Blankets that don't rub

[Eyemadonkee]

Every year, my horse has to wear a shoulder guard or else he gets blanket rubs. I'd really to find a blanket that doesn't rub him... any suggestions for blankets that don't rub horses that are prone to blanket rubs? He gets rubbed on his chest and on his mane - he's built pretty thick and has a high neck set. Last year, (even with the shoulder guard) his mane got rubbed really bad and his mane grew back in white... and all of his blankets have fleece at the withers. The blankets I have for him now are Weatherbeeta (both the older kind and the "freestyle" design) and Baker turnouts.

I've been hesitant to try the Rambos because they don't have gussets or fleece at the withers... and they are awfully expensive to try and find out they rub him just as bad.

Any experiences with rub prone horses would be greatly appreciated!!

[3Spots]

I don't know if you've already researched blanket size, but I found I was buying them too big. I only use them occasionally, so rubs were not a problem, but too big a blanket will cause rubs because it hangs on their shoulders.

My mare measures 77" from center of chest to center of tail, but she wears a 72" Orican Freestyle. She has big shoulders and chest and this size and style seems to work.

jan

[BoyleHeightsKid]

I find that the Rambo/Amigo turnouts don't rub my TB gelding.

[Eyemadonkee]

I think the biggest problem is that he has a huge chest and shoulders... The blankets don't drape off him at all so I don't think they are too big. He needs to be blanketed constantly through the winter.

[jetsmom]

Hug Blankets.

www.blanketnet.com







.

[Kelly in NJ]

I've never had a horse get rubs from any Rambo blanket. One horse needs the Rambo Excel, but he is 18h and was a stallion until he was 9. He doesn't get any rubs at all. They are worth the price. No shifting, no rubbing, always waterproof.

[Simkie]

I would recommend either the Rambo XL line or the chest extender piece for a broad-shouldered horse. I love my regular rambos for my TB, and she does not get any rubs (and she's quite sensitive and thin skinned.)

[Daydream Believer]

I love Schneiders adjusta fit blankets. I have not had even one rub with those. Rambos have rubbed some horses I've had.

[arbeegirl]

I have the same issue with blankets rubbing....BIG guy with BIG shoulders and a decent wither. And I too used a shoulder guard that did the same thing to his mane (white hair and all) after only a month...maybe. But I only used that with my Rambos. I did buy a Rambo chest extander so I will try that this year. I have been using the Weatherbeeta freestyle design with the best results. They do not rub him at all. Rambos are my back up since he grew and they became a little tight through the shoulders. Any blanket sized 82 and up (he wears an 81) is too long and still the shoulder may not fit.

I have tried the Schneiders adjusta fit blankets on my little Tb with high withers. It fit well and no rubbing but I found it not to be that waterproof. Thankfully now that he is 26 years young, he does not require a blanket all winter. Another thing I did when he did wear one all winter, was use a nylon sheet under. That stopped rubbing too.

Good Luck...I feel your pain:winkgrin:

[whbar158]

I have to agree that most blanket rubs I see are from waaaaay too big blankets, I have said before but big shouldered horses can wear rambos! I have a QH and hes about as wide as anything out there and a 78" rambo fits perfectly. The hair does thin out on his shoulders a little by the end of the winter after being body clipped a few times, but I think it is from his wool liner and not the blanket. The blanket is just long enough that the tail thing starts right at the top of his tail, maybe although you don't *feel* that the blanket is too big, maybe it still is? Many people like to see it hanging off the back just a little, but those are the people that have trouble with the blankets sliding all over the place and bad rubs. My horse has very sensitive skin and will get rubs on his sides from your leg.

[ljc]

Unfortunately, with blankets I think it's trial and error. I have a 17.3 hand TB who gets rubs from the Rider turnout sheets but not the Rider's heavy-weight blankets. He gets rubs from weatherbeeta but not from Baker. My 16.2 hand TB can wear anything but Baker. My 16 hand TB/Percheron can't wear Schneider's but can wear Baker and Weatherbeeta. It would sure be nice if they all wore the same size so I could swap blankets!

