Is it still worth buying the new Rambo and Rhino blankets from Horseware Ireland? Preference to one or the other? I know people rave about the older ones but wasn’t sure what people’s experience had been buying new over the last year or so. If they were still worth the investment. Thanks!
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I’ve heard tell of waterproofing issues with Rambo, but I like my Rhino I bought two years ago. Still holding up. I don’t think anything will last 10 years anymore 
If I can piggyback - anyone notice a difference in fit between the original and the V chest closures? I’ve heard some people need to size up when switching to the V close in the same series.
We have several new-ish Rambos (within the last 3-4 years) and are very happy with how they’ve held up. They’re all the V-snap closures on the front and they seem to run true to size with no tightness/rubbing issues.
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I believe they fixed the waterproofing issue. I had one dud and called them. They asked to see the tag details and sent me a brand new one, which is perfect as well as the rest of my Rambos.
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I’m still a fan. My most recent ones were purchased last year - I got a couple Rambo 100grams, an Amigo medium, and an Amigo sheet. Oh, and two Amigo 100 grams as well. (I got a new horse!) I really like Rhinos and they would actually be my top choice if they came with the second Velcro piece at the neck and three surcingles, but I digress. All held up just fine over the season. So far this year I’ve used the sheets and 100 grams and they are doing well.
@fivestrideline I definitely think the different front closures fit differently around the shoulders. One of my mares can only wear the v front. Anything else and they rub her shoulders. I don’t think you need to change sizing though. My other mare has both styles and she’s a 75 in both.
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For the price, I hope so!
Rhino comes with 3 surcingles! Or at least the vari-layers do (that’s the model I always buy).
My 5yo fits well into the 78" Amigo original closure sheet I bought - it’s the only cut that hasn’t choked him between SmartPak, Chick’s, and Weatherbeeta - though there’a no room for him to bulk up. I bought an 81" Rhino V-closure hoping it won’t be too tight on the neck, have room to add a liner, and not be so huge it’s unusable. He’s not big enough for the Amigo XL - it’s all wither to chest issues.
FWIW, my 12yo beefcake only wears Rhino V-close, though he’s fat enough I could probably bump him up a size 
Also, sorry for the minor de-rail OP, but maybe it’s all relevant?
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My 3 year old Rhino plus has the V snaps chest and three surcingles. I was really annoyed when it arrived and had the velcro neck attachment instead of the rings like all my other Rhinos.
It fit the same around the neck as my Rhino original. I do find the Wug with V snaps chest necks a bit snugger than the regular cut
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I bought a batch of non waterproofed turnouts last year but all was made right by Rambo. My replacements and the Optimo I bought this year are all good. Rambo is one of my addictions.
I’ve tried other brands but nothing is the quality and fit of a Rambo. I love the Wug so much. Love that fit.
And the Optimo too.
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I have bought a couple of Rhinos in the last 2 years to replace 12 to 15 year old Rambo Supremes that were really failing. The Rhinos have been great and are not as heavy as the old Rambos. They have the V front closures and 3 surcingles. The 100g Wug is going to go, though, because the neck opening is much too tight. Luckily they now have a 100g regular.
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I think the front fit is all true to size for the neck so long as you don’t go with the Wug style. But the Amigo V front fits a little smaller front to back than my Rhinos or Rambo. I need to get another blanket this year as a few of my Rambos from the same vintage have not held their waterproofing even only washing with blanket wash, and haven’t been saved with spray on or Nikwax treatments. Normally here they aren’t out much when it’s actively precipitating mostly due to footing safety and lack of shelters in day turnouts, but I’m planning a trip south where it is for sure going to be wet. My last Rambo purchase was great and I do hope they have fixed that issue. For my larger horse, Rambo fits him the best; otherwise he’s almost in between sizes now.
