What we need:
*A lightweight waterproof turnout
*A medium weight, high denier (also waterproof) turnout
*A heavy weight, high denier (waterproof) turnout
**Possibly a spare medium weight (our barn likes you to have at least one spare available)
What I need from you guys are some recommendations. I'll admit, I am a little overwhelmed at the options! Some people swear by Weathebeeta, some people say Rambo is worth all the money (and hype) and there are tons in between. I do really like Schneider's products (Riley's flysheet is from there and it's terrific quality and held up well to the rigors of 24/7 turnout). Do you guys prefer to layer? Have one really heavy blanket? Do you like neck attachments? Any preferences on belly bands vs. surcingles? I am probably not going to fully clip Riley, but he will most likely get a trace clip once he gets woolly (and oh does he!).
I'm asking for your feedback!
ps. Riley wears a 78" in case any of you have spares lying around that you would like to sell us!
Help.
pps. I'm trying to flesh out a few more posts before my giveaway! I thought I was nearing 200, but I had 3 blog drafts that were being including in the count. I believe this is post 198 (for real, this time).
 |
| Not Riley, yet. |
That's a lot of blankets. When I lived in NC (some days low 30's high 20's, but usually mid 30's low 40's in the winter) I had a heavy duty turnout sheet, heavy duty turnout heavy blanket, and medium weight stable blanket. Then I would just layer. On super cold nights, I did the medium weight under the heavy duty. On normal days, just the heavy weight... etc. I've heard good things about SmartPak's brand.
ReplyDeleteThanks! This is exactly why I posted this. I don't want to go overboard, but I don't want to be left without enough. I am eager to hear more feedback about layering! The barn staff is happy to change blankets accordingly which is so kind!
DeleteI am in love with Schneider's blankets. They hold up so very well! And they're not as expensive as some of the other brands.
ReplyDeleteOooh, what do you use?
DeleteI hate layering, too much work and uncomfortable for your horse. Pulls, moves, and causes rubs. Make sure you get a properly fitted rug, that is rule #1.
ReplyDeleteStart blanketing the minute the temperature goes below 10c, or 50f. A light rain sheet like the Amigo lightweight rainsheet is perfect for this. Once the temperature goes down to 40, then switch to the medium. Make sure if your horse is in a warm barn at night, you change to the appropriate indoor stable rug.
I personally love necks. They keep their mane nice, the horse warmer, and prevent shoulder rubs.
Bucas are the best investment you can make. I had a blanket destroyer when I was 15, and I STILL have all of his Bucas rugs (I'm 29 now). They are still functional. I splurged and bought a new heavyweight one last year ($350) and it still looks brand new.
Lightweight rain sheet - Amigo
http://www.picovs.ca/product.sc;jsessionid=0EDAB69049B20200CB424112BC26036E.m1plqscsfapp01?productId=3901&categoryId=94
Medium weight - Amigo or Bucas
http://www.horze.eu/Bucas%C2%A0Irish-Turnout-Light-Classic-Cut/24163,default,pd.html
http://www.doversaddlery.com/amigo-1200d-medium-weight-turnout-blanket/p/X1-24224/
Bucas heavy weight
http://www.equestriancollections.com/product.asp?groupcode=TO80728
Thank you so much for these suggestions! He'll be living outside with a shed, so no need for stable blankets for now. I've never heard of Bucas, but if they're Irish they have to be great!
DeleteI typically dont buy anything less than 1000denier. Anything cheaper quality than that tears up relatively easily in my opinion. My two favorites are Horsewear of Ireland (so Rambo or Rhino - I dont really like Amigo) and Tough-1. Tough-1 actually makes some fantastically durable blankets for cheap if you aren't in the market for the expensive stuff like Rambo/Rhino. I actually have a navy blue tough-1 heavy weight that is a 78. (1000 denier with 300g fill) if you'd like to purchase it from me! I'll sell it for CHEAP! email me or comment over at my blog if interested :)
ReplyDeletewww.theprocessoflearning.com
Ashley, I'm definitely interested! I'll send you a message in case you miss this.
DeleteAgree with the high denier count.
ReplyDeleteAlso in NC - not so cold here, so I blanket more for wet + wind, and layer if necessary. Best purchase was a med/heavy Bit of Britain with a high neck. Quality product, very waterproof and comfy on wide shoulders. I also bought a Kensington that is very well made.
Sometimes Tack of the Day has really good deals on blankets - items change daily so you have to check often.
