Blanket fitting woes

[Pony_Fixer]

I realize this is not a dressage question per se, but I ride dressage and rarely frequent all the other forums.

My “baby horse” (6 yo) is really uphill. This year he put on a lot of muscle, but he’s still narrow in the shoulders. As such, blankets SUCK for fitting him. They slide back (because, uphill) and then wind up yoking him around the lower neck and hanging off his butt. High wither versions don’t work either because despite the higher wither, he is narrow up front so we just end up with so much “dead space” fabric in front (like an A-cup woman wearing a D-cup bra!!) and the result is the same. The blankets “fit” by measurement length-wise (ie, going smaller would not work, and I have a hard time believing going bigger would!)

We’re back at blanket season and I am so tired of readjusting only to have it be all cattywompus 10 minutes later.

Blankets I have tried: Buccas Power Turnout, Rambo Wug (the one with the 2 snaps to one ring at the chest and extended neck/wither area), Weatherbeeta standard chest closure. They all fit the same, there is no clear winner. I cannot continue to buy blankets that ultimately do not fit. Would a sleazy over the shoulders help–at least it wouldn’t pinch that skin there?

That F’n Power Turnout is the bomb. Good from -14 degrees to 50 degrees. No blanket changes basically all winter–it would be great if I could find a fix for it so that it actually FIT right.

Anyone have ideas? I hope it’s a temporary problem as I certainly believe he will muscle up more with age and work. So far we are starting our second cold season together and it stinks!

[4LeafCloverFarm]

Are you handy with a sewing machine? Sounds like you need some darts put in to take up the excess fabric. Once he’s all filled out, they could be removed - so I’m not talking about cutting the blanket. If you know a seamstress, I might give that a go. Shame to let all those nice blankets go to waste. Or perhaps a blanket “repair” place - it you can clip the blanket or pin it with quilt pins to show where its baggy, they might be able to take it from there.

[Hawks_Nest]

The premier equine blankets are super. The lucanta line even has special padding to protect the withers (that works! my boy is loving his). They are fairly snug around the neck with large shoulder gussets so they stay positioned well without restricting movement. They run long but even though the 78" has plenty of coverage in the back (several inches of extra) the blanket stays put and the shoulder fits great.

[DinkyDonk]

@4LeafCloverFarm

Are you handy with a sewing machine? Sounds like you need some darts put in to take up the excess fabric. Once he’s all filled out, they could be removed - so I’m not talking about cutting the blanket. If you know a seamstress, I might give that a go. Shame to let all those nice blankets go to waste. Or perhaps a blanket “repair” place - it you can clip the blanket or pin it with quilt pins to show where its baggy, they might be able to take it from there.

Try a shoe repair place; their sewing machines can go through anything! I’ve had my local Redwing shoe store sew a lot of strange horsie items for me, and they’re really reasonably price-wise because they have no idea what to charge. I’ve also used an independant upholstery guy that worked out of his house–his machine could sew through anything as well.

[DinkyDonk]

@Pony Fixer

I realize this is not a dressage question per se, but I ride dressage and rarely frequent all the other forums.

My “baby horse” (6 yo) is really uphill. This year he put on a lot of muscle, but he’s still narrow in the shoulders. As such, blankets SUCK for fitting him. They slide back (because, uphill) and then wind up yoking him around the lower neck and hanging off his butt. High wither versions don’t work either because despite the higher wither, he is narrow up front so we just end up with so much “dead space” fabric in front (like an A-cup woman wearing a D-cup bra!!) and the result is the same. The blankets “fit” by measurement length-wise (ie, going smaller would not work, and I have a hard time believing going bigger would!)

We’re back at blanket season and I am so tired of readjusting only to have it be all cattywompus 10 minutes later.

Blankets I have tried: Buccas Power Turnout, Rambo Wug (the one with the 2 snaps to one ring at the chest and extended neck/wither area), Weatherbeeta standard chest closure. They all fit the same, there is no clear winner. I cannot continue to buy blankets that ultimately do not fit. Would a sleazy over the shoulders help–at least it wouldn’t pinch that skin there?

That F’n Power Turnout is the bomb. Good from -14 degrees to 50 degrees. No blanket changes basically all winter–it would be great if I could find a fix for it so that it actually FIT right.

Anyone have ideas? I hope it’s a temporary problem as I certainly believe he will muscle up more with age and work. So far we are starting our second cold season together and it stinks!

It’s been my experience that Big Dee’s Horse Tack and Vet Supply’s (Streetsboro, OH) private label blankets (Country Pride) run narrower through the chest/shoulder (too narrow for my Appendix). You may want to look at their styles on their website. They cater to the racing industry, especially the standarbred crowd, and most people have positive things to say about the blankets they’ve purchased.

[I_dratherbe]

Have you tried the original Rambo? They fit my TB who was very narrow everywhere (he was called a fence rail by some who rode him) - the WUG did not work on him. If you need the neck coverage you can add a neck cover to them.

[sascha]

Darts and if necessary, super silky fun fur sewn in around the whole neck opening. Fits like a work horse collar with a kind of a skirt for the chest and shoulders. Blankets don’t slide back and the darts allow for free shoulder movement without those stupid triangular gussets that invariably lose their stitching halfway through the winter.

Editing to clarify - I make pleats, not darts. The end effect is the same in terms of tightening the neck hole appropriately, but I find with a pleat each side there is no necessity to sew the extra fabric down like you would for a dart.

