Commiserate with me

[RedHorses]

Solutions not required!

A new horse joined my horses’ group late last fall and after things had settled he became my younger horse’s playmate. Which I’m very happy about! I’m glad he has someone to play silly buggers with.

But.

Buddy is hard on my horse’s blanket. He’s obviously a grab and hold/pull biter. My horse is looking a bit moth eaten at this point. It’s all been hair and skin with only one deeper that may not have been a play injury. My horse needs to wear his blankets if he’s going to be comfortable under saddle and has the blanket and neck rug combination.

In addition to the myriad of 1" tooth tears I’ve had to sew the tail flap back on, repair three major three corner tears - one of which went through all three layers, requiring each layer to be repaired individually with a patch on the lining and a patch on the outer shell (that was last Thursday’s job) - and sew a large patch on the lining of his neck rug.

Yesterday the butt strap (Rhino) was gone, along with the dee rings on the rainsheet (I’m using Horseware’s velcro and snap in insulating liner). The liner was fine because the snaps had already broken and I had used baler twine to tie it to the rainsheet dees. From the scrapes on my horse’s bum I’m guessing buddy hooked a leg in the butt strap. One of the surcingle straps is more than half off as well.

I’m hoping to finish out the blanket season with this rainsheet. I just have to keep reminding myself that it’s good for my horse to have a buddy that plays with him.

Really.

Anyone want to commiserate and share their frustrations? About blankets or whatever else?

[clanter]

@RedHorses

Anyone want to commiserate and share their frustrations?

well, Socrates my daughter’s two year old was being roughed up by my wife’s ten year old …until a few days ago when the two year just went over grabbing the ten year old by the back of the neck nearly throwing him to the ground

Since then they have been more respectful of each other

[wsmoak]

I’ve had a pony field boarded with a friend his own age while he grew up and I totally thought I would be replacing blankets constantly but amazingly, they have not destroyed any! (Now that I’ve said that out loud, just watch…)

[LilRanger]

My god, it’s like they plan this stuff.

Do you hear your sewing machine snickering because of that one time you called it a useless piece of 20th century engineering? Because that’s what my sewing machine would be doing if I were in your shoes…

[walktrot]

I wish I could. My gelding is 26 now. He was just going 7 when I bought him. He took over as the alpha not long after he arrived in 2001. Mostly school horses with some pasture boarders mixed in. The nice thing about owning the leader is that their blankets last for years. He started slowing down a few years ago and delegated some of his responsibilities. He wasn’t enamored of new horses. His core group kept an eye out and if a newby headed in his direction they got between the invader and their beloved leader. Imagine how shocked I was one day last winter when he came in with a scuffed up section. He has nothing but 1200D!!! It covered a couple of square inches. I’ve never dealt with anything more than replacing the leg straps. We now are at a new barn and he turns out with a couple of laid back buddies. So far so good.

I will, however, sympathize on behalf of the parents of a teenager with a nice Appy gelding who chewed through the front until he destroyed it. She went through 3-4 blankets per winter, all 600D. She never understood denier.

[demidq]

I bought a Singer Heavy Duty machine just for that reason. Ever since then, blankets have remained intact. Not sure if it is my mare sniggering at me or because the bossy insecure mare has left…

[Weezer]

I feel your pain! Years ago my horse had a buddy that loved to grab onto my guy’s tail flap and pull backward so that my horse would end up walking backward to avoid the pull. The blankets took quite a beating! The funny thing was that my horse had been a kicker as a yearling and I spent sooo much time teaching him not to kick. Watching his tail flap getting yanked around, I wished he would kick!

[theresak]

Me!

My coming 4 year old took off a Horseware liner under a Wug (so only attached at the rear) 2 days in a row with the velcro and binding at the chest still attached but the chest and shoulder ripped and the rear snaps broken (amazingly, the metal hardware broke but the nylon loops are fine). Two Rambo tail straps have been broken as well. Best I can figure is someone is grabbing the tail straps or back of the liner and my horse is trying to run forward, therefore climbing out of the liner?

