I live in Minnesota and all of the other horses at the barn are blanketed, except mine. He grew a wooly mammoth coat this year and has excellent weight. I do have a blanket for him when the weather gets down to negative temps. A day ago, I put his rain sheet on because we have had heavy rain and it turns very cold. Gotta love Minnesota weather, lol.
Love your kind approach with training and all. You and Rudnick are so much fun to watch. Have so enjoyed seeing him with "B" and how playful y'all are. Also fun to watch how he's adapted, and fit into the herd at the new place. Thanks for the ride! Looking forward to what the New Year brings and wishing you all the joy and happiness a new year will bring🎉❤
The beautiful cheeky Rudnik can't stay still for a minute........Good logical explanation, now I hope the negative people will leave you alone.......That is at the old place.......😘😍
On a similar note, my Golden Retriever loves to swim in the river. In the winter, when he comes out, he will be encased in ice. Our vet said much the same thing about his winter coat being so thick it retains body heat and the ice acts like insulation. Nature knows what it is doing.
Thank you Alecia!! You are helping me be less worrisome with your info. City person here! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas with Brander!! Love Rudnik!
Rudniks just a beefy kid those AQH genes definitely come in handy this time of year I absolutely love how fuzzy & dark he gets too,he’s just the handsomest blue roan in the world as well as the goofiest. I always appreciate learning more about equines they are definitely one of my favorite subjects to dive into bc I feel like I always learn something new they’re pretty amazing creatures.🐎🖤💙⛄️❄️I’m also jealous I wish I had a nice fuzzy Rudnik parka whenever I’m cold (which is nearly all the time lol)I might have to borrow a bit of the boys coat😂
We never blanketed any of our horses. My aunt and uncle's horses, as well as my own horse, had shelter readily available if they needed it. The draughthorses at the historic site I worked at are never blanketed either. They absolutely adore cold weather!
Some of my horses have wanted a blanket and some have totally hated the thought of blankets. If I had ever gone in for clipping, to do serious training in winter, as they do in England I would've blanketed. If a horse acted cold (shivering) I'd have blanketed. But a healthy horse with a natural coat (doesn't have to be long and fluffy...my unblanketed Arabians handled temps down to near zero comfortably if they had a way to be out of the wind, wioth plenty of bedding and abundant hay all night). Shorter coats than some others, but *plushy*. I did a late-night check, put my hand on ears, neck, side, and between front legs (wehther blanketed or not) to check how many seconds from touching to feeling the warmth come through. The ones who did not need or want a blanket I could always feel the body heat through the coat in 5 seconds or less (though not always on ears...)
Exactly! Theres so many factors that come into play when blanketing or not - every horse has different requirements and needs! I have multiple blankets on hand just in case rudnik should ever need one for any reason but thankfully he does a really good job at growing a thick coat so it hasn’t been needed. And thankfully our winters don’t usually get that harsh. But clipping is definitely another good example of when a horse would need blanketing!
I don’t know much about horses myself, but I heard another horse expert say that as long as a horse gets enough to eat in winter they don’t feel the cold. Their metabolism warms them from the inside.
While certain 'Breeds' are renowned for tolerating/not tolerating extreme weather (Say, Arabians in the Desert, Drafts in Norway), each horse has their own range. I've seen 'em enjoy extremes that would drop their fellows, and then seen furry couches that shivered when the temps fell to the high 30's. People need to know, but more importantly, learn their own animal(s), and protect them accordingly. :-)
I have always wondered about this. Let's say it's -1, blanket or not? I have seen horses go into shelter when it's cold, snowing, or raining. Perhaps it was just to get their food, but I see horses as smart. Same with cattle, goats, dogs, sheep.
Their coats are so thick and plush! We’ve had temps go below -20(c) and still never needed to use a blanket. When I lived in Saskatchewan we’d have temps below -40 and still never needed blankets. Horses coats will adapt and as long as you’re reading their cues and body language that will tell you if they’re cold. But many many healthy horses will go through harsh winters without ever needing one 🙂
I'm sure the psycho weather we've been having these days hasn't been wonderful. Swings from near 50F down to 5F (or colder) inside a week has to muck up the wooly coat growth. Is there a temperature that it's actually too cold for horses?
I think it all really comes down to the horse and climate. They adapt to their environment and some horses who are born and raised in severely cold temps can handle it where as a horse born into a warmer climate may not be able to handle the extreme cold for a couple years until they are climatized. But they are very hardy and can adapt quickly!
Also when people rug-up a horse, what about the parts of their body uncovered. Exactly, he looks beautiful, just as nature intended. He is used to his environment.
And that’s what’s great about their natural coats! It covers their whole body. And to throw one on just for the sake of ‘oh it’s colds I should blanket them’ can be SO dangerous. With how much heat they radiate with their natural coats, you’re trapping that heat under the blankets and they will be DRENCHED in sweat, which then freezes and then you have way bigger concerns to deal with
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I live in Minnesota and all of the other horses at the barn are blanketed, except mine. He grew a wooly mammoth coat this year and has excellent weight. I do have a blanket for him when the weather gets down to negative temps. A day ago, I put his rain sheet on because we have had heavy rain and it turns very cold. Gotta love Minnesota weather, lol.
It was nice to see a younger Rudnik. He was quite playful.
