Finally someone speaks the truth. I am in northern Iowa. 6 head of horses. I don't have a shelter other than trees. 40 years of owning horses. Never had a sick horse. Keep them fed and clean water.
Spot on! Lived and worked with my horses all over the country. Currently living in Maine. My horses have always been outdoors 24/7 no blankets. I’ve discovered nothing will get you harassed faster by backyard horse woman here in New England then your horse standing outside with no blanket! I’m talking beautiful summer day in the 70’s and your getting yelled at because some know it all was driving by and saw your horse out there. Only time I ever blanketed my horses was in Wyoming. Working as a sheepherder in Big Horn mountains woke up one night to 20 degrees and snowing at 10,000’ in July. Checked on horses every so often through the night. Eventually put blanket on our curly mare when I felt her starting to shiver a little. My Morgan stud never shivered all night. Woke up to 6” of snow on ground and blanket was off as soon as sun came out. Let a horse be a horse, and stop treating them like little children, and you’ll be surprised how tough they really are. You’ll also realize how pathetic human beings are at coping with the outdoors. And you should stop treating little kids like little kids as well, you’d be surprised how tough they actually are also 😁
Particularly agree about children. Far too many are over-sheltered to point they cannot cope. Let kids make mistakes when they are little and consequences are too.
Yep, our horses have free access to shelter, barn, trees whenever they want, but they choose to stand out in the freezing rain, LOL. Horses are a pretty tough animal and can handle a lot.
How did horses ever survive all those years without us well meaning humans? I’m so glad you put this out there. Great video. When I would come home from work in the morning the horses would be in the sunshine place in the pasture. They are amazing animals. I never blanketed my Arabs and they did get fuzzy here in FL.
I tested my horses one winter. Gave them access to a barn as a storm was coming in. It was a hellish night, thunder & lightening, gale force winds, hale and torrential rain. I set my alarm and got up at 3 in the morning and headed to the barn expecting to see my three brumbies all snuggled up. They were not in the barn!!!! They were outside in an open paddock with their bums to the wind. That was many years ago and I have not rugged them since. I have saved a small fortune on rugs. Most of my friends have not.
I am from Alberta. My grandfather bred horses and never had blankets for horses. Grandfather said that blankets were a sure way to make your horse sick. He said with a blanket and the absense of heat these horses would shiver and get sick. On the subject of barns the same is for cattle. Herefords or Angus. All these animals prefer a shed to any barn. Up here in Canada we do know a little about winter.
Hallelujah ! I've been making this argument for 20 years! Do the blanket people change horse blankets every time it gets wet? The only time I use a blanket is when I ride in the winter, get my horse hot and sweaty and put him in the trailer to head down the road. I pull his blanket off as soon as we get home but it keeps him from getting chilled too quickly on the ride home. Thanks for the common sense approach !
I have 8 horses here 7 Arabians and a half Arabian. I am not a proponent for blanketing here in snowy central NY just south of Lake Ontario, but I had to work in WDC for a couple of years and I took my gelding with me to Virginia. He had 24/7 turn out with the ability to get in out of the weather. Suddenly my chubby, easy keeper was thin and shivery. I finally broke down and bought him a blanket for the damp, chilly weather. He almost immediately started gaining weight. I’m guessing the long wet winters just drew more energy from him than our snowy weather that was below freezing for longer periods. My take away is that a horse does well in snow and below freezing temps, but doesn’t do well in rain and a little above freezing temps. BTW we offer free choice hay most of the time, which saves a lot of $ on concentrates.
"My take away is that a horse does well in snow and below freezing temps, but doesn’t do well in rain and a little above freezing temps." You are absolutely right ... the conditions most likely to kill you from hypothermia are above freezing with rain. I was never more miserable in my life than in the wet winters of the east coast. I'd rather have -20 powder snow.
