StormShield® Blankets

Every horse is different, and blanketing your horse is a personal choice for every horse owner. Some horses may not need a blanket, just as some owners like to let horses be as natural as possible. However, horses who compete year round and need to maintain show-ring ready coats, horses who are body-clipped, or horses at barns that don’t offer ample shelter from the weather during turnout, blankets are very useful in keeping your horses warm, dry, and healthy all year round.

All Blankets come in a variety of weights, meaning the amount of fill material used as insulation. You can think of this like you would your own comforter at home. Maybe you have a light blanket without much substance for the summer, and a thicker comforter in the winter with a lot of ploy fill inside. When it comes to horse blankets, a Horse Sheet has no insulation, a lightweight blanket may only have 80 – 150 grams of insulation. A medium weight, or mid-weight, usually has between 200 and 300 grams of fill, while heavy weight blankets will have over 380 grams.

As a general guide at Schneiders, we recommend using a waterproof turnout sheet with no insulation when the temperature is between 50°F - 65°F if your horse is clipped, or as needed if they have a full coat, to at least protect from the wind and rain during poor conditions. This will keep your horse dry and warm. A lightweight blanket (approximately 80-120 grams of fill), is suitable when temperatures are between 40°F - 60°F if your horse is clipped, or 30°F - 50°F if they have a full coat. A mid-weight (approximately 200 – 300 grams) is a good choice when it is between 35°F - 50°F for a clipped horse, or 30°F - 45°F with a full coat. Heavyweight blankets (over 380 grams) are a great way to keep your horses nice and toasty when temperatures drop below 20°F - 40°F when clipped, or 15°F - 30°F with a full coat. Use the handy chart below to help determine which blanket weight is right for your horse.

You may notice that our blankets fall into two main categories; stable blankets and turnout blankets.

A stable blanket is just that, a blanket meant for use within the barn and your horse’s stall. Stable blankets do not offer waterproof protection in the outer layer and are not meant to be used outside. Stable blankets will keep your horse warm, clean, and can help maintain a show-ring ready coat during the winter months without the added features needed of a turnout blanket.

A turnout blanket includes a durable outer layer that protects from rain, snow, wind, and play amongst other horses in the pasture. This waterproof layer will also have a more durable fabric, to hold up to rough terrain when your horse rolls, or the occasional grab from a playmates teeth. Turnout blankets have tail flaps to help direct any wet weather off the horse’s body, along with a longer drop, or length, on the sides of the horse’s blanket, and reflective fabric features to help make your horse more visible in the dark if they are turned out at night.

Turnout blankets are designed for your horse’s skin to breath beneath the waterproof exterior. As the horse regulates his temperature, any sweat or moisture created underneath the blanket should be expelled out through to the air. This waterproof breathable aspect of turnout blanket design is what keeps your horse warm, dry and comfortable in all kinds of weather. Learn more about the innovative technical fabrics used in Schneiders Blankets to provide superior wicking and odor control.

The most accurate and easiest way to determine your horse’s blanket size is to measure along the side of their body, from chest to tail. First, stand the horse square on a flat surface. Measure from the center of the chest, straight back to the very edge of the tail. Make sure to measure along the widest part of their shoulder and hindquarters. The number of inches measured in this way is your horse’s size. Look on the size chart for any Schneiders blanket for this number of inches to order your horse’s perfect size.

The Extra Coverage Euro fit is a universal style that can fit all breeds, with a smaller neck opening that covers the shoulders and withers fully, with a variety of styles such as the Combo-Style, with a neck cover permanently attached, or a High Neck style that gives additional protection from the wind and driving rains. There is no seam along the withers to prevent rubbing, and large forward extended gussets to allow plenty of shoulder room.

The Contour collar Euro Fit blankets feature similar styling of the Euro line, by hugging the shoulders and withers completely, but without the added combo neck covers or high neck design.

The VTEK® Wither Relief style blankets are an excellent choice for Thoroughbreds, Warmbloods, and Appendix type horses. With a similar neck opening to the our Euro Fit blankets, the VTEK® also has a raised, shaped, pressure-free wither area, with the additional benefit of the Adjusta-Fit® hook and loop closure to adjust the neck and shoulder area for your horse’s specific build. This style blanket is great for horses with a more prominent wither, to eliminate pressure points or rubbing.

The Fitted V-Free® is great for Quarter Horses, Stock Horse breeds, and Arabians. With a large neck opening and a sloped neck line, these blankets cover the shoulders and withers up to the start of the mane while leaving the mane uncovered. A raised, shaped, pressure-free wither design offers a comfortable fit.

The Cutback style is designed for Friesians, Saddlebreds, Tennessee Walkers, and some Arabians. Offering a large neck opening and sloped neck line, the cut back area along the withers gives horses with a more upright head carriage, the freedom they need in the wither area to prevent pressure points, sore spots, or rubbing the delicate hair in that area.

The Blanket Durability you need depends upon the nature of the horse, and the location the blanket will be used. The “denier” of a blanket refers to the durability of the fabric used on the outer layer of the blanket, the layer most prone to wear and tear whether it be from your own horse, turnout buddies, or just general use. The denier is a good guide for anticipating how durable the blanket will be, as generally the higher the denier of a blanket, the more durable the fabric.

