Reality TV shows. Blanket horses round the clock or not at all/only in extreme conditions?

I agree with the others regarding stocking up; it is common and will improve with exercise. My gelding is prone to stocking up. Just simply standing on the packed dirt floor of the barn for a few hours will cause his hind legs to get puffy. If you stall your horse, deeper bedding should help; but the best solution is 24/7 turnout, as the others said.

Thanks, that makes sense. And I've kind of figured it out through trial and error, just getting a feel for it.

I have been wondering about IR....he definitely reminds me of the pictures I've seen of IR horses: chunky, with especially cresty necks. I will definitely have him checked.

Our low temps are really weird this year. We're having a relatively mild winter; but last week the lows at night were in around the thirties, and this week they're down in the teens (typical northern MO weather). He hasn't shivered quite as much this year as last year. The main thing is the wind, and he has a big, open barn to go into, but because the hay's outside and his buddies can handle the cold better he doesn't go in very often. So I'll try a sheet and see how he does

By the way, will just a sheet (no fill) be good enough for keeping on him to keep him from shivering, or should I go to a medium-weight (around 180-240 g, and taking into consideration that he has a thick winter coat)?

One of my goals is to work my Quarter Horse gelding on cattle, for the first time--even if it means paying the next-door neighbor $20 so I can mess with his for an hour (I don't have any cows and don't plan on getting any soon). Another goal is to get to a reining clinic south of my place for some critique and advice.

[quote user="BlueRoanMustang"]We discovered it was because she wasn't getting the right nutrients in her feed.[/quote] I'll bet that's his problem. He gets free choice hay (only because the others do, too, and because I don't have a permanent means of separating him) and although it's decent hay, it's not the absolute best. He only gets a tiny, tiny amount of grain (this too, only because the others do) and no vitamin/mineral supplement. I thought he was doing fine

I've got a couple of questions about my mini (who is not actually a mini, because he's two inches higher than the maximum allowed :) ). Lately I've noticed that he seems chubby, and because he had laminitis about five or six years ago (with the previous owner), I'm careful about his weight. But when I feel over his ribs, I can easily feel them. I know his hair has something to do with it; but it just seems that his hips and shoulders are a lot wider than they used to be, and is neck

I guess the special one, with quirks--as long as I can work with them and get them to be more dependable (as far as not hurting me goes). I'd rather train one than buy one trained, it's more fun that way!! Diesel or gas truck?