Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

fergusnc
500 post plus club
Posts: 591
Joined: Wed Oct 14, 2015 11:37 pm
Location: NC

Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby fergusnc » Wed Nov 23, 2016 1:58 pm

Holy Crap. You know when you see something, can't really believe what you're seeing, have about 1/2 of one second of doubt that you can handle it/get flashes of how wrong it can go, and then the horse person part of your soul kicks in? Well...

I woke up this morning on my first day off of a very long weekend. Looked out my window to check the horses, all seemed fine. Went potty, looked again. Something was just off with how Fergus was standing. No, that can't be right. Maybe, but probably not. I really hope not. Sh@! I think he is hung up in the fence. Ironically, our Horse Safe No Climb fence I may add.

I ran down the hall, dodging dogs in need of a potty break, grabbed a jacket and slipped on shoes just enough to have my toes in, and started speed walking down the driveway. Dallas the Rescue Pony was at the gate, and unlike other mornings, he was relaxed, greeted me for a pet, didn't have the "quick let's go cook oatmeal" energy or challenge my definition of personal space. I know I anthropomorphize a lot, but I feel like he was relieved to see me. I told him I had to get to Fergus and he didn't follow me, which has never happened. He just stood patiently at the gate.

I could only see Fergus from the butt view, and the position of his blanket confirmed we had a problem. He was standing quietly, facing the fenceline. I talked to him as I approached, and my heart sank when I saw that both chest clips of his blanket were hooked to the wire of the fence, and the wire was stretched out. There wasn't a lot of give, so I was going to have to pull on the fence to get some slack. I spoke calmly to my boy, choosing to believe that all our years together would prevent the visions that had started to creep into my head...the ones that included awful injuries to me and/or him. As the wire moved, his eyes got a little wide, but his ears stayed on me as I talked to him. Dallas stayed far away, just watching. I got Fergus loose, and had to convince him he was free. He let out a big sigh, and followed me to his stall...as did Dallas. I took the blanket off immediately. And I hugged the crap out of both horses for being so insanely smart.

I have only blanketed Fergus the last two nights, and each morning he has been itching. My theory is he was scratching on the line posts, pushed his chest well into it for effort, and got himself hooked. We don't have a hot wire, and the horses don't mess with the fence, and hot fences have always made Fergus very jumpy. The posts need to be cut down, but again, the horses have never been unsafe with them, and with the whirlwind that was getting them home to no barn and no fence with 34 day's notice, i have not yet run the polytape at the top, just in case I ever have a critter that does need a hot wire, which needs to happen before I cut the posts.

Needless to say, I don't know that I can blanket the old man anymore unless it is a night that he stays in. Or unless I get those last stages of the fence finished. The line posts (he got stuck nowhere near a corner or gate posts) are auger-dug and human-packed, and due to the fire drill aspect of getting the fence up, were put in with muddy ground, so some of them have more "give" than is ideal, and we are constantly retamping them. So all that to say, if 1550+ pound Fergus hadn't been sensible, things could have gone really bad really fast.

EXTRA thankful for this fuzzy face this morning. And for my spunky Pony knowing when to reel it in. Phew. Time to exhale. Although I will be checking on them all day to make sure there aren't any delayed tummy-related stress symptoms popping up later. By the looks of the ground, and the single pile of poop, I don't think he was there too long, thank God, and he didn't fight beyond some solid lean backs. He had a great appetite for breakfast, with lots of water added for his typical oatmeal dish. And my pretty stoic, 'no need for emotional displays because you should just know I love you because I deem you worthy to cater to my needs and I allow you to stay on my back' boy stretched out his neck and just rested his muzzle against my forehead for a whopping 3 or 4 seconds after I hugged the crap out of him post blanket removal. I told him I was so happy I was able to help him out and thanked him for being so sensible.

