Mod The Sims - To blanket or not to blanket?

To blanket or not to blanket?

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19th Jul 2010, 12:18 AM	To blanket or not to blanket? #1
grumpy_otter Original Poster Field Researcher Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 371	This is a very minor and small debate. If you know about horses, could you describe whether you feel constant blanketing in the winter months is necessary or not? My daughter and I have a horse, very recently acquired, and the stable where we keep him is an "all blanket; all the time" kind of place. But I kept horses for 20 years in my earlier days and never blanketed--ever--except during shipping. Horses grow thick coats in the winter, and unless they need to look pretty (for showing) I see no need to blanket. Thoughts?

19th Jul 2010, 03:16 AM	#2
simbalena Top Secret Researcher Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 1,670	I have no experience with horses, but if a horse is used to a blanket then it might feel more comfortable to be blanketed. It would depend on how cold the location is, everyone needs a blanket if it's cold enough! Is there any reason why a horse shouldn't wear a blanket?

19th Jul 2010, 03:48 AM	#3
blackstallion681 Field Researcher Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 259 Thanks: 1075 in 1 Posts 9 Achievements	It depends on the horse, and your climate. Unless the horse is an all year show horse or has some sort of health problem that requires him to need extra warmth in the winter, he doesn't need to be blanketed. Also, some owners will put a light sheet on a horse during the summer to help the horse be more comfortable against flies or the sun.

19th Jul 2010, 04:48 AM	#4
longears15 Inventor Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 995 Thanks: 124 in 2 Posts 4 Achievements	My equine experience is more with donkeys and hybrids than with horses, but we only ever really bothered with rugs for elderly animals or those with health problems. I guess if you're somewhere very chilly and the horse is clipped - or as blackstallion681 said, he's a show horse - then he may need rugging but other than that I wouldn't have thought it necessary.
	Please call me Laura "The gene pool needs more chlorine." My Site

19th Jul 2010, 11:17 AM	#5
grumpy_otter Original Poster Field Researcher Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 371	Thank you all for the input--I am of course going to keep an eye on him and if he doesn't grow a nice thick coat, or gets ill, of course we will blanket him. The winters here are usually around the 30-40F range (with a rare drop to 10). Simbalena, I think the main reason I am kind of anti-blanket is that I think it makes horses less hardy, and more susceptible to illness. And apparently to match the horse's own natural insulation, you have to have 2 inches of blanket to match 1 inch of fur coat. And their own coats do a better job, without the risk of overheating. But from a purely convenience position--it is a pain to blanket all the time. And CLEANING them is a nightmare.

19th Jul 2010, 07:11 PM	#6
Lobelia Overhill Lab Assistant Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 74	I have several rugs for my horse, he's an Irish Sport Horse and has been stabled all his life, so he's a bit more 'delicate' than a hardier horse that lives out. He wears a mesh rug in summer to keep the flies off, and a fleece in the winter to keep him warm - I think when they're stabled they find it harder to keep themselves warm. He also has a waterproof rug for wearing if he is put out in the field. They are a nuisance to wash - especially the fleece rugs! but they do keep him clean!
	"Did I not just use the word 'puzzling'?"

19th Jul 2010, 08:01 PM	#7
grumpy_otter Original Poster Field Researcher Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 371	You own an Irish Sport Horse and you live in Ireland? LUCKY!!!!

19th Jul 2010, 08:41 PM	#8
blackstallion681 Field Researcher Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 259 Thanks: 1075 in 1 Posts 9 Achievements	I got really excited when I read this thread because I actually have horse knowledge that I can share, unlike a lot of the other threads posted here XD

20th Jul 2010, 01:16 PM

Lobelia Overhill

Lab Assistant

Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 74

Quote:

Originally Posted by grumpy_otter

You own an Irish Sport Horse and you live in Ireland? LUCKY!!!!

yes and yes!

this is him

He grew a very thick coat in the winter, and now he's shed it all and his coat is very very fine, I was telling people that we were in for a bad winter (and we had a terrible winter) and now we're in for a great summer (and it has been incredibly warm).

Because I've pulled a muscle in my back I haven't ridden him for a while, thank goodness for full livery or he'd have been in a mess!!

"Did I not just use the word 'puzzling'?"

20th Jul 2010, 03:14 PM	#10
blackstallion681 Field Researcher Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 259 Thanks: 1075 in 1 Posts 9 Achievements	You have a gorgeous horse!

20th Jul 2010, 08:40 PM	#11
iCad Theorist Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 2,275 Thanks: 36979 in 77 Posts 20 Achievements View My Journal	We never blanket our horses, and we live in a very harsh climate: Almost 8,000 feet up in the Rockies. Of course, ours have no need to be pretty and are used to the climate. They were born here, they're hardy quarter horses that we use solely for trail riding, and they grow very robust winter coats. And since we also keep llamas and alpacas, I think the horses would feel like wimps if we put blankies on them.
	Redmond Flats, my eleventy-th stab at a "Build A City" challenge. Unfortunately, I didn't keep up with documenting it. But you can find rules and tracking spreadsheets and stuff there. For stuff what I've made, there's my LJ. There be downloads there, some of which aren't/won't be here on MTS.

20th Jul 2010, 09:12 PM	#12
grumpy_otter Original Poster Field Researcher Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 371	ROFL! I love the idea of horses being jealous of the fuzzy guys! And Lobelia--OMG--your horse is my horse's chestnut brother! They have identical stars and snips! So gorgeous! Slick is on the right--that's his BFF, Boozer. Doesn't he have an honest face? Screenshots