold, so we keep them nice and toasty.  if it gets down to the 20s and 30s during the day, it might be time to start blanketing.

but...this all depends on the kind of winter coat they get.  if they're all warm and fuzzy without a coat, they probably won't need one.  but you just have to watch for signs that they're cold.

good luck!

If you can affford it, invest in midweight 1200+ denier ripstop waterproof turnouts.  They are the most versatile for blanketing b/c you can add layers under them and when it's just at the point you'd like to blanket but not cold enough for a heavyweight, these are perfect.  My TSC had the Weatherbeeta Oricans for $99.95.

And the horse will let you know.  My guys stick their heads in w/o me having to unbuckle the front when they're wanting they're blankies.  Right now my slightly overweight, easy keeper, 15 yo former trotter is comfortable down to the mid 30's except in howling wind, and ice, and sleet.  My 10 yo OTTB hard keeper is thin and wants his blanket in the mid forties and at night in his stall when it drops to the 20's.  They are both brought in at night now that the lows are consistently below 50.

 And, I know, I spoil them.  But I'm also listening to them.  Just b/c I have all my winter gear on doesn't mean I want to stand around outside all day and night; it gets cold!.  So when they look cold, they get a blanket, with more layers as the temp drops.   JMHO

Solo doesn't grow a huge winter coat, but he has a bit of extra fluff and he stays in the barn at night; plus the folks at our barn are very nice, but sometimes not so good at following on/off instructions, so if I put it on, it stays on till I take it off.  As a result, I won't put it unless it will stay below 50 all day long; it's a waterproof breathable midweight so it doesn't make him sweat and doesn't rub.  If it's only cold at night, well, he's in his stall with the wind blocked; it's an open dairy barn with no doors on the ends, but it's dry and I just give him a pile of hay to keep the burner stoked.

 I don't currently blanket my horse. He grew up in western NY and was never blanketed there. Vets say not to blanket horses (or, if you started, keep one on all winter). Also my horse is out 24/7 with 2 others horses. They stand together or take a romp plus have enough hay to keep them warm. Horses don't stay warm like we do so it's an adjustment in our minds to not worry about them. There are exceptions of course, like TB's who don't grow thick coat or as someone mentioned an older horse. 

If you feel that blanketing at night is warranted, then you should do it. We have a TB and he can take temps in the high 30's if the sun is out and the wind is lite, but no sun and windy. Forget it. 45-55 is very mild for a horse. Look for a clamped tail and cold ears, or just a general visual of being uncomfortable. I personally wouldn't wait until I observed shivering. Shivering is an involuntary reflex by the central nervous system that indicates that they can no longer keep themselves warm. It's the same in humans.