Tips for Fitting Horse Blankets or Sheets

You’ve selected a blanket or sheet for your horse, but now you’re wondering how all the buckles and straps should be fastened. Follow these steps to learn how to properly adjust the blanket to ensure his comfort. To view our entire collection of horse sheets and blankets online, click here.


Horse Blanket Prep

The best way to put a sheet or blanket on your horse is to tie or cross-tie him or have someone hold him so that his movements are limited. Fasten closures by working from the front to the back, starting at the chest closure and working toward the belly surcingles and finally the leg straps. By fastening in this order, the blanket will be more stable should your horse suddenly move. For the same reason, the best way to unfasten a blanket is to start at the back and work your way to the front.


Now You're Ready

1. Place the garment on your horse and fasten the chest closure. A well-fitting blanket allows fabric at the chest to overlap, and the fastener to be adjusted near the middle. When the chest closure is fastened appropriately, the tail seam should sit at the point where you want the clothing to end. This point corresponds to the measurement you took as described in the article How to Measure Your Horse for a Blanket.

2. If your horse’s blanket fits well, you can slide your hand under the blanket all around the neck and over the withers with your horse’s head in a grazing position and when raised. If the opening is too large, your horse could get a foot caught, and it may rub your horse’s shoulders. If the opening is too small, the blanket will pull or rub the withers, mane or points of the shoulders or tug at the base of the neck.

3. Belly surcingles should be adjusted next. Your blanket may have a belly band, two bias (angled) surcingles that should cross under the belly, or one or two straight surcingles. No matter what type you have, these straps should be adjusted so that you can slide only one flat hand between the strap and your horse’s belly. Looser straps can allow a horse’s leg to get tangled while lying down or rolling; tight straps can make the blanket rub.

4. If the blanket has a tail strap, it should be adjusted so that you have about a hand’s width between the strap and the horse.

5. If the blanket has leg straps, pass the left strap through the horse’s hind legs and clip it to the d-ring on the left side of the blanket. Cross the right leg strap through the left leg strap and clip it to the d-ring on the right side. These straps should be adjusted so that you can fit only one hand’s width between the strap and the inside of the horse’s leg. If they are too long and hang down to the horse’s hocks, then a leg can become entangled. If the straps are too short, they may inhibit movement and chafe the tender insides of the gaskin or groin area.

6. With fastenings done, stand back and look at the overall effect of the clothing on your horse. The shoulders of the blanket should not be stretched or tight over your horse’s shoulders, yet the blanket should not appear to sag or look too large either. The hem should not hang at or below the horse’s knees.


Related Topics:
How to Measure Your Horse for a Blanket
About Blanketing and Horse Clothing
How and Why to Use an Exercise Rug or a Quarter Rug
How to Body Clip a Horse

How to Measure Your Horse for a Blanket

For your horse's comfort, any sheet or horse blanket he wears must fit him appropriately. You can measure your horse to determine the overall size you want, and then choose from a variety of cuts and manufacturers to find the optimal fit. To view our entire selection of horse blankets and sheets online, click here.



This picture above, shows how a manufacturer determines a blanket or sheet sizing. The horse blanket is placed flat out with all fastenings undone and the fabric spread smooth. If the blanket has gussets or darts, they should be spread flat too. A soft fabric tape measure with inch measurements runs from front binding to back binding, and it sits at the base of the neck opening.


Follow these steps to determine the size blanket or sheet your horse needs:

1. Decide where you want the sheet or blanket to end. Some people prefer the tail portion to be long enough to form a “tent” over the top of the horse’s tail, especially for turnout coverings. Others prefer to have horse sheets and blankets stop just short of the tail.

2. Stand your horse squarely on level ground.

3. Measure from the center of your horse’s chest (where the base of the neck meets the chest) over the point of his shoulder, to the point at which you want the sheet or blanket to end. A soft fabric tape measure with inch increments works well for this. The diagram provided here shows that the horse’s tail will be covered by the blanket, because the tape measure is stretched to the center of the tail (dock).



4. The inches measurement translates to the blanket size you should try on your horse.


Putting On and Removing Horse Clothing:

• Work from front to rear as you fasten closures of a blanket: chest closures, then surcingles and finally the leg or tail straps. Doing so makes the blanket more stable should your horse suddenly move, and almost ensures that you won’t forget a strap.
  
  
• Likewise, work from the rear to the front when you’re removing the item.

Related Articles:
Tips for Fitting Horse Blankets or Sheets
About Blanketing and Horse Clothing
How and Why to Use an Exercise Rug or a Quarter Rug
About Horse Body Clipping