Product Updates: Winter Wardrobe Findings

This winter I tried out a few new winter clothing items for Charlie. This included:

1 - Smartpak Ultimate Turnout Sheet (appears on sale as of this writing!)
2 - Horseware Ireland 100g Blanket Liner
3 - Mio Turnout Sheet
4 - Snuggy Hood Silky Bib (currently unavailable from that link, but appears to be available here from the UK)
5 - Weatherbeeta Satin Shoulder Guard

a healthy coat, a clip that lasted through the season, and zero rubs. just what i want for my prince!

Each of these pieces made it out the other side of our winter gauntlet. Spring is finally here. Even if the sheets are still in regular rotation....

So let's take a moment to see how I feel about the pieces moving forward!

smartpak ultimate turnout sheet: roomy enough for dance moves while he's wearing it

1 - Smartpak Ultimate Turnout Sheet (appears on sale as of this writing!)

This sheet is in great shape after regular use since September. There are no holes, pulled threads, or tears. Just in case, however, this sheet is covered by a 10 Year Indestructible Guarantee.

I know from past experience with this style sheet that the gussets will rub Charlie, so he never wears it without a shoulder guard (more on those later). With the shoulder guard, however, all issues with rubs are resolved.

My only issue with this sheet is that it's not as waterproof as I would like. And sometimes feels a little heavy for those in-between days where it's maybe warmish, but with strong winds and/or rain showers. So I ordered the Mio to fill that gap. See below for more on that.

Final thoughts? I'm happy this sheet is in Charlie's wardrobe and feel it was worth the value.

horseware ireland 100g liner: the perfect weight and basically doubled my blanketing options

2 - Horseware Ireland 100g Blanket Liner

I adore this liner. So much. It's simple and gives me so much more flexibility in dressing my horse. Especially throughout the rainy spring season, I haven't had to worry about blankets not drying quickly enough bc I can mix and match with everything and always have something warm enough to put on the horse.

My final thoughts on this blanket are that I would 100% buy again. In fact, I've already purchased this blanket again after an unfortunate miscommunication with the person who helps me with Charlie's blankets left my first liner shredded.

The liner has no belly straps or surcingles, but instead has little clips on the rear that clip to whatever blanket you've layered on top of the liner. The person helping me didn't know about those clips, and so the liner slid under Charlie's belly and he shredded it. Nbd, I just ordered it again bc it's definitely worth it.

the mio turnout sheet certainly looks comfortable

3 - Mio Turnout Sheet

I really wanted to like this blanket. Really really really. It's SUPER waterproof, while also being the thinnest possible shell. I love it as a windbreaker, or as a waterproof layer on top of one of Charlie's other blankets for days with heavy rain. Or just on top of the 100g liner for something kinda in between a light and a medium.

it's not sturdy tho. some of these are small, but they're everywhere. those tears on the upper right tho are inches long

Unfortunately, tho, it's just not a sturdy blanket. The properties that make it so perfect are also its downfall: it's completely riddled with little holes and tears and pulled threads. Completely. And it's only been in rotation since January. So many spots need patching that I'm pretty sure the cost to repair this blanket would exceed what I paid for it.

Considering how quickly it has fallen into disrepair, I'm not sure it's worth the cost of replacing either. I may hang on to it as-is (possibly doing another waterproofing treatment on it myself) just to have as a top layer in downpour conditions. But... I just can't recommend paying full price. On sale? Yea, maybe. I did like it, it just didn't last.

snuggy hood bib 4 lyfe

4 - Snuggy Hood Silky Bib (I purchased it from Amazon but it's been unavailable. Manufacturer's website here, and appears available on eBay here from the UK)

This thing is the light and the truth. This bib has been a game changer for Charlie. It's wayyyyyy less fussy to deal with than one of those elastic slinky type shoulder guards with the belly strap. And has seemed very comfortable to Charlie. It's easy to wash myself, and all seams are in great condition after daily use for the entire season.

I use this bib under every single sheet or blanket that goes on Charlie, including his Back on Track mesh sheet. And Charlie had zero rubs at the end of the season. Judging by reviews, sizing does matter. If you get too big a bib, it might slide down the horse's withers and rub there. I did not have that issue with Charlie, tho.

End of story? I cannot recommend this product strongly enough. I love it. Am bordering on evangelical in describing it. Will spout off about it to anybody who makes the mistake of feigning even slight interest. Only bummer is that it hasn't seemed available Stateside since I bought it last year.... tho presumably you can order from the UK on eBay or directly from the manufacturer (links above).

the weatherbeeta bib is fine too tho. a little saggier, with more static, and the seams didn't last. but it works.

5 - Weatherbeeta Satin Shoulder Guard

I ordered this second shoulder guard after Charlie's liner-shredding incident, since he had been wearing his Snuggy Hood bib during the episode and I was devastated to think he'd destroyed both. Turns out tho, the Snuggy Hood is indestructible and survived that carnage without a single tear. Yay!

But I didn't know that when I ordered the Weatherbeeta, and then figured having two was fine since I could always have one on hand while laundering the other. And this Weatherbeeta is fine. It's a little looser around Charlie's neck than the Snuggy Hood, but it has likewise protected him entirely from rubs.

The construction isn't as good as the Snuggy Hood, it is sometimes more static-y, and the seams around the loop (for attaching the bib to the blanket's chest straps) blew out almost immediately. The tears haven't gotten any worse tho, and it remains serviceable.

For my money, I'd go with the Snuggy Hood. The Weatherbeeta is a reasonable alternative tho. Mostly just bc I love this particular design of shoulder guard and will probably never not use one ever again.

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What about you? How did your horse's winter wardrobe survive the season? Did you add anything new to the collection this year that blew you out the water and changed everything? Or did you have high hopes for a product that left you underwhelmed?

Are you going to be shopping the sales to fill any gaps in your horse's clothing, or is there anything in particular you've got your eye on?