Horse Blankets and Sheets
Turnout sheets and turnout blankets are a great way to protect your horse from the sun, cold weather, and rain. Additionally, stable blankets help keep animals cleaner when they are inside. With so many different choices, horse owners can find the right products for their animals.
What is the difference between turnout sheets and turnout blankets?
Turnout sheets are the lightest alternative to keeping horses from getting mud on their coats, from getting wet, or from having their coats fade in the summer sun. Meanwhile, turnout blankets are designed to keep horses warm. Blankets come in various weights depending on the amount of fill that they contain. Those having less than 160 grams of filling are intended for temperatures above 60 degrees. Heavyweight turnout blankets usually have more than 300 grams of fill, and they are made for freezing temperatures.
What are stable horse blankets?
Stable horse blankets are designed to be used when the horse is confined to a stall. They usually have less than 400 grams of fill, but like turnout blankets, they come in different thicknesses. Many are quilted, and some are water resistant. Stable horse blankets come in a variety of colors with many stables choosing the same color for all horses in the barn.
What are the parts of a stable horse blanket?
Stable horse blankets can have a variety of different parts, including:
- Tail flaps - Designed to keep rain and snow off the horse's tail, they should reach at least the mid-point of the horse's tailbone.
- Leg straps - They are designed to keep the blanket down around the horse as he moves.
- Surcingles - These straps go under the horse's belly, helping hold the blanket in place.
- Shoulder gussets - Pleats in the front of the blanket allow the horse more room to move.
- Front closure - Different manufacturers use various styles of front closures including buckles and metal snaps.
- Hoods - This separate part is designed to cover the horse's head.
- Neck wraps - This part is designed to cover the horse's neck.
How do you keep a horse dry before a show?
Scrim sheets are designed to keep a horse clean before he enters the show arena. These lightweight sheets usually have only a tail cord and a chest buckle, making them easy to put on and take off. If the weather is rainy, then the horse can be tacked and covered with a rainsheet intended to keep both the horse and the tack dry.
Are standard and European-cut blankets different?
European-style horse blankets usually fit slimmer-bodied breeds like American saddlebreds, Tennessee walkers, and thoroughbreds better because they have a smaller neck opening and are narrower. Riders of American quarter horses, Appaloosas, and American paint horses will want to consider standard-cut horse blankets and sheets.