The weather is cooling down and it’s time to start putting horse blankets on your animals to keep them warm and protected from the winter weather. At Pasturas Los Alazanes, we carry a variety of horse blankets, including canvas horse blankets, winter horse blankets, and rain buster horse blankets and we stock many sizes so we’re sure to have the correct size for your animal. Keep your horse protected from the extreme elements with a horse blanket from Pasturas.
Easy Tips For Blanketing Your Horse
If your horse is having difficulties wearing or putting the horse blanket on, here are a few tips to help with even the most difficult horses. Don’t forget, we carry different sizes of blankets and styles!
To begin with, first, train your horse to learn that he will be rewarded for doing the right thing. You can then link giving the reward—the primary reinforces—with what we call a secondary reinforcer, for example, your voice saying “good” or a clicker. The horse learns that when you say “good” that means a reward is forthcoming and soon has the same meaning as a reward.
This is in preparation for shaping your desired behavior, that is, the horse standing relaxed while you put something over his head. Start with the least objectionable thing for the horse, which might be even just approaching with the blanket. Give your reinforcers. Now do each next very small step in getting the blanket toward, on, and over his head, giving the reinforcer(s) for each small step the horse allows.
Begin with the blanket somewhere unobjectionable to the horse, maybe at his shoulder. Just touch or rub him with it there, then in very small steps move to rub it up closer and closer to and over his head. When you get to a resentful spot, go back to where he was comfortable and start again.
Either of these methods should get you where you want to be. You might want to do the whole procedure first with something less bulky and awkward to handle than a blanket, such as a large towel. Both will work best if done in a safe environment with the least restraint possible. Added restraint sometimes makes a frightening procedure even more so. I would posit that positive reinforcement will get you there quicker and provide a foundation for learning other procedures.
Tags: Horse Care