What's the average winter temperature where you are, golden&hovawart? I'm just curious...

Virgil had two winters where he was naked from September to April, unless it was colder than -20...he didn't grow much of a winter coat at all in either winter. I was hoping being cold would help get the extra fat off him but no luck.

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In France,I would think,not as cold as where you are!.We are,an hr south of TOURS so it's considered mediterranean!.
http://0.tqn.com/d/gofrance/1/0/7/B/...efarenheit.jpg

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My Golden's slideshow:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3cQhJc2LDM
My Hovawart's slideshow:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh_1toD6xtc
If you don't like a wet,shedding dog,don't get a golden or a Hovawart!.
RIP,My Beloved Priska!.

Ah, I see! Lucky you!! That must be beautiful...

There was a stable a few minutes away from the one my guy is at now that had two older horses (17 and 18) pass away last winter from exposure. Apparently their shelter lifted up in the middle of the night and in the morning, the horses were found frozen. Poor souls. Hearing that has made me a little more paranoid, especially since my horse isn't on a round bale anymore.

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UGH now you are going to get me started - I could never leave my guy out at night - would be too afraid of predators! My friend's horse was attacked the other night by a pack of coyotes!

She leaves all three out all night in the summer - and her alpha was protecting the "herd" and got mauled! I can only imagine it would be worse in the winter when there are fewer resources about.

G-d willing I will always be able to at least give my guy a clean stall with hay each and every night. Amen!

I love horses so can understand yr concern!.
Do what is best,for him and you!.
We had over the yrs:2 Anglo Arabs,2 Selle Francais & 2 French trotters.We,also,had a Barb,on which I learn to ride on!.

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My Golden's slideshow:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3cQhJc2LDM
My Hovawart's slideshow:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh_1toD6xtc
If you don't like a wet,shedding dog,don't get a golden or a Hovawart!.
RIP,My Beloved Priska!.

So he gained a nice layer of insulating fat or not? I always thought that you have problems when the horses don't gain as much weight. My horse's grandmother was like that and needed special care in winter. She was bone thin and they couldn't put any weight on her anymore. She was pushing 40 when she died though.

Personally speaking, if the temperatures are below 25F, I would definitely put a heavy winter coat on your horse + liner. <- Only because a couple Christmases ago we bought a tree from a farm where the horses were kept outside. It was freezing out and there was that frozen drizzle, and as far as I could see the horses did not have any shelter and were ankle deep in mud.

And they had blankets on. And were fieldies so were somewhat stout and furry. <- But I still felt horrible for them. They looked cold, wet, and miserable.

*mentally hugs my spoiled old man just thinking about those guys*

In summer, I probably would leave the blankets off during the day and blanket him at night (if the temps drop below 35). If you have a gradual cooling period, it's best to allow as much moderate exposure as possible so they grow a coat and put on winter weight. So that's why we don't put a sheet on until late october and my barn keeps the blankets off until the temperatures drop below freezing at night.

*** If the coyotes or even wild dogs try breaking into the fields to get at the horses, they are going to get an unpleasant shocking surprise at the zap fence.

Seriously though - the horses are safer out in the pasture where they can get away or fight for their lives. There was a horrible local story about a horse who had been mauled to death by a couple wild dogs who got into her stall. It's the one thing I worry about with my horse. The thought of something happening to him makes me sick.

Sorry Megora, I was a little unclear. From his retirement in 2006 until Summer 2009, he's been super fat (see first pic) and going into winters with lots of fat. He was too heavy so I left blankets off, hoping he'd shiver away some of his excess fat.

Last summer, he moved to a barn where they don't feed round bales and since he's gone to the square bales, has dropped about 200-400 lbs (which is great) and he's now going into his first winter since 2006 NOT being overweight. Which is why I'm more concerned for him this year. The winters previous, he was either naked most of the time, or had a single blanket on when it was super cold. I didn't worry too much because of the extra fat he had on him.

