Blanket Review

I have to say from a blanket repair perspective I am not loving this winter at all. Of course I don’t like, and especially do not love, winter to begin with but this one is really starting to wear on my nerves. The horses have been in sheets or blankets more this winter than the last two or three winters combined. Normally I love to stand and watch horses being playful and having a good time. When they are wearing their blankets I am wincing with every bite and grab while thinking “Don’t grab the blanket. No, don’t grab the blanket! LET GO OF THE BLANKET!” as they are horsing around. They rarely never seem to pick up on my thoughts even though I am shouting them in my head.

Thus far this season I have stitched rips and tears in:

1 regular Centaur turnout (not a Turbo 1000)

1 Rhino turnout

2 Big D turnouts

1 SmartPak turnout (I should point out this was not one of the new SmartPak ultimate turnouts)

1 Saxon turnout

1 Weatherbeeta turnout

1 Pessoa turnout

one stitched up Rhino

I actually left this Centaur blanket on the horse while I stitched it. I put a feedbag on Johnny and he stood there and ate while I stitched. I made three more passes after I took this picture in the hopes that my patch job will last until the end of the season. As I was doing this I was trying to decide if I was brilliant or stupid for doing this with the blanket on the horse. It worked so I am going with brilliant although I probably won’t choose this repair method again.

One repaired SmartPak blanket; I use a heavy needle and dental floss to do these temporary blanket repairs.

I had to do a small repair to this Big D blanket near the withers

About half the horses here are outfitted with Rambo blankets and the rest with various other brands. I feel the need to point out that I have not yet had the need to stitch up a tear in a Rambo this season while I am busy sewing away on many other brands. The Rambos are not infallible and they can have their issues as well, it just happens a lot less often. Whenever anyone asks me what blankets I recommend I always say Rambo. Yes I know they are expensive blankets. But they also last, can take a lot of rough horse play, and stay waterproof. We get several years out of the Rambo blankets with no spotty waterproofing. Sometimes people say they think their horse needs shoulder gussets because they have big shoulders. Buy the Rambo with leg arches, I promise they work better to free up more room than the shoulder gussets.

Between blankets and sheets I deal with well over 100+ blankets. I watch how they hold up and if the waterproofing lasts. These blankets are being worn in group turnout and some of the horses play hard. The most important criteria I have for a blanket is that it stays waterproof. Hands down the blanket that can stand up to the abuse the best and stay waterproof is the Rambo. My second place choice is the Centaur Turbo 1000 (not the regular Centaur). They are not quite as tough as a Rambo but they are close and they maintain their waterproofing. I am also a fan of Bucas blankets.

Another thing I have learned to hate about blankets is any blanket that has leg straps instead of a tail strap. Anytime a horse has had an “incident” with a blanket it has always involved a leg strap. I detest blankets with leg straps. In my vast personal collection of blankets (and I am a self proclaimed blanket ‘ho) I do not own a blanket with leg straps. Let me reiterate that. I do not own a single blanket with leg straps. After spending years watching horses wear turnout blankets outside in group turnout I will not buy a blanket with leg straps. They are an accident looking for a place to happen. So far, thankfully, I’ve yet to see a horse truly hurt in a leg strap incident but it is only a matter of time. I may be forced to break my own rule in order to get a blanket for Timbit that actually fits him correctly, and I just cringe at the thought of buying a blanket with leg straps.

There are a few problems with leg straps. They get caught on things more easily than a tail strap. And although tail straps get caught on things as well they also tend to just pop off easily or break whereas the elastic leg straps stretch first and don’t break as easily so they tend to stay caught. The leg straps also lose their elasticity. One day the strap is fine and the next day the strap is ten miles long and basically dragging on the ground while still properly snapped at both ends. I have lots and lots of leg straps with multiple knots tied in them trying to remedy this problem. Unfortunately it simply is not realistic for me to go out and buy 100 or so pairs of leg straps and replace them all each year in the hopes of keeping them from stretching.

If you must (although I wish you would not) buy a blanket with leg straps the Dover Northwinds are my top choice there. These are good, sturdy blankets that hold their waterproofing for a few seasons and can take some rough horse play. My second choice for a blanket with leg straps would be Pessoa blankets. Really my main complaint with either of these blankets are the fact that they have leg straps.

Big D turnouts take a lot of babying to get them through one season to the next. The denier of the fabric is only 600D so they are constant victims in group turnout. The drop on the saxon blankets is very short, I swear some of them look like mini skirts. The Weatherbeetas seem to lose their waterproofing after a couple of seasons and get their share of rips. Although the Schneiders blankets tend to wear very well the waterproofing on them is the pits. I have had more than one Schneiders blanket not be waterproof right out of the bag. If you do get a Schneiders that is actually waterproof, I have found that the first time you wash it you can say goodbye to some or all of the waterproofing. So none of the Schneiders blankets get washed, they only get cold water rinses. I am so unimpressed with the waterproofing on Schneiders blankets I have started specifically requesting that people not send them. It is a shame since they are tough blankets, but it doesn’t really matter since the waterproofing is so questionable.

I can summarize this post by saying buy the Rambo (or buy the Rhino or Amigo knowing you will need to replace them after a couple of seasons). Feel free to buy a Bucas or a Centaur Turbo 1000 but I would still prefer the Rambo. Just say no to the leg straps. If you cannot help yourself then buy the Dover Northwind or the good Pessoas. Please do not send a Schneiders.

In closing, in case I was not clear enough, buy the Rambo, or the Bucas, or the Centaur Turbo 1000.

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Johnny and Lighty were having a grand time . . .