Quick help please. 18-24 inches of the white crap and my 31 year old is wet!

[Just Walter]

It took me a bit to get my chores done to bring in the horses from the field. Both TB's dried out in about 2 hours I went up to blanket thinking all of them would be dry by then. But the old girl is still really wet. She has a pretty heavy coat. I threw on a cooler and her midweight blanket, if we weren't in for such a doozey of a storm I'd leave her to dry. But the temps are dropping dramatically and we are in for a HUGE dumping of snow.

Suggestions for tonight????

[Fharoah]

I would keep them dry and cozy, not hot but cozy, I am a fan of blanketing a 220 polygram is likely a good choice.

[Just Walter]

Well they are undercover, stalls with runs. But she is pretty wet still. The question I should have asked is am I doing more harm than good blanketing when wet?

[sublimequine]

Can you bring out a bunch of big towels and a hairdryer? That's what I used to do when I'd come to the barn and find my mare shivering and wet. I didn't have enough time to put a cooler on her and let her dry for hours, and she was pasture boarded so there was no stall to put her in.

So I would towel her off very well, to the point where there's really no excess moisture on her, but the coat is still damp. I'd then blow dry the worst spots, until most of her "undercoat" was dry. I'd test it by running my hand the opposite direction of the hair, and see if down by her skin was she dry or not.

Then I'd put a turnout sheet on her, or blanket, whatever the temps dictated, put her back out with some hay, and she did just fine. If I simply dried her off a bit and put her back out without a sheet/blanket on, she'd start shivering again. So I'd rather blanket a damp horse, then leave a shivering horse. Kind of picking the lesser evil!

[jetsmom]

You can stuff hay or straw under the blanket. It helps them dry, and keeps the blanket from getting wet.

[Simbalism]

When I used to horse show in the winter we were always bathing the horses. What I would do was towel my horse off as best as I could and then put an anti-sweat sheet on her and then her blankets.The antisweat seemed to let her dry without making her blankets wet. Another thing you could try is a wool cooler. The water wicks to the outside while keeping the horse warm.

[tBHj]

I would throw a wool cooler on until she's dry and then blanket. Putting a blanket on over a damp cooler seems bizzare to me.

[equineartworks]

I kid you not...the shamwow's are amazing for this sort of thing. They do honest to gosh soak up the wet like crazy. I just stocked up on a pile for those days when the weather changes like crazy.

But for now, I second the wool cooler idea too.

[FatPalomino]

Well I imagine the horse is dry by now and you're out in my neck of the woods.

Our oldest refused to come in before the rain. He stayed in a stall last night to dry off and stay out of the wind (worst part of this storm) and he'll go out with a rambo today.

[murphyluv]

as long as the blanket is breathable you can blanket when the horse is wet. Trust me, the horse will be dry in a few hours.

[Zu Zu]

It took me a bit to get my chores done to bring in the horses from the field. Both TB's dried out in about 2 hours I went up to blanket thinking all of them would be dry by then. But the old girl is still really wet. She has a pretty heavy coat. I threw on a cooler and her midweight blanket, if we weren't in for such a doozey of a storm I'd leave her to dry. But the temps are dropping dramatically and we are in for a HUGE dumping of snow.

Suggestions for tonight????No additional suggestions ~ just wishing you a break and some "dry" for you and your horses ! Your weather is terrible very early -

[Just Walter]

Thanks all, I went out a few times last night and by 11:00pm she was completely dry, I think it took around 6 hours to get her fully dry. I'll turn them all out today with their blankies on. We are supposed to get at least 18-24 inches of the white crap by tomorrow. We have about 6 and a little lull in the storm.

FatPalomino - how is it down there!?

I'll go grab a bunch of those Shamwows! :) Good ideas!

[joiedevie99]

Shamwows and a blow dryer will fix up any horse in under an hour.

[FatPalomino]

FatPalomino - how is it down there!?


Sigh. We're halfway between Cheyenne and Ft Collins in Wellington.

It's still snowing sideways. With the winds we only have 2 or 3" most places. But the winds are blowing the snow in the barn through every nook and cranny. They are still estimating 19" + here.

The horses all wanted to eat outside. And they all prefer to eat the snow off the brand new auto waterer instead of drinking from it, because, it's scary!!!!

The mini's gelding incision is swelling because he wasn't moving, so I was out lunging him this morning. :D

I 80 is closed between Laramie and Cheyenne, don't know that I25 is closed yet, but it probably will be soon. Doesn't matter, because my husband has his Tahoe at work and the windshield wipers on my 4WD pickup decided not to work today, and I'm not venturing out in my civic (and don't feel like chaining it up...)

I'm supposed to take the kid we've been working with to a Halloween costume thing on Sat with the horses.... this better be gone by then. Oh, and I have 1800' of fence that got delivered yesterday afternoon (earliest mill could have it done) that needs to go up this weekend, too!

Is this a warning sign that it will be a horrible winter?

[Just Walter]

I think it's going to be a nasty winter. Cookie my 31 year old had a heavy coat all summer because it was so chilly, and now is growing a layer of Yak.

[Simbalism]

I forgot about the Shamwows. I bought some at the last local horse expo. I have used them when I have bathed my australian shepherd and also used them to wipe my horse down when I have sponged her off. They work well. Debi

[Capilet]

I third the shammie/shamwow suggestion. I can dry my TB's super thick tail most of the way with a shamwow in a few minutes.

If you must blanket damp, I suggest a synthetic liner--polar fleece, that sort of thing.