Our 5 horses spend pretty much all of their time outside in weather VERY similar to yours and we have never blanketed anyone unless they were ill. Occassionally when it is -40 and snowing hard we will put them in the unheated barn for a while to let them dry off or put them in for a couple hours during the day when the bugs are at their worst but that is about it. Our senior man (23) is ribby at the best of times even with supplements all winter - but all 5 of them do get fed pellets/grain and square bales all winter and he is the only one who doesn't get pudgy by spring.

Question but when was the last time he was wormed? Do you rotate you wormers? This is always our first question whenever we have a horse that is losing weight.

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Rebecca
Damita Goldens (reg'd)

Owned by:
Pyper - Can/Int/UKC CH Jevas Simple Charm RA CGN CD TT
Cooper - Can/Int'l CH Jazloma's Cooper Creek CGN
Georgia - Can/Intl' CH Damita's Georgia on My Mind RA CGN
CJ - Can/Int/UKC CH Damita's Lets Motor CGN

When I had my horse, he was outside year round with access to a stall (but not in a barn, more of a lean-to.) In MA, our winters get pretty cold (not as cold as yours), but he was sufficiently warm with his Rambo blanket.

This was his blanket: http://www.horseware.com/ss10%20site...o/original.asp

OT - I know that Goldens don't need a coat during winter, but I think this Rambo dog blanket is so cute!!!!

http://www.doversaddlery.com/product...&ids=486233071

So, in the winter - to add an extra layer of fat (not that they need any lol) we feed corn to heat them up a bit. There was one winter I remember years ago when the horses noses would freeze shut and we stood there cupping our hands so they'd be breathing warm air. Poor babies.

I agree - because he's been pampered most of his life - just keep blanketing him. I'm not sure I understand the problem. Would someone else have to make sure that's done or would you do it? Let people say what they may. He's your guy and you know him best. So what if he's a momma's boy? You guys have been through alot together I'm sure. I love his face, btw.

Nothing like a horse for a very good friend I say. Unless it's a golden

Here's dirty Buddy with our grandson who is now 15.

Attached Thumbnails

 

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Duke 4/25/01 - 2/11/10
My puppy, Duke - I will always lobe you &
I miss you so. I hope you're enjoying all your friends at the Rainbow Bridge!

My baby boy, Coley. Duke - you'd have loved him! I know you're showing him things, though.
Born 01/01/10. Furever home 05/26/10

For it to get "that" cold for us is unusual. The show horses stayed in their stalls, owners were not coming out, the pasture horses all came in and got turned out together in the indoor arena for additional shelter. None of our outdoor horses wear clothes. Most are ponies.

Like someone else said, get a good Rambo rug, that with his hair he should be fine. Try not to put it on him until it gets to a certain temperature you pre determine. Being a chestnut, I understand the lack of growing hair gene....Thin skin too, I have to share a story with you some day. Less is more, if he is living out. He will be fine.

That is horrible about the horses that died, did they NOT have wind shelters? Something is not right about that story. Someone was NOT paying attention. When I moved Sayler to my friends farm, she did not have a shelter for the horses BUT one side of her paddock was up against a deep pine tree woods. They still had weather protection if not a "shelter". She got the shelter up the following spring. The horses moved in during the winter.

This has been a BAD year here for bugs, I don't ever remember it to be so bad.

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Ann
UACH Casino Farm's Belle Air MXP2 MJP2 "Belle" (blk lab 7 yrs)
URO1 UJJ Casino Farm's Reddi Teddi RN "Teddi" (GR 5 yrs)
USJCH The Captain's Licker's Quicker NA WC "Quinn" (blk lab 2 yr)
SHR URO1 UJJ SmokinGold Hoot N Holler RN WC "Gabby" (GR 9/29/10)
Always in my Heart - Maxine 12/26/96-10/11/09 Queen of the World!

Love that pic! What a gorgeous deep chestnut!

There's no real problem about blanketing him...I'm about to work part-time and moving closer to the barn so instead of 45 min, it'll now be 20 min which make blanketing easier.

I was just surprised at all the backlash at the new barn! Everyone there thought I was crazy when I was lugging in all the winter blankets and asking me about them. I always thought it was normal since I came from a show barn and everyone there had at least 3 winter blankets for their horses! The two winters that I didn't blanket much (when we were still at the show barn) everyone thought I was being so mean. But Virgil was so heavy compared to the in-shape show horses that I thought a little cold weather wouldn't hurt him.

Now he's thin again from the bugs so it's back to blankets to stay warm. My other thought is that once they start losing weight because they're cold, it's that much harder to get it back on them. Which is why I thought some preventative measures (ie putting on a thin blanket when it starts to get chilly) would help keep him warm and thus, keep the weight on.

I'm not sure who asked about worming but there's a set schedule at the barn and he was wormed just recently (and they do rotate). It's just the bugs bugging him constantly all summer. They haven't been this bad in years.