So glad for all the time and efforts I put into the non-riding training with him over the years...it really paid off. And talk about confirmation that continuing the same approach with Dallas is worth it! :-)
Attachments
IMG_2891.JPG
IMG_2891.JPG (189.21 KiB) Viewed 27440 times
IMG_2892.JPG
IMG_2892.JPG (201.78 KiB) Viewed 27440 times

Snork
Herd Member
Posts: 212
Joined: Mon Oct 12, 2015 1:06 am

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby Snork » Wed Nov 23, 2016 2:21 pm

All is well that ends well, right?

Nights have been cold in your neck of the woods - if Fergus needs a blanket, Fergus needs a blanket! How about a temporary solution of one of those blankets with no chest buckles? No buckles, no possibility to get hung up. I don't particularly like the closed front blankets because i'm disaster-minded, and always think someone or something is going to get hurt as i blanket them but in this situation it might be something to consider. http://www.sstack.com/Horse-Blankets-An ... sed-Front/

PaulaO
Bringing Life to the DDBB
Posts: 2174
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 4:16 pm
Location: Northern Illinois

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby PaulaO » Wed Nov 23, 2016 2:24 pm

So much to be thankful for! Sensible Fergus, Dallas staying out of the way. Glad to see their faces munching in the hay pile.

User avatar
Imperini
Herd Member
Posts: 353
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 1:36 pm
Location: NV

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby Imperini » Wed Nov 23, 2016 2:27 pm

The situations horses can get themselves into.. Glad everything ended disaster free!

khall
Bringing Life to the DDBB
Posts: 2515
Joined: Mon Oct 12, 2015 1:47 am

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby khall » Wed Nov 23, 2016 2:33 pm

Whew! Glad you dodged that one!! BTDT with the OMG am I seeing this right?! They do make blankets that are closed front, PIA but safer it sounds like.

User avatar
TeresaA
Herd Member
Posts: 158
Joined: Sun Oct 18, 2015 10:45 pm
Location: Atlantic Canada

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby TeresaA » Wed Nov 23, 2016 2:43 pm

Yikes. The moments that make our heart stop! I'm glad that it was fine and that your horse was sensible.

Kelo
Herd Member
Posts: 388
Joined: Mon Oct 12, 2015 5:42 pm
Location: Texas

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby Kelo » Wed Nov 23, 2016 2:55 pm

Yikes! Glad everything is OK, but I bet that was really scary.

A friend once told me about witnessing a horse wearing a bridle with easy change clips...horse swung its head and clipped itself to the fence. It was, to say the least, a terrible wreck. I had one of those headstalls and I never used it again. Ugh, horses. :shock:

fergusnc
500 post plus club
Posts: 591
Joined: Wed Oct 14, 2015 11:37 pm
Location: NC

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby fergusnc » Wed Nov 23, 2016 3:01 pm

Thanks guys. Yea, kinda of crazy! Never thought about the closed fronts..never saw ones with shoulder gussets. I guess it could go wrong either style...especially now that I know there's no breakaway factor with those clips. And I get why that is too...if they broke away but the surcingle and leg straps held, that could be bad too! Aaaaagggggh!

The thing is, Fergus doesn't REALLY need a blanket I guess....he is a wooly bear...but I used to think he wanted his woobie. But 2 out of 2 nights, he has been all itchy and rubby when I go to feed breakfast. This morning I thought it could be the static guard...I have never used that before but bought some and sprayed the liners of his blanket and dallas' too because Dallas has shown himself to be very averse to shocks! :shock: I have fitted dallas' blankets on him but never left on, as i was afraid HE would get himself into trouble...not tried and true Ferg. Dallas never wore a blanket in the four years he was at the rescue, and I am guessing not with the people who starved him nor anyone who owned him prior.
Now I wonder if Fergus is sensitive to the static guard? Or he just prefers to be a naked wooly bear all of a sudden? We are pretty low maintenance here at Fergus' Farm. 8-)

viscountessleftfield
Herd Member
Posts: 211
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 4:14 pm

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby viscountessleftfield » Wed Nov 23, 2016 3:26 pm

So scary!

