Okay, more turnout rug questions; what think we of Schneiders?

[pony_baloney]

In the past I found that the fit of their t/o sheets were too large for my size 66" Arab. Neck opening too large, belly straps too long, and hanging to his knees. After reading the so-so reviews of the SmartPak Ultimate turnout sheet, I’m checking out Schneiders. My new pony is size 63"ish, and they don’t have anything that small that looks durable enough. His Amigo 1200D sheet barely lasted one season; he’s wearing it now with three large holes in it.

Ponies are little instigators—why don’t they make tougher sheets for them?? I may have to get the SP Ultimate with the guarantee and be prepared to send it back for a replacement.

Schneiders offers so many styles and fits, just nothing I can use.

[JB]

There are lots of good pony blankets
Pony Blankets (justforponies.com)
Mini Horse Blankets & Pony Blankets - MiniTack.com

[Shagyas_Rock]

You’re right - and speaking of that. . . what’s up with those “leg arches” on the Horseware blankets?
It does not seem to me that they do diddly squat for providing more freedom of movement. All they do is create a gap in the blanket to let cold air in. But I’ll bet those leg arches means less fabric used and a savings for the Horseware manufacturing process.

[JB]

@Shagyas_Rock

what’s up with those “leg arches” on the Horseware blankets?

I haven’t entirely figured out! I’m guessing it leaves more room for the leg to move which means less movement of the blanket on the shoulders, but that doesn’t do a thing for the point of the shoulder moving.

[lenapesadie]

Any thoughts on this model

ARMORFlex® Challenger VTEK® Senior Horse Turnout Blankets | Schneiders Saddlery

My old guy needs binkies. He’s got prominent withers. Fit issues for him include neck openings being too small and things being tight across the shoulders (it seems to me his prominent withers are playing into those fit issues). He’s also very sensitive. The padding in this over the bony areas seems like a super feature for him.

My budget is about 200 and I’m torn between this model and a Rhino Wug.

Any thoughts appreciated!

[JB]

I can’t speak to their Senior fit models, as they’re fairly new. I CAN tell you that while the VFree models did well for my shark-finned OTTB mare, the high neck Nordlund has done even better, And given that this Senior fit is a quasi high neck, it may do well. The actual high neck is just a different shape.

[lenapesadie]

The more I look at the blankets the more I’m leaning to getting the Schneider. The shoulder gussets and adjustable neck feature look like good matches for this horse. I think the Rhino might be too narrow for him.

Thanks for pointing out the high ish neck. It just looked unusual to me and tbh I was counting ‘not a high neck” against the blanket.

[Shagyas_Rock]

Exactly . . . . since the horse’s leg moves forward and back - and not out to the side. . . . I couldn’t figure
out the benefit and sort of put it down to a marketing strategy.

I have always thought Rambos were over priced for what you got, The blanket industry did catch up. Schneiders sells blankets made of ballistic nylon - which can last as long as anything else made of
ballisitic nylon. My Dover Saddlery catalog did reveal that Horsewear did ramp up its blanket denier to 1680 whereas before it was only 1000 - but Schneider got there first.

[Spudsmyguy]

I’ve got three of them and they are holding up extremely well. I never had a problem with shoulder rubbing and the horses seem very comfortable wearing them. Good prices too.

[sportyspicepony]

I hate to be the negative nancy but I am not a fan of my Schneiders blanket at all. I bought the ArmorFlex Challenger V-Free, which according to the little online quiz was supposedly best for a flat backed quarter horse, but it doesn’t fit my horse well at all and looks like a mini skirt on her with way too wide of a neck. She basically gets wet in her entire front half if it’s raining with it on because the front area offers no protection, but I don’t think I’d be able to size up or down because that would make it either too tight or even more wide in the neck. It has the adjustable neck straps but they don’t really help!

Also, it ripped after being used like 4 times, and my horse does NOT play in the pasture, she is a lazy and chill girl. As a part of my “warranty”, they sent me a very low quality patch kit that was basically tape to put over the hole, so I had to pay someone else to patch it up for me with an actual sewed on patch. I will probably be looking for another medium blanket for her this year!

Edited to add this pic to show how low the neck is and how wet she was during a crazy rain storm last winter. She was also being kept out of the run in shed by her mean pasture mate, she lives with different horses now but I was kinda disappointed at the fit! This is with the neck strap tightened almost all the way (the red).

[Dr_Doolittle]

Sooo, I can weigh in with my experiences, having used the sheet (with neck) last week when we got INCHES of rain within a 36 hour period.

The sheet kept her pretty much completely dry (in the body), and she was clean underneath; but the fit of the sheet was such that I had to snug everything to its tightest setting - and there was still some “play” in the chest. IMO, it runs large in the front, bigtime!

Because it has an attached neck, it kept her dry anyway with only a bit of moisture sneaking in around the bottom of the neck piece - and she managed to get the top of her neck muddy (but she always manages this )

She is not a “petite” horse (she is relatively wide through the barrel and has a long neck AND back - would never have fit a smaller size for that reason), but she doesn’t have a huge chest and shoulder; her dam (who I bought this sheet for) is broader through the chest so it will probably fit her better. The velcro on the neck could be grippier! It looks like with some use, it may lose its “stick.”

The coverage otherwise was good; the sheet has nice long sides and a generous tail flap, and I liked the shoulder gussets - lots of freedom for movement (maybe a little too much in my mare’s case!), but it seemed to stay put, so…) It will be interesting to check the fit on my other mare. She lives out, so the waterproofing will be put to the test!