I get email alerts from Tack of The Day so I'll be on the hunt!
DeleteYup - don't scrimp on blankets. My recommendation is to buy the nicest waterproof sheet you can afford with a hood. You can always use this as a top layer if the underneath layers aren't waterproof.
ReplyDeleteI do have an old blanket of Fuzzy's laying around - it's a weatherbeeta, medium-weight, and its a 78. It's in pretty decent shape. It would be really, really cheap. And I could even bring it to you at the end of the month! Shoot me an email if you're interested.
I've used weatherbeeta and they last and get the job done. The last few years I've been in love with a pessoa rain sheet, I swear it would keep a horse dry while swimming in the ocean, aahhhmmmaaazzzingg! I am also I die hard bucus fan, if I wasn't on a budget that is what I would buy. Kind of like helmets for us every brand fits different and that is usually how I make my final decision, what fits. Sorry this is all over the place, i usually swap between a sheet and a medium weight with occasional layering if it is really cold (below 20-15 F), that is with thin hair or a trace, if the horse is full body clipped then a heavy with a high neck it is.
ReplyDeleteOooh, I look into the Pessoa rain sheet. Perhaps I can scour ebay for a Bucas.
DeleteMy first year I had Lucy, I got away with a waterproof sheet, a liner, and a MW. For really cold days, I put the liner under the MW. HW blankets are pretty expensive so I did not end up buying one until her second winter.
ReplyDeleteMy personal favourite brand is Weatherbeeta because they fit Lucy very well. The Dover brand blankets also fit well and they have such a great return policy - if the blanket ever falls apart they will replace it! I took advantage of that more than once but I found that their blankets really do fall apart much faster than other brands. Eventually I started feeling bad returning them all the time and I bought Weatherbeeta. Do you have any tack sales coming up around you? I have found some kickass deals on used blankets at tack sales. I bought a Rambo MW blanket for $8 once!! They aren't always pretty, but let's face it: the horse is just going to go out in the rain and snow and roll in mud and poop on the first day he's wearing it, so pretty is not really my top priority when blanket shopping ;)
I'll have to look into tack sales around here. Occasionally Rick's has a tent sale (which is awesome and if I didn't have post-wedding brain I would have picked up blankets then!) and there's a Dover near me so I'll check to see if they're doing anything. Yea, I don't care about pretty, just function and fit! He's kind of like Pigpen out in the field so there's no sense in worrying about dirt! Thanks for the recommendations.
DeleteBobby went out all night during winter last year and he only wore his HW when it was sub-20s, even with a trace clip. I have a Rider's International (Dover brand) MW and HW, and a Weatherbeeta turnout sheet. I haven't re-waterproofed them since I got them four years ago and Bobby's never come in with a damp back. Plus they're cheap and I love cheap things.
ReplyDeleteI don't like Bucas, do love horseware, and am perfectly happy with amigo. I'm approaching it from a barn worker perspective--Bucas are a massive PITA to take on and off all the time and the one we had in the barn was white. WTF? Who makes white horse blankets? I love rhinos and amigos, but those triple surcingles on full rambos haven't converted me. A pain to do up, a pain to take off, and the banlets don't move any more or less than the ones without them.
ReplyDeleteI have a weatherbeeta sheet that is holding up well and not rubbing, but it's one of the higher end weatherbeetas. The low end ones don't seem generous enough through the shoulders and they rub a lot.
So my current stable of blankets includes a medium amigo with a neck and a liner for the coldest days, a medium smartpak deluxe (for the old man who won't be clipped), and a weatherbeeta sheet. I want to add another sheet and maybe a heavy since liners are so much hassle, but we'll see what the wind brings.
I love Horseware rugs, I have a mixture of Rambo & Rhinos stable rugs and recently purchased two Amigo Turnout Lites (love the colour options on them) - so I'll see how well they stand up.
ReplyDeleteI have a Shires turnout rug (will have to check when I get home tonight which one) which has withstood a good 4 or 5 winters at this stage. I used to sue it on it's own in Ireland when Kika was turned out during the day and in a shed situation at night (aka she used to be able to move around all the time). Since moving out here, where winters are colder. I now use it as an "over" sheet to go on over her stable rug whens he goes out. To me it's like putting a coat on as I don't like the idea of her going outside for the afternoon in her pjs LOL!
I really must measure Miss Nancy and see if I can share Kika's rugs with her or find some bargains to snap up before winter is here!