The local tack stores don’t always have what I need blanket wise (ponies), and special ordering is always a special sort of nightmare.
How many of you folks are ordering this sort of thing online? Good/bad points?
I order all of my blankets on line. Every single one of them!
I am a color and a brand snob. Most tackstores have mid-price range stuff in not-my-colors. I like custom colors on many blankets and sheets (and obviously those are bought online), and I wait to buy high-end off-the-rack blankets (like Rambo) when they are on sale at on-line stores (net equestrian and just for ponies both recently had good sales).
I also like the customer service at Dover and Smartpak. I can buy, return if there’s a bad fit, and even better, many of theirs have multi-year warranties, which is great for the boys who play rough in their jammies.
So bottom line, I buy all my sheets and blankets on line. I have had 0 issues. I do know what brands I like, which ones I don’t, and which ones tend to fit snug or generously, so that does help me pick the best size to order.
Ask your local tack shop to order what you want. Ours has all the catalogs and if they don’t have it in stock, and can order it, they will. That is what I did when I ordered blankets. I found what I wanted online/in a catalog and ordered through them, to give them my business and because if it wasn’t right, THEY could return it.
I have two minis and a welsh pony and have to order most of their blankets online. I have had pretty good luck and the few things that did not fit were returned without a problem. Reading the reviews on the item that you are interested in can help alot. Sometimes it can give you an idea how the item might fit or if it runs big or small.
I’ve used Schneiders, Big Dee’s and Adams Horse Supply for my blankets. The Big Dee’s blankets fit my 58 inch pony perfectly and are nice.
The only blanket I ever bought was bought online through Smartpak, which has a very nice return policy for sized items.
The only problem for me was that I had basically no idea what size to get. I pretty much just guessed and managed to get it right on the first try.
But, with that great return policy, it wasn’t too frightening to order what may or may not have been the correct size.
I have yet to experience a tack store that carries a good selection of blankets.
If you are fitting ponies, the website http://justforponies.com may be of help. They have a really good sense of how things fit.
Ponies are a bit harder to fit since there’s less room for error.
I’ve always had ponies. I was lucky to find some smaller turnouts at the local feed store once, but its really hard. So I order online. The only ‘problem’ I’ve had was a quality/customer service one with Schneiders. I just make sure they’re tied or held and clean when trying on. Really is no big deal.
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Ask your local tack shop to order what you want. Ours has all the catalogs and if they don’t have it in stock, and can order it, they will. That is what I did when I ordered blankets. I found what I wanted online/in a catalog and ordered through them, to give them my business and because if it wasn’t right, THEY could return it.[/QUOTE]
If only. 9 out of 10 times it seems it doesn’t go well…wrong item, never bothered to order, ignored actual request. With 3 or 4 places locally the “order book” seems to be where dreams go to die lol
We can know exactly what we want, but it’s gotten to the point where if it’s not in stock we go elsewhere. One tack store even took our money, didn’t place the order, and refused to acknowledge they’d done either. We’d sadly lost our receipt, but they’d taken money in advance without any record on their end too.
This for the feedback so far, folks, that’s helpful.
