The care and maintenance of your horse blankets

Anyone who has made the decision to buy a horse will soon find out that there is so much to learn. A thing I had not really considered was the maintenance needed for all the equipment etc and below are some useful points I have discovered which you may like to share.
The purchase of a good quality horse blanket is important and the aftercare, because laundering equestrian blankets needs an industrial washing machine.
Your horse should be checked carefully on a daily basis to make sure that their blanket is not pulling or rubbing. If you should see any patches of broken hairs this is a sure sign.
Folding your blankets, fleeces and rugs, correctly makes them much easier and safer to put back on your horse or pony. The horse is less likely to spook if you set a folded bundle on his back, slowly unfolding it than he would if you just dumped the blanket over his back and dragged it into position. 
Fold your blanket when you take it off the horse or after cleaning in preparation for the next use. A folded blanket seems much easier to carry. 
Start with the blanket, unbuckled on the horse, or if you wish take it off and lay it on the ground.Then put the rug so the outside is facing upwards. Spread the straps out straight so that they can be folded into the blanket as you go.
Fold the back third of the blanket up towards the middle, then tuck the leg straps in folding in the tail flap.
Then fold the front third of the blanket backwards towards the folded edge. The shoulder gussets should then be straightened.
Fold the right side back up so the lower edge meets the centre seam.
Then fold the left side up so the lower edge will meet the centre, folding up the belly straps.
Put the two halves together. The bundle is then be folded together another time and packed in a bag for storage. Then just reverse the order of the folds which enables you to put the blanket back on the horse easily.
If your horse is kept outdoors a lot it will probably be good to have two outdoor rugs. An extra blanket allows you to change one blanket to allow the other one to dry.

Do not try to wash your horse blankets in your washing machine!
There are heavy duty washing machines that can be bought especially for “equestrian use”. This could very well be invaluable and if you share livery with other folk at your stables it could well be a great investment if the cost is shared.

Filed under: horse back riding • horse health

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