My horses got out when I was on vacation a few years back by catching the chest clip/neck clip on the wire, freaking out, dragging an entire line of fence down and ripping themselves free of the wire. It was horrible. My blanket was one of the V neck adjustable neck blankets and it was the neck snaps that got caught. Now I'm a buckle only, no snaps on the blankets girl.

*edited for clarity

fergusnc
500 post plus club
Posts: 591
Joined: Wed Oct 14, 2015 11:37 pm
Location: NC

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby fergusnc » Wed Nov 23, 2016 3:43 pm

I am leaniñg that way now too! Of course I just ordered new blankets of all weights for both boys, all with that clip. A friend suggested taping the clips once fastened and essentially turning them into over the head styles.

LeoApp
Herd Member
Posts: 399
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 12:41 pm
Location: Long Island, NY

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby LeoApp » Wed Nov 23, 2016 3:44 pm

Good boy Fergus!!!

Canyon
500 post plus club
Posts: 650
Joined: Mon Oct 12, 2015 6:29 pm
Location: W CO

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby Canyon » Wed Nov 23, 2016 4:44 pm

I'm glad your handsome herd was so cooperative!

Maybe you could install your hot wire on extension insulators, halfway up the posts, to keep Fergus from rubbing on the fence - if you decide you need a hot wire? We use screws rather than nails on our fence.

User avatar
Fatcat
Herd Member
Posts: 373
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 4:36 pm
Location: Oregon

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby Fatcat » Wed Nov 23, 2016 4:48 pm

So glad it turned out well, it's always something with horses!

You might look into a Hug style blanket, they have no chest buckles. Dover saddlery carries them.

Kyra's Mom
500 post plus club
Posts: 859
Joined: Tue Oct 20, 2015 2:04 am
Location: Sunny? Southern Idaho

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby Kyra's Mom » Wed Nov 23, 2016 5:53 pm

I am glad you have a nice level headed pony and that it was just the blanket was stuck and not a body part.

I had a similar "oh sh**" moment a few years ago. I had hauled to a lesson. Had my lesson and tied my horse to the trailer. I put her cooler on her. It just had a chest strap but I only planned to have it on her while I untacked and paid the instructor. I heard this whooshing sound and look up to see a dust devil..mini tornado thing...coming straight for the horse. It hit her and it picked up the cooler right off her butt and back. As it hit the trailer it lost it's updraft and it dumped the cooler on her head :!: :shock: . I thought in that split second that oh, this is going to be bad. At least I had her tied with a Blocker tie ring so at least she wasn't tied hard. My little Iberian princess can be quite reactive given the right provocation. Bless her heart, she took one step back then froze. Of course, I guess it helped that she was in the dark? Her head was totally covered. She seemed quite greatful that I restored the light to her.

We are certainly not bored with our equine companions :mrgreen: .

Susan
from susamorg on the UDBB

AmityBee
Herd Member
Posts: 200
Joined: Mon Oct 12, 2015 5:28 am
Contact:

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby AmityBee » Wed Nov 23, 2016 7:04 pm

I have two words for you: DUCT TAPE!!! (What else, really).

Glad your horse is alright! I have a pony that seems to live for just these moments. If it has a weak spot Crispin WILL find it.

Since I love Horseware blankets and they fit my pony very well I figured out a way to make them wearable for my "Oh, let's rub my chest on the haynet, *ups* I'm stuck" pony.

I just duct tape around the closed buckles a couple of times and pull the blanket over his head, works very well. Took me a while to figure out how he managed to bend or once, even rip off the buckles. But I eventually figured out that he rubbed his chest on his hay nets and got stuck. Hasn't happened again since the duct tape solution.

