Help! My horse destroys blankets!!

[spavone]

I have a young WB gelding who is turned out 24/7 (except for feeding and bad weather) in a group of 7 geldings. He is middle on the totem pole.

For the sake of being able to work, my guy is given a full body clip, which means he needs blankets and sheets. Therein lies the problem.

I am about to give up. His 3 yr old year, he destroyed 3 Rambos. I thought it was just his age. This year, I went with a Dover Northwind turnout blanket, because of the warranty. I actually bought 2, so I could rotate them when I needed to get one replaced. We have now been through 8 of them…yes, eight since November. I give kuddos to Dover for their policy…I just walk in with destroyed turnout in a trash bag and they hand me a brand new one. But, Dover is an hour away and my husband is getting tired of the trip.

This morning, my trainer texted me to say that my gelding came in this morning with a torn up Rambo sheet (the only turnout sheet he owns). The warranty is no longer valid on this sheet and he apparently shredded the front of the blanket.

Any ideas? I need something that won’t break, but I need a warranty in case it does. I don’t have enough money to keep replacing Rambos or other expensive blankets! Do I just stick with the Northwinds and keep driving to Dover every weekend? Help!

[eclipse]

When my trainer had a stallion that was notorious for shredding his blankets he wore a plastic “bib” that attached to his halter and stopped him from chewing the blankets but allowed him to eat. We’d tried sprays etc and one day came to his stall at a show with other trainers standing around laughing to find only the straps left in his stall… It was the final straw! He then wore a bib

Looked liked this…
http://www.horsetackco.com/plastic-bib.html

[beowulf]

It’s probably not your geldings - it is probably the horses he is with.

8 Northwinds? Jeez louise – surprising, only because I love their quality and think they are better IMHO than Rambos.

Isolate the horse that is generously playing blanket tag with your gelding and ask to move your gelding. At this point after 12+ blankets this should not be an unreasonable request to your BM and IMHO I am wondering why your BM didn’t see this as an issue and arrange to move him anyway.

[saje]

Is he tearing them himself? Or is he playing hard enough with buddies that they tear them?

If he’s doing it himself I’d put a blanket bib on him:

https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=22a9b891-44bf-4161-8ce8-e43dd219cc99

and see if that helps.

If its his buddies, you’re kind of SOL unless there’s a way to put him out with one or two less destructive friends.

[spavone]

eclipse - thank you for the suggestion, however I don’t think he is doing this to himself…several of the detroyed blankets had torn rumps and/or he tears off all the straps. I partially blame the tress inn the pastures.

beowulf - I agree with you about the other horses contributing, however, one of the blankets was torn up when he was turned out alone in the arena for recovery. I don’t even know how he did that??!?

Unfortunately, the BM won’t move him to another group as the other 5 groups at our barn are all retired horses and he terrorizes them to play with him.

I love the Northwinds, I just wish I didn’t have to drive all the way to Dover so often.

[red_mares]

Dumb question - does your horse need a blanket or do you need your horse to wear a blanket?

Unless your horse truly needs a blanket - i.e. hard keeper, or stands there shivering or is clipped, why not just dispense with the blanket altogether?

Most horses wear blankets because their owners feel better with blankets on them, not because they really need them.

[betsyk]

Do they fit? I mean, does HE think they fit? is there a chance that his insistence on removing the blanket is really him saying, “I hate this thing, it pinches my withers and pulls on my shoulders and makes my tail itch.” It may look ok to us, but he’s the one wearing it.

Next year, I’d let him stay hairy, buy a $10 hairdryer to dry him after workouts, and let him go naked.

[beowulf]

[QUOTE=spavone;8527234]
eclipse - thank you for the suggestion, however I don’t think he is doing this to himself…several of the detroyed blankets had torn rumps and/or he tears off all the straps. I partially blame the tress inn the pastures.

beowulf - I agree with you about the other horses contributing, however, one of the blankets was torn up when he was turned out alone in the arena for recovery. I don’t even know how he did that??!?

Unfortunately, the BM won’t move him to another group as the other 5 groups at our barn are all retired horses and he terrorizes them to play with him.

I love the Northwinds, I just wish I didn’t have to drive all the way to Dover so often.[/QUOTE]

You don’t have to drive all the way to the store. You can call them for an ‘early exchange’ and they charge you for the item/send you the item and refund you when you send your blanket back.

IDK I’d still be suspecting the other horses – but a BM that won’t work with you when you are losing $$ would make me see red, personally… And that’s coming from someone who has been a BM…

I know you don’t want to, but I’d put a cribbing muzzle on him - the metal ones A LA Dr. Lester from Silence of the Lambs. It will save you $$ for now and help you isolate if it is really him or if it is one of the herd mates. And, I’d be telling your BM you want your horse moved, like yesterday.