[2tempe]

Have you tried a HUG sheet or blanket? They are hard to describe but the front is overlapping panels that are adjustable and the neck is adjustable. Should work even as he finishes filling out. Link is to the fly sheet because it is the easiest to see. Store offers satisfaction guarantee. Check them out!
https://www.equestriancollections.com/horse-blankets-sheets-coolers/horse-sheets/fly-sheets-hoods/hugs-abrazo-hug-flysheet

[mvp]

Hug blankets are a good idea but you also might do well with any high neck design. If you don’t want to spend lots of money (but will be willing to re-waterproof later), the Tough-1 version has fit my narrow-up-front ArabianX mare. I think Horze make an unlined sheet version that’s worth trying, too.

The idea is that the high neck pulls more evenly around the front of the horse’s chest, rather than the points/sides of the shoulder.

[MOB]

I just bought my four-year old a Lami-Cell blanket. She is extremely narrow in the shoulders and everything fell right off her at the withers. This blanket fits extremely well and hugs her where she is so narrow.

[islgrl]

Try a Rhino WUG. My horse is built in a similar fashion but his shoulders are big, the amigo and rambo work for him because the WUG puts no pressure on his withers when he raises his head. The Rhino has the same design but is too narrow in front for him…

[Pony_Fixer]

Thank you all for your suggestions! I will need a new fly sheet and will try the WUG design to see if that is a fix. In the meantime temporary darts are a fantastic idea as well so I will be seeing if I can find someone willing to do this in a stitch that I can remove if needed. I pulled at the neck of the blanket this morning when fixing it AGAIN and I think a decent dart on both sides of his neck may help and make it more useable. I do love the blanket he has (and it was REALLY expensive!!!).

[sascha]

@Pony Fixer

Thank you all for your suggestions! I will need a new fly sheet and will try the WUG design to see if that is a fix. In the meantime temporary darts are a fantastic idea as well so I will be seeing if I can find someone willing to do this in a stitch that I can remove if needed. I pulled at the neck of the blanket this morning when fixing it AGAIN and I think a decent dart on both sides of his neck may help and make it more useable. I do love the blanket he has (and it was REALLY expensive!!!).

I think you’ll be pleased with darts/pleats. It’s worth finding diaper pins (sewing stores will usually carry them) so you can pin it, check it, and re-pin if necessary and then take it as pinned to your stitcher.

[Shagyas_Rock]

You might want to consider the Schneider’s Adjust-a-fit models. . . they have a Velcro tab at each shoulder so that
you can make the neck opening smaller if you want. This prevents the front of the blanket from sagging too loosely
at the chest and prevents it from slipping backward. If your horse’s shoulders become more developed, you can adjust it accordingly.

[eponacelt]

@islgrl

Try a Rhino WUG. My horse is built in a similar fashion but his shoulders are big, the amigo and rambo work for him because the WUG puts no pressure on his withers when he raises his head. The Rhino has the same design but is too narrow in front for him…

Rhinos do tend to run narrower than Amigos and Rambos. Also, you should look into the “high wither” blankets at Schneiders (sstack.com). I have a little half Arabian/Friesian who is similar to what you’re describing and I got her a cutback blanket that seems to fit pretty well. They also have the Adjust-a-Fit feature so you can close up the neck opening a bit.

[DiamondJubilee]

@DinkyDonk

It’s been my experience that Big Dee’s Horse Tack and Vet Supply’s (Streetsboro, OH) private label blankets (Country Pride) run narrower through the chest/shoulder (too narrow for my Appendix). You may want to look at their styles on their website. They cater to the racing industry, especially the standarbred crowd, and most people have positive things to say about the blankets they’ve purchased.

I just purchased 2 of their blankets for my BRP ponies (a 64" and a 72" for 13.1h and 14.2h narrowish ponies) and it fit them great! I bought them at the Congress and have been super happy with them so far. I bought the one with the neck attached and I’m impressed with the closure system there and they do fit my narrow ponies really well. Price was great too! Bonus!

[Jealoushe]

The Amigo WUG fits narrow in the chest. I had to switch out from the Rambo on my mare who has the same build, narrow chest very uphill and big barrel. The Amigo Wugs are very reasonably priced too.

[Samantha37]

I’m obsessed with Premier Equine blankets. I have two horses that are opposite in build and they fit them both great. One has high withers and a narrow chest and there’s no gaping at the front but plenty of freedom in the shoulder.

MTA: They are also exceptionally cost efficient and ship crazy fast

[Iride]

Popping in just to second what Samantha37 said regarding Premier Equine. She in fact alerted me to the UK company. I just bought a sheet from them for a big, high withered, large shouldered horse. It’s an amazing sheet fit wise, super generous where it needs to be for this type of build (I’d guess some could go down a size depending on horse) and I literally got my order 2 days later here in the US. I like it a million times better than my Rambo for this horse. I’m pretty sure I may need some more of their stuff in the future…!

[Lucassb]

The other option I would suggest looking into are the Schneider’s blankets - they have a “V-free” fit system that lets you adjust the fit at the neck which I think would have a similar effect as putting in a dart with a lot less effort. And they are durable, economical blankets in my experience.

I just pulled a random example for you here but they have tons of options with the V-free system on their website. Good luck!
https://www.sstack.com/armorflex-warrior-v-free-fit-surcingle-turnouts/p/38718c/