Blanketing a Draft: What the Charts Leave Out
Only one thing is universally true about blanketing draft horses: the Opinions are strong - like "six-horse hitch" strong. Few things divide the horse community like blanketing. Below, we'll try to meet in the middle and give new draft and draftX owners a place to start as they learn their horses.
Whether you're new to drafts or you've blanketed light horses for years, the basics still hold. What changes is where the lines fall. Here's how to read the charts for a draft.
Yes, drafts get cold
Drafts feel the cold, like any living creature. Factors in how they handle the cold include coat density, shelter, hay, weather acclimation, and general health.
Most drafts tend to grow a dense winter coat which, when it fluffs up, traps warm air against the skin. (Here, I say "most" but not all. As of this writing, Freda has just started growing her coat, whereas Roman, another draft in my barn, is well on his way.) Add a steady supply of hay, which works like a furnace from the inside, and a healthy draft with her coat in can handle weather that may have a lighter or clipped horse shivering.
So the question isn't whether drafts need blankets. It's which days, and which drafts.
Start with her coat, not the thermometer
Most charts have two columns: clipped and unclipped. For a draft, it helps to think in four.
- Heavy winter coat: the best protection. On a dry night with a heavy coat, a draft at 30°F usually doesn't need a blanket, even though most charts would put an unclipped horse in at least a lightweight.
- Finer winter coat: not every draft grows the same coat. Some go full wooly mammoth, and some grow a coat that's in, but noticeably finer. A finer-coated draft sits closer to the "still coming in" end, even in January, so she may need a sheet on days a heavier-coated horse wouldn't.
- Still coming in: the in-between weeks of fall, and when owners are most unsure. Until her coat is all the way in, treat her like a senior: a sheet once it drops below about 40°F, even if she's young and healthy.
- Clipped: she's lost what keeps her warm, so treat her like any clipped horse and go by the chart.
Wet changes everything
A winter coat works by trapping air. Rain soaks it flat, and a flat coat loses most of its warmth. That's why a draft who's fine at 30°F and dry can be miserable at 40°F in a cold rain.
If she's going to get wet and can't get under cover, a waterproof sheet is often all she needs. Dry, powdery snow is less of a problem, since it tends to sit on top of a good coat instead of soaking in. Wet, heavy snow can melt into the coat and soak her just like rain.
One caution: don't put a blanket on a horse who's already soaked. Dry her off first, or the blanket just holds the wet against her.
When a draft does need help
Some drafts need a blanket sooner than others. Move a step warmer if she's:
- Older, a hard keeper, or thin. She burns more just staying warm and has less to spare.
- Out with no shelter. Wind strips warmth fast, and a run-in or the side of a barn makes a real difference.
- A draftX. Crosses often grow a less dense coat than a full draft, so they usually land between the draft and the chart.
- New to a colder area. A horse who moved north this year hasn't had a winter to adjust.
If she's shivering, tucked up, or standing hunched with her tail clamped, she's telling you she's cold, whatever the chart says.
Go by the grams, not the label
There's no industry standard for what "lightweight" or "midweight" means. Depending on the brand or store, a lightweight can be anything from 0–100g of fill to 80–180g. So when you're comparing blankets, look at the grams.
Here's the rough ladder we use:
| What it's called | Fill |
|---|---|
| Waterproof sheet | No fill |
| Lightweight | About 80–100g |
| Midweight | About 180–250g |
| Heavyweight | About 300g or more |
The daytime swing
Fall and spring are the hard part. It's 28°F when you feed in the morning and 55°F by early afternoon, and most of us can't run out at noon to swap blankets.
If you can only change her twice a day, pick for the whole stretch she'll be wearing it, not just the coldest hour. For the day, that usually means one step lighter than the morning calls for. A horse who starts the day a little cool is in better shape than one sweating under a midweight at 2pm. Overnight is different: she's in it through the coldest hours, so dress her for those.
Getting the fit right on a draft
A blanket that doesn't fit does more harm than no blanket at all. It rubs, slips, and leaves gaps where the cold gets in. A few things to watch on a big horse:
- Length. Measure from the center of her chest, around the widest part of her shoulder and hip, to the edge of her tail. Many drafts land at or past the top of a standard size chart.
- Width. A longer blanket isn't automatically wider. If it pinches at the shoulders or won't close across the chest, it isn't cut for her build.
- Drop. On a deep, round draft, a standard blanket can ride up and leave her belly and sides exposed. Look for extra drop.
- Room to move. Shoulder gussets let her graze and walk without the blanket pulling.
- Liners. Handy for cold snaps, but many only come in horse and pony sizes. Check the size before you plan to layer.
Not sure where she measures? Our Find Your Size page walks you through it.
Check your horse, not just the forecast
The forecast is a starting point, but your horse has the final say. Slide your hand under the blanket (or onto her coat if she's bare) at the withers, armpit, and rump.
- Warm and dry: you got it right.
- Damp or sweaty: go one step lighter next time.
- Cold to the touch or shivering: go one step warmer.
If you'd like a starting point for today, try our blanket check. Put in your ZIP code and a little about your horse, and it'll lay out what to put on from now through tomorrow, adjusted for drafts, draftX horses, wet weather, and how often you can get out to the barn.