Blanketing my Thoroughbred?

I have had my OTTB, Ghost for almost a year now. I live in East TN and the winters really are not very bad. He has spent his life at the track until coming to me. He is turned out 24/7 in a big group 15 or so other geldings, on about 100 acres of good pasture with a creek as his water source and tons of trees and a big shed as weather protection. He is 6, 15.3hh, about 1150llbs, and built in the typical TB way. So last year after a mild winter in my neck of the woods, he took it really hard. Going into the winter he had a good weight on him, grew a decent coat, and all way good. During the winter his field gets a round bale every day. However, he is one of the lowest horses in the herd and the other horses didn't let him get very much hay at all. So, around about December or January he really lost weight and he and another grey in the field got rain rot on their neck and shoulders and went bald! None of the others did this, only the greys. Every other horse on the farm also had nice big hay bellies and great coats, except for him!! Ok, so after going through one winter trying to deal with one of the hardest keepers I've ever seen, I am launching a proactive plan to get Ghost fat and happy. I have a good grip on his nutrition plan, but now I am trying to make the decision of whether or not to blanket. If I get a blanket for him I am definitely investing in a 1200 denier, but I can decide between no fill or light fill. My main concern is really his coat and preventing rain rot. I also want to keep him warm so he can conserve energy(stored in fat and protein) for exercise and maintaining a healthy weight. Or not getting him one at all since blankets do constrict the airflow between their hair, making the big winter coat ineffective. Another factor that makes me hesitate about blanketing him is the fact that I will tentatively be moving him and myself to the North West in a year to a year and a half. Because of this possible move, I am concerned about bundling him up for our relatively mild winters in TN, and making it harder for him to adapt to winters out West. So, of you could help me solve this blanketing dilemma in anyway, I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks!

How to Lose Stomach Weight Fast

Recommended Answer:

Blankets do not prevent rain rot. They make it worse.When the horse is cold, they're fine. But when the weather warms up a little, he gets hot under his blanket. He sweats to cool down. The sweat can't evaporate, so it doesn't cool him off, so he sweats more. He gets real wet. Not to mention real uncomfortable. He stays wet for a long time.That is the perfect environment for the bacteria that cause rain rot. Warm, dark, wet. They will love you for it as they multiply, multiply, multiply.

Other Answers:

• It would be beneficial to get an analysis of your grass which, prevents you wasting your time and money feeding the wrong feed. If you know what type of grass is in your paddocks, than you will know what you need to feed as just having grass that is long doesn't mean it is good pasture. For a rug i would never get a synthetic one,they are not breathable imagine wrapping a synthetic blanket around you and running around. You would be drenched in sweat and that can be worse making your horse dehydrated. Buy a good Quality canvas rug, measure your horse so you know the rug will fit, and some canvases come with lined wool, which you need because a canvas can rub. I would also buy a shoulder guard with added wool around the buckle and wither area this prevents the rug from rubbing. Canvas rugs might cost a couple of hundred $$$ but they can last for over 5 years and still be waterproof i know a lady who has had the same canvas rug on her horse for six years and it still is waterproof but it is a very good Quality one.Rain rot can be a Symptom of vitamin A deficiency most likely, but it can also be caused from a horse having a damp and warm environment on their coat caused by rugs that do not breath such as synthetic ones and not removing a horses rug on a hot day causing them to sweat and cause rain rot.If your horse is that bad that his neck is bare he will most likely need vitamin A injections, i would feed food that contains vitamin A Such as carrots until you can get a vitamin A supplement and do try and get a natural/ herbal one as horses utilise nutrients better that are not synthetically made. Also you should do some washes of your horses skin, here are home made/natural treatments you can make that are antibacterial for the horses skin: http://www.naturalhorse.com/archive/volume8/Issue5/article_10.php I would also feed the horse some rice bran oil sunflower oil so that the horses coat can become shiny, and when the horses coat is more oily and shiny it will act more waterproof. I would also let all horse owners your horse has rainrot, as it can be transfered to other horses.