August 6, 2012

Blankets (in August, so sorry)



I love owning a large pony.

Total cost of blanketing Connor this winter?  $107, for a standard neck medium and an integrated neck medium/heavy.  Thank you, clearance!

I wish I could find a photo of him in his current medium: a 70” Weatherbeeta that makes him look like a little man wearing a fat man’s suit jacket.  It’s slightly too big and hangs almost past his knees; note to self: Weatherbeeta runs large.  For $14, though, I wasn’t complaining.

His new medium is a 70” TuffRider in the worst colors on a chestnut (besides red): baby blue and warm chocolate brown.  When I tried it on him, someone said, “Well, we definitely won’t lose HIM in the field this winter!”  All the kids at school are going to make fun of him, but for only $49 from LexingtonHorse.com (last one left, and in his size), I figure I can afford some pony therapy sessions to go along with the ugly blanket.

I had not planned on replacing his heavy this season, since he has an awesome Schnieder’s I bought from our assistant trainer last winter that fits him perfectly.   But then I saw another clearance steal with one left in his size: 1200D TuffRider Thermolined turnout blanket with an integrated neck for $58.  Since our guys get turned out almost without exception, unless the weather is truly extreme, blankets with necks are recommended, though not required.  As the owner of a wooly mammoth Welsh Cob, I am more indifferent to this than the Thoroughbred owners, but I have to admit that it will be nice to ride a fully dry horse in November.

I’m interested to see how the Thermolined material works out.  It’s supposed to be almost as warm as a heavy without the bulky fill, and is breathable as well as waterproof, so I can worry a little less when it’s pushing 10pm on a work night and I have no choice but to put his blanket on when he’s still a wee bit damp.   Anyone have any experience with it?

I feel like I’m becoming a TuffRider sales rep, with my Behind the Bit mention and buying these blankets.  Can’t help it, they make good stuff in my price range!

9 comments:

  1. I <3 chocolate brown on my chestnut. Haven't done much with baby blue though.

    Lucky you on finding cheap blankets! Cuna is pretty much the most common size on the planet, so sales are useless.

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  2. Cuna looks good in it too! I don't know, this isn't like a classy chocolate brown, it's like a melted, poopy chocolate brown. I need a better picture.

    What size is he? I have never blanketed anything but ponies, so I have no idea what a normal size is.

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  3. I have the TuffRider blanket you pictured above (with the neck piece) and LOVE it! :) It def keeps Henry warm and clean (ish). I have no complaints about it.

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  4. Yay! I am so glad to hear that it's good! Buying stuff online is always such a gamble and I couldn't find any reviews. How cold does your area get?

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  5. We mainly stick with Weatherbeeta ( they definitly run large, my three from 14.3 to 13.3 wear a 69) I really like the SSTack, but they are heavy. When we bought the draft cross her heavy we went with Turtle Neck and it is soo light which is really nice to put on a 16h horse. If the tuff rider is anything like that it will be great. Dottie is always warm, even in the wind. I too go for economy and deal with the color. I dread shopping for Roscoe when he is bigger never having purchased for a chestnut before.

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  6. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only pony owner that found the Weatherbeetas to run large. TuffRiders seem to run small, from what I can tell so far. You're right about the SSTack ones being heavy, I'd hate throwing those over a tall horse. I've never heard of Turtle Neck, who sells those?

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  7. Jen, we found the turtleneck at a local store, but is a site with a list of stores: http://www.turtleneckinfo.com/store/page3.htmlhere
    They run small, Dottie wears an 82 in WB and an 84 in TN. They have a stretchy neck, hence the turtle reference.

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  8. It's the right time of year to buy winter rugs! I'm off to the Dublin Horse Show next week, hoping to pick up a bargain or two :-D

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  9. Martine, you are right, but even still it is so hard to start thinking about clipping and blanketing and riding in the indoor when it's still August!

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