AMEN!
The only one of my 3 that will stand for having a closed front put over his head is the mini 
Pony would have a meltdown, horse would be insulted & become a 16h Giraffe 
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My foolish boy thinks that any front fastenings are meant to be chew toys! 
So now his blankets are closed front. Which means that you cant just throw a blanket on while he is tied or on crossties. He is usually blanketed in his stall, so not a big deal. If I have to blanket him outside, I often dont halter but bribe him with a treat to put his head in. If I feel the need to halter, I have to thread the lead through the opening first.
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I had a giant horse many years ago. He taught me that it was easier to teach him to lower his head than to toss his blankets over his back. Since then, once a blanket front is properly adjusted, it doesn’t ever come undone again. I’ve managed to change a few people’s habits over the years to the point where I’ve actually heard a gasp come from one of them who said, “Sure, you can take the blanket off” and watched the ‘un-trained’ person take off the blanket like a normal person would. 
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On the topic of blanketing debacles - yesterday I looked like I’d never put a blanket on before. I have closed front liners and could NOT get the darn thing off the horse gracefully in his stall. My goal was to fold the blanket up and lift it over his head like always; ended up dragging the whole blanket over his face and dropping it on the ground. He just stood there and looked at me like I was an idiot before going back to his breakfast.
Days like that are why it’s so important not to get sucked into the trap of My Horse Can Only Be Handled In This Specific Way (usually NH branded whatever). Someone, maybe even the owner, is going to need the horse to behave when they do something out of the ordinary. My horses tend to put up with a lot because I want them Dumbass Broke. Cause I am the Dumbass 
. They are still horses and accidents happen, but in general, they’re pretty chill about the uncoordinated and graceless nature of humans.
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This is where high-value treats come in super handy. Knock on wood, I haven’t met one yet that didn’t eventually learn to shove head through neck hole.
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My take on all this is, first, when you have a problem with anyone and certainly your barn owner, don’t text. Text can be taken wrong. We’ve all been there and I’ve done it too. Best - talk in person. And if you like the barn overall and want to stay there have that be your mindset and focus.
Fall on your sword at this point if you want to be there.
If they don’t want to implement your suggestion then let it go. It is what it is.
And I REALLY appreciate this thread and the reminder to halter before blanketing. In 40 yrs of owning horses and having them home finally, I’ve become complacent and blanketing outside loose asking them to stand still. The story of the horse that broke it’s neck and other accidents is a reminder I’ve been lucky so far.
Good luck OP. I really get where you are coming from and yet when you board you just do not have the control that you need.
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You obviously do not know what you are talking about as my facility is private and I do not board other people’s horses - it isn’t worth it for me. Case in point being a prime example.
I was being serious about showing your current BO and their workers a plethora of gratitude for hosting you. You seem incredibly difficult and naive, especially since you believe “eating the grass evenly” would some how make up for the difficulties of keeping a boarder in the first place. You also seem to think that since your horse has had a year of ground work, it is impossible that the horse did anything wrong, even when you have had difficulties yourself managing your own self proclaimed spooky horse. I hope you show the daughter more appreciation for caring for your horse on Christmas Day instead of insisting she is a clueless idiot, despite having blanketed over 200 horses. Even if a fool blanketed my horse on Christmas Day, I’d have a bit more appreciation and tact then you’ve shown.
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Not blanketing-specific, but hotwire related–once I was riding in the arena with a fellow boarder, and she suddenly jumped off her horse, ran to the side of one of the paddocks and started calling for help. I dismounted and came over to see the BO’s personal horse had been pawing at the electric wire and gotten his shoe caught on the fence. He was standing there, one hoof in the air (suspended by the wire) the other three legs planted on the ground. It was the most unnatural-looking position to be “frozen” in.
Fortunately, the boarder knew where to turn off the electric fence. But she didn’t know where wire cutters were, so she had to locate the BO’s husband in the house, and he had to find his cutters, which took awhile. Mercifully, the horse was patient. I waited there with the horse, holding my horse and the other boarder’s horse. It felt like an eternity.
It could have gotten really bad.
I guess the take-home is–always show people who ride regularly at a barn how to turn off an electric fence in the case of an emergency, and where the necessary tools are to deal with emergencies. You never know with horses.
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Thank you for saying what I wanted to say.
