New blanket time - Rambo, Rhino, or Amigo

[arabiansrock]

I have had Rhino (like 14 years ago) and it did ok for 3 years then disintegrated. We have recently been buying amigos, mare made it thru last year without ruining hers (it was Amigo Bravo Deluxe) but I don’t think they are making that particular one anymore, it had a different fabric, supposedly tougher. She shredded the amigo she had before that.

I have a new boy and he is WAY bigger than my other horses so he gets his own brand new wardrobe. It would be painful to spend almost a grand on Rambo to get a sheet and neck cover, and a medium weight and neck cover (not going to do liners, the barn doesn’t appreciate it when they are blanketiing and unblanketind), but I want something really good for my boy. I LOVE the color of this years Rhino (berry plaid, my boy is a bay, I think it would look good), but then i found an amigo med plus (with neck rug) on sale for 150. How can I justify spending a hundred more for a pretty color? And not sure how well the fabric is holding up these days.

I do like that Rambo says their liner is “anti static”, we get static badly here. Would that one thing make it worth upgrading to Rambo?\

Help!!!

[badibug]

I’ve always purchased Rhinos or, more recently, the Amigos. But this time around I bought sheets and blankets from SmartPak’s Ultimate Turnout line. They come with a 10-Year Indestructible Guarantee, so… pretty excited about not having to shell out for a new blanket for 10 years despite what damage the horses might inflict! So far they fit well and horses (thoroughbreds) are comfortable.

[arabiansrock]

badibug do you find they move or slide sideways on your horse? does the 10 year guarantee include waterproofing?\

My boy has solo turnout so protecting the blanket from other horses not a problem, thats not to say he won’t bite and tug on it himself, I have only had him 6 weeks so… I have no idea how he will be on his clothing. He has kept his fly mask on which I have been happy with!

[RedHorses]

I totally feel your pain on that disintegrating Rhino! My first Rhino squeaked through four years (fall/spring) which was one year longer than anything else I’d had before. It was still waterproof, but that outer fabric was just disintegrating and wasn’t worth patching.

Great news! They appear to have fixed that issue and my younger horse is wearing my older horse’s Rhino Wug lite that has survived SEVEN years of use and is heading into year eight. He did catch it and rip a hole in it, but the outer fabric isn’t disintegrating and is still worth patching.

Younger horse has proven capable of rolling through the bonded waterproofing found on most blankets (like Amigos, Rambos, pretty much everything other than Rhinos) in less than six months. As in he managed to unbond the waterproofing from the inside of the outer fabric. I tried a Rhino on him because the waterproofing is on the separate layer and he’s got a rain sheet that’s still waterproof after three (I think) years, and he will be wearing it again this year when we reach neck rug weather.
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I did buy my older horse a new Rhino Wug lite last year because I didn’t trust the old one not to die a sudden death. He’s going to wear the new one this year because if it holds up like the previous one it is going to outlive him by a significant margin.

I have and had both Amigos and Rambos as well, but I feel I get the most bang for my buck with Rhinos.

[skipollo]

I’ve had nothing but trouble with multiple Amigos. Cheap materials, poor stitching, waterproofing is hit or miss (brand new turnout blanket wasn’t waterproof!) They’re also very narrow through the chest, like they’re marketing to people with sport horses who tend to be bigger, so why are they SO narrow…?

We’ve had a lot of luck with Rhinos. Spend the extra $ and get the nicer blankets, you will regret the Amigos.

[Texarkana]

I have Rambos and Amigo Bravos. I’d love to have all Rambos, but that is cost prohibitive for me. I’ve found the Amigo Bravos to be a passable alternative. No problems; I have about 5 Amigo Bravo blankets and sheets with the oldest being about 7 years old. I’ve been really happy using them with the Horsewear liner system, too.

[Obsidian_Fire]

I’ve been using the Amigo Bravo line, it’s worked fine for me. Waterproofing has been fine, even after washing (I use Nikwax).

I also use WeatherBeeta. I have a Rhino, not super fond of it, it seems to rub where the Amigo does not.

I also have 2 Smartpak by Rhino stable blankets that are nice, but I don’t like the way they seem to go backwards on the withers and end up pulling. Plus, they attract static like nobody’s business.

[islgrl]

In my experience, the Rambo’s last for exactly one day past their three year guarantee and then catastrophically fail. I decided not to spend $$$ to replace it so tried a Rhino and it was way too narrow and was clearly going to rub. I then bought and Amigo (all three are WUGS) and I’m very happy with it so far. We are just beginning season two with it.

[clint]

I had the waterproofing fail on Amigos as well as the fabric not be so good, so those went to my won’t buy again list. I think I have tried just about every blanket out there, including Rhinos and a Rambo, and my current fave is a Pessoa I got from Smartpak. Decent price, looks like new after a couple of years, with nary a tear or waterproofing issue.

