Are Horse Blankets
Really Necessary?
Physically the horse is a thing of incredible beauty and
unbelievable wonder. There are very few things in the world more
beautiful then a well groomed horse in motion. It doesn't matter if
that horse is performing a complicated dressage test, running down
the backstretch, sailing over a jump, or chasing after a calf, the
horse is a thing of incredible beauty.
In addition to being structurally designed to steal your breath
, horses have a hair coat that is designed to withstand the
elements. As long as they have plenty of fresh water, lots of
roughage and a good shelter there is very little reason to blanket
a horse. Most breeds have skins that are fairly tough. In addition
to a tough skin they are blessed with a wonderful hair coat. Their
hair is designed to fluff and catch pockets of air, once the air is
caught in the hair it is warmed with the horses body heat. A
healthy horse with a good hair coat will stay warm, wrapped in
their air pocket throughout the winter. If you don't believe
drive past a field of unlamented horses in the winter, chances are
pretty good that they will be completely ignoring any shelter they
have been given. The only time the average horse has a real problem
with staying warm is if they have gotten wet, or if their hair has
been flattened by mud.
Just because the average horse doesn't need a blanket in the
winter doesn't mean that they all don't. Several breeds, including
Arabians and Thoroughbreds, have thin skin that is easily chilled.
Older horses can also have a difficult time staying warm. Horses
that have had an injury or illness that caused them to loose hair.
Horses that are underweight are another group of horses that should
be watched carefully to make sure they don't develop a chill.
There are a variety of reason's horse owners might choose to
leave their horse blanketed during the winter months. Some people
who ride during the winter months choose to save time cooling out
and waiting for their horse to dry after it has been worked by body
clipping, horses that have been body clipped must be blanketed.
Several show barns might decided to leave their horses blanketed
so they are able to attend shows in the early spring with a horse
that is sleek and shiny as opposed to a horse that is covered in a
thick winter fuzz.
In the summer there are three main reasons a horse owner might
choose to blanket their horse. Some horses, especially light colour
ones are prone to sunburn, wearing a light weight blanket allows
these horses to be outside without burning. Some horses are highly
susceptible to bug bites a turnout fly sheet prevents bugs from
biting their sensitive skin. Horse owners who spend a great deal of
time on the show circuit will use a light weigh sheet to prevent
the sun from bleaching their show horses coat. A few horse owners
will even resort to a heavy weight turnout rug in an attempt to
help sweat off a few of their equine friends excessive pounds.
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