My older horse has always been one to play with his blankets, grabbing the chest and offering it to other horses to play tug of war. For a long time no one would participate and I thought it wasn’t an issue anymore, but this year he’s got a friend who clued in and both his medium and heavy Wugs have missing reflective straps and torn bindings on the front.

I had converted to Rambo blankets years ago due to my older horse’s destructive tendencies and we had good luck with all of them until this year.

Edited to add: I finally purchased more Rap Last, which will keep the older horse’s blankets from getting any more chewed up. If you know where the horses like to grab the blankets (i.e., chest or tail flap), you can try some Rap Last.

[Arelle]

I’ll commiserate, but not in the way you want @RedHorses

I bought some new blankets in December, because I’m always buying or repairing blankets - nine horses here, many who are young and mouthy. The new blankets were super heavy duty from a well known equine retailer.

Three weeks ago, I went out and fed at 10 am on a Saturday. Had seven horses inside, two horses outside. An hour later, I went out to turn everyone out - and my five year old mare who had been outside was laying flat out in the mud… not wearing the blanket I had left her in only an hour before.

Best I can figure is that she somehow caught the blanket on the one little 2’’ cap I have on the fence end of the open gate. The blanket was laying in the pasture, the front buckles ripped off - but the belly and leg straps all still fastened and in place.

Unfortunately, my mare had ripped herself open. My horse broke before that effing blanket did.

She’s been in ICU for the last three weeks - she ripped her abdominal muscles away from her peritoneum. Miraculously, she’s still alive. The vet said she hasn’t ever seen an injury like this that wasn’t catastrophic (read: immediate euthanasia). There’s a giant hole still in her flank, but with time it should heal.

Never, ever, ever again will I complain about blankets that rip or tear too easily. These are big, dumb, prey animals and I’d rather replace a thousand blankets than have to repeat the last three weeks. I compared it to using a straight nylon halter versus a leather or breakaway version.

SO. I can laugh about it now that she’s on the upside, but never, ever, ever be sad that something broke - because stuff is replaceable - your horse is not.

(But I am sorry you’ve become such good friends with your sewing machine, lol)

[RedHorses]

OMG!! I hope your horse heals up well!

In previous years my horse (yes, this one who’s playing) has caught his blanket on things and torn the front chest buckles off his Rhino. The neck rug prevented him losing the blanket.

He did it right in front off me once when I was taking him out of his field. As I was fumbling with the gate chain he decided the two snowmobiles he had earlier seen drive up and park were terrifying and he tried to go back into his field. Through the closed gate. He bumped into it, and as he bounced off the chest closures caught in the wire (page wire on a gate frame) and pulled the gate towards him. That unwarranted attack was even scarier than the snowmobiles and he jumped back, lifting the gate right off its hinges! Thankfully the chest buckles tore away from the blanket and he was free of the 10’ gate before he got his legs tangled in it!

I am also very glad that his bum strap rings pulled free of the blanket as that could have been disastrous for him and the horse that put a leg through. I actually found the strap with rings still attached yesterday!

[CanteringCarrot]

My blankets have stayed mostly intact, with the odd broken butt strap (Rambo) or two. They’re covered in bite marks and my horse has several bald patches on his tail. His mate is constantly biting his tail and bum while chasing him. My horse doesn’t really kick and this horse is a lot bigger than him. The bugger is that he likes this horse. Always talks to him excitedly when he returns to the stable and always goes back to him to play after he’s just (literally) had his butt chewed out.

I’m close to separating them since I don’t think his tail will survive until May when they go on the field with the other horses (more room and distractions). However, his owners will surely think I’m the devil to even suggest that their precious baby is being an arse. Horses are horses.

I am being a bit shallow but I don’t want a horse with a bald tail bone. When the blankets come off, it will be far worse.