Shivering Horse - UPDATE

[azfarmgirl]

We are new to horses, and recently acquired a beautiful Red Roan gelding. He is from the Tucson area where the temperature, at this time, is 76 and at our house, his new home, it is 51. At 6:30 this morning I went out to check on him and he was shaking severely. It was a cold 39 degrees. Obviously the climate change is affecting him. The horses in our area are showing their winter coats and this guy is still in his summer coat. Once I fed him his shaking started to subside. He is use to being out on open range, and now he is being penned in a corral. So, things have certainly changed for him. He is 18 and in perfect health, except for ringbone in his front, left leg. We just checked on him and he is not shaking at all. It was definitely the cold. Should I blanket him at night, and put out extra hay?


UPDATE:

Our gelding is doing good. After speaking with some friends who moved some horses here at this time last year, I decided not to use a blanket. Instead, I made sure he had more hay during the day, and I went out at midnight and gave him some more. I am looking in to slow feeders, as I think he would benefit from them. Especially, after coming off of a 10,000 acre ranch to our 1.25 acre property. No grazing here. In the meantime, when I checked on Diesel this morning he wasn't shivering. I am sure the extra hay helped. Plus, I put up a temporary wind break that he huddled up next to during the night. He will soon have a shelter where he will be able to go during our snow storms, and I will blanket him then. For now, I want him to build up his coat to help him through our winter months.

Thanks for all your help.

 

[chubbydog811]

I would do both...Start with a light weight sheet or blanket, and see if that helps. Also feeding extra hay will help keep him warm too. Just don't let it go on too long, or he'll start dropping weight. My TB is already starting to drop weight from the cold, and it's only been getting in the 50's.

 

[Alice Acres]

Yep - just a light sheet. Otherwise he will depend on it and not acclimate, nor grow a good winter coat.
Our pony is just starting to grow his winter coat this week. We've had a freeze and a couple frosts here in MN.

 

[azfarmgirl]

Thanks for the help.

 

[sawfish99]

I disagree about the blanketing. If you blanket him now, even with a light weight blanket, you will need to blanket all winter.

A horse generates heat through digestion in the hind gut. Even though he was just moved to a cooler climate, he will rapidly acclimate and build the winter coat. What he needs to stay warm is the ability to have digestion going on throughout the day and night.

You need to have a constant supply of hay available in a slow feeder. The horse has likely been conditioned to get a pile of hay and eat it all quickly (1-2 hrs). That means when you feed again in 12 hours, he has had a long time without any hay, therefore no digestion in the hind gut. If you buy a slow feeder, such as the nibble net, then it will take longer for the horse to consume the hay, and therefore, encourage a continuous digestion process instead of a quick/short digestion.

 

[lovinglife]

I second sawfish99.

 

[taylorm17]

Don't blanket him because then he won't get a winter coat. Have him eat hay and possibly in a round bale so the hay on the ground he can be warmer in. Make sure his water is heated somewhat. I think he will be fine. Just let him get used to the environment.

 

[ChickenLittle]

I agree I don't blanket up here until our temps get down to below zero. My horse came from down south too and she only needs a blanket during really cold temps or during times when we get that wet chilly freezing rain/snow . I also up her hay a lot in the winter because being too cold during winter can cause a horse to lose conditioning, but I never ever blanket until it gets well into winter that way she builds a thick winter coat to help keep her warm.

 

[MDres]

The original starting post in this thread is from 2012, so I'm betting the blanketing issues and winter coat issues have been resolved for the upcoming winter. But, the responses still have good and valid points.

I cannot remember what university did the study, but I recently read a report concerning the weight of blanket vs. outdoor temp. The study revealed that using ANY blanket or even a light show sheet compresses the horse's winter coat, removing the loft, and the ability of the coat to trap warm air next to the horse's body. The study showed that you actually NEED a certain weight of blanket to compensate for compressing the coat, otherwise you are actually making the horse COLDER. There was a chart with the report that had outdoor temps and blanket weight. It was pretty eye-opening.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

The original starting post in this thread is from 2012, so I'm betting the blanketing issues and winter coat issues have been resolved for the upcoming winter. But, the responses still have good and valid points.

I cannot remember what university did the study, but I recently read a report concerning the weight of blanket vs. outdoor temp. The study revealed that using ANY blanket or even a light show sheet compresses the horse's winter coat, removing the loft, and the ability of the coat to trap warm air next to the horse's body. The study showed that you actually NEED a certain weight of blanket to compensate for compressing the coat, otherwise you are actually making the horse COLDER. There was a chart with the report that had outdoor temps and blanket weight. It was pretty eye-opening.

I'd be VERY interested in reading this if you could find it!!!!