Linus is almost never without his blue blanket, which debuted in the June 1, 1954, in Charles M. Schulz’s comic strip Peanuts. He holds the blanket over his shoulder while sucking his thumb. It was in fact he who coined the term “security blanket.”  Is your horse reliant on his blanket during the wintertime?

Must you blanket your horse? No.

Should you blanket your horse? It depends.

Tip: Blankets cleaned regularly help prevent skin problems on your horses.

According to Equus, blanketing is necessary for competition horses and foxhunters who are routinely clipped during colder weather to maintain a sleek appearance, reduce sweating, shorten cooling-out time and speed drying after rigorous workouts. Aged horses whose appetites and digestion may not supply enough fuel to keep flesh on their bones and their internal “furnaces” stoked require shelter or blanketing during bad weather.

They came up with 10 common uncertainties facing horsekeepers about when, why and how to blanket. Here’s just one we pulled out. Read the rest here.

Q: My horse’s blanket seems to fit well, yet after a few months of wearing it, he has unsightly rub marks on his shoulders. Is there a way to prevent these bald patches or at least to encourage the hair to grow back quickly?

A. “Conformation makes some horses susceptible to rubs,” says Peters. “They are broader through the shoulders.” Fitting the horse with another style of blanket may relieve the rubs, but less expensive options can smooth over the few rough spots of an otherwise well-fitting blanket. Covering the horse’s neck and shoulders with a stretchy “undergarment”–almost like an equine sports bra–absorbs the friction created by the blanket.

If your horse is experiencing abrasions from the blanket, you may want to have some Mane ‘n Tail Pro-Tect Anti-Microbial Wound Cream in supply. Its deep penetrating cream base soothes cuts, scrapes and abrasions for faster healing. This is also a good item to have in your equine first aid kit, along with Pro-Tect Topical Skin & Wound Spray Treatment, to kill a wide range of microorganisms including bacteria, yeast, mold, fungi and viruses.

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