User avatar
StraightForward
Bringing Life to the DDBB
Posts: 3103
Joined: Mon Oct 12, 2015 3:04 pm
Location: Idaho

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby StraightForward » Wed Nov 23, 2016 7:34 pm

fergusnc wrote:I am leaniñg that way now too! Of course I just ordered new blankets of all weights for both boys, all with that clip. A friend suggested taping the clips once fastened and essentially turning them into over the head styles.


That sounds like a good solution. Glad everything ended up OK!
Keep calm and canter on.

AmityBee
Herd Member
Posts: 200
Joined: Mon Oct 12, 2015 5:28 am
Contact:

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby AmityBee » Wed Nov 23, 2016 7:50 pm

StraightForward wrote:
fergusnc wrote:I am leaniñg that way now too! Of course I just ordered new blankets of all weights for both boys, all with that clip. A friend suggested taping the clips once fastened and essentially turning them into over the head styles.


That sounds like a good solution. Glad everything ended up OK!


Ah, there it already was. Seems you've already come up with the tape solution yourself. :) Well, it works. ;)

Rockabilly
Herd Member
Posts: 459
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 1:06 pm
Location: Tennessee

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby Rockabilly » Wed Nov 23, 2016 8:09 pm

Whew!! What a relief that everyone is fine. I'm still fairly amazed at what horses will do.

Koolkat
500 post plus club
Posts: 691
Joined: Mon Oct 12, 2015 2:15 am
Location: Cascade foothills

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby Koolkat » Wed Nov 23, 2016 9:39 pm

I've used duct tape around buckles also for similar (buckles need to slide, not hang up), but different applications. It works very well.

Horses can be amazing sometimes in situations where you would think their flight instincts would be their demise. We had a young filly put one of her front legs over the middle rail of a 3-rail fence (~3 1/2 feet high) and was firmly stuck. How she did it, I have no idea. Anyway, she was behind the barn and a run-in shed and was not visible from the house. I just luckily happened upon her, she was standing patiently waiting to be rescued. Lucky us, she is one hot, over reactive mare, but there she was, looking like, "what took you so long?".

Your boy may have learned something, too, sometimes those incidents can happen in such a way that they make the connection. Glad your story had a happy ending!

Woost2
Herd Member
Posts: 193
Joined: Wed Oct 14, 2015 8:34 pm
Location: Mad Town, WI

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby Woost2 » Wed Nov 23, 2016 10:40 pm

I admit I'm on the don't blanket side -- having kept horses in Colorado and Nebraska and Wisconsin. So I don't get it. If the horse doesn't need it, seems uncomfortable and it is an additional worry, why bother?

fergusnc
500 post plus club
Posts: 591
Joined: Wed Oct 14, 2015 11:37 pm
Location: NC

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby fergusnc » Wed Nov 23, 2016 11:15 pm

I called smartpak just to see if they'd had any options to swap out the chest straps with a different type of clasp (Dallas' blankets have a clip that is like a dog leash with the little trigger piece you pull down) and told them why I was asking. No option for new straps...the replacement ones are like what ferg has...and I told her about the duct tape idea. She suggested vet wrap so things wouldn't get so sticky, in case I ever needed to access the clasp or sell the blanket.

Do you guys think that woud stay in place?

Larbear
Novice
Posts: 52
Joined: Mon Oct 12, 2015 12:00 am

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby Larbear » Thu Nov 24, 2016 12:10 am

You mention he's a wooly bear and he's been itchy and rubby with the blanket on, maybe he's too warm.

fergusnc
500 post plus club
Posts: 591
Joined: Wed Oct 14, 2015 11:37 pm
Location: NC

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby fergusnc » Thu Nov 24, 2016 1:09 am

Larbear wrote:You mention he's a wooly bear and he's been itchy and rubby with the blanket on, maybe he's too warm.


