About Horse Blanketing and Horse Clothing

Many types of specialized horse clothing are available to keep horses comfortable indoors, outdoors and before and after workouts or baths. This article will help you decide whether to blanket your horse in winter, which types of coverings are most appropriate for your horse and how some of the specialty articles of clothing are most appropriately used.

If your horse has excellent protection from winter’s biting wind, sleet and snow, and you rarely ride in winter, then he or she may not need to be blanketed. Barring illness or other compromising factors, your horse will acclimate to cold weather as the season approaches through the development of a thick, fluffy coat and extra grease in the skin as protection against the elements. All you may need is a medium weight turnout blanket to put on your horse in the coldest, wettest weather.

However, any horse that is turned out in cold winter weather without shelter or meets any of the following factors will benefit from wearing a blanket:

• Ridden in an indoor arena
• Fully or partially body clipped
• Geriatric or compromised by certain health issues
• Unable to grow a thick hair coat
• Transplanted from a warm geographic area to a cool one

If you choose to blanket your horse for extra warmth and protection, you’ll have to monitor fluctuating winter temperatures and change blankets as needed to prevent sweating when temperatures rise or shivering when temperatures drop. Overheating and perspiring must be prevented under a blanket, as it can cause a chill or lead to illness. For this reason, most people who choose to blanket horses have several articles of horse clothing that offer varying levels of warmth on hand to use in various conditions. Once you begin to put a blanket on your horse, you’ll need to keep him or her in some type of covering until warm weather arrives.

Some horse owners find layering to be the most practical, cost-saving, space-saving approach to blanketing. Ready-made layering packages, blanket bundles and blanket liner systems are available. Or, you can create your own layering options with pieces of horse clothing that can perform multiple functions, such as a fleece dress sheet that can act as both a blanket liner and a cooler, or a stable blanket that can be topped with a waterproof turnout.

Horse clothing falls into two main categories: those used for turnout and those used in the stable, during transport or under supervision. Read on to learn more about types of blankets.

Turnouts

Any article of horse clothing designed for turnout will be waterproof and made of a durable, rugged fabric to stand up to horseplay. It will be styled to allow freedom of motion and may have special features, such as gussets and shoulder darts, to enhance fit without restricting the horse’s movements. Shoulder darts and gussets on blankets provide more room in the shoulder area and can be helpful for outfitting broad-shouldered horses.

The interior fabric may be smooth to glide over a horse’s coat, mesh to help with breathability or an alternative fabric such as fleece. Waterproofing is an important aspect of turnouts for those times when your horse is exposed to wet conditions—it is unhealthy for a horse to wear a wet blanket. (Over years of use and laundering, you should check your turnouts to be sure they maintain water repellency. Waterproofing can be replaced by professional horse blanket cleaning services or with products available for home use.)

Turnout Sheets

Turnout sheets are the lightest weight turnout available. You could compare this type of covering to a lightweight raincoat or waterproof windbreaker that you might choose to wear yourself. Turnout sheets are designed for horses to wear for protection from wet weather or mud during cool temperatures. They are usually too warm for horses to wear during hot, summertime temperatures, but they are not insulated with fill so they don’t create warmth in cold temperatures.

Weigh the benefits of using a turnout sheet for your particular horse. Turnout sheets, as can any sheet without the benefit of fill, make a horse’s hair lie down flat, thus preventing the horse’s natural ability to keep itself warm by circulating body heat through fluffed-up hair. Turnout sheets should not be confused with rain sheets, which are intended for use while a horse is being supervised.

Turnout Blankets

Turnout blankets come in a range of weights, with the weight referring to the amount of poly fill or fiberfill between the outer and inner layers. The fill adds warmth and insulates the horse’s body heat. It is measured in gram weights; the higher the number of grams, the warmer and heavier the blanket. You could compare this type of clothing to winter jackets and down-filled parkas that offer varying levels of insulation.

Horses differ in their needs, making it difficult to prescribe a blanket until you get to know your horse. Some horses, like people, naturally run warm. Other horses do not develop thick hair coats and may suffer from the cold. You’ll have to observe your horse to determine the appropriate level of warmth he or she requires throughout your varying winter weather conditions.

If you’re new to blanketing or plan on purchasing one turnout blanket only, choose a medium or mid-weight blanket. Heavyweight blankets can become too warm in certain conditions, such as on a sunny winter day, and lightweight blankets might not provide enough warmth, especially for a horse that has been clipped.

• Lightweight turnouts have 50 or 100 grams of fill in the center. Many people rely on lightweight turnouts with 50 or 100 grams of fill for the months when the weather is just starting to cool in autumn or warm up in spring.
• Mid-weight turnouts have 180 to 250 grams of fill. Many horses do well with a medium or mid-weight blanket.
• Heavyweight turnouts typically have 300 to 440 grams of fill. They may be critical for use on a fully clipped horse and for extreme cold weather conditions.

Turnout Blanket

Types of Stable Wear

A variety of functional horse clothing is designed for use in and around the stable and under supervision, rather than for the rigors of turnout.

