Horses may be prone to areas that are prone to extreme winter conditions. This means that the place may experience hail stones and even snowfall. Not all horses require a horse blanket, but they are ideal for old, feeling unwell, or even emaciated horses. Consider a case where the horse is sick, and there are winter and no blanket to cover the horse. The horse’s health may deteriorate, leading to the horse’s death.

To avoid such cases of death, one may prefer to use a blanket for the horse to ensure that they maintain the good health of their bodies. There are many options in the market to consider for the type of blanket to acquire hence there are factors to consider before purchasing a horse blanket for the horses. These factors may include the blanket’s weight, clipping, and body score.

Here are some of the blankets one may need for horses during winter.

1. Cooler blankets

As the name suggests, the cooler blankets are meant to cool the horse. The cooler blankets can be made from blended materials or wool. Although there is a winter season, it doesn’t mean that the activities carried out by the horse will stop or get postponed. There are also some cooler blankets attached to the numnah saddle pad. The saddle pad will facilitate moisture absorption from the horse after the ride during the winter seasons. The cooler will help the horse cool without making him chilly.

2. Stable blankets

Stable blankets are types of horse blankets that are used by horses, specifically when they are indoors. During winter, the horses must be kept warm in the stable. The stable blankets are ideal for horses lacking thick hair to cope with the winter seasons. The main purpose of the stable blankets is to keep your horse warm and dry while in the stable; hence it means that they are not waterproof. The stable rugs are easy to clean and should be cleaned in case of a bad smell or when dirty.

3. Turnout blankets

Unlike stable blankets, turnout blankets are usually waterproof and used outside the stable during the winter. They are usually designed in a way that they will keep the horse dry at the same time warm. There are different types of turnout blankets according to their size, which includes;

• Light turnout blankets- They are blankets that mostly apply to horses with thick coats; hence they offer low warmth.
• Medium turnout blankets are warmer than light turnout warmth and are ideal for healthy horses.
• Heavy turnout blankets- They are the warmest type of turnout blanket. They are ideal for the winter seasons since they are heavy.

4. Quarter blankets

During winter seasons, one may allow the muscles of the horse to warm. Despite the horse being blanketed, some muscles may not be covered; hence quarter blankets may be used to warm the hind and back quarters. They are wool made hence allowing the muscles to warm up.

Wrapping up

In conclusion, it is very necessary to blanket your horse during the winter seasons. Blanketing your horse during winter may avoid many losses, such as spending some money to cater for the treatment and even for some extreme cases of death of the horse. To keep your horse warm and healthy, one can use different types of horse blankets like quarter, stable, and even cooler blankets, as discussed in the article.