Jeffers has a line of blankets that are 1200d and under $70
I have 4 that live outside 24/7 I love the Tough One brand 600D, they are heavy enough to keep the crazy N. TX winter winds off the horses and they are waterproof! In 5 years I have only replaced 2 (this season). They run @ $65 on Stateline. They are very durable and keep my older ones warm and dry!
My sister has the Tough-1 blankets and has been very happy with them for her two older horses(kept at home, no roughhousing). I was planning on getting one for my own horse but ended up picking up a blanket at Equine Affaire.
One thing I liked about Tough-1 is that they are available at Tractor Supply, with free shipping to a local store. If you have one near you, that allows for very easy over-the-counter returns (vs. dealing with return shipping) if the fit isn’t satisfactory.
I just got one of these for my new horse–Amigo Bravo 12 plus (with detachable neck). It’s an upgrade from a different season/model Amigo Bravo I have because it has the Rambo style front closures and 3 belly surcingles (although these are not replaceable like Rambo). I wasn’t sure how kind the new guy would be to blankets and didn’t want to overspend. So far I’ve been happy with this purchase. It was less than $150 for a medium with neck, significantly less than Rambo.
I have been pleasantly surprised with the fit of the high neck Horze blankets I’ve bought from Chick’s… although the lightweight I bought last year lost its waterproofing after 1 wash, but the medium weight did not, go figure… I treated the lightweight with Camp Dry and it’s as good as new. Chick’s is actually having a blanket sale right now.
I’ve become a fan of the Amigo Bravo line as well, especially the Bravo Plus (I only buy v-front blankets now if I can help it).
They’ve been holding up as well as my Rambos, and the fit seems pretty similar (which makes sense, since they are compatible with the same liners).
When they’re on sale they’re priced similarly to some options I’ve found to be lower in quality, and even at full price ($200ish) I think they compare favorably to other brands I’ve had (e.g. Schneiders) in terms of value.
Amigo Bravo 12 Wugs are on sale at Equestrian Collections and HorseLoverz. Just bought at midweight for $113 including shipping.
Another vote for Schneider’s.
I’ll toss in the premier equine blankets. They aren’t bottom dollar but I’d say quality and fit wise is right up there with the rambos, and in some cases better. They run big, but the neck opening is actually very well proportioned. I find that for the price they are an amazing blanket and we are slowly replacing all of our rambos with them.
Yep, since you mentioned a 76", which Schneider’s actually offers. I have a mare that is in between a 75" and 78", which is what most brands offer. The 76" Schneider’s blankets fit her perfectly. I think her heavy weight high neck was $140.
Another one that hasn’t been mentioned, is the SmartPak blankets. I’ve gotten some amazing deals when they are having sales, and the blankets are nice quality (both the Deluxe and Ultimate lines). The Ultimate has a 10 year warranty. Last spring I got my girls 150 gram fill high neck SP blankets for like $65 apiece, and have since bought a medium and heavy for less than $100 each.
I have a Dover sheet. Dover blankets Fit my last horse well but this sheet doesn’t fit my current gelding very well. It seems to apply pressure to his shoulders. He has a Weatherbeeta blanket (wide and loose-cut neck, seems to rub his shoulders and any rain falls into the neck making the blanket wet (it’s an outdoor blanket), a Rhino blanket (fits OK, but easily gets small holes in the exterior when he rolls) and last year purchased a Tough-1 blanket that seems to fit him well. IT held up well to his 24/7 turnout but usually blanketed at night unless the temp was under 40 degrees. The later two have an extended wither protection that keeps rain out ot the blanket.
Is there anyone who can see him more than a couple of times a month to assess fit and problems?
I have not had good luck with the fit of either the blankets I bought from Schneider, nor Horze. They slid a lot on my horses. I just recently bought a SmartPak medium-fill and it fits mine great. And the reason I bought this model is because it comes with the ten-year warranty.
