Science & Equine

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Written by Anouk van Breukelen

Image by: Anouk van Breukelen

The preference in horses for wearing blankets

Using blankets for horses is common in large parts of Europe. Even though horses are well adapted to withstand cold temperatures.

The results show that most horses preferred to be blanketed at temperatures below -10°C, not considering other weather factors. With increasing temperature, the preference for keeping a blanket on decreased and above 10°C most horses and above 20°C all horses preferred to remove the blanket in all tests. Furthermore, sunshine decreased to probability for wanting to wear a blanket and more rain or wind increased the probability for wanting to wear a blanket.

Link to the article about training horses to use symbols to communicate: Horses can learn to use symbols to communicate

Expert opinion by Anouk van Breukelen

This study provides foundation for useful guidelines, however differences between individual horses are also observed. Therefore, it is always important to look at horses as individuals to provide optimal care.

> From: Mejdell et al., Applied Animal Behaviour Science 212 (2019) 52-57. All rights reserved to Elsevier B.V.. Click here for the online summary.

Image by: Anouk van Breukelen

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