Blanketing Season

As we move into fall, we are moving into blanketing seasons. There can be a few reasons to blanket your horses, but one of the main reasons on Vancouver Island is the moisture. Horses are not designed to live in a rainforest, so they are more prone to developing skin conditions such as rain rot if they do not have the chance to dry out. This is one of the reasons why rain sheets are commonly used.

When the colder temperatures approach, I recommend having a blanket with a little bit of fill. One of the ways horses stay warm is by fluffing up their coats and allowing their thick coats to insulate. However, when we add on a rainsheet this can flatten their horse's coats and make them colder.

As our winters get harsher, stormier, and colder it is helpful to have a weighted blanket in your tack room for those days. How heavy depends on your horse. Blanketing is not a one-size-fits-all all approach and drastically depends on your horse's needs. Such as their metabolism, shelter, workload, age, and personal preference.

Need help figuring out what blanket is best? I am always happy to talk tack!