Very good talk. Good shed by the way; I like the trusses. A few years ago a well meaning neighibor who knew zero about horses came over my fence in the middle of the night and tried to put a quilt in my stallion who had never had a blanket on before. You can imagine what he did. Well next morning I found that quilt in pieces all over his pen. You can imagine how I felt. The temp was not even freezing. We had a little talk about who owned that horse. So many women think they know more and want to stick their nose where it does not belong. Have a nice trip and I hope your fuel pump does not quit nor the heater hose break nor the serpentine belt has no cracks. Not to mention nails in the tires.
Wow that’s very wrong indeed! Jumping the neighbors fence to rug their stallion??? She didn’t even ask you first? Did she ever mention it before that night??? I would be livid. Not because of the rugging, but because what else is she trying to do to my horses when I’m sleeping?!
Oh Dwayne i wish there was more people that kept horses like you, i do exactly the same as you, we have a lot more rain in winter and so the horses get skin rot along the spine some times when its wet and mild, there's little to no natural shelter so i have a shelter with open sides so they can see all round and tip dry sand inside for them they do use it some years.And i have found my boys curled up in snow asleep and they are always fine,my horses if they get a cold spell have a few rolled oats and some short chop alfalfa to get the gut working for heat and energy, the one thing i dont let happen is standing in acres of mud up to the hocks they can get miserable then theres always space of clean pasture for them .None of the horses wear rugs,shoes, they grow there own,as much as needed.The only thing that seems to cause problems for horses well being is humans, that mistakeably think that if throw money at it ,it will come good,especially if its pink and trendy. Love your videos its good to know your's and mommas life because i'd like to live across the pond with countryside with cattle and horses and like minded people,the only people that come near are livestock farmers and there's not many about locally.Keep vids comming,i need my fix,love to you both from England.
Great video! We have what is called a small parent heard of Indigenous Horses of America. These particular horses have DNA found in horse bones from archeological digs that date back before the ice age in North America. Meaning they survived the Ice age and have always been here. We are in Wisconsin. Keep then natural herd style no blankets no hoof trim 3 side open shelter to get out of the wind thier choice. They get fuzzy and not only survive but thrive! Stone and Boulder walks keep hoofs naturaly trimmed. ( no not show trimmed) but in the wild for thousands of years there were no barns. No hoof trimmers. Definetly no blankets. So here at Bright Horizon Sanctuary we salute you! Thank you again for great videos. May your Tobacco be always good. Blessings! TJ.
We go through life collecting bits of information. After a while that info is internalized and it becomes our way of looking at life & doing things. At that point we have completely stopped learning about that particular subject. And any other way of doing it just has to be wrong. “I’ve done it this way for 35 years” does not make it right. “How many legs does a dog have if you call a tail a leg? ...Four. Calling a tail a leg does not make it so.” Abraham Lincoln Thanks Dewayne for your logic & reason.
I’m SO GLAD you said this. I live in central Georgia. When it hits 50 degrees or less at night all the “horse Women” in the area go to slapping them blankets on their horses so they won’t freeze to death. I’ve always asked how did horses survive for millions of years before mankind started putting blankets on them? They’re the same folks that howl and call the cops when our hunting hounds are in pens when it’s winter time instead of in the house in front of the fire.
I normally watch your videos for philosophy talks and christian perspective. But I also watch your others even though I don’t own a horse, I just enjoy learning something I know nothing about. If anyone wants to argue with you about the care of a horse, it would be like someone arguing with me about the repair and car of your car, mechanic is what I do, and grew up at my daddy’s knee doing it. I really enjoy what you and mama do. God bless and safe travels as you head out west.
Great video, I 100% agree. Where I board my mare, people blanket their horses when the temperature gets below 40% and in the afternoon when the sun is blazing and it’s 55, the blankets are still on. I feel so sorry for their horses, but I’m the bad owner because I refuse to blanket my girl.
Just keep doing it and don't pay attention to what they say. I don't blanket my horse unless something happens like getting sick to where they lose weight . When they start feeling better I take it off. I very seldom use blankets for horses.
