How to put on a horse blanket
In this video, I show you how to put on a cooler (a light blanket used to keep a sweaty or wet horse warm while he dries off). You can do the same thing to put any kind of blanket on a horse. Blankets are very useful for lots of things, including keeping your horse warm and dry, keeping bugs off him or even keeping him from getting sunburned if he is a pink-skinned horse! Make sure that any blanket you put on a horse fits him properly and is correctly put on.
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Comments on How to put on a horse blanket
Hey Ali,
Great video! That’s really clever how you folded the rug and THEN put it on the horse. I”ve heard people say that when you put a rug on you should always do up the leg straps first but I’m not entirely sure why I think something like if the horse spooks or bolts the rug will just slip right off him and not get tangled up in his legs or come over his head. Could you please explain to me why some people do this, I normally just do up the chest straps first like you.
Anyway, thanks for all of your great and informative videos they are really good and Noah is adorable! (plus he seems to love the camera! :D) Anyway, thanks once again!
From Ellen
From Ellen
Hi Ali,
Great video! That’s really clever how you folded the blanket and then put it on the horse, so he doesn’t get spooked. I have a question though (sorry for taking up your time). I’ve heard people say that when you put a rug on you should always do up the leg straps first, something like if the horse bolts or spooks then the rug will just slip right off the horse and not get tangled up in his legs. I’m not entirely sure why and I thought I should ask a proffesional. :) Anyway, thanks a lot for all of your great videos, they are awesome!
From Ellen
Ellen–
Good question! I am actually of the opposite opinion, because if the horse spooked, you’d WANT it to just slide off, rather than getting all tangled up in the horse’s legs, which it would do if you had the leg straps on and nothing else. But by buckling the chest buckles first, the blanket can’t slide off. I suppose it could rotate, but I’d rather it do that then fall off the back while still strapped around his legs… hmm. I imagine that if you do the chest buckles first, then the leg straps, and finally the belly strap, that would probably be the safest way. For most horses, it probably shouldn’t matter. Sorry I can’t be more helpful than that!
-Ali
Yeah, I think it’s vital to do the chest straps first, I’m not sure about this whole leg strap first thing. Weird. I’ll have to start paying attention to how other people put on their blankets, and ask them about it if I see that. I also think you get a better fit if you do the chest straps first…you’d have to put the blanket the wrong way to adjust it if you did the leg straps first.
And yes, Noah’s a total ham ;)
-Ali
Thanks! Sorry I put my comment in twice I thought my computer messed up and it didn’t go through! Sorry! Thanks, you were really helpful. Yeah, I normally just put the chest straps on first, I don’t know many people who put the leg straps on first! Anyway, thanks again! You are so helpful!
My instructor once asked me if I could put one of her horses rugs on them in the stable but I wasn’t used to the type of rug he had with the straps at the back and so I really wasn’t sure what to do and so I asked one of my friends to help me and I watched how she did them up but not all that wells I was doing up the belly straps but now I have watched this I have a way better understanding of how to do up this type of rug:D. Thanks xx
Glad to help!
-Ali
Ali,
I have a question, do most horse blankets go on this way or are the straps different on different blankets?
Pony owner