Use of blankets in North American horses

(c) Nicole Cascato Dreamstime.com

Blanketing horses in the winter is a widely used, but fiercely debated practice.

Healthy horses maintain their body temperature within a narrow range (98.5°F to 101°F / 36.9°C to 38.3°C) despite a wide variation in environmental conditions.

 

In cold weather they use various physiological and behavioural methods to conserve body heat, such as piloerection, shivering, facing away from the wind. Eating roughage generates heat and so helps maintain body temperature.

 

A study, by Michelle L. DeBoer, at University of Wisconsin – River Falls, Department of Animal and Food Science, and colleagues, investigated the use of blanketing by North American horse owners.

 

They conducted a web-based survey looking at participant demographics, the use of blankets in winter, and the reasons why blankets were used or not.

 

A total of 1450 people completed the survey. Just over half of them reported that they blanketed their horses. A full report of the findings is published in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science.

 

The researchers found that the use of blankets depends on discipline, housing, and management decisions.

 

Perhaps surprisingly, the geographical region of residence did not affect the frequency of blanket usage. The proportion of respondents who blanketed was similar in all regions, regardless of climate.

 

Those who chose to blanket most of their horses included those participating in English disciplines, professionals, respondents with less than six horses, and those who have been in the horse industry for less than 15 years. 

 

Horse professionals (those earning at least 50% of their annual income from horses) were more likely to blanket (63%), than non-professionals (37%).

 

The authors report that most common air temperature at which respondents blanketed was 0°C (14%) with some choosing to apply blankets at temperatures as high as 10°C (3%).

 

“However, the overwhelming majority chose to use blankets in response to precipitation, (rain, sleet, or snow)(85%) in addition to wind (58%).”

 

They conclude: “This survey highlighted the range of practices and opinions of North American horse owners in response to winter blanketing practices. Based on the results, there is comparable number of horse owners who chose to blanket versus those who chose not to blanket their horses.

 

“While there is consensus among horse owners regarding some blanketing topics, uncertainty continues to surround this management practice. Fortunately, most respondents indicated more research and subsequent dissemination of results on this topic would help horse caretakers better understand the necessity and potential advantages of blanketing”.

 

For more details, see:

 

Winter blanketing practices: An online survey of North American horse owners,

Michelle L. DeBoer, Aubrey L. Jaqueth, Ashley Tuszka, Krishona L. Martinson.

Journal of Equine Veterinary Science,(2022) Vol 113, 103911,

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2022.103911.

(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0737080622000491)