But now he's almost a little skinny (again, which is fine since the less weight he has on his sore leg the better). He's not a hard keeper and doesn't usually lose weight over the winter...so long as he's warm. Which is why I'm pulling out a bunch of blankets that haven't been used since he was actively ridden and shown.

lennap - it's weird that coyotes would go after healthy horses. We have them around here (one followed me and Ranger all the way to the barn one night) but they leave the full grown horses alone. I'd be worried about wolves, but we don't have them here either!

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Yeah coyotes around here don't go after anything their own size unless it is infirmed. I have seen them in our horse paddocks with our horses, just passing through.

G&H has a point, they will toughen up... if you let them. Perhaps a lightweight waterproof garb through really cold weather. He will grow hair. He has shelter, water, hay that will keep him warm. I know we coddle these spoiled retired show guys, but they do adapt.

The frozen horse sounds a little fishy to me... sorry. We had a snap where it was 40c below actual, stories of ears falling off outside animals but none got worse frost bite than that. Now I have heard of outside horses being struck by lightning....

Some horses are wimpier than others. Maybe Virgil is a momma's boy. Tell him to toughen up Sayler was good as long as he had food. I think Pete would have been tougher to transfer to an outside horse. He liked his turn out time but....Are you sure he gets along ok with his pasture buddies? That was what we had issues with in Sayler. Serious issues. He dropped almost 200-300 pounds. I moved him and life was good, fattened right back up too.

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SHR URO1 UJJ SmokinGold Hoot N Holler RN WC "Gabby" (GR 9/29/10)
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Oh Virgil has definitely turned into a mama's boy. I'm his "person" and he starts nickering when he sees my truck driving along the road. Always greets me at the gate...

I guess the problem is - 40 isn't unusual here. It's -30 to -40 here for weeks at a time and that's before wind chill. Occasionally it'll drop to -45. And Virgil's just never grown hair, even the summers/falls that he was practically naked when I was trying to get him to grow a good winter coat so I wouldn't have to blanket him.

This pic is the thickest winter coat he's grown:


and that was without blankets or sheets all summer and fall. (It was minus 25 that day, that's why he's had his blanket on). As you can tell by the clean blanket, he hadn't been wearing it yet that winter!!

Maxs Mom - honest to god. I was dating the vet that was called out to see the horses and he did the autopsies on them. Owners wanted to find out what happened to them...died from exposure.

Virgil is boss of his paddock mate and they get along really well. They eat from the same square bales almost all the time. Virgil dropped the weight this summer from the mosquitoes biting him - more than once I went out and he'd walked himself into a lather from walking away from them. He'd worn dirt trails in his paddock about 4 inches deep from walking his circuit all summer.

What did you do with your horse when you had the minus 40 snap?

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I agree that it's weird that coyotes would attack a horse, especially when there are three in the paddock, but it was a pack - and the area has had a recent spurt of new buildings being built. Scares me to bits!

As far as the blankets - you do what you feel is best for your boy - as long as you are able to do it. However don't start what you can't finish either! If there is a risk that you can't be there for a week or two during the cold, and no one else has the time or patience for blanketing and Virgil hasn't grown any sort of coat - then he may be at greater risk!

My guy is such an overbred hot house rose that he doesn't get whooly in the winter either - so I totally understand your point. There is a woman in my barn who has a gypsy van, used to make total fun of me until she really took a good look in the winter - then she realized the poor guy would freeze to death. Us moms know our boys! Don't let others tell you any different!

BTW Tux goes nuts the minute he hears my voice outside the barn -so I totally undertsand, not only is he a mush, but he is MY mush. while hhe is a total suck up to just about anyone for attention - he is still and will always be a momma's boy. One day he was down and refused to get up for anything. Everyone thought he was colicking and they called me. I had them put their phone to his ear - he got up at the sound of my voice. I beat a very hasty run out to the barn - that was the day we found he had shattered his spint bone - poor guy was just miserable in pain.

(FYI my B/F used to have mountain horses - they use them as dude ranch horses all summer, hunting horses all fall - and then release them to fend for themselves all winter - those that come back have a job the following summer - stupid horses! Now you know why I took the fifth!)