Difference between Horseware brand blanket models

[CanteringCarrot]

I generally love Rambo because it is the toughest and largest cut out of the Horseware line.

I always outfit my horses in exclusively Rambo but this year I “skimped” on my new guy and bought him all Amigo Bravo’s…and a gasp Weatherbeeta. Surprisingly, the new Weatherbeeta Comfitec blankets aren’t terrible, but they aren’t a wug!

The Amigo Bravo has been a great value IMO. I bought them all on sale. The most expensive being my Amigo Bravo Plus 250g for $125.00 The cut is closer to a Rambo and has similar features. The 1200D doesn’t concern me because my guy mostly gets solo turnout if any in the winter because we live in a very muddy or frozen area. Extremely crappy for turnout.

Rhino fits too small IMO and I just couldn’t get any to fit right. So, if you can’t go for the Rambo, but want a close fit, I’d try the Amigo Bravo line.

I think now you can just buy a good Rambo sheet and swap out liners for the most part if you are not using a Wug. I use their liner system with my Amigo line.

The Optimo fits even larger than the Rambo line as mentioned. I too had a PRE that was swimming in an Optimo LOL

If your horse is not hard on his clothing or does not have turnout mates that are destructive, then I would try the Amigo Brave line if you don’t want to spend as much on a Rambo.

[Obsidian_Fire]

I agree with Cantering Carrot - I have the Amigo Bravo 12’s in a variety of weights and I like them a lot. I bought a Rhino and it does not fit as well - same size, but it’s tight on my guy, where the Amigo’s fit great.

Right now Adam’s is having a great sale 20% off pre-black Friday, and they have a number of Horseware’s on closeout (last years colors dontcha know, can’t be seen in that! ;))

[IPEsq]

I don’t think Adams will apply the discount to Rambo turnouts, but you can use it on the other lines.

[RedHorses]

Wug specific - Rambo’s are much larger than Rhinos. My guy has a 75" Rambo midweight Wug that fits the same as his 78" Rhino light Wug. Said Rhino Wug is entering its sixth year and has two patches, and is still waterproof. This blanket currently holds the record for number of waterproof years for my horses, in my area, in my management practice. I got four out of Rhino Wug#1 before the outer material disintegrated - that problem appears to have been solved as the current Wug material is still quite robust.

This horse just got an Amigo Bravo, regular cut this fall, size 78". I find the regular (original) cut Rhinos to be slightly larger than the Wug cut. Not a full size like Rambo/Rhino Wugs, but my other horse who wears a 75" Original Rhino fits nicely in the 78" Rhino Wug. Now he is at the max for a 75" light Rhino Original - I have a 78" light Rhino Original to go over his heavier quilts as the extra bulk leaves a bit hanging out the back of the 75", but the 78" is too long on him without the extra bulk of a quilt underneath. The 78" Wug is slightly longer than his 75" Original, but a 75" Wug would be too small.

The horse who wears the 75" Original Rhino had a 75" Amigo Bravo (original cut) before and they are very similar in length. I think the Amigo has a bit longer drop. I moved him into Rhinos because he can roll through the Amigo Bravo waterproofing in less than six months. This is also why he wears quilts under his rainsheet. It’s less expensive to just replace the rainsheet.

[cloudyandcallie]

My horses wear the same size in their optimos as they wore in baker blankets and in weatherbeetas, so I don’t know why others have sizing problems with the optimo. There is just a lot more material in the optimo than in the supreme rambo rug and in the 2001 rambos that Cloudy and Callie used to wear back then.

As for the duo, I never have bought one although I bought a duo liner and it fits and attaches to my optimos and supremes just fine.

Lots on sale now on eBay from what appears to be stores for equines. Buy an unfilled turnout and then buy liners to go under them for cold weather. I had to buy filled neck rugs as there are no liners to buy for the unfilled neck rugs that are sold with the optimo and supreme. Make sure you buy a turnout that has the neck rug that is detachable. Some of the “original” rambos and some bucas do not have ways to attach a neck rug to the rug and are sold w/o the neck rug.

And offer less! One time a Dallas tack store gave me free neck rugs when I bought 2 blankets from them on eBay. I thought it was a mistake and said I’d pay, and the guy said nope, he was not charging me for them. I usually offer $25 less per blanket, or $50.

[OTTBs]

The worst thing about the Mio’s that no one ever says: the tail strap is NOT removable.

[Texarkana]

I have slowly been replacing everyone’s blankets and sheets with Rambos and/or Amigo Bravo 12s. I have found the Amigo Bravo 12 line to be a better “bang for my buck” than the Rhinos. They seem similar enough in quality (as some suggest, the Bravos might even be more generous in cut) and I can usually get the equivalent Bravos for at least $50 less than the Rhino models.

I don’t think any of the lesser Amigo lines are worth it; I haven’t purchased any myself, but have heard many complaints.

My only complaint with the Amigo Bravos is that they seem to generate a ton of static. Am I the only one who has this problem? Specially- the sheets!

I try to snap up Rambos whenever I come across a deal. Yesterday I got a brand new one for 50% off at a tack sale!

