HARM OF HORSE BLANKETS
Howdy Friends! Cold weather always brings questions of blankets for our horses. After many years of interviews, stories and discussions the truth – best for the horse is – no blankets.
Yes there are in rare instances other factors. But the vast majority are better served without. In far too many ways to totally discuss here. A few being hair damage, overheating, chills from sweat, colic. But the big one few equestrians ever realized “Horse blankets make cold legs and feet.” Yes, they do. And this matters.
Horses Have A Touchy Internal Thermometer.
Blankets on horses effect their internal thermometer. Their designed body heat regulators. When a horse naturally fights the cold they generate more heat internally, and pump more blood throughout, skin, hide, muscles, lungs, organs. And their extremities. Legs and feet. Blankets damage that effort.
Confusion Takes A Toll.
When we blanket a horse, the internal heat regulator is fooled, confused. The body feels warm. In most cases too warm. So it either does not generate the extra body heat and blood flow. Or it in fact goes into “cooling mode!”
Both of these conditions cause less warming blood to flow to legs and feet.
Legs and feet by God’s nature, designed to be toasty warm are now standing in cold weather and snow. Without that extra warm flow they are cold, uncomfortable. Miserable.
So you see by our “human” standard of care, wrongfully assuming our wonderful horse blankets keep our horses “snug as a bug in a rug.” We are actually condemning them to days and nights of horribly cold feet and legs with no way to warm them.
Think about this as the “blanket or no blanket” question is pondered. And yes it goes without saying, we must be CERTAIN to have our horses in good health. Diet, exercise, shelter. ~ Gitty Up, Dutch.