If there’s no possibility of tying the horse away from the hot wire for blanketing, I would either not blanket, or board my horse elsewhere. I would not try to blame the young woman or email the barn owner.
I know a sweet, kind, cuddly QH who will take off like a demon when you unhalter him for turnout, because, once, he got shocked on the nose while being unhaltered for turnout.
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No High Value here.
They’re all Hos for Dollar Tree gingersnaps.
Horse does allow things, I just don’t need to waste the minutes while he reminds me I don’t even reach his withers anymore 
Shrunk from 5’4"(= 16h) to 5’2".
@fivestrideline Yup, horses know how to drive home the fact that we’re the incompetent halves of the partnership
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My old stallion had a closed front blanket.
When I approached him with it, either in the stall or in the paddock, if he was cold and wanted it on, he’d lower his head for me to slip it on.
If he didn’t want it on, he’d do a giraffe impression.
3 of my current 4 would allow an over the head blanketing.
The 4th would probably kill me trying to get away from it.
I expect she’ll eventually come around, though. She’s way more civilized then when she came.
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The one pony I rode that had a “pullover” was super-spooky, so I was always nervous unclipping her and putting it on, but she actually seemed to really love that blanket and never minded (it was ski parka material, pink and teal, and super-cute on a grey).
My preferences for blankets are snaps (obviously you have to face them down so they don’t get caught on everything) over buckles (my hands get cold easily), and butt straps beneath the tail versus leg straps. Even better is an easy, single surgical beneath the belly.
Although another pony I rode who had a blanket with a butt strap managed to break it, and the blanket blew over her head. Poor thing, thank goodness she was quiet, elderly and we saw what happened quickly, to save her.
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Yup! My mare will will come towards me if I’m if holding it too far back and shove her head through indignantly, “You’re actually making me move to do this? Pathetic. You are a terrible servant.” Her younger buddy is close to that, but has issues keeping her feet in place still so I haven’t encouraged that level of “get yourself dressed already” yet.
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I’m sorry about the shrinking 
Getting older sucks.
The good news is though that they can learn (there will be some wasting of minutes at first) to lower their head to your thigh level and then raise it back up once you’ve put it behind their ears so it slides down the neck and all you have to do is grab the back edge and pull it back before doing up the belly and leg straps.
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Right there with you! I am quite possibly the most accident prone human on the planet. My horses, even the babies, learn to ignore my “stupid human games” pretty quickly…because they have to. 
This morning I was cleaning my dry lot in anticipation of the winter storm rolling in, with my coming two year old filly “helping”. I tripped, slipped, and flipped a full wheelbarrow of manure over as I tumbled sideways on the hill. She didn’t even blink - just stood there and watched it all happen, then tried to take the pitchfork out of my hands as I was cursing and scooping the mess back into the wheelbarrow.
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I have a mare that will slither out of her blankets. I’ve tried catching her in the act but I’ve had no success. She will leave the blanket on the ground totally in tact, not a thread out of place, every time. Her dam’s sire was known for doing the same. It suits their personalities very much - saintly enough not to damage the blanket but just enough middle hoof to get the blanket off.
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I used to take care of a little Arab stallion who had a blanket he hated. His owner had brought it back from England.
It was cotton flannel lined, quilted with a bellyband.
We all thought it was lovely–warm but not heavy on the horse.
But Hellas despised it, and I would routinely find it on the floor, chest straps and bellyband still fastened.
We never figured out how he did it.
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Never underestimate the creativity of a determined Arabian!
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Had a horse who did something similar with a Baker sheet. And then he would pee on it. When I didn’t get the memo, it was later taken off with all buckles fastened then ripped down the side then peed on. Ok, ok. He could also take off one of those shoulder slinkies without harming the blanket on top.
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No sorrier than I am re: shrinkage 
Bright side? I now fit that old song:
5 Foot 2, Eyes of Blue 
Horse will lower his head, he reaches for the bit when bridled.
Ive left the front buckles done & put blanket on that way.
But it’s easier for me to throw over his back than sort out the entire blanket after his head goes in.
@Impractical_Horsewoman When I boarded, a pony mare managed to step on the hood of her blanket & get stuck with her head down.
I don’t know how long she stood that way, but she never fussed, just let me unattach the hood at the shoulder & slip it off down her neck.
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