Blanket weather is coming !!

Hey guys!!

So blanket weather is coming and you know what that means ! Its time to break those blankets out of the closet. Now obviously not all of us blanket our horses but many of us do and for those of you who are wondering if it is necessary or if it is the best option for your horse read my blog and then make your final decision.

Lets go through our two choices here... first one being to blanket. Why do people choose to blanket their horse? Well for a number a reasons, first one possibly being to keep the hair length short. One major question you need to ask yourself is how often do i ride my horse in the winter, and how sweaty do they get? One problem with not blanketing is your horse is obviously going to become very fuzzy and when they grow that much hair you aren't able to ride as much because they will not dry after they get sweaty and you can't leave a horse sweaty and wet when it is 20 or 30 degrees out. So to solve this solution many of us blanket our horses so the hair doesn't grow and we can keep them in regular work. A to of the serious riders all body clip their horse, so they are completely dependent on us to keep them warm. And of course many of us just feel bad for our animals having to live outside so we blanket them making us feel more at ease.

But did you know ...... Vets actually recommend that horses stay without a blanket until the temperature gets below 10 degrees. Blankets actually compress the coat and do not allow the horse to properly self insulate itself. Horses are an innate ability to keep themselves warm during the cold months with proper feed and shelter. So this means if you are not planning on making your horse very sweaty every time you ride blanketing may not be for you. As long as you are supplying a adequate amount of forage and proper grain your horse can be self sufficient because they warm their bodies through their digestive track.

So there are definitely many pros and cons to blanketing... but you have to decide for yourself. Its your horse and you know best !

Thanks for reading everyone !!!!!!

http://csu-cvmbs.colostate.edu/vth/Pages/horse-blanketing.aspx

Lyme Disease in Horses.

How many of us have heard about lyme disease? Well if you haven't you better do your research because unfortunately it is more prevalent then we think! Not only is is common in horses but many other animals as well.

I want to speak from a personal note about lyme. My horse was diagnosed about two years ago with lyme disease. Back then lyme was not so common so when your horse had an outbreak you had absolutely no idea what the problem was. Im going to tell you some of his symptoms... Loss of appetite, fever, and soreness were all things that he displayed. It was probably one of the scariest days of my life. He wouldn't eat or even move. We called the vet as soon as we noticed his temperature rising and he was quickly put on antibiotics and diagnosed.

The morel of the story here is if you ever see your horse, dog , or cat acting a little strange don't just brush it off. Lyme can be a life threatening thing is not treated. This horrible disease that is caused by a tiny tick can often times leave your animals paralyzed. So obviously this is the first thing that came to my mind when i found out my Caleb had lyme.

Fortunately his treatment wen very well and he is now back to his normal health after a few long months in recovery. If anyone has any questions about lyme or thinks there animal may be a victim please feel free to comment and ask any questions !!:)

THANKS FOR READING!