[longlanefarm]

@arabiansrock

badibug do you find they move or slide sideways on your horse? does the 10 year guarantee include waterproofing?\

My boy has solo turnout so protecting the blanket from other horses not a problem, thats not to say he won’t bite and tug on it himself, I have only had him 6 weeks so… I have no idea how he will be on his clothing. He has kept his fly mask on which I have been happy with!

I found my SmartPak Ultimate was a very nice blanket, the guarantee worked for me when a hole was ripped on the inner lining, BUT it’s for my old QH mare and it shifts like crazy!! Could be better for TB build? I’m not sure.

[Skip_s_Rider]

I’ve had really good luck with my Rhino blankets. The first two I had lasted ~15 years. By the end, the medium weight one didn’t have a lot of loft in the fill. Those probably don’t relate to today’s blankets. In the past 6 years, I’ve purchased 4 Rhinos (heavy, medium, 2 sheets). All have held up very well with one exception. One sheet lost its waterproofing after 3 years. I re-waterproofed it this year, and it seems to be fine now. I really like the Rhino line. I bought (on sale) a heavy weight Rambo with attached neck for this year. I would have bought a Rhino if they had one with an attached neck.

[ElementFarm]

We have Amigo Bravo medium weights for all our horses (7x). I love them and would get them for the ponies too, if they had my color-of-choice in the small sizes.

We also have the smartpak sheets, and a few blankets. The 10-yr guarantee is fantastic, and we’ve used it several times for rips and lost waterproofing. They’ll also mail out replacement leg straps or chest straps if you need them. So if longevity is your priority, I think you can’t go wrong. I feel like they’re not quite as warm, but nothing a liner wouldn’t fix if you have a horse that runs cold.

[Renn_aissance]

I’ve been satisfied with the performance of my Amigo Bravo 12. It has worn the same as my Rhinos and my Rambo Originals. Amigo does run smaller in my experience (or otherwise their quality control is not as good, if others say otherwise.)

I wash them regularly in Nikwax and re-waterproof them every year with Rug Proof.

[TWH_Girl]

What about Bucas blankets? I would try them if I needed any. Which I don’t…

[Pookah]

In my experience you can’t beat Rambo. I have had them last 10+ years; the sticker shock is very painful, but in the long run I feel like they are the cheapest ones because they last so long. I have had ok luck with Rhino, but they don’t seem to stay as waterproof in long periods of rain which just doesn’t work for me as mine live out. Amigo I just don’t use for anything where I need to count on waterproofing. I have used some of the SmartPaks as well; I don’t like their blankets as much, but the sale prices are great and you really can’t beat their guarantee.

[BrookdaleBay]

My boy has an Amigo 100g rain sheet that has lasted him at least 7 years, and last year I got him an Amigo Bravo heavy weight blanket that survived a very rough turnout mate. He’s a narrow built Thoroughbred, so the fit for him was perfect.

[CanteringCarrot]

I’ve had success with the Amigo Bravo line and Rambo. I did pick up a cheap Amigo sheet (Hero maybe?) when the waterproofing in my new Weatherbeeta failed and its actually held up well and is totally Waterproof. I bought it in a pinch but I’m quite surprised by it.

I cannot get a Rhino to fit this horse as they all look like he is wearing a mini skirt. The cut on the Bravo’s works and the Rambo. I’ve bought a few used Rambo blankets and never had any issues with the waterproofing or quality. They also don’t rub.

So I prefer to own Rambo, but if I can’t splurge, I go for the Amigo Bravo.

[ryansgirl]

I hate Rambos - their waterproofing is a joke. I’ve had SIX leak over the years (all Wugs or Original with Leg Arches and all sheets/no fill, bought in different years and all made in Ireland). Thankfully I filled out the warranty cards so I could exchange them once they leaked but the new ones would just leak in a matter of time so I’d exchange those too. I even used Rambo Wash and washed as directed and then stored properly. So yup no more Rambos for my horse(s)!!

I now just double sheet my current mare if it’s going to be a heavier rain.

[Dr_Doolittle]

SO many conflicting reports is it Quality Control, or something else?

I too have had mixed success with all of the aforementioned brands.

[firefoot]

I have had a lot of success with the Amigos. Before this year, my horse lived out 24/7 and wore the Amigo Bravo sheet with the liner system and I also had an Amigo Bravo heavyweight. The sheet had the disc-front closure and I hated it, but the waterproofing and fabric held up well. I washed them in my personal washer at the end of the season, hung to dry, and packed away for the summer. The blankets were navy but faded to a weird blue-grey color from the sun. The horse was turned out in a variety of fields including one with 12 fieldmates and the blankets didn’t suffer any serious damage. One night someone undressed him but the blanket was still fine (the disc front closure made it so easy for horses to undo the velcro and then the tabs come loose and the blankets off).

Now, I have two horses and they are on a stall schedule in a barn I rent myself with a quiet group of turnout mates. I am getting them new wardrobes of Rambo blankets - original and supreme - and considering it one of the last times I buy blankets for them (they are upper teens). Amigo is totally passable, IME, but I have had great luck with Rambo and consider them the best.