Sapelo Obstacle Course - Extreme Race Practice

Don't forget your horses this Thanksgiving!

This was our view yesterday, do you have any pic's of your view of the beautiful weather? Please share them with us.

Ok, to blanket or not to blanket, here is some good information to help you decide what is best for your horse.

"This may surprise you. Blanketing horses is one of the worst
things to do to them. Horses have the ability to loft and lower their
coats to 17 different levels, so it's like putting 17 different thermal
weights of blankets off and on them all day and night, depending on what
they need- except that we don't know what they need as well as they do.
Their 'self-blanketing' process works a little like 'chill bumps' do in
our own skin. That's why long-haired horses may seem fluffier on some
days than on others.

Only three things make the
'self-blanketing' process not work: blanketing, clipping, and wind. Not
even snow or rain stops their own thermostats from doing the job. Also
horses are in 'neutral' (meaning not using energy for either heating or
cooling) when the air around them is between 26 and 38 degrees.
Otherwise, they're using energy to control their temps. So- since
they're cooling their bodies when the temp is over 38 degrees, they're
having to use extra energy to cool themselves when blanketed in
temperatures over that.

Any time a horse that is
outside and has a long coat is shivering, it's because the horse has
opted to shiver to warm itself, instead of using the option of moving.
Moving generates a considerable amount of heat for a horse, but they
sometimes stand and shiver while napping, etc. It does not mean that
they need to be blanketed. However- a horse MUST have a way to get out
of the wind in order for their 'self-blanketing' abilities to function
fully.

It turns out that blanketing is done more
for pleasing the human, than to fill a need of the horse. The horse
blanket industry has done a great job of making us think that their
product is a necessary part of good horsekeeping- when it is actually an
item that is very seldom needed.

Another often
unknown fact is that horses become dehydrated more frequently in the
winter than in the summer. The horse feels less thirsty because they're
not triggered by heat to drink more water, so the lack of appropriate
intake often causes dehydration. A suggestion for this is to offer one
or two buckets full of cool-to-tepid molasses-enhanced water per day. 50
lb. bags of crystalized molasses are available by order through feed
stores (if they don't keep it on hand), and is easier to work with than
wet [sticky] molasses. A 50 lb. bag of dry molasses costs under $20.00
and will last all winter for several horses. Molasses are high in iron,
and make a good supplemental addition, in any case.


Another little known fact is that horses do not need more feed in the
winter than in the summer. In the summer horses are using energy to cool
themselves. In the winter they are using energy to warm themselves.
Both efforts use similar amounts of energy. In fact, if horses have feed
before them for more of the time during the winter, they are less
likely to move about, which decreases one of their most efficient
heating processes.

(Old or unhealthy horses may
need extra help keeping warm in the winter just as they need help
staying cool in the summer- but even in these cases, over-blanketing may
cause sweating, which can then cause chilling- and more serious
consequences.)"

With the winter weather approaching, do any of you ride in the winter/snow, tell us about it, and where do you ride? How do you stay warm and what measures do you take for your horse?