When to Blanket an Old Horse

Owning a senior horse comes with a lot of questions and concerns. Many horse owners aren’t even sure when to consider their horse a “senior,” let alone when to begin treating them as such. Senior horses with good weight and no health conditions can go unblanketed, but some reasons you should consider blanketing your senior horse are if he has a low body condition, medical conditions, has serious dental issues, doesn’t grow a thick winter coat or is clipped, has a metabolic condition or does not have access to adequate shelter.

We’re here to help and want to ensure you’re well equipped to take care of your equine companion as they age; let’s break down everything you need to know.

How Horses Maintain Body Temperature

Older horses maintain their weight the same way as younger horses; by eating and breaking down forage. Their digestive systems work hard to break down hay, grass, and grain, releasing heat in the process. The heat they release warms their body and keeps their core temperature where it should be, between 37.5 and 38.5 degrees celsius. Body temperatures that fall out of this range by more than a couple of decimals are cause for concern. If they drop or rise by an entire celsius point, it’s time to take action. Your horse needs to be able to produce heat, and if he’s struggling to do so, you need to intervene.

The Importance of Hay

Since horses break down food to maintain their temperature, it’s important for them (especially older horses) to have constant access to forage when temperatures drop. Most seniors have less body fat and therefore won’t have energy stores to rely on when they run out of hay in the field. Free choice hay will keep your senior warm and comfortable when temps get near or below zero.

Not only does constant eating regulate body temperature, but it’s also essential for overall digestive health and prevention of ulcers, relaxation, and weight maintenance. Horses that wait long periods between meals (even only 4 hours or so) are at a significantly higher risk of developing gastric ulcers, a painful condition that can lead to weight loss, unwanted changes in behaviour, and even colic.

With all that in mind, even 24/7 access to hay sometimes isn’t enough for our senior horse, and this is where blanketing comes in handy.

Your Horse Has Dental Issues

Horse’s digestive processes begin in their mouths, so having healthy teeth is very important. Older horses tend to have dental issues and loose teeth over time since horses chew side to side. Over the years, their teeth can wear unevenly and cause hooks and grooves, which affect their ability to chew and break down their food. Usually, this will cause them to drop feed, eat slowly, or struggle chewing hay enough to swallow well. These changes also increase the risk of choke and impaction colic in older horses.

What Can I do to Support My Horse with Dental Issues?

If you notice your horse is having a hard time chewing hay, you can try offering bagged hay products like soaked hay cubes and wet grain mashes with warm water to encourage him to eat enough calories. Please ensure that you wet the hay cubes enough; if you feed them dry, they can expand in your horse’s stomach and cause digestive disturbances. If weight is an issue, try using alfalfa cubes, which are higher in protein and calories.

As you can imagine, their inability to chew efficiently can lead to weight loss. When their body condition score drops below a 4 (on the 1-10 scale), or you notice your horse’s weight is low, or is having a hard time chewing and is dropping feed, have your vet out to evaluate his teeth. A pre winter veterinary examination is also a good idea if you have an older horse. In some cases, extractions are needed, and once removed, the horse may chew better than before. Blanketing your horse with dental issues can help him stay warm while he awaits treatment or if he’s lost weight.

Your Horse Has a Low Body Condition Score

Aging horses tend to stay leaner, as their bodies become less efficient at breaking down food and storing energy. This leanness can be exacerbated by cold weather and high winds. Senior horses benefit a lot from having a blanket when they’re already on the leaner side.

When horses spend all of their excess energy staying warm, they have to eat a lot of hay and grain to replace those calories. A simple way to support your older horse’s body condition is to blanket him when the weather gets cooler. Thinner muscles and a light fat layer can contribute to your horse’s low weight.

What Can I do to Keep Him Warm When He’s Underweight?

The best way to support your horse is to give him a warm layer, or even layer blankets on top of one another (stable sheet underneath, winter blanket or turnout sheet on top), to help trap heat against his body. You might notice that with blanketing, your horse is able to gain weight. This is because he’s wasting far less energy on temperature regulation and instead storing fat.

Your Horse Has a Poor Winter Coat

Some horses, even unclipped horses, don’t grow a thick enough hair coat when they reach a certain age. Because of this, they’ll need to be blanketed. Pay attention not only to how long the hair is, but how thick the overall hair coat is on your horse.

How Does their Coat Keep Them Warm?

