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:

The Three Point Horse Blanket Measurement Guide
The Three Point Horse Blanket Measurement Guide

 

 

BLANKET FITTING 1

A nicely fitted horse blanket

BLANKET FITTING 2

 

Illustration of the gusset or pleat, which should be closed, when measuring the overall dimensions.