The colder weather is creeping up on us, and it is once again time to turn your attention to blanketing your horses, if necessary. Here is a quick Buyer’s Guide to correctly fitting a blanket on your horse to ensure that it doesn’t shift and will fit him/her comfortably.
HORSE HEIGHT | US BLANKET SIZE | EUROPEAN BLANKET SIZE | CENTIMETERS |
11.2hh | 54″ | 4ft 6ins | 137cms |
11.2hh – 12.2hh | 57″ | 4ft 9ins | 145cms |
12.3hh – 13.2hh | 60″ | 5ft 0ins | 152cms |
13.33hh – 14.0hh | 63″ | 5ft 3ins | 160cms |
14.01hh – 14.2hh | 66″ | 5ft 6ins | 168cms |
14.3hh – 15.2hh | 69″ – 72″ | 6ft – 6ft 3ins | 183cms – 190cms |
15.3hh – 16.1hh | 75″ – 78″ | 6ft 3ins – 6ft 6ins | 190cms – 198cms |
16.2hh – 16.3hh | 78″ – 81″ | 6ft 6ins – 6ft 9ins | 198cms – 206cms |
17.0hh – 17.1hh | 81″ – 84″ | 6ft 9ins – 7ft 0ins | 206cms – 213cms |
17.2hh
|
87″
|
7ft 3ins
|
220cms |
How To Measure Your Horse For His/Her Blanket
1 Measure from the center of the chest, about level with the point of the shoulder and take the measure in a straight line across the length of the horse and decide exactly where you prefer to have the blanket fitted to. (Horizontal measurement). Some people prefer that the blanket ends at the top of the dock, some like a few inches longer to cover the base of the tail, especially if the blanket does not have a tail flap. However, bear in mind that the darts must sit in the correct places on the hindquarters, or the blanket will slip.
2 Measure down from the spine, across the ribs to about 4 inches below the elbow. (Vertical measurement). Some blankets are made deeper than others, and you need to cover the whole of the horse’s ‘barrel’, but not have it so long that it may impeded his/her movement.
3 Neck opening: measure from in front of the withers, along the shoulder blade, to the middle of the chest. It is very important that the neck opening fits across the chest, neither too low where it can impede front leg movement, nor too high, where it can restrict breathing and be very uncomfortable.
Measuring the Blanket
First of all, lay it on the ground, or a large table and ensure it is smooth and flat. Ensure that all pleats and gussets are closed, as these enable free movement for the horse. Measure it as per the diagram below:
A nicely fitted horse blanket
Illustration of the gusset or pleat, which should be closed, when measuring the overall dimensions.