Schneider's blanket sale - good bargains. But is their claim true? And how about the fit? Questions.

[Dr_Doolittle]

https://www.sstack.com/5-fit-turnout…anket-details/

They claim that their blankets are “up to 15 times more waterproof than other competitive brands.”

Hmmm.

I have had mixed results with blankets over the years (I’ve been following the thread on how long to keep blanket on?), with Rambos probably having the best results overall. I am amazed when I read of others’ experiences with waterPROOF blankets that actually keep horses dry! FTR, I have mine professionally cleaned yearly - and then re-waterproof them.

I have a heavyweight Shires that has held up remarkably well, but the WeatherBeetas, Horsewares, Rhino, Dover’s NorthWind, and what my young mare wears now, the Noble Outfitters: https://www.doversaddlery.com/noble-…m/p/X1-240121/ - have all wound up NOT keeping the horse(s) completely dry when exposed to steady rain.

Both of my mares - mother and daughter - live out with no shelter (the young mare comes in for 4-6 hours during the day), so need their protection. My older mare has a Rambo sheet with Shires over top; this seems to work for colder weather and is pretty impermeable. She fits in Rambos, thankfully!, and I have a lightweight with neck and a midweight for her.

My younger mare wears either a lightweight or midweight when it’s cold, windy, or rainy - and I would love to put a Rambo on her!, but she is not built for a Rambo. She is fairly narrow in the chest, laid back shoulder but not much wither, very long and flat in the back, and tube-shaped - not much barrel but carries her weight along the sides of her body; she’s also only 15’2", but fairly substantial. She’s a “petite WB.” Blankets tend to pull back on her and she needs gussets so she doesn’t get shoulder rubs, and she also needs leg straps!, otherwise she swims in it and it shifts around. I’ve tried the high neck design, but she has an arched neck and anything with a higher neck rubs out the lower third of her mane.:sigh:

Right now she is getting shoulder rubs from the Noble Outfitters, and it seems to be pressing a lot on her withers, such that they are. I LOVE the closures, though!, what a fantastic invention. (I’m getting a shoulder guard for her since I otherwise like the blanket, BUT - if there’s something more ideal?) I haven’t been able to check her right after she’s been wearing it in the rain, but hours afterward the blanket is still moist underneath, so I’m thinking it’s not doing its best job.

SO, for those of your who have used Schneiders, how do they hold up to rain? How is the fit? Do the various different styles and types really work for differently shaped horses?

Worth a try IF they are as good as they claim with this deep discount going on!

Any input would be appreciated, TIA

[Dr_Doolittle]

Thanks, @jawa ! I was reading that a few days ago and just saw the Scheiders ad today - going back, the OP was having issues with them for the first time!, and I hadn’t made the connection. Hmmmm. Very helpful. And disappointing. ;(

[EVneo]

I live right down the road from Schenider’s and so they’ve always been my go-to for new blankets (especially when we’ve had wild weather changes and my old blankets have gone missing or didn’t fit new horse). I’ve personally always been thrilled with them, especially given the price - I’ve always gone with the cheapie storm shield. My guy is just now starting to get shoulder rubs, and he’s pretty much has had some form of a blanket on since late October. I’ve inherited a lot of blankets and sheets (it pays to be able to repair blankets that ppl are too lazy to get repaired themselves). All my horses have rubbed to some degree in amigo, weatherbeeta, and rambo blankets. He was out in the 40 degree constant rainy drizzle grossness for 4 hours the other day, and while the outside was soaked, the lining and his back were dry. I probably could’ve left it on him, but wanted to make sure it was dry before today, which is a whopping high of 11 degrees. TLDR, for the price, SS blankets do their job. The snaps on the front also make life so much easier and they have held up to my gelding’s antics

[Simkie]

I’ve found my SSTack blankets totally workmanlike. Do I love them like I love my Rambos? No–because I really dig the v snap front on Rambos, and the tail strap. But I bought whole wardrobes of their stuff for the herd when we moved to MN, and it saw a LOT of use, and it all did what it was supposed to. No complaints. And I got 4 blankets for 4 horses (so 16 total blankets!) for about a grand all in. I bought their Euro cut and found the fit fine for my TBs.

So is it the same quality as Rambos? Nah. But IME it’s a good value for the bucks.

