| A horse blanket is for protecting your horse from | | | | "fly sheet". Usually they are made of nylon or |
| the elements. | | | | strong syntheticfiber with the capacity to |
| To keep your horse warm, protected from the | | | | "breathe" so that your horse canremain cool. |
| rain, wind, heatand sun. They are tailored to fit | | | | If your horse is given a full body clip, or even a |
| around your horse's body withstraps crossing | | | | partial clip,it is recommended a blanket be kept on |
| underneath, allowing your horse to move | | | | at all times if theweather is cool because your |
| aboutfreely without dislodging the blanket. | | | | horse no longer has the naturalinsulation of a |
| The traditional horse blanket is a woven blanket, | | | | longer hair coat. If a blanket is put on yourhorse |
| usually madeof wool. Modern blankets are much | | | | at the beginning of winter in order to suppress |
| warmer and resistant toweather than traditional | | | | the growthof a winter coat, or if your horse is |
| wool blankets, using inner and outershells with an | | | | kept clipped in coldweather, the blanket must stay |
| insulating fiber between. Outer shells areusually | | | | on until warmer weather arrives. |
| made of synthetics which are water repellent | | | | If your horse is subjected to cold weather |
| andwindproof, while the inner lining is smoother | | | | without either ahorse blanket or a natural hair |
| than wool soit won't chafe against your horse's | | | | coat to keep it warm, it is farmore vulnerable to |
| skin. The filling betweenthem provides warmth | | | | sickness and ill health. |
| with much less bulk than older blankets. | | | | It is important to choose a blanket that is |
| This means the overall blanket is light enough not | | | | appropriate to howmuch extra protection from |
| to flattenyour horse's coat, and is more durable | | | | the weather that your horse genuinelyneeds. |
| than their wool or cottonpredecessors. | | | | Make sure that the blanket fits your horse |
| Another type of horse blanket, the Cooler blanket | | | | properly, regardlessof the blanket type. A blanket |
| is a squareblanket with ties that is draped over | | | | that is too tight will irritatethe skin and put your |
| your horse if it is hotand sweaty after a workout, | | | | horse at risk of developing abrasions andsores, |
| or has just been bathed and is wetall over. It is | | | | while a blanket that is too large can slip down |
| kept on while your horse is being cooled down | | | | underyour horse's belly. Not only will that result in |
| asit allows enough air circulation for your horse to | | | | the loss ofalmost all the blanket's insulating ability, |
| dry, andprevents chills and drafts. | | | | if your horse getsits legs tangled in the blanket's |
| Horse blankets are sometimes used to keep your | | | | straps, it can be seriouslyinjured. Putting the |
| horse's hairshort. Blankets also protect horses | | | | blanket on properly also helps to ensurea good fit. |
| that are kept with a shortcoat for show | | | | It is best for each horse to have its own blanket. |
| purposes. | | | | Sharingblankets can lead to the spread of skin |
| In summer a lightweight blanket may be used to | | | | problems such as girthitch, ringworm, and other |
| help your horseward off flies and to prevent the | | | | fungal infections. Even if no horsesin the stable |
| hair coat from bleaching out. | | | | have known skin problems, fungal spores can |
| These blankets are usually referred to as a | | | | clingto the blankets and be spread to other |
| "sheet" or a | | | | horses. |