Stable Blankets

Stable blankets are usually quilted and come in a wide range of weights from 100 to 400 grams of fill. They’re usually not waterproof, but many are water-repellent or moisture-resistant to guard against saturation from urine or wet bedding. The use of a stable blanket allows you to replace a horse’s heavier turnout with a loftier item that will keep him warm while he’s stabled and has restricted movement. A lightweight turnout could also be layered over a stable blanket for turnout. The cut of a stable blanket is more fitted than the cut of a turnout blanket.

Stable Blanket

Stable Sheets

Stable sheets are fitted garments intended only to help keep a horse clean and dust-free. They can be made from an array of lightweight fabrics, from cotton to nylon to polypropylene, which is somewhat moisture-resistant. They offer no warmth and can cause the horse’s hair to lie flat, reducing its natural ability to circulate body heat through the hair.

Dress Sheets

Dress sheets are traditional, attractive horse clothing staples. They are typically made of wool or fleece and come in a variety of colors or plaids. They’re the perfect item for keeping a horse comfortable during cool-weather trucking. Dress sheets usually have minimal fastenings, such as a single chest buckle, a single belly surcingle and a tail cord. Many people have dress sheets monogrammed.

Dress Sheet

Coolers

Coolers help wick moisture away from the horse and provide more protection from drafts than anti-sweat sheets. They’re made of either traditional wool or synthetic fleece. Coolers are placed on sweaty or freshly bathed horses to keep chill away as the horse dries.

They are available in a variety of styles and colors. The original American Cooler style is a large rectangular piece of wool with contrast bindings and coordinating brow and tail straps. The cooler drapes over the horse entirely from jawline to tail. The loose fit makes it easy to use and quite warm, but this type is not meant to be left on a horse unattended.

Many horse owners prefer fitted coolers that cut like a stable sheet. A fitted cooler can typically be left on a horse unattended as it has fastenings to keep it secure if the horse rolls. You’ll know when to remove the cooler when you see a dew-like coating form along the top surface. Sometimes, a very wet or sweaty horse may require two changes of coolers during the drying process.

American Cooler

Irish Knit and Anti-Sweat Sheets

Irish Knits or Anti-Sweat Sheets are made of cotton or cotton-blend mesh. They are placed on a sweaty or freshly bathed horse to keep chill away while the horse’s coat dries. The holes in the mesh allow hot air from the horse’s body to escape, while the mesh itself protects the horse from drafts.

Anti-sweat sheets should be monitored during use as the fibers can become saturated if a horse is extremely wet. Once this happens, the sheet should be replaced with another anti-sweat sheet or a cooler if the horse isn’t dry. In very cold temperatures, you may want to layer a cooler on top of an anti-sweat sheet. This type of sheet usually has minimal fastenings, such as a single chest buckle, a single belly surcingle and a tail cord.

Anti-Sweat Sheet

Rain Sheets

Rain sheets are designed to keep both your horse and tack dry if you need to walk him or her from one location to another during inclement weather. They can be handy at competitions while waiting ringside and helpful at home if a covered riding arena is located a distance from a barn. Rain sheets are not intended for turnout as they have minimal fastenings that simply close out wind and wet weather, but do not keep the layer in place.

Rain Sheet

Accessories: Neck Covers, Under Layers, Liners, and Storage Bags

Additional articles of horse clothing are intended to supplement blanketing when needed.

Neck Covers

Neck covers are available in turnout and stable styles. A neck cover connects to the neck opening of some blankets (as well as some sheets and fly sheets) either permanently or with detachable systems featuring metal loops and tabs or hook-and-loop closures. Often, a neck cover is an add-on feature for a blanket and is not generally required for every horse. Neck covers are often used on horses in frigid climates that are fully body clipped, or for horses that are compromised in some way.

Under Layers

Under layers are designed to prevent blanket rubs and resulting hair loss. Because they are body-fitting and stretchable, under layers can be worn beneath turnout or stable blankets. Models are available in Lycra, nylon/spandex, or fleece in a variety of patterns and colors. Some cover just a horse's shoulders, others the entire neck, and some the entire body. They are not a source of warmth.

Blanket Liners

Blanket liners can be an affordable way to turn a blanket into a heavier weight. Fashioned similarly to a stable blanket, they can be made of fleece or a combination of fabrics with poly fill and a quilted, nylon outer layer that glides easily under the outer blanket. Liners usually have short hems, falling barely below a horse’s barrel, so that they do not interfere with proper fastening of the outer blanket.

Budget-Friendly Tip: Layering

Key layering pieces that can perform double duty and stretch your horse clothing dollar include:

• A waterproof turnout sheet for use alone or in combination with another piece for warmth.
• A medium weight stable blanket that can be worn in the stall or under the turnout sheet.
• A fleece dress sheet that can act as both a cooler or a liner.

For more assistance or to request a catalog call 1-800-989-1500. Or, stop by any of our retail stores to speak with a Dover Saddlery product adviser. Visit www.DoverSaddlery.com for a complete store listing and the full product offering.