When trying to choose the right blanket for your horse, there are as many options as there are types of weather. Of course much of the decision making process has to do with the individual horse, its coat, age, health, and what type of shelter it has access to. Trying to find the right level of coverage to keep a horse perfectly comfortable no matter what’s going on with the weather is a constant challenge.
There’s one consistently important issue that is crucial to a horse’s health, comfort, and overall well-being that should be at the top of a caretaker’s list of concerns. Breathability is an often misunderstood term, and getting it wrong means trouble for your horse.
A good quality horse blanket should be waterproof to keep the animal warm, dry, and comfortable in nearly any weather. Without breathability, the blanket creates a greenhouse environment that keeps the horse’s perspiration from evaporating. If you’ve ever been outside during a rain storm in head to toe rain gear, you can appreciate the importance of having a breathable layer of clothing between your skin and the waterproof outer layer. You know how uncomfortable it is to have nylon or plastic next to your skin in wet conditions.
Strategic seam placement in horse blankets helps minimize the amount of water that seeps through from outside. Some blankets have reinforced or taped seams, as well. Ideally, the blanket will keep your horse dry and protected from the weather while also offering a moisture wicking layer of breathable fabric on the inside that allows humidity created by the horse to pass through instead of building up. A lined or filled blanket is a good choice for cold weather. It helps to keep the horse’s perspiration off of its coat even during heavy rain when moisture from the outside fills the fabric pores.
Silicone waterproofing sprays will create a waterproof surface when properly applied, but they do not offer any degree of breathability so they aren’t safe or appropriate for horse blankets. A waterproof blanket that is not breathable may cause the horse to overheat, even in mild or cool weather. Cheap blankets often have a non-breathable membrane which is a serious concern. Even in cold weather condensation created by the difference between the temperature outside the blanket and the temperature under the blanket can cause a horse discomfort and illness.
Dry Guy Waterproofing Horseblankets & Pet Aparrel Spray is a water based liquid concentrate that offers excellent protection from rain and snow while allowing the fabric pores to release condensation. This formula also offer protection from stains and mold. In addition to offering a breathable waterproofing alternative to silicone sprays, Dry Guy Waterproofing does not contain any heavy solvents and is safe for the environment. To find out more about why Dry Guy Waterproofing is the perfect choice for waterproofing horse blankets without reducing breathability, go ahead and contact us today.
Want to stay D-R-Y when it rains? You need outerwear with a high-performing DWR.
Virtually all rainwear have their exteriors treated with a
durable water repellent (DWR) finish. It is rainwear's first line of
defense against precipitation.
True, a waterproof/breathable membrane (e.g., Gore-Tex®, eVent®, REI Elements®)
will stop water from penetrating a rain jacket's interior. But a DWR
prevents precipitation from saturating the jacket's exterior. Without a
DWR, a rain jacket's exterior becomes waterlogged and heavy; the damp
fabric tends to sag and cling to your skin.
Key point: DWRs diminish in performance due to a number of factors—dirt, body oils, abrasion and repeated launderings.
Often they can be revived by a washing and a few minutes of tumbling in a clothes dryer set on low or medium heat.
With heavily used garments, DWRs eventually need to be reapplied by a spray-on or wash-in product.
When Do DWRs Need Maintenance?
Test your rainwear by sprinkling or spraying some drops on its
exterior. Does it bead up and roll off? Your DWR is in good shape. If
you give the fabric a single strong shake, does most of the moisture fly
off? Ditto.
If, however, the water sits on the fabric and that section
begins to darken slightly, water is making its way to the fibers and
wetting the fabric. It's time to revive your DWR. Good news: DWR coating does not impair your jacket's breathability. Rather than coating a textile's entire surface, DWR coats individual fibers, leaving the space between the fibers open for breathability.
How to Revive Existing DWR
First step: cleaning. Follow the cleaning instructions
for the type of rainwear you own. Washing away dirt and oils does much
to restore a DWR's water-shedding abilities.
Next step:apply heat. After washing, exposure to
heat does the most to bring a DWR back to life. Generally speaking, you
should place the garment in a dryer set for low or medium heat for up to
15 minutes.
Gore-Tex: W.L. Gore recommends touching up Gore-Tex
items with a steam iron (at a warm setting). First-time users are
advised to place a towel between the iron and garment during the
touch-up.
eVent: The maker of eVent does not encourage the use of
dryers, advocating hang drying. It commonly promotes touch-ups with a
steam iron (at a warm setting). As with Gore-Tex, it's safest to place a
towel between the iron and the fabric.
Note: If not badly soiled, a garment may only need a short spin in a clothes dryer at medium heat.
How to Apply New DWR
If the steps above—cleaning and heating—aren't enough to revive
your DWR (i.e., rain still soaks into the exterior fabric of your
jacket), it's time to reapply a new DWR coating.
This step eventually becomes necessary due to excessive abrasion
from rocks, repeated contact with hipbelts and shoulder straps or
simply years of multiple launderings. The fix: A DWR can be reapplied (perpetually, in fact)
via a spray-on or wash-in DWR revival product from companies such as Dry Guy Waterproofing.
Always follow manufacturer's instructions when using these products.
Selective use: Here's a tip often used by mountain guides to revive a jacket's high-abrasion areas:
1. Spray worn abraded areas with a DWR aftercare product.
2. Use the synthetic setting on an iron (one with a trusted thermostat)
to apply low to medium heat. It's a process similar to starching the
collar of a dress shirt. Important: The garment must be able to accept ironing. Check the garment's care instructions before trying this.
How DWRs Work
DWRs work by increasing the "contact angle" or "surface tension"
created when water contacts a textile. Basically, a high contact angle
creates a microscopically "spiky" surface that suspends water droplets
on the outer fringe of the fabric.
An optimized DWR keeps droplets in a rounder shape—like a
dome-shaped bead. The rounder the droplet, the easier it rolls off the
fabric. A low contact angle permits droplets to assume a flatter shape,
one that can spread out like a splotch, cling to the fabric's surface
and eventually seep into it.
DWR Ratings
Manufacturers generally measure DWR effectiveness by a spray
test. Water is sprayed onto a textile, and the amount that sticks is
visually assessed. A score of 90 points indicated that roughly 90% of
the fabric has no water sticking to it. The higher the number, the
better the performance. The test is then repeated after a number of
washings to determine durability.
Test scores and the number of washings are combined to create a
rating. For example, a 90/10 rating means the spray test achieved a
total of 90 points after 10 washes.
Not all manufacturers publish DWR performance ratings, but here is a basic guide for interpreting any that you find:
Good: 80 points after 10 washes. This is a basic outerwear finish.
Excellent: 80 points after 20 washes. Marmot, for example, uses this as its minimum rating for outerwear.
Strategic seam placement in horse blankets helps minimize the amount of water that seeps through from outside. Some blankets have reinforced or taped seams, as well. Ideally, the blanket will keep your horse dry and protected from the weather while also offering a moisture wicking layer of breathable fabric on the inside that allows humidity created by the horse to pass through instead of building up. A lined or filled blanket is a good choice for cold weather. It helps to keep the horse’s perspiration off of its coat even during heavy rain when moisture from the outside fills the fabric pores.
