Keep Your Blankets in Top Shape - Horse Blanket Tags, Leg Straps, and Wash
Taking care of your horse blankets and ensuring they don’t get lost or damaged can help keep your blankets lasting longer. There are easy ways to care for or repair your expensive blankets without needing to replace the entire blanket.
Washing and Caring for Your Blankets
Properly washing your horse blankets with specially formulated horse blanket wash will help protect the waterproofing capabilities of your blankets. Regular laundry detergent can strip away the waterproofing properties, clog up the breathability aspects, and leave fragrance and chemicals on the material that may aggravate your horse’s sensitive skin. Horse blanket wash is designed to remove dirt, mud, manure, and urine without stripping away the waterproof layer. They even help improve the breathability of your turnout blankets as they wash away organic debris and stains. If you have an especially stinky horse blanket, using an odor eliminator is a great way to neutralize odors, even as strong as a skunk, from your blankets, saddle pads, wraps, jackets, and even dog beds or other washable items! You should always wash your horse blankets with cool or warm water, never hot, and hang them to drip dry. High heat in clothes dryers for long periods can cause them to shrink or damage the innovative materials.
If your blankets have been heavily used or start losing their waterproofness, you can re-waterproof your horse blankets with wash-in or spray-on products for horse blankets that make it very easy and affordable to make your turnouts fully waterproof again.
Identifying Blanket Tags
There is nothing worse than having a barn with multiple matching blankets and you or the barn staff trying to figure out whose blanket is whose. Using blanket tags is a great way to assign a blanket to a certain horse, use your name, or even differentiate which blankets you would like used based on the temperature outside. You can use nylon ID tags with embroidery, or with plastic or brass tags that can be connected with a key-ring or small snap. Horse blanket tags can make barn chores easier and those that are tasked with changing blankets every day will appreciate the convenience!
Blanket Straps, Leg Straps, and Repairs
If your horse breaks or loses a blanket strap or blanket leg strap, have a few extra spares on hand is a great way to have those straps and blanket accessories when you need them. Horse blanket straps and leg straps help hold blankets in place keeping them from twisting and turning when your horse rolls, plays, or runs around. You can buy sets of horse hood and neck cover replacement straps and clips, bellyband extenders, surcingles, and various sizes of detachable elastic leg straps. Blanket Repair Tape is another must-have item in your blanket tool kit for those unexpected rips and tears on your horse blankets. You can quickly and easily repair your horse blankets without the need to sew anything! Just simply iron-on to patch tears on either the waterproof outer shell or the inner lining of both your turnout blankets and stable blankets.
Frequently Asked Questions About Blanket Wash, Leg Straps, and Tags
How do you care for a horse blanket?
Knowing the best way to care for and wash horse blankets not only saves you money but can prolong the life, quality, and waterproofness of your horse turnout blankets! Horse blankets get pretty dirty so it can be tempting to clean them with regular detergent, but properly caring for horse blankets is important for maintaining their structure and any waterproofing features in the fabric. Read more about How to Care for Your Horse’s Blanket.
How often should you waterproof a horse blanket?
If your blanket is losing the waterproofing capabilities, you can use a re-waterproofing product designed for horse blankets to re-activate the waterproof layer. It is recommended to do this every year or two on turnout blankets that are used often, especially if you wash them frequently. Some re-waterproofing products are sprayed on and should be air-dried, some you add to the rinse cycle during a wash, and others are sprayed on and then the blanket needs to go into a dryer for a short period.
Does washing horse blankets remove waterproofing?
If you wash a horse blanket with a detergent designed specifically for washing horse blankets while following directions on the bottles, it will not remove the waterproofing on your waterproof turnout blankets. You should never use regular laundry detergents, fabric softeners, or other additives when washing turnout blankets with waterproof layers. Hanging your blankets to dry also helps prevent losing any waterproofing as heat from a dryer can damage some materials or fabrics.