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Blanket cleaner here, so I see a LOT of blankets 
The new Rambo’s are great blankets but they do cost a lot of $$$. If possible, don’t get them in black; for some reason the black stains and fades way faster than the other colors. I just had one come in that was only a few years old and it was almost white in some places from the fading. Almost all of the black ones get stained just from normal horse use. The green color seems to hold up really well though.
The rhinos are also great but do know that the liner material in them rips easier than the amigo and Rambo lines. I don’t know why; maybe the shape of the blanket. If I get one in without at least a few tears in the liner I’m shocked. Luckily it’s usually a really easy fix.
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Longtime Rambo fan here. I have been unhappy with the recent Rambos I have purchased, specifically Duo blankets now made in Cambodia rather than Ireland (which happened after Horseware sold out to private equity in 2021). They changed the design somewhat, with a much longer tail flap that drives me insane as my cleanest pony poops all over himself now because of it. The hardware is lighter weight and the square rings you have to slip straps through (like the velcro at the front or the inner dees for liners) have a thinner opening that makes it very fiddly to get lined up just right to work. The stitch work is not as well done as the old ones, with things not lining up as well as they used to (like the velcro for the neck rugs) and binding that is already coming loose after little use. The velcro is also not as good as it used to be - I used to struggle to pull those apart where the neck attaches, but on the new ones, they are easy to pull apart so when they get hay and hair in them, which is inevitable, they don’t hold very well. Just annoying stuff that irritates me as I loved the old blankets and wish they’d not changed them.
I’ve moved over to buying Rhino instead as (so far) they haven’t screwed up the tail flap and they seem a much better deal to me for the money now. Same 3 year warranty, and fit much like my old Rambos. I don’t plan to buy any more Rambos unless I stumble on a hidden backstock of the good old made in Ireland ones.
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which is very frustrating as the velcro hangs on the ring putting them on and off, really a pain
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Interesting. I have 3 new Rambo turnouts as of this year and they’re fine. A navy 100g, a green 0g and a red 200g wug. The last ones I purchased were back in 2019ish, and I purchased quite a few before then. They’ve not been made in Ireland since well before 2021, IIRC.
I can’t use the Rhino blankets because they fit like mini skirts on mine. Unless that’s changed very recently.
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The last “good” one I purchased was in 2020 and definitely made in Ireland (but of course I don’t know exactly when). That was a Duo. Then I bought more in 2022 and 2023 and those were the Cambodia ones.
I’ll have to compare the Rhino 100 I just got to my prior Duos as I haven’t noticed the drop nor length being significantly different. I was just happy when I pulled it out and it didn’t have a 2’ long tail flap.
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Rambo blankets were being made on China since 2015 (possibly earlier, but 2015 for sure). Not all of them though. So I guess some were made in Ireland and some in other places. Not sure if it was model/weight/color based.
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Rambo Optimos were made in China. Rhino/Amigo = China. But the Rambo Duos (outer turnout part) were Ireland until quite recently. I don’t buy Original or Wug turnouts anymore but the last one I got was 2020 and made in Ireland. Stuff like liners and coolers have been made in China for a while, yep. But it is neither here nor there as the original question here was about the new Rambo and Rhinos - and my opinion is that the higher cost of Rambo relative to Rhino is no longer justified as the quality is no longer that much different. So I’ll buy Rhino for now, then when they get screwed up by cost cutting, etc. I’ll move on, although I don’t know to what!
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Ok.
Are the Rhino’s running the same cut wise/fit wise? They weren’t years ago when I tried one, but I’d be open to the Rhino’s again if they’re fitting the same as Rambo.
I recently compared my Rhino and Amigo V-close vari-layer mediums (with the detachable neck). They were nearly identical in length and drop, but the top of the Rhino (along the spine) was shaped slightly differently and hangs better on the horse.
FWIW I also have an Amigo sheet - the inexpensive 900D one (not Mio) - and the drop is WAY longer than the blankets. It only has front leg arches and overall is cut differently.
No clue on Rambo, sadly.
I noticed that too with the sheet. I bought one in a pinch when it was all a local place had in stock. For the price, its held up nicely.
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