[cayuse]

I have used Schneider’s blankets and have had good luck with them fit wise. However, if the cut back ones do not fit perfectly, they do tend to slide back and put a lot of pressure on the back of the wither. The wither relief blankets fit my welsh pony who has pronounced withers very well. The mini blankets fit my minis better than any other blanket I have tried. As for the waterproof part, they have been good for what I have needed, but my guys usually aren’t out in really bad, wet weather.
I have also found them to be warmer than other blankets of the same weight.

[Dr_Doolittle]

Thanks, guys! Reading the other thread was a bit concerning.

I guess as long as I don’t buy their rainSHEETS?, she should stay dry underneath, at least on her topline?

We will be getting a deep freeze next week, Polar Vortex will be moving into the NE and Mid-Atlantic.

@EVneo - are there any styles that seem to be LESS likely to cause rubs? There are several styles they sell that seem to be tailored towards different body shapes, but none of them seem like the ideal for my mare’s particular odd shape (for blanket fitting, anyway!) Can’t go with any extended neck styles because of the terrible mane rub-out, but she doesn’t have a particularly wide chest so I’m a little concerned with too big a neck opening inviting in rain AND causing the blanket to pull on her shoulders and withers since everything seems to “slide back” on her.

They have different breeds mentioned - WBs and TBs (but what about witherless WBs?) should fit into the wither relief?

[Texarkana]

@Dr. Doolittle

https://www.sstack.com/5-fit-turnout…anket-details/

They claim that their blankets are “up to 15 times more waterproof than other competitive brands.”

Hahahahahahahaha! :lol:

I’ve seriously purchased Schneiders “waterproof” turnouts that were like sieves for water straight out of the box. “How did my horse get completely soaked through in 5 minutes of drizzle?” Others are fine, so obviously they have some major quality control issues.

I have a love/hate relationship with Schneiders blankets. They offer a wide variety of models, sizes, and price points, which is really fabulous. Their already fair prices are even better when they have sales and clearances. The blankets hold up well for the most part. But their quality control SUCKS. I’ve ordered quite a number of blankets from them over the years and it’s been a 50:50 shot whether there’s going to be a serious manufacturing issue. Lack of waterproofing, incorrect stitching, hardware broken or attached wrong, drastically inconsistent sizing… I feel like I’m playing roulette every time I purchase one. Will it be useable when it arrives? WHO KNOWS!

[Dr_Doolittle]

@Texarkana

Hahahahahahahaha! :lol:

I’ve seriously purchased Schneiders “waterproof” turnouts that were like sieves for water straight out of the box. “How did my horse get completely soaked through in 5 minutes of drizzle?” Others are fine, so obviously they have some major quality control issues.

I have a love/hate relationship with Schneiders blankets. They offer a wide variety of models, sizes, and price points, which is really fabulous. Their already fair prices are even better when they have sales and clearances. The blankets hold up well for the most part. But their quality control SUCKS. I’ve ordered quite a number of blankets from them over the years and it’s been a 50:50 shot whether there’s going to be a serious manufacturing issue. Lack of waterproofing, incorrect stitching, hardware broken or attached wrong, drastically inconsistent sizing… I feel like I’m playing roulette every time I purchase one. Will it be useable when it arrives? WHO KNOWS!

Damn, that’s incredibly frustrating!

:ambivalence:

[EVneo]

@Dr. Doolittle

Thanks, guys! Reading the other thread was a bit concerning.

I guess as long as I don’t buy their rainSHEETS?, she should stay dry underneath, at least on her topline?

We will be getting a deep freeze next week, Polar Vortex will be moving into the NE and Mid-Atlantic.

@EVneo - are there any styles that seem to be LESS likely to cause rubs? There are several styles they sell that seem to be tailored towards different body shapes, but none of them seem like the ideal for my mare’s particular odd shape (for blanket fitting, anyway!) Can’t go with any extended neck styles because of the terrible mane rub-out, but she doesn’t have a particularly wide chest so I’m a little concerned with too big a neck opening inviting in rain AND causing the blanket to pull on her shoulders and withers since everything seems to “slide back” on her.

They have different breeds mentioned - WBs and TBs (but what about witherless WBs?) should fit into the wither relief?

