When to Blanket Your Horse in Winter

A guide to when you need to blanket your horse

Horses are like people and feel the cold at different temperature levels. To figure out if your horse needs a blanket, answer the following questions. A "yes" answer to any one means your horse might like some additional protection.

1. Is your horse clipped? If so, your horse may need a blanket (or at least a sheet) when the temperature drops below 60 degrees F.

2. Is it below 50 degrees Fahrenheit? Even if your horse is unclipped, he may appreciate a blanket at this temperature. Other factors like humidity and how windy it is can also influence your decision on whether to blanket or not.   Breeds of horse that have particularly long or dense coats may not need to blanket until even lower temperatures.

3. Does he usually live outdoors or in? If your horse lives even part of the time in a warm barn, he'll feel the cold more than a horse that lives outside full time.

4. Do you keep your horse turned out most of the time? A full-time outdoor horse will grow a heavy coat to ward off the elements, but wind and rain can still effect the most hardy of horses. If there's no shelter in his pasture, he may need wind and water-resistant horse clothing to stay warm.

5. Is your barn providing high quality protection?   Check out your barn insulation and make sure that the barn does not let the wind whip through it, or your horse will lose the layer of warm air next to his skin, making him feel colder.

6. Is your horse shivering?  If he's shivering, blanket him (or add blankets) and shelter him.