1622: Wardrobe Essentials for the Properly Dressed Equine

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Greetings, everyone.

Coach Jen here, and thanks for tuning in to Horse Tip Daily, episode 1622.

Winter has its icy grip on much of the United States right now, so as promised, here are

my Winter Wardrobe Essentials list.

Last week I had my favorite blanketing tips, so I'll put a link to that episode in the

show notes.

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Well here we go, Equine Wardrobe Essentials for Winter.

Regardless of whether your horse is a pampered pony that goes to Wellington in the winter,

or a rough and tumble cowboy pony who takes on whatever winter dishes out with gusto,

there are certain items of clothing that every horse should own.

And here they are.

First and foremost, a cooler.

Yes, a cooler.

You may be surprised.

It's a multitasking device.

A cooler is the most versatile piece of clothing that you can have for your horse in my opinion.

It will keep him warm, cool him out when he's wet from a bath or working hard, or get

him warmed up when he's chilly from standing out in the cold rain.

Coolers are made of either wool or acrylic fleece, and they come in two styles, either

square or fitted.

The fitted style is quick and easy.

Use it just like a sheet or blanket by buckling the front straps and the ser singles underneath.

Or the big square kind, which gives you more coverage when you really need it, but it

takes a little bit of extra effort to use it when you're not around, because you have

to use a separate ser single.

You can use a cooler under a blanket or sheet to add warmth.

You can throw it over your horse as he dries after a workout.

Or you can, when he's been standing out in the cold rain, you can put it on him to help

him dry off without getting a chill.

What confuses a cooler with an anti-swet sheet, which is made of cotton.

They do not do the same thing.

You can get your cooler for between $35 and $70, but I would recommend getting the best

cooler you can afford, just because the lower quality fleece does not wick moisture as

well is the better stuff.

Mine cost about $70, and it works pretty darn good.

That's step one.

Step two, what else should every horse have, a waterproof turnout.

And again, a multitasker.

I prefer a sheet, because you can use it in a wide variety of temperatures by adding or

subtracting layers.

Note I said waterproof, not all turnouts are waterproof, read labels carefully.

And I like to have a spare if my horse has to wear a sheet a lot, because that way one

can be drying while double dock bar is nice and warm and dry in the spare one.

So note that a turnout sheet offers zero warming effect.

It's like wearing a raincoat over a t-shirt.

So unless the rain is, the temperatures are pretty mild, you're going to want to put

something underneath of that turnout sheet, thus the cooler.

You can put that on to add a little bit of warmth.

My turnout sheet costs between 50 and $125, so again, not a giant investment.

Read labels carefully, check for waterproof, learn what denier means, and how much you

need of it, because horses can be tough on their turnouts.

And the third and final item, that's right, he only needs three things.

Every horse should have in their wardrobe is a stable blanket or sheet.

That's pretty self explanatory.

These work great as standalone items in the barn, or you can put them underneath of

your turnout when they are turned outside for milder climates and unclipped horses.

A stable sheet does the trick, but if you live in the snow belt or your horse's body

clipped, you may want to get a stable blanket instead.

My stable sheet is going to cost me between 30 and $60.

So there I have my essential wardrobe for between $100 and $250, depending upon how

high a quality and how fancy jammies I want to get.

And here's how it works, the weather is lovely and pleasant, your horse doesn't need any

clothes at all.

Oh, you're going to have some rain, but it's not going to be very cold.

You throw on the turnout sheet.

Oh, it's going to be rainy and pretty chilly.

Put on the cotton sheet underneath of the waterproof turnout.

Ta-da.

Go a little colder, add the cooler so you have cotton sheet, fleece cooler, waterproof

turnout, three layers that are all multitaskers.

It's getting ready for a horse show.

Horse needs to be clean.

Give him his bath.

He's staying in the barn overnight, even though he's frustrated by that, but you're keeping

him in the barn because you want him to be clean.

You can just throw on your cotton sheet.

Well, there you have it.

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This is Coach Jen, and I will be back again soon with another tip.

Until then, go ride your horse.

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