I haven't had horses in several years, but used to own many. As you say, they had access to an end of the barn if they wanted, but if a storm came up, they'd turn their butts to the wind, drop their head, and stand there till it passed. Never had one go in the shelter. Never blanketed either, and they did just fine. I see people here in Florida blanketing their horses in winter, and I just shake my head. Makes no sense. Appreciate your videos and your simple, common sense approach to horsemanship. Keep it up.
Before I came back to georgia, we had horses in north Carolina. Same deal. Ice on horses. Barn available, but they wanted to be out. Great video as always man. Would love to see a video on trailering long distances.
I live up in Canada winters are cold, but I always remember I let my horses be horses provide them with hay water and shelter/ wind brakes and 80 percent of the time there just chilling in the pasture watching the snowflakes and rolling around lol Great video
Worked at Snow Mountain Ranch Y in Colorado and the horses there were outside in 20 to 30 below temps and did just fine. My Husky would sleep outside in a blizzard and avoid using the doghouse unless it was really windy. Visiting Dad in TN and neighbors complained about the Husky being outside in 2 inches of snow at a warm 20 deg above zero. People just don't know.
Excellent video. More common sense and wisdom through experience! True, if you're taking place of nature and blanketing because of how you choose to use the horse it's understandable. But I love your statement of "be honest and know you're doing it for you"..
I’ve had this conversation with my sister more times than I can count. I came from working a dude ranch in Montana where the only thing we did for our 50 some odd horses were bring them in to a closer pasture and make sure they were fed and they were just fine at -20° My sister in San Diego blankets her horses if it drops below 50 and I’m always telling her they’re gonna overheat!
Unfortunately your sister is doing a disservice to her horses. It's a form of torture for the horses. Ask her to wear high boots, long jeans and a heavy winter coat on a 90 degree day; all day. Good Luck
you subject matter brings up one of the best Movie quotes of all time. John Wayne of course, "Put a blanket on that horse. Its not for your Butt, its for his back. God Bless you and yours sir
So true!! So much of what we do to horses is for us and then people get angry when the rugs get destroyed. Everyone's horse and situation is different some horses really benefit from a rug/blanket but most really don't need it.
Well said. When I am confronted with those types of people I counter with how did they survive before we started domesticating them and look at all the wild horses how are they surviving. They just walk away
I have had horses most of my life. I have never blanketed them and have never had them in a stall. They have a place in the barn where they can go but they don't use it much at all. They prefer being out regardless of the weather or temp. I have also had way fewer vet bills than any other horse person I know. In the last two years I lost my two oldest horses that were both 36 years old.
Once again a common sense approach to horsemanship! We had such a great experience at Dry Creek Wrangler School. Cant’t thank you and Deanna enough! Take care and enjoy some time away!
We have a lot of wild horses where I live in Utah. I've seen them out running around in -47°F. and they are just fine. If it's really cold they stay active and eat more. They are tough animals and built for about anything. It's people’s emotions and ignorance of nature that leads them to do things like blanket their horses. They don't realize that trying to help the horse, they are actually hurting it. God bless you sir and thank you for always sharing your wisdom.
I’ve always been told only blanket of they shiver or seem uncomfortable in the cold! I do like to blanket mine in the winter because his mane grow so good!’ 😂 when he cant jack it up and he looks gorgeous. But this spring I let him go hog getting all muddy and it helped him shed out so much better. My horse if it’s very hot out and there is a fan on the run in will choose to stand in the run in about half the time.
we seem to be on the same beard-shave-stache-beard schedule dwayne. You're the man! Keep up the good work and I wish you all the success, happiness, grace and peace in the coming years!
Hello. Just found your channel and I was particularly interested in this topic so I clicked. I live in the northeast and I do, rarely blanket my girl. I have a rule, usually, when it is between 5-10 degrees F, is when I blanket (it can and has gotten as low as -50). My blanketing is probably more about making me feel better. We've got a wet snow, its usually windy, and she goes into her stall (a run in where she can come and go as she pleases). I totally agree we can depend on how God's equipped our horses for their care. Thank you.
