Many owners blanket their horses during the winter months for warmth, cleanliness, or in an effort to decrease hair length. While previous studies have evaluated the effect of blanketing on a horse's surface temperature and hay intake, none have assessed the impact of blanketing on a horse's coat. Therefore, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls evaluated changes in hair coat length and diameter of horses with or without medium-weight blankets during winter.
The study was conducted with 16 adult horses (9 ± 3 years of age) that had an average body condition score of 5.5 ± 0.5. Two Arabians, two Quarabs, two Thoroughbreds, and ten stock-type horses were included in the study. Medium-weight (220g fiberfill) blankets were placed on eight of the horses when temperatures were below 41°F for two days (October 27, 2019). Each month, through March 2020, hair samples were taken from the neck and hindquarters using tweezers. Hair length and diameter were measured using a digital caliber and micrometer, respectively.
Blanketing did not affect body weight or body condition score of the horses. For all horses, hair length was shortest in October and March, and longest in January and February. Similarly, hair coat diameter was smallest in October and March, and largest in January and February.
The length of hindquarter hair did not differ between blanketed and nonblanketed horses. However, neck hair length was greater for nonblanketed horses (58 and 47 mm) compared to blanketed horses (43 and 35 mm) in January and February. These differences were not observed for the month of March. When looking at hair coat diameter of the neck and hindquarter, no differences were found between blanketed and nonblanketed horses.
The results of this study provide evidence that blanketing can affect hair length in areas not covered by a blanket, such as the neck. But the effects are only short-term, where blanketed and nonblanketed horses had similar hair coat lengths when shedding their winter hair coats. However, the effect of blanketing on hair coat length will likely vary based on timing of blanket use.
More information on winter horse care can be found on the UMN Extension Horse website.
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The post Research Update: Hair Length And Diameter Of Blanketed And Nonblanketed Horses appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
