Common Horse Blanketing Problems
If you plan to blanket your horse, make sure to measure it correctly. A blanket that is correctly fitted should fit comfortably across the horse’s shoulders. A blanket that is either too big or too small can cause several problems, the most common of which are:
- Rubbing: If the blanket (and therefore the leg straps) is too small and tight, it will cause a lot of rubbing across the animal’s shoulders and withers when the horse moves or reaches down to graze. This may lead to skin abrasions and blisters or sores. If the horse’s blanket doesn’t reach from the center of its chest all the way to the top of its tail, you need a bigger size.
- When the neck of the blanket is too large, it will slip and move around, making the horse uncomfortable. The horse may stand on the excess material (which hangs lower on its back), especially after it rolls.
- Leg straps that are too loose may trip the horse (it could get its legs tangled in them). This could lead to serious injury.
When you blanket a horse, you must take measures to avoid a couple of health risks:
- Especially if your horse is new to blanketing, make sure that you (or someone else) remember to remove the blanket when it gets warmer. An overheated horse will sweat. Getting chilled after developing a sweat could lead to respiratory troubles such as pneumonia. You can tell if a horse is too warm by checking if he is sweaty under his blanket. When a horse is shivering, it’s feeling cold.
- Avoid sharing horse blankets. This practice could lead to the spread of skin diseases and fungal infections (girth itch, ringworm etc). Fungal spores (not necessarily from other horses) can attach themselves to blankets and be spread to horses.
When you blanket a horse you must assume the responsibility of deciding, on a daily basis, how much protection from the cold it needs (or doesn’t need) and you should be prepared to protect it from the problems that are associated blanketing.
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