Mine seems to get all jumpy and jittery when it's quite cold and wet at same time. N if I blanket her she's chill, just moseys around. I've taken that as a sign she feels better. I know it's not necessary and I don't do it all the time, but she's the only one I got and it's no big trouble to do. This does give me peace of mind though, to know what experience people think/know.
Yeah cold wind in winter rain will get me blanketing my horse till sunrise but it's rare for more than a few hours, and only bc I have a small corral and now shelter... I just got the one horse for now and it assuades the guilt. I watch videos like this to keep me straight lol
Thanks Dewayne. I am a no blankets, no shoes and in most cases no bits guy. To each his own but like you said, why are you doing it. Travel safely to our beautiful and much cooler pacific northwest.
I am a new horse owner and question a lot of people why they do things. I then go home and do research to educate myself. The end answer I always go back to is how do horse live in the wild without us. So, I do very little for my horse. I shod his front feet, I provide some feed but mostly hay, deworm and after that, he seems to take care of himself. The only thing I see you did not cover is why a horse will turn their butts to the wind when it is cold and very windy. Horses have lived in the wild for centuries and have learned to survive, they need very little from us. I was travelling through Wyoming two winters ago and saw horses in a pasture with no human existence in sight and it was windy, blow 18 wheelers off the highway windy, and cold and these horse were fine. I drive to work, just south of Fort Worth, TX, and it was just below freezing and breezy and every horse I saw was blanketed. Loved this video to show that blankets are not required for a healthy horse.
Everything you said was correct. Horses were born in the wild and prefer to be outside with nothing including a halter on them. Stalls and barns have bacteria and fungus that can hurt the horse. Let them live as they do in the wild!
Glad to see one more video before you head back up here to God's country! My horses have a barn to get in during inclement weather. Do they come in when the weather is -30F with 50+ mph wind, nope. Rain or snow pouring down, nope. They come in for about an hour each evening (5-6pm) during the heat of the summer to enjoy some shade. Otherwise they could care less about the shelter. I do throw them some extra high-quality alfalfa on cold nights.
Most of the ranches I worked around often turned some of the string out in the fall and didn't bring them in until Spring rustling for themselves in the high desert of SE Oregon SW Idaho N Nevada. Wild horses seem to do just fine on their own.
Im 74 and had horses and in later years mules also and agree 100 %. I live in Wi and left them out year around with hardly any vet bills compared to those who kept the animals in the barn.
Touche` Dewayne! I worked on a tough little Morgan cross that was purhased from a trail string for a young girl. New owner stalled him in a boarder barn and kept him wrapped up like the Christmas present he was- 2 blankets, a hood and really bizarre leg warmers. Poor little fella fought pneumonia that entire winter and nearly died. It's been my experience these type owners will happily spend money on everything they don't need but reluctantly pay the farrier or vet. I think hot, humid weather is far harder on horses than the cold. Glad you and Mama escaping these Midwestern heat indices. Wishing you a fabulous time!
Great topic! Use to have this disagreement with a lady I used to be on a relationship with! My personal horses stay out in rain lightening storms! She got mad at me! Where she freaked out and ran outside to put her horses in the mare barn! Blanketed hers all the time
Long time ago I bought a young swaybacked thoroughbred. Kept him in a big paddock. No blanket no stall no shoes no saddle. He was fine. I owned a bridle and a hoof pick and a brush. We enjoyed the trails.
that’s great to here. im someone who’s looking to have a horse one day, but would not like to end up broke lol. would you recommend keeping a horse naturally like that today?
we never put anything on our horses...no matter if in 20s or 90s. They would go find shade from sun....they would turn their asses to strong winds...but they stayed out and were able to go where they wanted all through the seasons. They preferred to be out in pasture... Feed them good and dont strip their coats in winter..let them get shaggy.
I'm one of those who really like to see shaggy horses in winter... the shaggier the better. It's a mess in spring, but come warm weather, they'll be all sleek and shiny. I enjoy the differences.
We frequently drove by a rental stable going to a ski resort, and the horses in winter had unmelted snow on their backs on top of the usual western horses winter coat ... that is insulation.
