How to Buy a Horse Blanket

Measure your horse to determine his blanket size. Using a soft measuring tape, measure from the center of your horse's chest to the middle of his tail. Blanket sizes generally correspond to a horse's side measurements and are usually sized by inches, starting at 54 inches and going up to 84 inches, in increments of two. A well-fitted sheet should not rub a horse's withers or shoulders as he moves or grazes, instead it should rests comfortably along his chest, shoulders and back.

Determine what type of blanket your horse needs, a turnout rug or blanket, stable blanket or sheet, show sheet, or a fly sheet. Each blanket serves a different purpose. Turnout blankets come in a variety of weights and are waterproof to protect your horse from the wind and rain while turned out. Stable blankets are made of a softer, non-water proof material and intended for use indoors or as an extra layer under a turnout rug for warmth. Show sheets are for just that, show. They keep dust off your horse's clean coat at shows, but are not very practical for everyday use. Fly sheets are made of a lightweight, breathable material and serve as a barrier between your horse's skin and insects. Some also offer a degree of UV protection.

Set a blanket-buying budget and stick to it; but remember when you buy a blanket at a cheap price, you tend to get exactly what you paid for, a cheap blanket. Blankets can be expensive and it can be easy to pounce on a bargain. You can spend more money repairing broken leg straps and surcingles on a cheaply made blanket then you originally paid for the sheet. It can be worth spending a few extra dollars to buy a quality blanket that will last your horse several years versus a cheaper blanket that will not survive one season.

Quality of the fabric is often referred to by 'denier' this is the weight of the thread used. However quality of thread comes into play as well. a good place to start is for turn out blankets to stick with 1000 denier or higher. Stable blankets can be of a lower denier because they will not get the wear and tear of a turn out blanket. Do note though that often very good quality blanket companies do not use the term denier. This is because the #'s qouted by some cheaper blanket companies are not correctly done (ie they weight 2 threads instead of one).

Consider the extras-a European cut shoulder verse a traditional cut, a tail piece, a bell band, monogramming, and special color choices. Some extras are just for show, whether your blanket is or isn't monogrammed will not affect its quality or your horse's health and safety. Other extras, such as cut, will affect how a blanket fits and thus affect your horse's health and well-being. Which cut to choose depends on your horse's build and how the blanket will lay across him. You can also opt for extras, like a bell band or a tail piece, that help you cover more of your horse or make the sheet more secure. These are good extras to choose if your horse is very active or you live in an area with severe weather.

Talk with other horse owners and enthusiasts about their horses' blankets. Ask them what they like and dislike about their horse's blanket. You can also go online and read product reviews submitted by other horse enthusiasts.

Watch for sales. You don't want to buy a cheap blanket, but that doesn't mean you can't find a good deal. Most blankets will go on sale at the end of the season. So if you know your horse is going to need a new fly sheet next summer, don't wait until spring to buy it. Instead purchase the fly sheet in fall and get a great bargain during an end of the season sale. Look for tent sales and annual sales at your local tack store and big saddleries may offer substantial discounts at trade shows or when you're purchasing several products at once.

Understand the return policies of the company or saddlery you buy your blanket from. Unless you are 100 percent sure the blanket is going to fit, make sure you can return it. Nothing is worse than getting a new stable sheet home only to find out that it doesn't fit and then not being able to return or exchange it.