In the winter months, one of the most common questions we hear from clients and fellow horse owners is:
“Why don’t you blanket your horses?”
It’s a fair question. Blanketing has become so normalized in modern horse care that not blanketing can look neglectful, especially in colder climates. But at Dr. Garber’s ranch, our philosophy is simple:
If you stall them, clip them, feed them only twice a day—if everything about their lifestyle is unnatural—then yes, you would need to blanket.
But that’s not how horses were designed to live.
Our horses live as horses.
They move. They graze. They eat frequently. They live in a herd. And because of that, their bodies do exactly what nature intended them to do to keep themselves warm.
Do Horses Really Need Blankets in Winter?
Before deciding whether to blanket a horse, it’s worth asking a more fundamental question:
Are horses actually unable to keep themselves warm?
The answer, in most cases, is no.
Horses Are Not Fragile, They’re Highly Adaptable
Horses evolved to survive harsh weather long before barns, stalls, and synthetic blankets existed. When allowed to live naturally, they possess remarkable physiological tools to regulate their body temperature, even in winter.
Research from Kentucky Equine Research and the University of Wisconsin confirms what horsemen have known for centuries: healthy horses with access to shelter and adequate nutrition generally do not need blankets to stay warm.¹
According to Kentucky Equine Research equine nutritionist Katie Young, Ph.D., horses thermoregulate through several built-in mechanisms¹:
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Shivering, which generates heat
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Constriction of blood vessels near the skin, reducing heat loss
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Piloerection (hair standing on end), which traps warm air in the coat
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Positioning their bodies away from wind or toward the sun
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Increasing fiber intake, since hindgut fermentation produces heat
In other words: a horse’s winter coat is not decorative, it’s functional.
Does Blanketing Change a Horse’s Natural Coat?
One of the most overlooked consequences of blanketing is that it interferes with the horse’s natural hair coat development.
A 2023 study published in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science examined 16 adult horses—some blanketed, some not—over the course of winter. Researchers measured hair length and diameter monthly.²
Here’s what they found:
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All horses grew their thickest, longest coats in January and February
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Blanketed horses had significantly shorter and thinner neck hair during the coldest months
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Hair eventually returned to baseline by spring, but only after the blanket was removed
This confirms what we see clinically: blanketing trains the horse’s body not to adapt.
Once you suppress the natural coat, the horse becomes dependent on external warmth and now you must blanket to compensate for what you’ve taken away.
It’s also important to understand that not all blankets provide warmth. In fact, a blanket that is too light can make a horse colder, not warmer. When a lightweight blanket compresses the hair coat without providing sufficient insulation, it eliminates the horse’s ability to use piloerection, the natural process by which hairs stand on end to trap warm air close to the body. Instead of insulating, the blanket flattens the coat and allows heat to escape, disrupting the horse’s primary thermal defense.
Natural Horse Management Matters More Than Temperature
Blanketing is rarely the real issue. Management is.
At Dr. Garber’s ranch, our horses:
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Live outdoors with constant movement
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Are fed multiple times per day, not just morning and night
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Receive more food when it’s cold, because digestion generates heat
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Live in a herd, reducing stress and encouraging natural behavior
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Grow thick, healthy winter coats without interference
Contrast that with modern boarding norms:
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Horses stalled for long hours
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Limited movement
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Infrequent feeding
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Social isolation
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Artificial lighting and clipped coats
In that environment, blanketing becomes a necessity, but only because the horse’s biology has been compromised.
It’s time to treat horses like the herd animals they are.
Our horses live outdoors with 24-hour access to their barn, allowing them to seek shelter from wind and freezing rain as their bodies dictate.
When Should You Blanket a Horse?
This isn’t dogma, we’re not anti-blanket in every scenario.
Blanketing may be appropriate for:
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Elderly horses with difficulty maintaining weight
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Horses with metabolic disease or compromised immunity
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Horses who are clipped
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Horses kept in stalls with limited movement
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Horses unable to stay dry or access shelter
But these are exceptions, not the rule.
For the average healthy horse living naturally, blanketing is unnecessary and sometimes counterproductive.
Winter Nutrition: The Most Important ‘Blanket’ a Horse Has
If there’s one place to focus your winter care, it’s not the blanket—it’s the feed bucket.
Horses stay warm from the inside out. Fiber fermentation in the hindgut produces heat, making adequate forage the most effective “blanket” there is.
Ensure your horse has:
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Free-choice or increased hay during cold weather
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Balanced minerals and trace nutrients
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Clean, unfrozen water
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Support for coat, skin, and immune health
When the body is nourished properly, the coat does its job beautifully.
Holistic Equine Care: A More Respectful Way to Support Horses
At its core, this philosophy is about respect.
Respect for:
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The horse’s evolutionary design
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The intelligence of their nervous system
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The wisdom of natural movement, social structure, and digestion
Blanketing may make us feel better but our responsibility is to ask:
What does the horse actually need?
More often than not, the answer isn’t another layer, it’s a more natural life.
Frequently Asked Questions About Blanketing Horses
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Do horses get cold without blankets?
Healthy horses with access to shelter, adequate forage, and the ability to move freely are generally well-equipped to regulate their own body temperature even in cold conditions. -
Is it cruel not to blanket a horse in winter?
Not if the horse is managed appropriately. Horses evolved to live outdoors in herds. Problems arise when modern management interferes with natural movement, feeding patterns, or coat growth. -
At what temperature should you blanket a horse?
There is no universal temperature threshold. Factors such as wind, moisture, health status, age, body condition, and whether the horse is clipped matter far more than the number on a thermometer. -
Do blanketed horses grow thinner coats?
Yes. Research shows that blanketed horses develop shorter, thinner hair during winter months, particularly in areas consistently covered by a blanket.¹
A Key Takeaway for Horse Owners
Once you suppress a horse’s natural coat, you create a dependency on external warmth.
If winter is a struggle for your horse, the solution may not be another layer, it may be improved nutrition, nervous system balance, proper musculoskeletal alignment, or a return to more natural living conditions.
References
¹ Kentucky Equine Research Staff. (2023). Why Are You Blanketing Your Horse This Winter? Kentucky Equine Research.
² DeBoer, M., Konop, A., Fisher, B., & Fisher, B. (2023). Changes in hair coat length and diameter in blanketed and nonblanketed adult horses in the winter. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 120:104191.
Interested in a more holistic approach to equine health? Learn more about Dr. Garber’s equine bioformulas, designed to support horses as nature intended.