Awesome truth and very well presented. My draft descendants from the BLM love cold weather. We are in Kansas and experience blizzards and ice storms without blankets, and are healthy and strong.😊
I agree with you on not blanketing, no need to barn.. etc. However.. any animal in the wild or in captivity needs some sort of wind break! Weather it be a steep hill or bluff, trees or such. If you’re dry lotting animals in an open lot in a climate with snow, ice and sub-zero temperatures, you should provide some sort of man made wind break.
I really wish more people would stop and consider how the horse would be in the wild. so many times we only need to adjust when what we sre doing puts the horse in situations it wouldn't naturally be in.
Thank you so much for this post! I have been saying this all along but I think I'm the only one in my area who gets it. I live in Georgia where we don't even have extreme winter weather yet the majority of horses here are blanketed. You do such a great job explaining this concept and the science behind it! 👏 I hope my neighbors subscribe and watch this video!
Great information. Although I’m in a very warm climate with what I call mild winters no lower than 26 degrees, I have never blanketed my horses. I feel like nature takes care of itself. I don’t even own a warming blanket. I’ve often wondered what y’all did in really cold climates. Thanks Dewayne.
I'm from New Zealand I have two miniture horses they have never had covers they are in a yard because they both have founded badly on grass they eat hay and a small amount of sugar free hard feed and Timothy. They are fine we have put some hard fill sand in so the yard is not fill of water and mud. We have had them for six years. We have a couple who come and trim there feet every six to eight weeks. And have had no problems with them.
I was around horses when I was younger on our small ranchito and we had a ranch manager who also thought this. We fed them extra oats and sorghum and left the stable door open. They had 500 acres to go where they wanted under trees or whatever and usually they stayed out. They came back in the morning to get fed😋
For a horse being ridden "normally", you are absolutely correct. My background is in racing Standardbreds, and we do clip them in the winter if they're in heavy training because otherwise it would take them all day to dry out. For horses like this, light clipping and blanketing make sense. But, once you start, you have to keep it up.
If you need to dry them out a bit quicker ,desensitise first of course, and use a leaf blower in suitable place ,works on well hairy cold bloods, my horses have now setttld to it and enjoy.
My girlfriend is yapping in the background because she blankets here English ridden jump horse. I love your channel and your thoughts. Hopefully I can manage to explain to my significant other that if the weather says it's going to drop to 50 tonight, we don't have to panic drive over to the barn every time.
Maybe she should read this. This article was referenced by over 20 of the top equine vets in the country. holistichorseandhoofcare.blogspot.com/2014/03/thermoregulation-in-horses-in-cold-time.html
I have owned horses pretty much all my life on the Canadian prairies. I have never blanketed except for trailering a sweaty horse. I use a slab windbreak which they use cause we don't have trees. That and a belly full of good hay is all they want or need. A blanket just interferes with the natural coat..
Thank you! I was looking for videos on how to measure my horse for a blanket because we have winter storm coming in tonight. I live in the Tucson, AZ area and it's rain, high wind and cold temperatures but my horse is originally from Nebraska and is a healthy, hairy beast. He's gonna love having some extra flakes of hay in his food trough tonight! Thanks for talking me down off the ledge... whew!
I wish the "normal healthy horse" phrase would have turned up earlier in the video, though anyone with common sense should know that's what you were talking about. Otherwise perfect! As for Arabs, my sister's Arab is trouble free in the southern Alberta winter, it's her thoroughbred that many years hasn't grown a proper coat and needed a blanket, as needed.
Our mules have always been given options. Pasture with shade trees in the summer, outside loafing area with a walk thru covered stall in the snowy cold winters. No blankets, unless there's a serious health problem. It's been my experience our mules like to stay dry if it's cold, wet, and blowing. Good video, thanks!