If your horse is very active and prone to destroying blankets, or if you are turning your horse out in a field in wet weather with other horses who play rough, our ARMORFlex® Warrior line fits your needs with our highest denier outer fabric and our highest level of waterproofing; ARMORFlex® Warrior waterproofing is 15 times more than competitive brands and comes with a lifetime Warranty, so you can be assured of total protection. Our StormShield® Nordlund line is also designed for Hard Play and is protected by a 10 year Warranty.

If your horse is turned out in a herd but plays normally, our ARMORFlex® Challenger line is durable enough for your needs. This line of blankets is 5 times more waterproof than competitive brands and comes with a 5 year warranty. Our StormShield® Contour collar Extreme line will also hold up well in this situation and is covered by a 2 year warranty; or our Dura-Tech® Viking Extreme will be effective, but without the protection of a warranty.

If your horse is turned out alone or you intend to replace blankets more frequently, our StormShield® Classic Contour collar or our StormShield® Blizzard turnout blankets are great choices. These blankets come with a 1 year warranty and are designed for good durability. Alternatively, our Dura-Tech® Viking blankets will be effective, but without a warranty.

1. Neck Cover: Add extra protection from the elements with a detachable neck cover. Our turnout neck covers attach with 4 carabiner clips.
2. Front Closure: Closed Front blankets slip over the horse’s head, Open Front blankets are more adjustable and come in two types: Double Buckle have two simple buckles or Double Snap have buckled adjustments with easy on-off snaps.
3. D-Rings: The D-rings around the neck of our blankets are made to attach the blanket’s matching neck cover.
4. Shoulder Gusset: Allow for greater freedom of movement for the shoulder to prevent rubbing.
5. Adjusta-Fit®: Customize the neck opening of your blanket to fit any width horse.
6. Drop: The drops of our blankets are graded to the size blanket, but our blanket fits also over different drop lengths to accommodate your horse’s shape.
7. Belly Closure: Our Bellyband closure offers additional warmth and coverage or our Surcingle closure keeps the blanket in place more securely.
8. Tail Cover: The tail covers on our turnout blankets add rear protection from wind and rain and are either sewn on or detachable.

If your horse were to break loose or spook while you are dressing him, a half-fastened blanket is less likely to cause harm if its front is fastened, simply because horses generally bolt forward and the front closure will keep the blanket from flapping up and gathering in front of the horse’s hind legs, further scaring the horse by acting like a bucking strap. Therefore, when putting on a horse blanket, it is always safest to fasten closures from front to back. For the same reason, when removing a horse blanket, work from back to front, unfastening the leg and belly straps before the chest closure.

Blankets are available with either a closed front, or an open front. Closed front blankets are sewn together at the chest so the front of the blanket lays flat. With Closed front blankets, the neck-hole must be slipped over the horse’s head when dressing, so they are perfect for calm horses who are not too tall. These blankets are also great for layering as there is no extra bulk or seams to rub against the chest.

Open front blankets have a set of buckles or clips at the chest which open for dressing. These blankets are easier to use for tall horses, or for those who require more adjustment in the chest area to deal with unusual width.

Schneiders blankets are also available with either bellyband closures for additional warmth, or surcingle straps to keep the blanket from turning when the horse rolls or plays in turnout. Bellyband closure blankets also have hardware positioned to avoid poking the horse while he’s laying down.

Most blankets also include leg straps to keep the blanket from flapping up on windy days and to help keep the blanket in place while the horse is playing or rolling. Leg straps should be hooked around each leg but linked through each other between the back legs and adjusted so that they are not hanging where the horse could catch a leg through the strap.

Properly caring for your blankets will help extend the life of the blanket, keep your horse clean, warm, and allow your waterproof blankets to continue protecting your horse from the weather.

Because turnout blankets are coated with waterproofing which can be stripped from the fabric if blankets are washed incorrectly, it is important to follow the care instructions included with the blanket. There are several strategies to cleaning blankets.

If you have an appropriately sized washing machine available, use Schneiders® Blanket Wash. The extra strength formula is designed specifically to be effective on even the heaviest soil, without leaving any residue that could irritate your horse’s sensitive skin. This detergent easily and effectively, removes dirt, urine, and manure while being environmentally friendly, phosphate-free, and bio-degradable, all without compromising the protective waterproof layer on your turnout blankets. Washing stable blankets, coolers, sheets, and turnout blankets in a specially designed detergent such as this one, will prolong the life of your blankets by keeping the fabrics clean, breathable, and waterproof, with the added benefit of keeping your blanket colors bright and looking new.

Alternatively, we offer a blanket cleaning service where dirty blankets can be dropped off at our store in Chagrin Falls, OH and can be picked up after cleaning. This service is great if your washing machine is too small for your blankets, if your local laundromat does not allow horse blankets to be washed in their machines, or if you would rather have someone else deal with the washing. If you live outside of Northeast Ohio, check for a blanket washing service in your local area. Most blanket washing services also offer simple repair for small tears or broken straps.