Most breeds have skins that are fairly tough and in addition to a tough skin they are blessed with a wonderful hair coat. Their hair is designed to fluff and catch pockets of air, once the air is caught in the hair it is warmed with the horses body heat. A healthy horse with a good hair coat will stay warm, wrapped in their air pocket throughout the winter. If you don’t believe drive past a field of  horses in the winter, chances are pretty good that they will be completely ignoring any shelter they have been given. The only time the average horse has a real problem with staying warm is if they have gotten wet, or if their hair has been flattened by mud.

Just because the average horse doesn’t need a blanket in the winter doesn’t mean that they all don’t. Several breeds, including Arabians and Thoroughbreds, have thin skin that is easily chilled. Older horses can also have a difficult time staying warm. Horses that have had an injury or illness that caused them to loose hair. Horses that are underweight are another group of horses that should be watched carefully to make sure they don’t develop a chill.

There are a variety of reason’s horse owners might choose to use a  horse blanket during the winter months. Some people who ride during the winter months choose to save time cooling out and waiting for their horse to dry after it has been worked by body clipping, horses that have been body clipped must be blanketed.  Show barns might decided to leave their horses blanketed so they are able to attend shows in the early spring with a horse that is sleek and shiny as opposed to a horse that is covered in a thick winter fuzz.

In the summer there are three main reasons a horse owner might choose to use horse blankets on their horses.

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