Thank you! I’ve been debating on blanketing my new mare this winter or not. My late mare was a senior who had a hard time maintaining weight so I blanketed and my new mare is a rescue whose gaining weight very quickly and I don’t see her being a hard keeper through winter. She’s at a healthy weight now, her teeth are good, she eats great. Plus she’s from up north and I’m down south, this is going to be her warmest winter ever. I’m at a boarding barn with ottbs and my mare is an OTTB and I know I’ll get weird looks but I truly think winter will treat her well! She’s a sturdy girl, she only looked like a crap when I got her because she wasn’t being fed enough and right now she’s healthy from just hay and beet pulp
I'm up in the mountains of New Hampshire. I don't blanket. I regularly get temps of -20 in the dead of winter. Worst I've seen it was -38. The horses were fine. They have a big run in to get out of the wind and wet if they want to. They spend by far more time in the barn in the summer to escape the heat and flies. My hay consumption can more than double when it gets wild out there. I have blankets just in case. Don't use them. Nothing I hate to see more than a horse in a wet blanket.
Completely agree. The only time I'll put a blanket on is when is medically necessary. I had a 30 yo Dutch KWPN and he had cushing. Had him on meds, but his fur grew way too thick. You could see him enjoy it when we shaved that thick layer of hair off. If we wouldn't, he would get super itchy all over. And he would get lice. Even when the temperatures were freezing. Had to put blankets on after of course, but he thrived that way. You got to look at the horse I think. I think most are more bothered by heat than by cold.
I'm a little late on this but thank you so much for sharing this info, you are spot on! I would add a possible exception, if I ride my horse into a heavy sweat going into a freezing night I would recommend a little extra care... because I have interupted the natural nature of things. Horses don't naturally work themselves into a sweat. Thanks, keep up the good work and God bless
I live in Canada were winter can hit -40. I don't even own a blanket. I feel better if they have a shelter, but even at -40 they won't use it. Some shade on a hot day is more important, and they will be more likely to go in a shelter to escape the bugs in the summer. As for the comment you made about Arabs...not true. They are crazy hardy horses. In spite of the fact they come from a hot desert, the cold doesn't bother them at all. I've seen several, and own one. I've heard the theory of how light affects the coat, but I don't buy it. It makes no sense. The coldest weather is AFTER the shortest day of the year. That means they would start reverting to the summer coat when they need a winter coat the most. Horses survived for thousands of years before humans thought they needed our "help". Leave them alone.
Very well said, thank you! A horse is beautiful just as God made them. What bothers me is when people half to shave a horse because they look better. Really
I know that here in the Netherlands. Sometimes people who have horses. And folks like cityfolks come by allong the fence. They alarm the animal protection police. And than sometimes more people do this or whatever. The owner of the horse has to put on the blanket. Or the horse will be taken in extreme cases or yhe owner will be fined sometimes fined per day for not do what they want you to do.
The biggest thing I have noticed in winter weather is here in Southern Illinois we may have heavy rain for several hours before we get sleet that then turns to snow and temps may drop to the teens. My horses have access to the barn at their will but once they are soaking wet then it gets blistery cold they are cold. For that reason I may stick them in their stalls till the precip breaks. The one time I have had a desire to put a blanket on any of my 4 horses was because of this back in February of this year, it rained for a full day in the 40* temps then turned to sleet and went to the single digit temps with snow that night. Actually there was another time I blanketed a horse but he had choked, ended up with pnuemonia, it was cold.... alot of reasons health related and he was cold. In general though I agree with you, horses rarely need blankets.
Amen! Haha I recognise this from our horses. *Hailstorm* Horse stands next to shelter, bum in the wind. There is no insulation like their own natural coat. It's like you said, a blanket just hinders their own means of staying warm. I do however own a horse (a big Danish draft), and the winters where I live are way warmer than where she's from. With her wintercoat she legit looks like a woolly mammoth. If I work her she'll overheat, so in Octobre I have to shave her wintercoat off. For the one or two cold weeks we have here I just throw on a thin blanket against the rain, other than that she has no blanket. The shaving is such a hassle, I hate it. Unfortunately we really have to for her to be comforable. But even when she's shaved, she's able to be out almost all winter without blankets and such.
