It Is A Really Cold Day After A Hurricane And I Think My Horse May Need A Blanket, What Should The Temperature Be To Put It On Him (He Is A 14 year Old Quarter Horse Gelding)?
If your horse is shivering, it tells you that his core body temperature has dropped and his muscles are quivering to increase heat productionSo, if your horse is shivering, you may want to blanket him until it stopsFeeling the skin temperature is not a good indicator of the need for blanketing, since the body reduces blood flow to skin by constricting blood vessels at the skin surface which then increases blood flow (and heat) to the core of the bodyThis makes the skin feel cool even though the body temperature is fineAdding blankets based on cool skin can result in overheating the horse, causing him to sweat and lose more body heat, so it is counterproductiveSweating under a blanket can also lead to development of skin infections such as rain rotRather than blanketing, just being sure he has hay in front of him is all that is usually needed to produce plenty of his own body heatAs hay ferments in the hind gut, it acts like a furnace, producing heat within the horse's bodyMy horses are out without blankets year round, and are never sickIt gets down to minus 30 to 40 F in winterThey can stand outside in any weather and choose to do so despite the fact that they have a very nice shelter to go intoI do provide them with 24/7 access to good grass hay in addition to their hard feed.
It all depends on what kind of plastic, the thickness, and what it is being used forKrylon makes paint specifically for plastic, I think its called PlastiBond, or something like that.