Yep, I don't know. Both mornings when I pulled the blanket off he seemed a good temperature, certainly no dampness. But I haven't seen him itchy in several months, and it only happened on blanketed mornings...so I wondered about the Static Guard. I remember a former trainer warn me about dryer sheets with saddle pads and having seen horses have sensitivity to some, and even some detergents. I am torn in that he has always seemed to like his Jammie's and seems much calmer on really cold mornings with Jammie's on. But I am REALLY glad that the temps for the next several nights don't even make me wonder about blankets. I have really gotten minimalistic in my blanket outlook since moving them home, but even more so after this morning! :lol: :shock:

Rockabilly
Herd Member
Posts: 459
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 1:06 pm
Location: Tennessee

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby Rockabilly » Thu Nov 24, 2016 1:23 am

Your adventure makes me think of Leo. A couple of months ago Leo pulled his left shoe just about off. I called the farrier and he came from Alabama about 100 miles away to put it back on. Later that day I was making banana nut bread for my husband and I looked out the window to the barn and there was Leo laying beside the fence in his paddock. I thought maybe he's taking a nap because he's tired. Nah, I thought. That can't be right. I went over to the barn where Leo was cast against the white board fence. His feet were under the fence. He was just laying there as quiet and calm as could be. He said hello to me and looked at me. I went and got my husband and Leo said hello to him too. My husband pushed Leo's feet back under the fence and my husband got his back feet and I got his front and with all our strength we rolled this 1,500 lb. horse over to his other side. He got up and started eating. Calm as could be.

M&M
Herd Member
Posts: 277
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 4:08 pm
Location: Massachusetts

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby M&M » Thu Nov 24, 2016 2:41 am

My heart was in my stomach reading your story, even though it was obvious from the beginning that all ended well. Good, good horses!
Image

User avatar
Suzon
Herd Member
Posts: 395
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 5:44 pm
Location: Bay Area, CA & Middle of Nowhere, OR

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby Suzon » Thu Nov 24, 2016 4:28 am

So glad it all turned out well!! Try this one, which happened years ago: as I was going out to get Chloe to bring her in for breakfast, she was scratching her chin on the top rail of the board fencing. Totally normal, just and itchy chin. She saw me, walked over to the gate and as I put the halter on, suddenly I was covered in blood. Fresh blood. Whaaaaaaat? I quickly realized she'd punctured her facial artery on a splinter and was squirting blood all over me! Put my finger in the dyke, so to speak, and held pressure. The person I was with ran to the barn to call the vet, who fortunately only lived 5 minutes away. He drove over and stitched her back together and all was well, but I always shutter when I think what could have been if I was late for breakfast that day!

kande50
Bringing Life to the DDBB
Posts: 1781
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 7:28 pm
Location: Williamstown, MA

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby kande50 » Thu Nov 24, 2016 10:45 am

Woost2 wrote:I admit I'm on the don't blanket side -- having kept horses in Colorado and Nebraska and Wisconsin. So I don't get it. If the horse doesn't need it, seems uncomfortable and it is an additional worry, why bother?


It's the increased risk of injury that made me decide that I didn't want to get into blanketing. They can already find enough ways to get hurt without me adding more.

Tarlo Farm
500 post plus club
Posts: 866
Joined: Mon Oct 12, 2015 5:20 pm
Location: NW Michigan

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby Tarlo Farm » Thu Nov 24, 2016 1:21 pm

fergusnc wrote:
The thing is, Fergus doesn't REALLY need a blanket I guess....he is a wooly bear...but I used to think he wanted his woobie.
Or he just prefers to be a naked wooly bear all of a sudden? We are pretty low maintenance here at Fergus' Farm. 8-)


My vet says if they have a hair coat, a blanket just packs it flat limiting the insulation properties of the hair. Blankets are counterproductive unless the horses are clipped.

Good boy Fergie!

heddylamar
Bringing Life to the DDBB
Posts: 1405
Joined: Wed Oct 14, 2015 3:04 pm
Location: Texas (o_O)

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby heddylamar » Thu Nov 24, 2016 3:55 pm

I tend toward no/little blanketing, so I'd just leave him to become a naked yak if you're not riding regularly.

