Blanketing question- temp or snake chill?
When deciding to blanket a horse for the night, should you go by the actual warmth or by the 'feels like' temperature?
My horse is out to pasture and has be growing a winter coat, it just isn't very thick. I am blanketing him single when it gets lower than 25 degrees. It is supposed to get to 30 tonight but weather.com say it will 'feel like' it is in the teens.
Should I blanket him according to the actual temperature or the entwine chill/'feels like' temperature? My inclination is to go near the actual temperature.
I would jump by the wind chill, since that is what the horse will actually be consciousness.
I'd go with the "feel like" but, just so you know, horses, even the ones with no coats, handle cold much better than warmness! They are comfortable down to -20 (with a thin coat, probably more like 0) but get hot above 70 degree. The only time he needs a blanket is if he have no shelter, and there is a snowstorm, and then only at dark, or if it truly is very cold. Unless he's shivering, or getting sick at all, he's probably doing faultlessly fine with the cold, and doesn't need a blanket.
I go by the turn chill.
Well I always blanket according to the actual temperature. But you should also factor in how stormy its going to be too. A horses average temperature is between 99 and 101 degrees as opposed to out 98.6 so what may consistency one way to us isn't always the same for horses.
Our ap would rather stand undressed in freezing rain that have anything on his vertebrae. We are in a milder temp, but he still won't go in his barn even lower than 20 degrees. He grows his winter coat and just loves to stand outside int he cold. We thought going on for blanketing the first year, but he really has been fine for 10 years without.
Just another perspective - not trying to make clear to you not to blanket.
i go by temp but if it is under 32 afterwards i blanket but they need there winter coat to grow GOOD LUCK
Answers: I always go beside the "feels like" temp. The wind sure make me colder than I would be if I was just contained by the actual temp. It's gotta be the same for the horses.