I did find that when I layered blankets (put a sheet under a heavy blanket, for example) all my horses tended to get rubs so despite the fact that it makes my life more difficult, I no longer layer and have an enormous wardrobe of single blankets to cover every weather possibility.

Like I said, trial and error. Good luck.

[Boomer]

I have to agree that most blanket rubs I see are from waaaaay too big blankets..
...The blanket is just long enough that the tail thing starts right at the top of his tail, maybe although you don't *feel* that the blanket is too big, maybe it still is? Many people like to see it hanging off the back just a little, but those are the people that have trouble with the blankets sliding all over the place and bad rubs. .

My guy rubs on the front of his shoulders, he's 17.1h and has 4 year old Dover Northwinds (they are in great shap but won't stay waterproof) in 78" size... so I don't think it's too big by any means. His cheeks hang out in them, but I did get them when he was 3.5 years old and now he's 7. If I put the 78" where it fits correctly in front, his butt-cheeks hang out. If I pull it back to cover the rear better, the chest straps interfere with putting his head down comfortably to graze.

I am trying Schneiders in an 80" - hopefully they'll work better.

He is a hard fit conformationally: big shoulders, deep chest, but low neck. Everthing so far has rubbed unless I use a shoulder gaurd: tried Nothwinds, Weatherbeeta, and there was one other, but don't recall it now.

The OP said her horse was high-necked, Schneiders does have blankets for horses with a high head carriage.

[horsefree]

I have had good luck with Turtleneck Blankets on my horse with large shoulders, who previously got rubs even with his little "bra" on. It's one of those products where I wonder how the heck no one invented this before. Totally worth the price, I think. They also have a cutback model for your horse with the high-set neck.

http://www.turtleneckinfo.com/product_listings.cfm

[Eclectic Horseman]

I know it sounds counterintuitive, but for horses with a high set on neck, I have found the high necked blankets actually work better.

On many blankets the cut of the neck and shoulder is too deep, so the blanket slides back and puts pressure on the withers. The high neck blankets cannot slide back far enough for the top edge to ever get close to the withers. Fleece really doesn't help, and cutback makes the problem worse. Cutbacks are good for horses that are butt high where the blanket slides forward.

It really is all about the cut. Different breeds are built differently and blankets need to be cut right for that particular breed or conformation style. Blankets that work on QHs do not work on your average WB. European blankets usually work better on european horses, etc. So look at the horses used as models in the catalog photographs as well as the type of breed specialty take that they carry. Schneiders, for example, has blankets that are usually good fits for Arabs and Morgans...

[pines4equines]

I did buy the HUGS blankets one year and they did not rub the horse at all HOWEVER I bought the blankets in September or October, literally one month later I had to sew all the straps, buckles, etc. back on. The thing literally fell apart on me. I did not get much customer support from the manufacturer except to send me buckles that were lost in the field to sew back on myself. You'd think they would have taken the blankets back, resewed and returned? No refunds, just a box of buckles to sew on??

Just in case you think it's the horse, I bought three blankets for three different horses and the same problem happened on all three blankets.

Now, this was about 4 years ago. My sewing has held up over four years, their's held up 1 month...I was pretty angry about the customer service and surprised at how they responded to me...But what can you do? I bought directly from them rather than deal with a store/Dover where I may have gotten better customer service in regards to the problem.

But these blankets don't rub. Maybe their manufacturing has worked out the stitches falling out problem, if not and you don't mind sewing everything back on...there are no rubs with the HUGS.

[Xanthoria]

High necked blankets and a Bossy's Bib and all your problems are solved!

[ImJumpin]

Weatherbettas rub the snot out of my horse. Rambos didn't help.

I have good luck with Schnieders with my hard to fit guy. I also have two state line tack blankets (the ones that were made by Kensington) that work well too, but SLT doesn't carry those any more. Not sure if Kengsington themselves make and sell blankets.

I just bought one of the new Big D turnouts in sheet form. I am very impressed by the sheet's features and it seems to fit further up on his neck and there is no pressure on his withers. Granted, he has worn it for two days now, but so far, so good, and it looks like it fits very well. They make turnout blankets now as well-- SmartPak is carrying them.