[ThegoodLife]

I’ve used some of the bitter ‘wrap last’ with success. Unfortunately it would have to be reapplied regularly.

[Cruisesmom]

Have you tried layering with a good blanket, and a crap blanket on top? That is the only way my good blankets last. You may want to look into the 2000 denier blankets for the outside layer, and keep your northwind as the bottom layer. Or even a canvas, or heavy duty fly sheet to protect.

[vandenbrink]

I love the Century Superline blankets. They are a 1680D Nylon and are tough. I have my young stallion dressed in these and he plays hard with his turnout gelding buddy. I often see the Fjord hanging onto the blanket while they run through the fields. I’ve had these for several years and they hold up really well. It had snaps, but they broke pretty quickly with that rough play and just do up the buckles in the front.

[spavone]

Thank you guys for all the suggestions. I will look into the Century Superline blankets and also consider putting his Kensington Fly Sheet over his turnout blanket…maybe that will help.

I’m not sure the BM would allow a bib for turnout…

Thank you for the ideas!!

[fordtraktor]

I would put a Baker or Kensington fly sheet on over the blankets. The thick stiff ones.

[BroncoMo]

fellow owner of hard playing geldings here I have a gelding who last winter (with the help of his friends) went through 6 heavy weights, 2 sheets, and I’m losing the number of slinkies (only when he’s braided for a show). Best I have found are Schnieders’ more expensive blankets, which are still more reasonable than Rambos and some of those other high end blankets. They have warranties (I think 2 and 5 year, depending on the blanket), great repair/return policy. When he destroyed one of their blankets, they asked for pictures so they could see if it needed repair or replacing; there was too much binding that had been pulled off so they replaced it and let me upgrade just for the cost difference between blankets.

SmartPak has a blanket that offers a 10 year warranty. I know some people who have said they are great about replacing the blanket. I decided to go with the SStack one because it is designed specifically for QHs and leaves their mane uncovered. Since I live in the tundra and he is blanketed constantly, I need a blanket that does not fall in a spot that will rub out his mane. Otherwise I probably would have tried the SmartPak one.

I tried a canvas cover. It literally lasted less than 24 hours. It was completely shredded.

I feel your pain. I understand what it’s like to have tough boys playing with their blankets. People suggested I put chew stop stuff on them, but its not like my horses are sitting their chewing on their blankets and intentionally pulling them off. The blanket just creates a great handle for a tug of war match. I’ve seen how persistent they are when the latch on; nasty chew spray won’t help mine.

So long story long, I highly suggest SS Tack, or SmartPak. My SS Tack blanket has lasted far longer than anything else I’ve tried.

[JB]

[QUOTE=fordtraktor;8527564]
I would put a Baker or Kensington fly sheet on over the blankets. The thick stiff ones.[/QUOTE]

This is the only thing that saved a friend from total insanity constantly replacing blankets.

[Wonders12]

Lots of good suggestions here.

I will also say, there are some horses who just refuse to be blanketed. We have one like that. He can’t even be left in a cooler unattended. So he goes through the cold Wisconsin winters unblanketed. Of course he’s not clipped either. He gets turned out with everyone else, even when the windchill is well below 0, and he does just fine.

If nothing else works, you might have to seriously consider this option. Yes, you’ll need to stock up on coolers and maybe a blow dryer, but for what you’re spending on blankets and gas, you can have an arsenal of coolers. Depending on where you are, a modified bib or trace clip might be an option. If you clip early (October), the clip will make drying easier, but it will grow in to protect them by January when the cold really sets in.

[ryansgirl]

[QUOTE=fordtraktor;8527564]
I would put a Baker or Kensington fly sheet on over the blankets. The thick stiff ones.[/QUOTE]

This exactly.

[RedHorses]

Bucas claims to have nearly untearable material.

I too would suggest a sacrifice layer on top.

There is a tack shop in Ontario that sold a blanket with steel thread woven into the outer material. I don’t know if they still sell it or not, but it wasn’t expensive and might serve as a sacrifice layer. Look for www.pleasantridge.ca

Whatever you use as a top layer, don’t bother with insulation as that just adds to the price. My boy wears rainsheets over stable rugs, but he’s not as hard on blankets as yours is!

[kcmel]

My coming 5 YO just destroyed his first blanket. I found him trampling it. I am fearful for the future…

[LSMarnell]

I’m sorry, but I have to ask.

Don’t you feel a little bit bad, or that you are taking advantage of a company when you go through 8 turnout blankets in 3 months?

I understand that Dover guarantee’s the product, and that if they are going to honor the warranty they will replace it. But, I have to admit that I don’t think I would expect them to do it 8+ times in 3 months and not feel guilty.

Maybe it’s just me though.