I was just wondering what everyone else did, in particular the people who board in similar winter climates. I wish I could get a Rambo rug! We don't have any suppliers around here, believe it or not! I was looking for the bug wug earlier this year and no one sells rambo products. Virgil's winter blankets are custom made with a ton of filling to keep out the cold. I am wanting a big blanket without a seam down the back and made of waterproof material so I can layer things a little better but that'll have to wait!

Maxs Mom - the horses had a wind break set up (if you see the second pic of Virgil, a similar one is in the background) but not a full three sided, roof shelter. Apparently it blew down in the night so the horses had no place to go to get out of the wind. The horses in the neighbouring paddocks were okay - their shelters had stayed up. I think up here at least, outdoor horses need the 3 sided shelters with a roof. The elements are too crazy for just wind breaks and we don't much trees, either.

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Member of the "Crazy 4 Collars Clique"

Want to see the menu of a raw fed dog? Check out my blog!

Dover Saddlery sells Rambo products and I noticed yesterday when I was looking that they have this wug on sale, http://www.doversaddlery.com/product.asp?pn=LC-24079A

But I don't know how much shipping would be to you or if you even need another blanket, but just in case!

Every horse I've had, including ones that lived out have had varying wardrobes. Some of them tolerated the cold fine, others not so much.

The staples for all of the horses included at least a heavy rug, a stable sheet, and/or a rain sheet. Some have been very sensitive to bugs, those have gotten hooded fly sheets. Others just wore a fly mask in the summer. And still others had to go out in a full fly sheet with neck and face mask if they got sunburned easily, or sun bleached. In the summer, I always leave out one light stable sheet in case it gets cold.

My last horse, a large pony, was in show condition most of the time I had him, but I'd occasionally give him a few months off to be a horse where he'd live outside full time and wouldn't be groomed until his vacation was over. He had quite the wardrobe:

Summer:

fly sheet and fly mask (actually not worn too often, bc he didn't mind the sun or the bugs.

scrim sheet - used while standing outside at horse shows and after a bath.

light summer stable sheet.

irish knit - only used if it wasn't hot.

Fall/Winter

Heavy turn out rug
waterproof turn out sheet
heavy stable blanket
medium stable blanket
stable sheet
a bra (one of the chest sleezy sleepwear things to prevent rubs)
wool cooler
irish knit
fleece cooler

I'd start blanketing him a bit early every year so I could body clip later on. Other ponies I've owned, even if in a sheet, had a full winter coat by the end of September, and needed to be body clipped 2-3 times a year. Those ponies had a lot fewer blankets, and were allowed to get furry.

Some of my thoroughbreds have been fine with the winter and minimal blanketing, others were total wusses about everything, and no matter what could not adjust to turnout, especially when it was cold.

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http://www.thewetnose.blogspot.com/

I think it depends on the horse. We had a TB who had no fat, very fine coat and lost weight in the cold. He was blanketed heavily plus 2 warm liners.

I don't like to blanket. It compresses the hairs and can actually make them cold. Their fluffy coat holds air which helps insulate them. Plus Harry is a blanket eater, not just his own but Hershey's and Daz's too. We use no chew spray for fabrics on everybody's blanket. They have windbreaker/raincoats for the nasty days that are cold, wet and windy. If it gets super cold...nights below zero F and days in single digits (F) I add a blanket liner to Harry's raincoat. The other 2 have medium weight Rambos. One of the reasons I don't like to blanket is once they go on, it's hard to find a suitable day to take them off. I wait for a sunny day, little wind and temps in the 20s. We also park the horse trailer along the fence to give a windbreak from the west. If it's REALLY awful for a long time, I open up the barnyard which gives them shelter on the south and east side of the barn. I put them out at 8 a.m., they come into the barn at 5 p.m. every day. Never outside at night. They go out for a couple of hours even in the worst weather except for ice storms/freezing rain. They have no shelter outside from wind or sun, bugs or storms so I spend quite a lot of time letting them out or bringing them in.

I called my carriage horse my "Ken" doll. I made him all kinds of blankets. Quarter sheets for winter riding and coolers that covered from head to tail. His quarter sheets were made from polar fleece and were 'themed'. Snowmen, santa bears, snowflakes for the holidays. U of M fleece for football season. I had 2 trunks that held just his clothes: fly sheets, stall sheets, raincoats, 3 winter blankets (light, med, heavy) trailer sheet, show sheet. A lot of them had coordinated color halters.

I'd do the same for Harry if he didn't chew everything to bits.

@Penny's Mom - my horse doesn't chew on his blankets, but he rolls every chance he gets. The blankets get torn and need mondo repairs every time there's a decent break in the cold weather. Any thaw, and the blanket comes off to get sewn up. o_I

I also replace the blankets every two years (which drives my barn lady nuts) because there's only so much you can patch up without it looking horrible. And I like getting new colors for him every couple years.