b"Arizona Ask the VetREAL COUNTRY A BLANKET SITUATIONthe magazine T here are many different types of horse blankets and purposes. You cant just use any old blanket as many traditional blankets Mike Barna wont fit or suit the reason for using it. Horse blankets come in different sizes, colors, and are made out of a Publisher variety of materials. This leaves you with the question, ArizonaRealCountryMagazine@gmail.com what kind of blanket does my horse need, and if it needs one? Erika Smith Royal Now that fall is in full swing, the colder months lie Editor not too far behind. All horse owners should be getting ready to bring out their old blankets and shop for new erika963realcountry@gmail.com ones. Depending on where you are and the temperature outside, you should look to blanket your horse in the late fall, early winter. A better benchmark to go by is if Misty Voitovski its 40 degrees or lower outside during the whole day, you Creative Director should blanket your horse. This can also vary by horse asOnly apply blankets to clean, dry horses. Use the some species are known to have thicker skin than others. appropriate blanket for the appropriate use. Sweating Keep in mind cold weather and seasonal changes arein a blanket on a hot day can be just as problematic as Contributing Writers not the only time you should blanket your horse. Otherwearing a non-waterproof blanket in wet weather. Be factors that can lead to you using a blanket for your horsesure to remove your horse's blanket and groom regularly.Lee AndersonJustin Legler may include, health issues, if the horse has only been Emilio MartinezMark Melkowskiridden indoors, and if the horse has been transportedSick, young, and old horses are all candidates for from a warmer climate to a colder one. blanketing, as are average horses in extreme weather Betsy NunnJim & Bobbi Jeen Olson conditions. Keep an eye on young foals inside, too. On Robert PiekowBill RobertsOnce you understand when and why you shouldvery cold days, a foal may even need to be blanketed in the blanket your horse, take some time to learn about thebarn. If a foalor any horseis shivering, he's cold.Alan RockmanBob Roloff most popular types of blankets out there. Turnout John SamsillHank Sheffer blankets are designed for both protections from wetMost of the time, owners tend to over-blanket their and cold elements. These are durable and leave roomhorses, rather than under-blanket them. If you put your Michele Wilson for a lot of flexibility depending on the weather andhand under the blanket on your horse and it feels moist, the condition of your horse. Most turnout blankets areyou know you have too much protection on him. When made of nylon or a combination of different fabrics.buying a waterproof or weather-resistant blanket, be 801 W. Wickenburg Way Turnout blankets also come with different fill weightsure it's made of breathable material. Otherwise, it's like options so you can customize the level of warmth theputting a plastic raincoat on the horse and he can get too Wickenburg, AZ 85390 blanket will provide for your horse. Be sure to pick thehot, which may lead to health concerns.right gram count for your horse as you dont want to (602) 254-6644 go too light or too heavy. The second type of blanket isHorses also create heat through the process of digestion.a stable blanket. Stable blankets are traditionally usedDifferent types of feeds generate different amounts of heat.ArizonaRealCountry.com while the horse is inside the barn or being transported.Grains and mashes generate more body heat than hay, but These blankets are not waterproof and often made offor a much shorter period raising the body temperature thick, quilted material. Some stable blanket designsfor 30 minutes to 1 hour.Hay will not raise the body are water-resistant, but cannot withstand the rain. Justtemperature as high but will keep the temperature elevated like the turnout blanket, the stable design comes withfor 2-3 hours through slower digestion.The greatest different fill weights. Its main purpose is to keep youramount of heat is produced when microbes in a horses gut horse warm and dry while its in the stall or trailer.digest high fiber feed. To maintain adequate body heat, the Therefore, it lacks the flexibility that the turnout blanketaverage horse needs an additional 2 pounds of forage per will provide your horse. There are rain sheets, anti- day for every 10-degree change below 40 degrees. Keep Follow Arizona Realsweat blankets, coolers, and dress blankets too. All ofthis in mind on those cold nights.Country for news, events,these blankets serve different purposes. MAKE SURE IT FITSBlankets tend to compress a horses coat's layers, Start with a well-fitted blanket so there is less chance of giveaways and more! which compromises their insulating properties.the blanket coming loose or twisting, which can frighten Horses that do not live in extremely cold environmentsthe horse. The blanket shouldn't be tight against the body,meaning routinely colder than 10Fwill do wellbut it should be snug. Make sure the straps are in good Arizona Real Country is owned andwithout a blanket, provided they are either stalledcondition and attached properly.published by Barna Broadcastingduring the coldest temperatures or have access toLLC. No person, organization or partya protective shelter. A too snug blanket can rub off the hair on parts of the can copy or reproduce the contentchest and shoulders, while a too loose blanket can slip on our website and/or magazine orThe decision to blanket your horse comes with prosaround on the horse and pose a stumbling danger. You and cons. A positive aspect of blanketing is that it helpsknow the blanket fits well if there are only a couple inches any part of this publication withoutmaintain a short-haired show coat, thus decreasing yourof space at the chest and it doesn't pull tight. The blanket a written consent from the editorsbody clipping time if you are showing during the coldershould reach all the way back and cover the entire rump.panel and the author of the content, asmonths. Performance horses may need clipping and applicable. The publisher, authors andblanketing to control winter hair growth, so they canThe easiest way to properly measure your horse for a contributors reserve their rights withexercise without getting too sweaty and so that sweatblanket is to have a friend help. Have your friend hold the dries easily. Consider a partial rather than a full clip forend of a flexible fabric measuring tape in the middle of regards to copyright of their work. the benefits of easily cleaned sweaty areas and heavy hairyour horse's chest. While your friend holds the end of the coat in other areas. tape in place, take the tape and run it along your horse's continued on page 7ArizonaRealCountry.com November 2020 5"