Horse Blanket Tips
Choosing A Horse Blanket Weight
Need to find the right blanket for your climate? We know that your choice of a blanket and its purchase will largely determine your horses comfort in the winter months. We'd like to make it easy for you to find the right blanket for your horse!
Begin by locating your average winter temperature range in either the Light Weight or Heavy Weight temperature gauge below. If that temperature appears in the "green zone" for that gauge, you are correctly matched to a Light Weight or Heavy Weight Turn-Out rug group of your choice.
Note: These ranges can vary by several factors including coat type, coat length (clipped or un-clipped), weather type (windy, humid, rain, etc.) and the duration of time your horse will be exposed to the elements. Discretion and judgment should be used to keep the horse comfortable at all times.
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Putting On A Horse Blanket
We know struggling with a blanket is not fun. To maximize the quality time you have with your horse, we have prepared some quick tips to make blanketing quick and easy!
Fastening surcingles and leg straps:
- 1. Cross surcingles, leaving a width of a hand between the horse's stomach and the straps.
- 2. Secure the right leg strap, going between the hind legs to the right Dee ring.
- 3. Take the left leg strap between the legs and loop it through the right leg strap
- 4. Then, secure it to the Dee ring on the left side.
- 5. Adjust the leg straps leaving a hand width between the leg and the strap.
- 6. Adjust the front closures so the blanket is forward enough on the shoulder to allow leg movement
- 7. Make sure it does not rub on the legs & that the tail flap starts at the top of the tail.
Following these steps ensure the blanket stays securely in place and that the freedom of leg movement is not impaired. A blanket that is not adjusted properly will slide back, rub hair off and cover the tail not allowing the tail to lift freely. Loosely fitted surcingles and leg straps could allow the blanket to shift or legs to get tangled and cause injury to the horse or damage the blanket. If the fit is proper, it should be comfortable, and a horse is also less likely to try to remove it!
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Blanket Wear & Tear
To help extend the life of a blanket, beyond the fit adjustments above, here are a couple of helpful tips:
To extend the use of a blanket, if not living in a region with extreme winters, buy a Light-Weight Turn-Out sheet instead of a Heavy-Weight Turn-Out blanket. It can be used for turn out, over a heavier Stable blanket, sheet or fleece depending on the weather. A sheet or fleece next to the horse's body will retain more warmth, absorb more moisture and keep the more expensive blanket from getting as dirty. The sheet or fleece is also easier to clean.
When using more than one layer removable leg straps are less bulky between the legs, and the layers can be linked together using one set instead of two, reducing the change of tangling and saves time. They also can be replaced easily if damaged, never loosing the use of the blanket. They are also much more likely to stretch or break under pressure of a caught leg rather than damage the blanket or injure the horse. Keeping a spare set of straps readily available will allow replacement immediately.
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