To Blanket or Not To Blanket

I choose NOT to blanket, even though it's a grand total of 8 degrees here today. Going outside is like stepping into a Winter Apocalypse. There are not enough layers in the world to keep you warm. Well, maybe there are, but I do not possess them.

So if I'm all bundled up like a retarded penguin, why is my horse naked? For starters, she has a lovely fur coat, while I have to protect my naked flesh with as much wool, down, and Carhartt as I can.

Whenever it gets really cold or nasty, I always worry about how Cherry is doing and if she's warm enough. And when I go to check on her, she's puffed up like a dandelion and looking at me like, "WTF if your problem?" as my teeth chatter and hands shake. A couple days ago she had icicles in her tail and looked like she was soaking wet. Upon closer inspection, I realized that only the top layer of hair was wet and the under layers were perfectly dry. I scraped the icicles off of her, stuffed her full of hay pellets, and put her back in her snowy paddock.

The first winter up here in the frozen north, she did need a blanket (two, in fact). Being the California baby that she is, she grew a California winter coat, which was only distinguishable from the summer coat by the slightly longer fetlock hair. The first time it snowed, I found her huddled in her shelter and shivering, looking like the equine equivalent of the Little Match Girl. She looked at me like, "What is this horrible place that you've brought me to and when can we leave?" Now she's like, "It's not that cold, you big weenie!"

In fact, the only times she does get a blanket are the fall and spring. It likes to rain here during those seasons, which also coincides with either growing in or shedding out the winter coat. When she's fully haired up, Cherry's fine. If she's not, she gets cold. Thus the blanket.

My blanketing strategy is pretty simple. Blanket as needed. That's it.

I feel sorry for the horses outside now in thin, lightweight blankets. Um, when you smash their hair down with a blanket you have to compensate for that with enough blanket to keep them warm! You try sitting outside all night in a windbreaker when it's below zero! Not too warm now, is it?