BUT I have to sing the praises of closed front blankets. No rubs from the velcro and buckles, fewer failure points, nothing gets caught and ripped off, and, even on my looney mare, it's quick and simple to put on. I just gather the blanket, like you do a sock or britches, then hold it up for her to stick her head through and drop it near her shoulders. Even on looney days, she calms down to assist.

User avatar
Chisamba
Bringing Life to the DDBB
Posts: 4452
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 10:33 pm
Location: New Jersey

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby Chisamba » Thu Nov 24, 2016 10:07 pm

Tarlo Farm wrote:
fergusnc wrote:
The thing is, Fergus doesn't REALLY need a blanket I guess....he is a wooly bear...but I used to think he wanted his woobie.
Or he just prefers to be a naked wooly bear all of a sudden? We are pretty low maintenance here at Fergus' Farm. 8-)


My vet says if they have a hair coat, a blanket just packs it flat limiting the insulation properties of the hair. Blankets are counterproductive unless the horses are clipped.

Good boy Fergie!


I guarantee this is just an opinion. Vet curriculum just does not include non medical topics.

I prefer not to blanket, its kind of a pain, a bit expensive, and there are risks, however, just three days ago, i had the riding horses blanketed ( because i need to keep them from hairing up, since it takes so long to cool them out after work) and the non riding horses naked. A cold font came in, and the non riding horses, with their long woolly coats, were shivering. Since i am practical, and prefer not to watch horses shiver, i put on their windproof waterproof sheets. Lo and behold, shivering stopped, relaxed hay eating resumed, and guess what, the pillowed hair had dried, and was quite able to stand up and provide insulation under the blanket. how do i know this, because my practical self put my hand under the sheets to check on them, and the hair was standing up. imagine that.

So its simple, i am practical, if the horse is cold, i put on its blanket, it warms up and gets happy. I recommend being practical. Despite the general trend toward not blanketing, horses caught in cold extremes have in fact died, and there have been scientific tests showing that horses can loose fifty to a hundred pounds overnight, keeping warm in cold weather.

kande50
Bringing Life to the DDBB
Posts: 1781
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 7:28 pm
Location: Williamstown, MA

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby kande50 » Fri Nov 25, 2016 11:23 am

I think part of the reason some blanket is because they don't have enough shelters for the number of horses they have, so horses end up standing outside. Most have stalls, but the horses don't necessarily have free access to those stalls, so if the owners are away when it rains and the temps drop then they come home to shivering horses. So the most practical solution for them is to blanket.

fergusnc
500 post plus club
Posts: 591
Joined: Wed Oct 14, 2015 11:37 pm
Location: NC

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby fergusnc » Fri Nov 25, 2016 11:34 am

Wow, Chismba, 50-100 pounds OVERNITE...that's wild. You make good points about fuzzy not being the only factor. I boarded at a barn for a short time where the owner refused to be responsible for blankets based on personal beliefs. If we wanted them on/off it was up to us. For the most part my guy did well, got really fuzzy, but there were rare real cold (for us) days he was just cold. I do think it depends on multiple considerations. I am thankful that generally speaking they will be OK without blankets...and I guess I can always keep them in stalls or tape up the clips if we get bitter weather. They aren't working to the point of me having to worry about drying them out, so that makes it easy for me.

Kande....for the three situations where my guy has been on 24/7 turnout with stall for feedings, he has had huge, roomy, well-built/well-oriented run-in's for shelter. He and his buddies always seem to choose to stay outside the lion's share of the time, sometimes even in the pouring rain. So I guess they weren't really bothered by it. :D that said, here at home, if I have any warning about cold rains, they will stay in their stalls regardless of access to good run-in's....cold rain is the devil for me. :lol:

All these stories of how things can go sideways...just reinforces the amazing (not in a good way) ability of horses to get themselves in tight spots. Yikes!

boots-aregard
Herd Member
Posts: 438
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 7:47 pm
Location: San Jose, CA

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby boots-aregard » Sat Nov 26, 2016 3:03 pm

fergusnc wrote:Thanks guys. Yea, kinda of crazy! Never thought about the closed fronts..never saw ones with shoulder gussets. I guess it could go wrong either style...especially now that I know there's no breakaway factor with those clips. And I get why that is too...if they broke away but the surcingle and leg straps held, that could be bad too! Aaaaagggggh!