The ones I have at least, have super adjustable chest straps and then two hooks to clip across. My TB and appendix both have narrow shoulders and the appedix has the wide barrel (but no neck, unlike yours) and I’ve not had an issue with a gap in the front - I have always been able to adjust the chest enough so that it overlaps

[Dr_Doolittle]

@EVneo

The ones I have at least, have super adjustable chest straps and then two hooks to clip across. My TB and appendix both have narrow shoulders and the appedix has the wide barrel (but no neck, unlike yours) and I’ve not had an issue with a gap in the front - I have always been able to adjust the chest enough so that it overlaps

Thanks!

Of course now I have to worry about the apparent quality control issue, and their customer service…

[MsM]

And mine is in transit! :rolleyes: Best deal I found on a closed front for my horse who likes to mess with the straps and hardware in front. Also bought some Chew Stop stuff!

[Milocalwinnings]

I used to swear by Schneiders but with my new horses I was not impressed with the fit. For two of my geldings, the blankets do not fit well in front. It’s almost like they are too big or too wide and the Velcro doesn’t stay closed. Therefore, every time it rains they get soaked through the front. I ended up buying a Rambo to replace them.

With mh belgian’s blanket, the fit was great but the waterproofing was crap and after a heavy rain he was soaked underneath.

[Dr_Doolittle]

These posts are not filling me with confidence

Good luck, M&M!

[MsM]

Well, at least he is not turned out in heavy rain!

[saultgirl]

I have a few Schneiders blankets and they have held up well, and remained waterproof.

[BUSY]

“I’d turn back Dorothy”

S’s TO blankets are not up to your standards Dr.D.

[Dr_Doolittle]

@BUSY

“I’d turn back Dorothy”

S’s TO blankets are not up to your standards Dr.D.

:lol:

Good job on cutting through the BS!

:sigh: So much for my dream of a great bargain. I wish my damn mare fit into Rambos…

[ryansgirl]

I hate Schneider t/o sheets almost as much as I hate Rambos. Mine leaked in no time at all and the return policy was a joke. This was years ago so maybe things have changed though it sounds like they haven’t.

I despise Rambos as I’ve had SIX sheets soak completely through. Got tired of returning them all the time and now will never buy another (yes all were washed correctly even with Rambo Wash and also stored appropriately).

if the weather is bad enough that my horse(s) need protection then they get TWO sheets on (Weatherbeetas).

[ChestnutArabianMare]

I’ve never had a bad experience with a Schneider’s blanket. I had one that started leaking a little after 7 years of use, after being washed reannually and being rewaterproofed, but other than that they’ve held up wonderfully, especially considering the price.

[Color_of_Light]

The ones we bought are complete garbage! Did we just get a batch that somehow slipped through quality control, or what? If you need completely waterproof, don’t waste your money on these! 6 or 7 were purchased at our barn 2 years ago. Talk about throwing money down the tube! I actually made a post the first winter wondering if they were leaking or if they were accumulating condensation. NO. They were leaking! The first winter the elastic leg straps completely stretched out and the metal adjustment slider didn’t hold it’s adjustment. Had to knot the leg straps to hold the adjustment. Lining also tore.

We still use some of them on some horses for light rain sheets, but they are in no way waterproof. Every single one of them leaks! Sometimes we put them over a Rambo too keep it clean if horses are turned out to roll in sand paddocks in wet weather. Any horse in all day turn out that is wearing Rambos is always 100% dry underneath. If a horse is turned out in a Schneider’s he will always be totally wet underneath, so these “waterproof” Schneider’s sheets cannot be used for our turnout situation.

These sheets were never washed, so it’s not like they got damaged in a washer, but they look like they could have.

Cons: each completely leaks, lining is shredded, leg straps completely stretched out so have to be knotted, velcro frayed the fabric that came in contact with it, some areas of fabric fraying on each sheet, some trim is very frayed.

Pros: the chest snaps still work, the belly straps still work, the hardware is strong, the sheet doesn’t twist much on the horse and stays upright.

I will ever stray from Rambos again! I’d used Rambos for the last 17 years straight, aside from this mistake of buying Schneiders. I still have some Rambo sheets that are 15 years old that are still waterproof and do not have frayed fabric.