Below 40°F, a lightweight to medium-weight blanket with 150-250g of fill will keep your horse warm. Temperatures between 20° and 30°F will need a medium-weight to heavyweight blanket and below 20°F will require a heavyweight blanket or extra heavy blanket with 300-400g of polyfill.
However, blanketing a horse is necessary to reduce the effects of cold or inclement weather when: There is no shelter available during turnout periods and the temperatures drop below 5°F, or the wind chill is below 5°F.
Since Horseware blankets run large, it is best to go to the closest size down from your measurement. -Keep in mind that the neck on the Rambo Wug is a higher fit, therefore the neck and chest area will be a snugger fit.
Blanket Size Charts
| Cat # | Size | Back Length |
|---|
| 2045 1A | 1-3 months | 16-18" |
| 2045 NL | 4-6 months | 18-21" |
| 2045 1L | Weanling | 22-26" |
| 2045 4L | Yearling | 26-30" |
Measure from (A) at the center point of the chest, over the high point of the shoulder, and to (B) at the rear of the hind leg. Rambo®, Rhino® and Amigo® blankets are sized in three inch increments. Amigo® Stock Horse is sized in two inch increments.
The major difference between a stable blanket (or rug or sheet) and a turnout is that stable blankets are not waterproof. So unless you live in a desert, your horse will need a turnout when he is outside. Or some larger barns have turnout sheets or blankets that they rotate among horses for their brief turnout.
Denier: Denier, which is the measure of nylon fiber density, is the most common way to rate the strength of a blanket. A higher denier indicates that a blanket is stronger than a blanket of a lower denier.
It's usually necessary to blanket a body-clipped horse. You can layer blankets, the way you might wear a light sweater under your coat. And for any horse out in wet weather, keeping him dry is key to keeping him warm. Though horses adapt to changes in climate, they don't adapt well to rapid changes.
A horse's height is measured in 'hands' which is a measuring unit of 4 inches. The horse is measured from the ground to the highest point of the withers. There are two popular ways to measure a horse. One is by use of a measuring stick.
Turnout Blankets. Horse turnout blankets keep your horse toasty warm as well as dry during turnout. Turnout blankets are normally waterproof as well as breathable. They can cover just the back or come with an attached neckpiece for head to toe coverage.
Sizing Western Saddle Pads
The average western saddle pad will measures 32 inches by 32 inches or 30″ x 30, square, when unfolded. That means most western pads have a 15-16 inch drop (distance from the center fold to the bottom edge) and a 30-32 inch spine.It is usually expressed as the length from the front edge of the quarter sheet to the rear edge of the sheet in feet and inches, inches, or centimeters. So, a 4' 6" sheet might also be called a 54 (") sheet or a 137 (cm) sheet or might be called size Medium or Large depending on the manufacturer.
To measure your horse for a rug, use a soft tape measure and measure horizontally from the centre of the chest to the end of the rump. Alternatively, if you already have a good fitting rug, you could lay the rug out flat and measure from the centre of the chest to the end of the rug.
WeatherBeeta rugs are sized in feet and inches and the sizes increase 3 inches at a time. It is best to measure your horse to find the perfect size, just guessing can lead to it being a waste of time and money if you get it wrong.
Temperature Guide to rugging a horse
| Temperature | Stabled/Clipped | Stabled/Unclipped |
|---|
| -10 to zero degrees | Heavy weight (300-400g) with neck cover | Medium weight (200-300g) with liner |
| -10 degrees or colder | Heavyweight (300-500g) with neck cover plus liner | Medium or heavy weight (300-400g) with neck cover |
Measure in a straight line from the center of the horse's chest (where the top chest buckle would sit), around the shoulder, along the side of the belly to the furthest rear point of the rump, or where you expect the rug to finish. Make sure not to measure around to the tail as this will add a few extra inches.
Start by standing your pony up square. Use a flexible measuring tape and start at the center of the pony's chest and measure around the widest part of the pony's shoulder along the barrel and around the widest part of the hindquarter to the center of the tail. Keep the tape horizontal to the ground.
Horses and ponies
For many forms of competition, the official definition of a pony is a horse that measures less than 14.2 hands (58 inches, 147 cm) at the withers. However, the term "pony" can be used in general (or affectionately) for any small horse, regardless of its actual size or breed.This means that a horse is 15 hands, 4 inches tall. Since a hand is equal to four inches, this horse is actually 16 hands tall.
Fitting Your Horse's Blanket:
To find out what size Amigo® blanket your pony needs, measure the distance from the center of the chest to the center of the tail. Horseware Amigo® blankets are sized in three-inch increments, so you will need to choose the closest size available.They eat grass and hay at meal time, and if they do a lot of work, they might eat concentrates, which are a mixture of grains, such as corn and oats. They eat fruits and vegetables at snack time but also like sugar and salt. Horses drink lots of water along with their food.
Essentially the higher the Denier number, the thicker the weave, the stronger the material. Commonly rugs will be 600D, 1200D and 1680D - the higher the number, the thicker and stronger the weave. The actual difference in the overall weight of a 6'0 neck combo between 600D and 1200D in a 6'0 combo is about 0.3kg.
If your horse does develop rubs again, try to stop them before they get out of control. Apply a heavy coat of diaper-rash ointment to the rubs. It will get all over the blanket and require extra cleaning later, but it will help save his skin while you work on solving the problem.
Since horses are naturally equipped to grow a thick hair coat and produce plenty of body heat in winter with appropriate feeding, blankets are not always essential. A wet blanket on a cold horse does no good.
How to Measure Your Horse for a Blanket
| Horse Height | Blanket Size (U.S.) | Blanket Size (European) |
|---|
| 14.2 - 15.2 h | 69" - 72" | 6'0"/183 cm - 6'3"/190 cm |
| 16.0 - 16.2 h | 75" - 78" | 6'3"/190 cm - 6'6"/198 cm |
| 16.2 h | 78" - 81" | 6'6"/198 cm - 6'9"/206 cm |
| 17.0 h | 81" - 84" | 6'9"/206 cm - 7'0"/213 cm |
In warm weather, horses can quickly become overheated and sweat in a rain sheet. The horse can then become chilled, and the humid environment beneath the blanket might cause skin irritations. Use non-breathable fabric rain sheets only for very short periods of time, such as between classes at a horse show.