Rudnik is so handsome maybe now people will quit commenting negative issues about you not blanketing him❤❤❤❤❤
A very informative video. I never knew about why/why not to blanket a horse. Your "Let me hinder you" assistant is hilarious as usual.
There’s definitely a lot more to it than people realize! Not quite as simple as ‘I’m cold so they’re cold, throw on a blanket’ 🙂
What a character!!! Playfulness ❤❤❤
Love your kind approach with training and all. You and Rudnick are so much fun to watch. Have so enjoyed seeing him with "B" and how playful y'all are. Also fun to watch how he's adapted, and fit into the herd at the new place. Thanks for the ride! Looking forward to what the New Year brings and wishing you all the joy and happiness a new year will bring🎉❤
Aw thank you so much! Wishing you a happy new year as well! 🎊💞
The beautiful cheeky Rudnik can't stay still for a minute........Good logical explanation, now I hope the negative people will leave you alone.......That is at the old place.......😘😍
On a similar note, my Golden Retriever loves to swim in the river. In the winter, when he comes out, he will be encased in ice. Our vet said much the same thing about his winter coat being so thick it retains body heat and the ice acts like insulation. Nature knows what it is doing.
Thank you Alecia!! You are helping me be less worrisome with your info. City person here! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas with Brander!! Love Rudnik!
Rudniks just a beefy kid those AQH genes definitely come in handy this time of year I absolutely love how fuzzy & dark he gets too,he’s just the handsomest blue roan in the world as well as the goofiest. I always appreciate learning more about equines they are definitely one of my favorite subjects to dive into bc I feel like I always learn something new they’re pretty amazing creatures.🐎🖤💙⛄️❄️I’m also jealous I wish I had a nice fuzzy Rudnik parka whenever I’m cold (which is nearly all the time lol)I might have to borrow a bit of the boys coat😂
Since we live in Southern AZ , I never blanketed my horses. They were well fed, also! 🤠
We never blanketed any of our horses. My aunt and uncle's horses, as well as my own horse, had shelter readily available if they needed it.
The draughthorses at the historic site I worked at are never blanketed either. They absolutely adore cold weather!
Some of my horses have wanted a blanket and some have totally hated the thought of blankets. If I had ever gone in for clipping, to do serious training in winter, as they do in England I would've blanketed. If a horse acted cold (shivering) I'd have blanketed. But a healthy horse with a natural coat (doesn't have to be long and fluffy...my unblanketed Arabians handled temps down to near zero comfortably if they had a way to be out of the wind, wioth plenty of bedding and abundant hay all night). Shorter coats than some others, but *plushy*. I did a late-night check, put my hand on ears, neck, side, and between front legs (wehther blanketed or not) to check how many seconds from touching to feeling the warmth come through. The ones who did not need or want a blanket I could always feel the body heat through the coat in 5 seconds or less (though not always on ears...)
Exactly! Theres so many factors that come into play when blanketing or not - every horse has different requirements and needs! I have multiple blankets on hand just in case rudnik should ever need one for any reason but thankfully he does a really good job at growing a thick coat so it hasn’t been needed. And thankfully our winters don’t usually get that harsh. But clipping is definitely another good example of when a horse would need blanketing!
I don’t know much about horses myself, but I heard another horse expert say that as long as a horse gets enough to eat in winter they don’t feel the cold. Their metabolism warms them from the inside.
While certain 'Breeds' are renowned for tolerating/not tolerating extreme weather (Say, Arabians in the Desert, Drafts in Norway), each horse has their own range. I've seen 'em enjoy extremes that would drop their fellows, and then seen furry couches that shivered when the temps fell to the high 30's.
People need to know, but more importantly, learn their own animal(s), and protect them accordingly.
:-)
I used to blanket my horse in winter because we were showing and a sleek coat presents better
100% valid reason - show horses definitely require a very specific level of care especially when clipped
I have always wondered about this. Let's say it's -1, blanket or not? I have seen horses go into shelter when it's cold, snowing, or raining. Perhaps it was just to get their food, but I see horses as smart. Same with cattle, goats, dogs, sheep.
Their coats are so thick and plush! We’ve had temps go below -20(c) and still never needed to use a blanket. When I lived in Saskatchewan we’d have temps below -40 and still never needed blankets. Horses coats will adapt and as long as you’re reading their cues and body language that will tell you if they’re cold. But many many healthy horses will go through harsh winters without ever needing one 🙂
I'm sure the psycho weather we've been having these days hasn't been wonderful. Swings from near 50F down to 5F (or colder) inside a week has to muck up the wooly coat growth. Is there a temperature that it's actually too cold for horses?
I think it all really comes down to the horse and climate. They adapt to their environment and some horses who are born and raised in severely cold temps can handle it where as a horse born into a warmer climate may not be able to handle the extreme cold for a couple years until they are climatized. But they are very hardy and can adapt quickly!
Also when people rug-up a horse, what about the parts of their body uncovered. Exactly, he looks beautiful, just as nature intended. He is used to his environment.
And that’s what’s great about their natural coats! It covers their whole body. And to throw one on just for the sake of ‘oh it’s colds I should blanket them’ can be SO dangerous. With how much heat they radiate with their natural coats, you’re trapping that heat under the blankets and they will be DRENCHED in sweat, which then freezes and then you have way bigger concerns to deal with