It’s that time of the year, when we pull out the winter blankets. Did you forget to get them washed before you put them away last year? Are they in good repair? Do they still fit? What makes a good blanket? What about waterproofing?
- First do they fit, how can you really tell? Not only do you have to measure from the center of the tail to the center of the chest, but you need to make sure the blanket isn’t rubbing on the shoulders or withers. Although adding a sleezy or lining the inside of the blanket helps the blanket to slide better, it will not solve the problem if the blanket doesn’t fit properly. There are some blanket types that fit better than others. Blankets that have darts might allow your horse to move more freely, but the blanket will rub at the dart point. Some blankets fall right in front of the withers and as the horse moves the blanket rubs at the withers. If these are some of your problems, you might want to invest in a new blanket. I have found that blankets that are up on the neck fit better overall for my warmbloods and don’t cause rub spots.
- If the blanket is dirty and you don’t have time to get it washed, you can use a stiff brush to get most of the dirt loose and vaccum. I know many of you want to wash your own blankets and I must caution you on this, especially If you have a top loader machine. Not only will it not rinse out the soap, because it can’t agitate well, it will break down your machine quickly. The front loader machines work better, they can get the soap out. If you are going to use your home machine, make sure you rinse the blanket 2x, but if your blanket is extremely dirty or hairy I strongly recommend you DON’T use your own machine. The reason soap needs to be rinsed out is that it clogs the pours and diminishes the water proofing properties. And whatever you do don’t use perfume soap, your horse might have an allegeric reaction. Remember they are horses and in the wild they don’t take bathes in perfume soap……
- If your blanket is in need of repair and you can’t get it repaired, you can always use duct tape. I don’t totally agree with this method, but it does work and keeps the blanket from ripping further and helps to keep the blanket water proofed.
How do you pick out a good blanket? Don’t always go for cheap, you do get what you pay for. I have found that any blanket with darts are a problem no matter what, they rub the horses shoulders and this is a weak point on the blanket and frequently if they are going to tear, this is the place. I am extremely found of Rambo’s and Amigo’s for Warmbloods and Snyder’s and Cover Girls for Quarter horses or Arabian’s. Don’t get a blanket with fleece or cotton lining, they stick to the horse’s hair and tear. It is better to get a slick lining, so it slides on the horse as they move.
How do you put a blanket on and off? I know this sounds simple, but I can’t tell you how many horses or humans were injured because the horse spooked and the blanket wasn’t secured properly. You always put the blanket on and attach it from the front to the back and take it off from the back to the front. This way if the horse spooks it is attached in the front. When securing the back leg straps, attach them on the same side of the blanket, but take one and wrap it through the other leg strap and attach on the same side of the blanket. This way the leg straps are crossed under the horse and will keep the blanket from slipping to one side and therefore less likely to cause a problem.
If you have a tall horse, you can slip the blanket over the horses head. Have the entire blanket over to your side and Just slip the front over the horses head and then throw the rest of the blanket over the horses back.
And to address waterproofing, just get the camp waterproofing from your local camping store or if all else fails some of my barns use Thompson’s Waterseal. But good blankets will hold their waterproofing if they are washed properlybut, if they are loosing their waterproofing, use them as a first layer in a layering system with another blanket.
Sherry and Bruce Busch own Bison Adventure Wear Horse blanket washing and repair business in Colorado for over 15 years and have clients from owner’s of one horse to large show barns with over 200 horses. They also own a laundry mat and are experts on care of horse blankets.
