To Blanket or Not to Blanket- That is the Question

The weather is turning cooler- Fall is in the air! 

To most people Fall is a welcome change, I am not one of those people. I like summer.

Oh sure, Fall smells amazing with Pumpkin Spice and Apple Pie and drying leaves and such.

But Fall is the beginning of Winter and Winter means mud in my world. Not a fan of mud.

Fall also is the time when you need to make a decision about whether you need to blanket your horses or not.
Most people have pretty strong opinions about blanketing. Since you are reading my Blog, I'm going to sally forth with mine.

I like to blanket my horse.

Why?

Because I am lazy. I don't like to scrape mud and pee and manure off my horse before I ride.  As a kid, I used to walk over 30 minutes to reach the stable, then I had to catch my horse, then I had to scrape the mud off of him, then if there was time, I could get in a ride. While working and as a young mother,I had only two hours to get out to the Boarding stable, brush, ride, and cool out my mount. Every precious minute counted. I didn't want to waste any time on mud-scraping. Now even though I am old and retired, I still blanket.Some habits die hard.

I also like that my boys coat doesn't get faded, sun-bleached or spotty. He's a roan and when a roan horse gets a good enough scrape, his coat will grow in darker, not lighter. I don't like that either. 

I like to blanket older horses, or horses that are compromised somehow, as well. Most horses, healthy young horses, can get all the heat they need with a good winters growth of coat. The coat grows in two  layers. Short hairs lie next to the skin,trapping a 'bubble' of warmth. Then longer guard hairs  fold down over the short hairs, sealing in the warmth and sealing out the rain. It's called 'loft'. When a horse shivers, he uses energy to create warmth under his hair. Nature at her finest!
A horse that is old may not have the healthiest coat. He may not have the resources in energy to create enough warmth. I especially like to help those oldsters out by giving them a comfy blanket to cozy up in. I think they deserve it.

There are a few things you need to know about blanketing before you decide whether or not to do it.

You don't need to clip your horse to use a blanket. I don't. BUT Clipped, or half clipped horses HAVE to be blanketed. You have taken their resource away, it's up to you to put it back. If you are going to clip your horse, you should do it before Thanksgiving. It has to do with the Winter solstice and circadian rhythms, darkness vs lightness. And it will mess up your Spring coat if you do it much later.  So just don't.

You need to decide what kind of weather you are going to try to keep at bay. Is it going to be sub freezing? Is it going to be rainy? Is your horse turned out - and if so, will you be there to take off and put on the blanket? Is your blanket tough enough to survive in a pasture condition? Is your horse hard on his blanket?
Buy your blankets accordingly. A high Denier count is going to be denser fabric, more durable and more water resistant. Rip stop will resist tearing well. Turn out rugs will let your horse have less restriction in his movement so he can romp in pasture.  There are so many types of fill, materials, buckle arrangements and styles. That is your call- fashionwise. Stores like Stateline Tack will also give you information on the materials, waterproofing, and correct fit.

Here is the biggest mistake that people make though. They buy a water resistant blanket and what they need is a water proof blanket . If your horse has on a blanket, and that blanket gets wet; soaked all the way through, it is just like submerging yourself in the cold waters of the ocean and then standing in a wind storm.  Even if your horse has not been clipped your horses coat cannot loft up enough to keep him adequately warm.  BAD PARTY!
If the blanket you use is quilted,( Like a Stable Blanket- made for being inside a stall) or has any seams along the topline, or is just cotton or nylon, you do not have a waterproof blanket. A Waterproof blanket will be one piece across the top, no seams. Your horse should be dry as the proverbial bone underneath the blanket, next to his skin. If he isn't- take off the blanket. It's better to have your horse be wet with his natural coat, than be blanketed and wet underneath!

A few last things about blankets.

Be sure you make the length of the straps correct. Not too long, or your horse may catch up a leg. No Bueno! And not too short, or it may rub a sore.

Make sure your blankets don't rub a sore on their withers either. It's easy to forget to check, but just like having a saddle weighing down on the wither, a heavy blanket can cause the same pain and 'gall'. Fleece padding along the wither can usually stop this.

Check under the blankets frequently. I knew a girl once that didn't check under her blankets, and when she finally did her horse had a huge oozy sore the size of a dinner plate from something that had gotten underneath the blanket. It was ugly!

So to Blanket- or not to blanket-

It's a Personal Question!
I hope this helps someone out there!
Happy Trails!


 

It's not just Cheap, it's Free

I went to a local Jr Rodeo today. I love local Rodeo!

I love the kids that participate, the volunteers that come out to help the community and the camaraderie of the contestants.

I know that these kids sometimes haul miles and miles to compete in these small Rodeos and that is hard to do. They give up a lot of other functions to participate because this is what they love to do.

BUT- ( Ah, you knew there was going to be a but!)

I surely wish that someone would teach these young riders actual Horsemanship.

By that I don't mean that these kids are unkind to their animals- they aren't.
They make sure they are tied properly, given food and water, left in the shade when possible.

