Naturally a horse has a way of protecting itself when it gets cold, they grow a thick, long coat of fur.  I love riding bare back & especially when they’re fuzzy in the winter.  It keeps you warm too.  But, there were years when I would show my horse in a show that was in November, when it was getting colder.  To keep the horses hair short & smooth we would put a blanket on them.  When the show was over, we couldn’t leave the blanket off because the horses fur wasn’t ready for the cold, so blankets were left on. 

   I’ve seen people put a blanket on a pasture horse, & what a bad thing to do.  They think they’re helping the horse stay warm, but they’re not, plus this blanket might get wet & do a lot of harm to the horse

   A horse naturally takes care of itself if left alone.  It’s fur gets thicker in the winter & then when the temperatures rise, they shed that fut.  If left alone it can come off in big patches & look strange, but you can help by curry combing it off.