Blanketing 101 - Denier and Fill

Horse blanketing 101 – denier and fill

Welcome to horse blanketing 101. Your horse’s need for blankets is determined by the weather (temperature and precipitation), coat, and living conditions (in or out, or both). You should also factor in your horse’s comfort level – is he a hard keeper that needs help staying warm? Or does your horse have a coat that is healing from something and can’t get wet? Blankets can help. Just like clipping, blankets are used for comfort and health.

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Basic horse blanketing guidelines:

If your horse is outside and needs a blanket it better be waterproof. Maybe you can tell I don’t always trust the weather forecast?

The temperature – and sun, shelter, and precipitation will tell you what blanket to use.

Your horse’s blanket should be waterproof if he goes outside wearing it. Look for beading water and check the lining after rain.

Your horse probably will need something totally different than his horsey friends.

Layering blankets is better than using one truly heavy beast of a blanket.

Make sure your gussets up front allow for TONS of shoulder room. This will vary with the blanket manufacturer and your horse’s conformation. Think about trying to snuggle up to sleep and then getting up without much upper body freedom. You can learn more about blanket fit here.

I really like the blankets that go up the neck. They apply less pressure to the withers and won’t rub the mane as much.

If you live in an area with a truly brutal winter, consider a belly cover, neck cover, and I have even seen face and ear covers.

Learn about denier and filling. just kidding – I’ll explain it below!

When shopping for a horse blanket – consider the denier and the filling.

Denier is the unit of measure for textiles that describes how strong fabric is. Blankets usually range from 200 to 2100. The higher the denier, the more windproof, waterproof, and stronger the outer layer of fabric is.

Filling describes just that – the fluffy insulation inside the blanket. Measured in grams, blankets are either unfilled (like a sheet or rain sheet with a lining but not filled) or filled between 100 and 400 grams. Your local climate and horse’s coat will determine the fill needed.

Measure your horse for a blanket

Well, grab a friend and your horse, along with a measuring tape. Measure from the center of the chest to the center of the tail, going around the “fattest” parts of the barrel and the shoulders.

Round up to the nearest even number, and that’s your blanket size. Know that manufacturers will vary a bit. Also- if you are buying a medium weight, and suspect you will need to layer to fit things under it.

If you live in an area with many hunters, opt for a bright color blanket. You know, one that doesn’t look like a deer.

For details on washing your blankets without a machine, this article’s for you.

For washing a blanket WITH a washer, read this.

For waterproofing tips, this article is IT.

Measure your horse for a blanket

Horse blanket shopping tips

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This list has blanket care products AND lots of blanket styles.