What I mean is the manner in which they are riding; what I call Spur, Jerk and Spank.

I was watching the riders getting their mounts warmed up and what I saw was actually appalling to me. Horses being loped around on some pretty hard ground, riders trying to post on a wrong diagonal,riders trying to counter canter with no real idea of what they were trying to achieve, and racing around the warm up pen. I saw horses in very bad bits, having their mouths sawed off when trying to stop.

One girl was coming to the finish wire on the left lead and jerked her horse to the right to circle him. Guess what happened? Yep! Popped her up like a cork out of a bottle. ( She didn't fall off though- Whew!)
I ask myself," Who are teaching these kids how to ride?" Maybe I should ask, " Is anyone teaching these kids how to ride?"

I hear Mom and Dad at the gate, shrilling, yelling directions. I see kids over mounted on some speed horses. I see very few riders that have a clue about BASIC riding and horsemanship. Could it be that the parents just don't know? Or don't they care?

When you go to the more professional Rodeo, you will see at least the Basic Horsemanship being practiced. To win in some of these events you have to understand lead changes, shoulder movement and weight displacement.

 So where did these professionals learn ?

I'll answer my own question- they were taught it from the time they stepped onto a horse- no matter their age.

Just like anything else- practice makes perfect- and PERFECT Practice makes PERFECT better.

Parents and Grandparents and Girlfriends and Boyfriends, actually anyone with access to NEW riders, Please teach Horsemanship to your students. No matter if you are riding

 English,

 Western,

 Western Trail,

 

 Bull Dogging,

 or Barrel Racing,

just get those basics down pat!

Don't add 'more bit".
    Teach a good stop.

Don't add "more whip."
    Teach a good seat.

Don't add "more speed!"
     Teach leads.

Don't add "more spur."
 Teach proper diagonals.



It's hard to own a horse. They are expensive and getting more so by the minute. But passing knowledge to new riders can be free!

The Internet has tons of video.I won't add a link here, because your style of riding and training is very personal. TIP: Try to train or ride with someone with the same 'horse values' as you.

The Library has free magazines with articles on every subject.
Equus
Western Horseman
Horse and Rider
Dressage Today

Every discipline has value to every rider. Gymkhana  horses can learn from Dressage Riders. Dressage Riders can learn from Cutters. Barrel Racers can learn from Hunter Jumpers.

Take the time to learn all you can and no matter which style of riding you choose,you will become a much better Horseman.

Happy Trails!

I'm a Liar

I am a Liar.

You are too.

Show me someone who says they don't lie and I'll show you a liar.

Sometimes we lie to get our own way.
         ( Of course, Uncle John will be at Cousin Louise's party. )

Sometimes we lie so we don't get into trouble.
         ( The Gorilla came in the window and colored on the walls)

Sometimes the lie is a sin of omission.
            ( Oh, did I forget to tell you that the car is out of gas.)

We all know that we shouldn't lie. It is a Commandment after all, and if we are found out, the consequences are usually a lot worse than the trouble we were trying to avoid.

Still- it happens.

Little white lies are the norm I suppose. (No, that dress makes you look great!)

Bigger lies- bigger trouble.
        ( No Officer, I only had one beer.)

But to me the biggest and worst liar is a woman who lies about two things.

1. Being raped when it isn't true.
2. Being pregnant when it isn't true.

Because when either of those two things happen it is bad news for ALL women, not just the liar.

I'm not telling you women anything you don't already know. We have to protect ourselves from men at all times. We grew up knowing this. It is a fact of life- unfortunate but true. Society is evolving this slowly- my girl children did not have to put up with the bull shit I had to put up with working in a man's world. I'm heartily glad of that. But they still grew up with the mantra "Protect yourself at all times." 

Just like the story of the Wolf, a person ( no gender bashing here) needs to build a reputation. To build a reputation, a person needs to have character. That means you have to do what you say you are going to do, have compassion for others and don't lie about important stuff. When you do- say lie about a Ravening Wolf coming to town when there is no wolf- your character then comes into question and no amount of trust rebuilding will ever bring it back.

It isn't a matter of believing- we all want to believe!  We want to be compassionate. But a lie is a lie is a lie.

And now we have been set back 100 years by the most recent and very public lie. Now none of "Us Women" will be believed. 

King Solomon had a good idea to solve his problem of who to believe, but that wisdom wouldn't work in a case of rape or pregnancy. Pregnancy will out and time will tell, but not with rape.

What can any of us 'other gals' do about this?

Will screaming vitriol at people change this? Will putting stupid hats on our heads change it? Will declaring #METOO change this?

The only thing that will change this is US. Being real. Having character.

No lies and calling out the ones among us that do lie.

Teaching all of our children not to lie and, barring that, how to tell a liar from not a liar. Teaching them compassion but reality too. As a daughter of two policemen, I was taught early how to determine a liar. My children can spot one a mile away.

I can too.