[seabreeze]

@joiedevie99

As far as Amigos go Mio is the worst, and I never buy them. Amigo Hero is their middle product. I’ve never seen one to comment. Amigo Bravo 12/1200D is a nice product, and it’s my step down from a Rambo. Depending on which specific package you choose, some include a neck cover, and some include the higher end Rambo features - like the new front buckle thing. I believe all the new-release Bravo 12’s take liners as well - although some older ones didn’t. It usually has that in the listing though.

Yes, I’ve become quite the fan of the Amigo Bravo 12 line. They are holding up as well as my Rambo sheets. I have one that is on its 5th season and is still in excellent shape. I wash and re-waterproof all of my turnouts every season, so I don’t know if they’re still waterproof because of that or if they would be anyway on their own. Either way, they have become my go-to turnouts. New mare needed a wardrobe, and I was able to outfit her with a Bravo 12 sheet, 100g sheet + neck cover, medium + neck cover, and heavy + neck cover for less than $500. Not all the neck covers match the blankets, but I don’t care about that. I found all of the blankets on clearance and then the 20% off Horseware sale for $80/ea. I constantly troll Adams, Riding Warehouse, and SmartPak sale and clearance categories.

I used to have some of the Rhinos and they did not hold up well. Lots of little picks and tears would occur all over the blankets.

My boarder has the Amigo Mio turnout sheet and medium weight. I’m not a fan. They are soooo lightweight and flimsy, they feel like thin paper.

As for fit, I think the Rambo and Amigo fit similarly through shoulder and body width. Rambo runs a size longer than the other Horsewre brands (my little TB wears a 72" Rambo and 75" Amigo). My new mare’s former owner had her in a 78" SmartPak Ultimate and my boarder’s 78" Weatherbeeta Genero fits her. However, the neck of the Amigos are not cut as deeply, and I had to go with an 81" in the Amigos to get the length for the neck to fit comfortably (she’s deep from wither to point of shoulder).

Hope this info helps!

[theresak]

FYI - I have Rambo Wug and put Horseware liners underneath it without an issue. I just attach the snaps at the back to the tail strap rings. The font is unattached to the Wug but because it’s cut so well, it doesn’t shift.

[Samantha37]

I’ve been super happy with my Amigo Bravo 12 turnout - the 1200D, detachable hood, etc. It seems to hold up and fits well

[Renn_aissance]

I have two Rambos (an original and a Wug,) a Rhino Wug, and an Amigo Bravo 12. Those Rambos will go for 20 years before they die.

The Rhino is one of the brown check models from after Rhino manufacturing moved to China- not the brown, navy, and green plaid year, where the fabric was terrible and unraveled after even tiny snags. These are more recent, say 3 or 4 years ago, and this one has held up very well. The sizing on the Rhino Wug is the same as the Rambo Wug, but the surcingles are shorter.

I like the Amigo Bravo 12 quite a bit but it is less roomy all over than the Rambo original. If I had a horse on the cusp of sizing, I’d be inclined to size up. I like that it comes in an unusual weight, however- it’s a 100g mid-light- and the fit is still appropriate.

Based on what I’ve read about people’s opinions of Rhino and Amigo sizing, I suspect issues with quality control now that the production has moved to China. Original Rambo rugs are still made in Ireland (or they were the last I checked.) I am a Horseware devotee, and the old Rhinos made in China wore like iron. Last year I replaced a Rhino heavy that was going on 20 years old. This isn’t because anything was wrong with the rug, but because it had compressed over time to be more of a midweight and my horse already had a midweight wug. I got a hell of a deal on the Rhino, sold it as a midweight, and if my horse and his buddies didn’t kill it I have no doubt it will survive the apocalypse.

[Saskatoonian]

Another Rambo devotee chining in. Been using them pretty much exclusively since the mid-90s, and was never disappointed til I bought the Duo. (Well, I did buy an Amigo Mio for a new horse out of desperation a couple of years ago - super cheap and worth about half of what I paid for it, but it did ok for about 1/2 a season.) My Rambos have lasted forever, until - SURPRISE - the Duo I got a couple of years ago. Didn’t really need it so it’s only got about one season of use in, and ugh. The liner slips and is already torn because the fabric is flimsy, and the lining of the hood is torn where the Velcro is, because the Velcro is stronger than the lining of the hood. Not horse damage, because the horse is a playground bully and goes out alone. On top of this, I just hate all of the hardware - the snaps are heavy, and do we really need extra rings all over the place?

At least the top is 100g (very useful) and it’s pretty when not plastered in mud. I’ll stick with the originals from now on.

[Libby2563]

@Texarkana

I have slowly been replacing everyone’s blankets and sheets with Rambos and/or Amigo Bravo 12s. I have found the Amigo Bravo 12 line to be a better “bang for my buck” than the Rhinos. They seem similar enough in quality (as some suggest, the Bravos might even be more generous in cut) and I can usually get the equivalent Bravos for at least $50 less than the Rhino models.

