Ok, that title might be a little extreme. We rarely get more than four or five nights below freezing in coastal South Georgia (knock on wood). Nonetheless, I have had several clients ask me about body clipping and blanketing, so I’d like to share my programs on how to manage my horses during the winter in this locale.
My easiest horses are the trail horses. We leave them hairy, don’t blanket, and just let them go au naturale. Works great. They go out at night rain or shine, hot or cold, and weather the elements with aplomb. They are horses that rarely work up a sweat and are typically curried one to two times a day. Because most of their work is at the walk we don’t have to worry much about regulating their temperatures as it doesn’t vary with their low-level cardio. This program works great for horses with low low low level work if any.
With few exceptions my lesson horses get body clipped. If they have lots of arthritis in their legs I'll sometimes skip legs for comfort, but if they are prone to any grunge on legs then the hair has got to go. These horses and ponies work hard enough to work up a sweat most days, and long-haired sweaty horses take an hour or more to cool and dry out. We don’t have that kind of time with students. By clipping we are able to lesson the amount of sweating and speed up the cooling and drying time. We also blanket (no sheets) these horses as temps in the 40s are a bit too chilly for clipped horses. We also use coolers and scrims (more on that in a minute).
My competition horses, like the schoolies, get body clipped for several reasons. Firstly is the temperature issues described above. These guys get worked hard and get sweaty, even on cold days. Secondly, lots of gross grungy skin issues can develop under a thick coat, and we want to keep these guys looking their best. These horses will also need blankets (and sheets if preferred) to keep warm on colder nights.
I use anti-sweat or scrim sheets in the early part of the fall to cover a sweaty horse after a workout or rinsed horse until they are fully dry. This will keep them from getting chilled (imagine stepping out of the shower into 70ish degree weather and not drying off). Once temps are into the 40s I usually swap to wool coolers. I typically will keep one draped over the horse as much as possible once the blanket is removed before work until I have warmed the horse up at the walk and am ready to start trot/canter work. It is the first thing back on once I start cooling out and stays on until the blanket is replaced.
A few tips: NEVER blanket a wet horse, from sweat or water. They do not dry well under a blanket and you can end up with health issues. I also prefer wool coolers to the newer fabric of fleece. While it is more affordable, fleece can create lots of static friction, which can make a cold horse a lot more spooky when you pull it off!
As always, I am a huge fan of the Horseware Ireland turnout blankets. I find they do not shift like other brands, and I appreciate the minimalist strapping. I have seen more injuries from straps coming loose, getting caught around legs improperly, or breaking than I have from these blankets shifting incorrectly. Blue Ribbon Blankets makes wonderful scrims, anti-sweats, and coolers.