We have a new barn manager that has not been blanketing properly. I‘m making a list of things she has done wrong and why they should get a a new barn manager sooner than later.What are some medical side effects of bad blanketing? I have found my horse and other horses in heavy blankets when they should be in light or no blankets before. and vise versa with cold weather.I know It‘s bad, but I can‘t think of all the reasons. Colic is one, what else?
If you have nothing better to do than be on blanket police at your barn then I feel sorry for you. No horse is going to colic from not wearing a blanket or from wearing too light of blanket on a cold day. If a horse colics there is another issue that has zero to do with whether he's wearing a size 80 when he should be wearing a 78. I've never heard of such nonsensical blather in the 30 years of having horses and I've had horses who I was showing who were blanketed always and broodmares who were never blanketed. You sound like a total and complete bully, and vindictive to boot! ETA: Right, that's what I'm saying. Blankets are not going to cause colic. You are misinformed and have never been to AQHA show barn. Now a heavy winter blanket on a hot day and the horse has no water and his gums are white, sweating profusely then you have a heat stroke issue but not colic. Some will argue and say horses can actually stay warmer without a blanket! It's really not a getting fired over deal if a horse goes without a blanket. What kind of place do you board if horses are coming in with flaps of skin hanging off them? You need to contact the owner if you see that. Flaps of skin with blood dripping all over is one thing but if you are talking about a little scrap (which I get the feeling it is) then that's probably why it wasn't reported. If there was a serious issue then why wouldn't the horse's owner contact the barn owner? If you know your horse has missed meds and is not being fed properly you call the barn owner. But I don't see how you'd know your horse wasn't getting it's meds unless you witnessed it yourself. You need to have a talk with barn owners about the care YOUR horse is getting and not concern yourself with anyone else's horse or issues otherwise you will not be taken seriously because so far this looks like these things are more of a personal issue you have against this person.
i have been a large training stable manager and now have my own barn and training regimen. a stupid blanketing issue is stupid. unless your barn has really bad issues, horses shouldnt have 'flaps of skin' hanging. they probably scratched themself/got bit/kicked and it's not that bad, you're probably overexaggerating it. horses can start growing hair when they get too cold. primitive reflex.
It's tough to kill a horse with bad blanketing habits and chances of colic are probably not greatly increased by blanketing a horse who is not used to being blanketed or not blanketing one who is. The primary concerns I would have would be for the horse's comfort over anything else. If a horse with an underdeveloped winter coat was suddenly left out in very cold temperatures without a blanket, he might shiver and if he's a hard keeper, he could loose some weight over time. A horse that is not accustomed to wearing a blanket or one that doesn't need a blanket might sweat under the blanket and actually catch a chill from his/her own sweat. The trapped sweat and moisture could also lead to fungal and bacterial infections of the skin. Poor blanketing habits could cause problems down the road but are not an immediate threat to the horse's life. Instead of ordering that this person be fired, try talking to them. Voice your concerns and make constructive suggestions on how they might improve their blanket management. Who knows, maybe the person will learn something from you and transform into a great barn manager.
