Should I blanket my wet horse?

[Cindyg]

It's been raining here for days, though not terribly cold. My horse doesn't mind weather, so he's been standing outside. He's soaking wet.

My donkey hates rain and cold, so he's been standing in the barn. He's dry.

Tonight it's going down to 24 (and wet and windy). I'm inclined to put a blanket on the dry donkey. He's the one who minds the weather most.

But what about the wet horse? I don't normally blanket him, but it's not normally 24 degrees here. I'm sure he'll be fine without the blanket, but I want him to be 100% comfortable! :)

Yes, they have shelter and will have hay all night.

[JB]

I have no problem blanketing a wet horse IF the blanket is breathable. I've done it, out of necessity, many times, and the horse dries out nicely, even despite continued cold and/or wet weather.

[Highflyer]

I've done it, too. You wouldn't want to do it on a daily basis, probably, because that would be a breeding ground for fungus, but I haven't found that doing it occasionally hurts. Towel off what you can, and go with it. I've even had to hose off an extremely wet, muddy clipped horse, scrape well, blanket, and turn back out.

[whbar158]

I have only done it with the bottom layer being fleece or wool, and it has worked out fine those times. Not sure about other blankets.

[Alagirl]

With a layer of straw (or hay) underneath to elet it dry without catching a chill...

[LauraKY]

I've put a cooler on under, leave it for an hour or so, then remove. That's after toweling off as well as I can. I do try to avoid a wet horse (sheet) if I know the temp is going to drop significantly. I'll even bring them in early to let them dry if I have to. But then, I have a couple of seniors.

[sublimequine]

I've had to blanket my mare when she was wet before. It started to pour before the forecast said it would, so she was wet. I'd towel her off very well, let her hang out in the indoor to air dry, and if she was really sopping, I'd blowdry her with a human dryer for a bit.

She's survived being blanketed while wet/damp quite a few times out of neccessity. :)

[SMF11]

My horses are not blanketed regularly; I have put blankets on when wet, most recently yesterday!

I do it when I've been caught by the weather (yesterday what was supposed to be a few flurries turned into a full-fledged snowstorm that caught everyone by surprise). My horses have Rambos, so that's what is put on, no liners or hay underneath. They dry well, stay warm and have yet to get any kind of fungus.

[Carol Ames]

You could try putting straw or hay under her blanket; it will trap a layer of air, warmed ;)by her body, and with a wool cooler/ blanket, the moisture will be wicked away:cool:. while she is kept warm. :-) Unfortunately regular cotton stable sheets will keep her cold:no::sadsmile: and wet; if you can find a used "holey" rug, aka anti sweat; then pick up old wool/ aka army blankets on sale; they will get lots :yes:of use this time of year:)

[Carol Ames]

You could try putting straw or hay under her blanket; it will trap a layer of air, warmed ;)by her body, and with a wool cooler/ blanket, the moisture will be wicked away:cool:. while she is kept warm:). :-) Unfortunately regular cotton stable sheets will keep her cold:no::sadsmile: and wet; if you can find a used "holey" rug, aka anti sweat; then pick up old wool/ aka army blankets on sale; they will get lots :yes:of use this time of year:)

[Carol Ames]

Rambos's do breathe and allow air to circulate under the blanket, so, there is a layer of warm air there to finish drying the horse; I love that technology!:yes:
I do it when I've been caught by the weather (yesterday what was supposed to be a few flurries turned into a full-fledged snowstorm that caught everyone by surprise). My horses have Rambos, so that's what is put on, no liners or hay underneath. They dry well, stay warm and have yet to get any kind of fungus.

[Bogie]

With a breathable blanket I've never had a problem.

[Carol Ames]

the danger in putting away a wet horse,:eek: even damp in cold weather is that their body temp drops with a layer of cold water :eek:against their bodies:no:, unless you rub them until dry; run your fingers under their hair; if they are warm and dry, you are ok; but, if not, rub more until dry:)






;):)

[JB]

Wetsuits work by trapping a layer of water against the skin, which warms the water, thereby keeping you warm.

The right blanket does sort of the same thing - allows the body head to warm the moisture against the skin, while allowing that same moisture to evaporate. The combination warms/keeps warm the horse, at the same time allowing him to dry out.

The wrong blanket will just trap the moisture, creating a breeding ground for rainrot, or will not get/keep the horse warm and you have a cold, wet horse.

[Cindyg]

Thanks for the ideas, everyone. I did blanket him. But I tied him up in the stall for an hour first, so he was mostly dry. I don't know whether my blanket breathes or not. (How do I know?) It's a water-resistant turn-out.

[allpurpose]

I've used a hair dryer many times on my wooly beastie with great success. It takes a while, but after towelling off the worst of the sop, a hair dryer works great!

[starkissed]

I don't think the horse will be comfortable if he is soaked wet and it goes in the 20s.

I have put a turnout blanket on a damp horse- but not one that has been getting soaked to the bone. I usually put a cooler on and let them wick dry, then put the turnout on.

But I think he would be better w/ a blanket

[KarenC]

I've had a lot of success using a polarfleece cooler under the blanket. Usually go out and can remove the cooler after an hour or so, as it is has done it's job and dried the horse.

[goeslikestink]

It's been raining here for days, though not terribly cold. My horse doesn't mind weather, so he's been standing outside. He's soaking wet.

My donkey hates rain and cold, so he's been standing in the barn. He's dry.

Tonight it's going down to 24 (and wet and windy). I'm inclined to put a blanket on the dry donkey. He's the one who minds the weather most.

But what about the wet horse? I don't normally blanket him, but it's not normally 24 degrees here. I'm sure he'll be fine without the blanket, but I want him to be 100% comfortable! :)

Yes, they have shelter and will have hay all night.


if wet through get some straw and put it on there back with either a fleece or anti sweet sheet, when dry they will shake the sttraw out

or shove on top a blanket this way they dry normally if you just rug a wet you will get a chill which in turn could lead to colic