I give it a thumbs up with the caveat: “runs large through the shoulders.”

[JB]

I wouldn’t use how any of their models fit (or don’t) as a reason to love or hate them. The are definitely not going to fit every horse, even if sized properly, and the same can be said about every single make and model blanket out there.

Ripping is one thing. But also, since it’s not really a regular occurrence, we have to remember that sometimes materials provided just aren’t up to standards - it happens.

I’ve ignored their suggestions on what “should” fit my horses, and gone with my experiences with some other styles in different brands, and chosen what I think would fit, and haven’t been disappointed.

I’ve never seen anything on their site about blankets for “flat backed” horses. It’s all about the wither height, shoulder slope, and chest width

Based on what I see if your girl, I would have chosen a high neck model

[sportyspicepony]

@JB

I’ve never seen anything on their site about blankets for “flat backed” horses. It’s all about the wither height, shoulder slope, and chest width

Sorry yes I wrote that wrong. They say “Best for lower withers and sloped shoulders” about the V-free wither relief blanket that I got, and they specifically mention Quarter Horses in the more detailed description of it on this page: https://www.sstack.com/resource/schneiders-learning-center-which-blanket-fit-is-right-for-my-horse/R0056/

The main reason I went with Schneider’s is because I was having trouble finding a blanket that fit, and their website kinda promises that this special cut is designed to fit my type of horse. I went to them for those specific fit options so that’s why I followed their suggestion for which blanket to choose. But it’s true that you never really know how something is going to fit your horse until you try it! Just wanted to point this out for anyone else who might be following the same logic.

[JB]

Yep, that type of fit doesn’t really seem to fit that laid back shoulder and lower withers, I’m really not sure why they have that there. It just all seems to move back and bind the neck and shoulders

[Red_Barn]

@sportyspicepony

The main reason I went with Schneider’s is because I was having trouble finding a blanket that fit, and their website kinda promises that this special cut is designed to fit my type of horse. I went to them for those specific fit options so that’s why I followed their suggestion for which blanket to choose. But it’s true that you never really know how something is going to fit your horse until you try it! Just wanted to point this out for anyone else who might be following the same logic.

I guess “every horse is different,” as people love to point out.

I’ve always felt that SS fit stock type horses very well, and, in fact, I think that’s what they’re famous for. They do seem quite generous in the neck and shoulder area, though, so a shopper might want to think about that, rather than about breed per se.

[Tee]

I would like to add for those that use neck covers. I’ve always used the Schneider’s Dura Tech neck covers for my boys - less expensive (by far) than the Challenger covers that would go with my blankets. Found the Challenger ones on a sale last year and used them today - they are SO much better. Better fit, better coverage, and I don’t feel they’ll flip up and get that wet band on the neck when the cover does flip up in the (non-stop) wind and rain so far this year.

[SLStar]

I have this blanket in both the no fill (sheet) and medium (~250 g) weights. It also sounds like my horse was having similar sit issues to yours - and mine would get body sore due to the pressure on his shoulders and withers.

I got mine last year and I really like them so far. My only qualm is the neck height. It’s not really a “wug” height, and it has rings for a neck blanket, but when I attached the neck blanket to said rings it extended past my horse’s ears (nearly to his forehead). I improvised by clipping the neck cover on to the metal bit for the shoulder adjustment Velcro, which seems to work.

[stb]

Blankets are hard. My QH is one who gets sore shoulders from a too large neck. The Schneider’s did not work for him - even with the adjustable neck feature. The Rhino Wugs, however, fit him perfectly.

I also think it is hard to know if a blanket fits at first glance. Even trotting around in hand doesn’t really give the same feedback as watching a horse wear a blanket during turnout and over several hours. Which is a problem, obviously. This is why I have decided to just cough up the money for the Wugs, as I know they fit comfortably.

[lenapesadie]

Thanks for sharing!

I don’t use neck covers (FL) but do appreciate a bit of extra coverage.

Horse in question seems very sensitive to pressure over his withers and shoulders.

I have a high neck Weatherbeeta 200 gram (outgrown by my younger horse) that I put on the old guy last night. I don’t care for the way it fits on him as well as the Weatherbeeta rain sheet w regular neck (also outgrow by younger horse). However the high neck doesn’t have shoulder gussets and the rain sheet does. I have a “store brand” 200 gram turnout w shoulder gussets and regular neck (also outgrown by younger horse) that fits him better than the high neck.

All that to say, I’m not keen on buying anything for this old horse that doesn’t have good shoulder gussets.

I have a 100 gram Weatherbeeta (regular neck w shoulder gussets) that fits my Friesian cross well enough. The other Weatherbeetas he’s had fit him reasonably well too. I’m including this info in case someone is looking for less expensive options. Please note that due to my location, leaving blankets on for more than 12 hours never really happens. I imagine minor fit issue would be a bigger problem if horses needed to wear said blankets for days on end. I believe all my WB blankets were closer to the $100 price point than the $200 price point.

[lenapesadie]

Blanket fitting is tricky. I think the Rhino Wug is more suitable for my younger horse that is more narrow in the chest and as he doesn’t have a sheet that fits him I’ll be ordering one to try on him.

TBH I have a bunch of WB blankets as since they worked I was hesitant to try something new, but they aren’t perfect so I’m committed to try other brands.

The price point is very similar between the Rhino Wug and the Schneider model I’m looking at. I’ll try one of each for the two different horses and see what’s what.

I think Smartpak’s convenient return policy maybe a real draw. I don’t see a similar free shipping return on the Schneider site or Adam’s (where I’ve been shopping the Rhino Wugs).