The thing is, Fergus doesn't REALLY need a blanket I guess....he is a wooly bear...but I used to think he wanted his woobie. But 2 out of 2 nights, he has been all itchy and rubby when I go to feed breakfast. This morning I thought it could be the static guard...I have never used that before but bought some and sprayed the liners of his blanket and dallas' too because Dallas has shown himself to be very averse to shocks! :shock: I have fitted dallas' blankets on him but never left on, as i was afraid HE would get himself into trouble...not tried and true Ferg. Dallas never wore a blanket in the four years he was at the rescue, and I am guessing not with the people who starved him nor anyone who owned him prior.
Now I wonder if Fergus is sensitive to the static guard? Or he just prefers to be a naked wooly bear all of a sudden? We are pretty low maintenance here at Fergus' Farm. 8-)


You can just cut off the buckles you have and sew the front together yourself. Voila, closed-front blanket with shoulder gussets.

heddylamar
Bringing Life to the DDBB
Posts: 1405
Joined: Wed Oct 14, 2015 3:04 pm
Location: Texas (o_O)

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby heddylamar » Sat Nov 26, 2016 3:32 pm

boots-aregard wrote:You can just cut off the buckles you have and sew the front together yourself. Voila, closed-front blanket with shoulder gussets.


Both of my closed front blankets (Schneiders) have gussets and the velcro adjust for the neck.

fergusnc
500 post plus club
Posts: 591
Joined: Wed Oct 14, 2015 11:37 pm
Location: NC

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby fergusnc » Sat Nov 26, 2016 9:27 pm

heddylamar wrote:
boots-aregard wrote:You can just cut off the buckles you have and sew the front together yourself. Voila, closed-front blanket with shoulder gussets.


Both of my closed front blankets (Schneiders) have gussets and the velcro adjust for the neck.


I saw those on the Schneider's site. First I'd seen.

Canyon
500 post plus club
Posts: 650
Joined: Mon Oct 12, 2015 6:29 pm
Location: W CO

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby Canyon » Mon Nov 28, 2016 5:15 pm

I usually don't blanket because I am lazy, our winters are not too bad, I don't clip, the young horse tends to Houdini out of his blanket (usually tearing off a strap or two in the process), and "no blankets" are easier on the person caring for the horses when I am out of town. But I do blanket my senior gelding if the forecast is for temps to dip to 10 degrees or lower.

Koolkat
500 post plus club
Posts: 691
Joined: Mon Oct 12, 2015 2:15 am
Location: Cascade foothills

Re: Pasture Disaster Avoided...Talk About Thankful!!

Postby Koolkat » Mon Nov 28, 2016 9:33 pm

It depends on what conditions are causing the cold. A combination of water and wind (chill factor + water evaporation(cooling)+hair loses insulation ability if packed down by water)) is cause to blanket. Obviously the blanket has to be warm enough to make up for the fact that the horse's hair is flattened and loses insulation value. I've seen an unclipped Fjord just put in a tight fitting canvas sheet on a 15 degree night. A canvas sheet because she was hairy. . . . All you had to do was stick your hand under the sheet and feel she was ice cold. . . .

Think of yourself on a windy day, you put on a light weight wind jacket and as long as you are generating sufficient heat otherwise, you are fine. Blanketing will indeed flatten hair which will cause loss of insulation, but the entire situation needs to be evaluated. Usually if horses can be dry and out of the wind, they will be fine (unless clipped or poor condition/oldsters).


Return to “The Observation Lounge/ Cookbook Forum even Hot Topics”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 57 guests