Does last year's blanket still fit my horse?
Where to check when a horse has muscled up or changed shape over the summer, whether turnouts and stable blankets size the same, and how to stop shoulder rubs before they start.
By The Schneiders Product Team · Updated August 12, 2026
Family owned in Chagrin Falls, Ohio since 1948. We design our own blankets, sheets, and fly gear, and we turn horses out in it.
Measure again rather than assuming. Run a tape from the centre of the chest, along the side, to the point of the rump. Then check three fit points on the horse: the shoulder should move freely when he puts his head down, you should fit a hand flat at the wither, and the tail flap should reach the top of the tail.
Horses change shape more than people expect. A summer of work, a growth year, a weight change, or a different shoeing cycle can all shift how a blanket sits. The blanket that fit in March is worth re-checking in September, before it's the only thing between your horse and a cold night.
My horse has muscled up all summer. Where exactly do I check whether last year's blankets still fit?
Then watch him move. A blanket that fits standing square can still bind at the shoulder at the walk, and that's what causes rubs.
A horse who has genuinely muscled up across the chest and shoulder often needs a different cut rather than a bigger size. Going up a size to fix a shoulder problem usually just gives you a blanket that slides back and hangs off the wither.
Should I size a turnout differently from a stable blanket, or is it the same measurement?
Cut matters more than the number. A euro or contour cut fits a deeper-shouldered horse very differently from a standard cut at the same size, which is why two blankets both marked 78 can fit nothing alike.
If you're between sizes and the horse lives out, most people size up in turnout and down in stable.
My horse rubbed his shoulders bald in blankets last winter. What should I change before I put them back on?
Look at where the hair is gone. Rubs at the point of the shoulder mean the blanket is too tight or too straight-cut through the chest. Rubs at the wither mean it's sitting down on him, usually because it's too big and has slid back.
Fixing it before the coat comes in matters, because bald patches from last winter will regrow now and be gone again by December if the same blanket goes back on.
How many blankets does one horse actually need? I have six and still feel like I'm scrambling.
Six blankets and constant scrambling almost always means the working set is really two, and the other four are the wrong size, wrong weight, or no longer waterproof.
Lay all of them out now. Test each for waterproofing, check each for fit, and be honest about which ones you actually reach for. Most people find their real rotation is two blankets and a spare.
Not every horse is a standard shape
High withers, big shoulders, ponies, drafts, and seniors all have options that fit properly instead of almost.
Specialty SizesTurnout BlanketsBlanket CareHard-to-fit horse? Send us his measurements and a photo and we'll point you at the right cut -- ask our team.