I don’t think any of the lesser Amigo lines are worth it; I haven’t purchased any myself, but have heard many complaints.

My only complaint with the Amigo Bravos is that they seem to generate a ton of static. Am I the only one who has this problem? Specially- the sheets!

I try to snap up Rambos whenever I come across a deal. Yesterday I got a brand new one for 50% off at a tack sale!

Second this!! I used to buy only Rambos but have completely switched over to Amigo Bravo 1200D’s now. I think they are quite durable and an excellent value. The past couple years I have bought one in the spring or summer when they’re on sale.

I haven’t noticed that they’re more staticky than any other sheets. Weird!

I have a lease horse who came with a Rhino Wug and the first time I put it on him, he ripped one of the front snaps off with his teeth. I took it to get restitched and the blanket repair/cleaning lady told me that she does not recommend the Rhino line. She said the stitching is not very hardy and she’s seen a lot of issues with the liner. I can’t recall exactly what–I think she has seen the waterproofing fail or the liner separate or something, and once it does it’s impossible to fix? I really don’t blame Rhino for what happened to the straps because the horse did it very deliberately (he’s a serial blanket killer) but the liner thing was good to know about (even if I can’t remember exactly what it was :rolleyes: ).

[Minerva]

I also really like the Amigo Bravos. I want to get one for the new mare I have but can’t remember how the sizing runs. I recently picked up a Mio stable blanket for layering and, since they were out of 81s, got the 84 rather than the 78 and it fits the mare really well. Now I’m not sure if I ought to get an 81 or an 84 in the Amigo Bravo. I feel like I ordered down a size for the last one I bought but that was a few years ago now.

[RegentLion]

Thanks guys! This has been very helpful. I don’t know why I didn’t consider buying used before??? My wallet is cringing as I’ve just purchased 3 used Rambos.

I I have the navy/tan check Rhino Wugs and they fit my current horses like a glove. First blanket that hasn’t rubbed my thin skinned Ottb mare. Weatherbeeta rubbed her raw on withers and shoulders even with a shoulder guard.

I I would have stuck with the Rhinos if the inner liner hasn’t started to shred. No idea why it would do this, but little tears/micro tears on the inside. One of mine also ripped the outer layer, but I’m not sure if that’s actually the fault of rhino or the other horses in the pasture.

Now I am a little paranoid about washing/re-waterproofing the Rambos. I like that the rhinos waterproofing is an actual layer not a coating.

Anyone familiar with Rambo veri-layer stuff?

[RegentLion]

I’m not sure why the COTH software on my phone repeatedly doubles the initial letter of my paragraphs?!

[diceuf]

@CanteringCarrot

I generally love Rambo because it is the toughest and largest cut out of the Horseware line.

I always outfit my horses in exclusively Rambo but this year I “skimped” on my new guy and bought him all Amigo Bravo’s…and a gasp Weatherbeeta. Surprisingly, the new Weatherbeeta Comfitec blankets aren’t terrible, but they aren’t a wug!

The Amigo Bravo has been a great value IMO. I bought them all on sale. The most expensive being my Amigo Bravo Plus 250g for $125.00 The cut is closer to a Rambo and has similar features. The 1200D doesn’t concern me because my guy mostly gets solo turnout if any in the winter because we live in a very muddy or frozen area. Extremely crappy for turnout.

Rhino fits too small IMO and I just couldn’t get any to fit right. So, if you can’t go for the Rambo, but want a close fit, I’d try the Amigo Bravo line.

I think now you can just buy a good Rambo sheet and swap out liners for the most part if you are not using a Wug. I use their liner system with my Amigo line.

The Optimo fits even larger than the Rambo line as mentioned. I too had a PRE that was swimming in an Optimo LOL

If your horse is not hard on his clothing or does not have turnout mates that are destructive, then I would try the Amigo Brave line if you don’t want to spend as much on a Rambo.

What did you not like about the WB Comfitec? Was it a high neck one?

[a1eventing]

I’ve been a strong Rambo supporter for years. I have some that are over 10yrs old and still waterproof and completely serviceable. I’ve had good luck with the Rhino line as well but they aren’t as heavy and aren’t made of the same outer materials as the Rambo line.
I thought I was getting deal when Amigos went on sale last year but this line is totally disappointing in quality. Rips and tears to both inner and outer liners.
The Rambo’s are obnoxiously expensive but I don’t have to replace them or go crazy with layering.

[CanteringCarrot]

@diceuf

What did you not like about the WB Comfitec? Was it a high neck one?

It is not a high neck one. They may make high necks, and I know that they make attachable full necks.

I like it because it has a generous cut for a fuller bodied horse and has been quite durable/Waterproof. The memory foam by the withers is nice and there seems to be less pressure there than with my Amigo.

[Obsidian_Fire]

FWIW, this is the first year in many I’ve bought a new WB and I got the Comfitec. My old guy - high withered, sunken back, OTTB, loves it. Fits him better than the Amigo’s I have for him.
The materials all seem much heavier too. I am really liking it. The neck cut is more forward than the old WB’s, that helps.