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In
England and in Europe the most popular size blanket is a 75", in
North America the most popular size is 78". The typical horse is
the same size, however, the Canadians and Americans tend to fit blankets
larger than do the Horsemen and Horsewomen of Europe and England.
A heavier built horse
such as a quarter horse 15hh may need a 75". A 16hh sport horse with
a long back, might need an 78" blanket. A Thoroughbred at 16h1"
may take a 75". Measuring properly can make a big difference to the
comfort for the horse, how much rubbing occurs at the point of the shoulder,
as well as how long the blanket lasts.
To measure a horse for
a blanket, start at the center of the chest and measure around the side
of the horse to where you would like the blanket to end(There is a groove
in the rump at the edge of the muscles that is a good mark to measure
to for accuracy). This would usually be about 4" to 6" less
than if you measured to the center of the tail.
QUICK MEASURE - back horse up against
a wall and measure from the centre of the chest, around the side straight
to the wall. This will give the correct measurement for a Weatherbeeta
blanket.
For example an 80" blanket,
if you laid it out on the floor should measure 80" plus any overlap
that the manufacturer has designed into the blanket. Continental Equestrian
blankets allow for about 1" of overlap at the front and are sized
to fit if you round up to the next size. Weatherbeeta and Masta
blankets usually have more than 3" of overlap, and when choosing
a size usually round down to the next size. Treadstone, Silverline
and Shedrow blankets are sized to fit if you round up to the next
size.
A blanket fitted properly should
have the tail flap seam at the top of the dock. If the blanket comes much
below this point, there is more weight on the tail, making it more difficult
for the horse to lift the tail and, therefore, you will get more manure
on the tail flap. The extra length at the back will also pull the blanket
back, putting more pressure on the points of the shoulder, causing rubbing
that removes hair. The blanket should sit with its weight on the top of
the horse so that it does not pull on the extremities.
On a young horse that has not finished growing the front straps can be
moved to overlap more so as to allow for the fact that more growth will
occur in the chest and shoulder than in the rest of the horse. (This is
best done when the blanket is new, so that the blanket does not have to
be cleaned to do the alterations.) Once the horse has grown you can move
the straps back to the normal position.
In general if a blanket is
too large it will rub the hair from the points of the horse's shoulder
( the breast ) and often cut into the withers making the horse uncomfortable
and leaving a dent in the hair at the withers. A blanket that is too large
will often slip down over the point of the horse's shoulder and when the
horse runs around he will break the chest straps. Too small a blanket
will leave some of the rear end hanging out against the tail flap and
when the horse puts his head down there will be too much strain on the
chest straps. The Weatherbeeta ARION, ORICAN and TAKA blankets
have double adjustable front straps with two "D"s for a greater
range of adjustment. This adjustability is better for young horses and
Warmblood crosses.
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