Horses have tiny piloerector muscles located at the hair shaft that stand up the hairs, changing their direction, which traps air close to the body. The trapped air warms up, and acts like a layer of insulation against the cold outdoors. If the coat is lacking fullness, and the hairs are laying flat, they won’t be able to trap air between the hair and skin, leaving your horse cold. This thermoregulation system is very fascinating; your horse stays warm, and snow won’t melt on top of his coat.

Some older horses grow a patchy coat, which relates to medical conditions that affect horses nearing 20 years of age, like Cushing’s disease for example (PPID). These horses often need to be shaved in the summer, and blanketed in the winter, due to abnormal distribution of hair and poor shedding.

If you notice any serious abnormalities in your horse’s winter coat, reach out to your vet for guidance. Blanketing might be the best choice to keep your senior dry and warm in inclement weather!

Your Horse is Clipped

Clipping older horses can be necessary in some cases, like patchy or uneven coats, or if you still ride him frequently. If you ride often and your horse is clipped, you should consider the right kind of blanket. If you ride an older horse and then put him outside with a sweaty coat, you risk making him dangerously cold. The Bucas Power Turnout line is a good choice because it has a built-in layer to help dry your horse. It’s also a waterproof blanket, which is essential for being outdoors.

How Can I Best Protect my Clipped Horse?

Provide a warm, insulated waterproof blanket for turnout and a stable sheet for in the barn. It’s a good idea to have a few blankets that you can rotate through, in case one gets soiled or damaged. Using a blanket with a built-in cooler function will help dry him off and keep him warm when you put him back outside.

You should consider riding with a quarter sheet if you ride your older, clipped horse. It will help keep his back and hindquarters warm while you exercise him and also help warm his muscles, which is great before you get on. Getting on a “cold-backed” horse, especially an older one, is hard on them. Try giving your horse a light warmup before mounting; a few minutes of hand walking around the arena or lunging at the walk makes a huge difference. A quarter sheet will aid in keeping him warm and comfortable before, during, and after the ride.

Older Horses with Metabolic Condition or Health Concerns

Cushing’s disease, thyroid issues, and other metabolic conditions can affect your horse’s ability to maintain weight and body condition. They change the rate at which horses break down and use energy, causing weight loss, weight gain, and uneven fat distribution. If this is the case for your horse, it might be a good idea to have a pre-winter veterinary exam to determine the best plan for the cold weather.

Other Health Conditions to Monitor

Another thing to consider is whether or not your horse has any respiratory health conditions or problems. Conditions like emphysema and heaves cause your horse to breathe heavily, cough, and expend hundreds of calories every day trying to breathe. Horses with respiratory issues often end up underweight or needing medications and support for outdoor life.

Your Horse Does not Have Adequate Shelter for Cold Weather

Depending on your horse’s living situation, he may not have access to adequate shelter. Not all barns offer shelters in each paddock, but if your horse lives outside full time, shelters are necessary to protect him from frozen terrain and high winds. If he can’t get out of the cold rain and weather, you risk having him lose weight and utilize calories for temperature regulation.

What is the Ideal Shelter?

Ideally, his shelter will be large enough to fit his entire body in, have 3 walls and a roof with plenty of clearance for his head. Bedding is an added bonus, which gives him a soft warm place to lie down outside. Hay should be provided at all times, and ice free water should be available.

Sometimes, even if our horses have access to all of this in their paddock, they might be getting bullied by young horses or dominant herd mates. If his herd situation involves him being forced out of the shelter by his younger companions, it might be best to move him into a group of other older horses. This will allow him to sit in a different spot in the pecking order and not have to fight to get out of the prevailing winds.

Another thing to consider is that if your horse can’t get into the shelter to dry himself, skin infections and skin disease can take hold. These issues will trigger an immune response, taking more energy from your horse.

Conclusion

As the cold weather creeps up, keep all of these things in mind, and be sure you’re ready to keep your horse warm. Clean your horse’s blanket regularly so it’s ready for when the cold weather arrives, revise your older horse’s diet, maintain his body weight, and ensure he has more hay when the temperatures get below zero. If you board, ensure the farm is providing hay at all times and blanket as needed and that your horse has a very good weight. Proper feeding during cold weather makes all the difference for most horses, and senior horses who have a full coat insulating air against their skin are usually okay to go unblanketed.

If you’re willing to prepare well for winter, your equine companion will thrive! Keeping him happy and warm will improve all aspects of his health, keeping him living longer and more comfortably.