LD :>though.  I have abstained from blanketing here yet. I want
LD :>them to create
LD :>their own warmth.  Last year I started blanketing way too
LD :>early and was
LD :>really sick of it by the end of the winter.  I decided that
LD :>I will blanket
LD :>when it gets into the mid to lower 20's here.  At that
LD :>point, the barn will
LD :>be about 30-35 when it is closed up.
All the new rage is to not blanket your horses until it gets really cold, or 
unless you clip them.  The horses coat kind of puffs up and traps the warm 
body heat in it.  When you blanket, you flatten it down and prevent that from 
happening.
A caution on "closing up the barn".  Your horses are probably better off with 
the cold than with the stale air of a closed barn.  I think I've shut my barn 
up completely only once or twice, and that was because of high wind, not 
cold.  Remember, horses were meant to live outdoors in the cold, rain, snow, 
etc.
Having said all that....I started blanketing last week when the temps dipped 
into the low teens at night!  (So much for practicing what you preach -g-!)
Meg  
 
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