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  Discussion on Repair of Turnout Blankets
Author Message
Member:
Gingin

Posted on Saturday, Jan 3, 2004 - 7:00 pm:

My husband (a non-horse person !!!!) came up with the most brilliant way of permanently repairing tears in turnout blankets, especially the waterproof kind. This takes all of 10 min. to do and overnight to finish up. What he did was to use a fishing wader, or tent repair kit, such as the one sold by Hodgman (Universal repair Kit, about $3.50). It comes with with seveal nice sized pieces of rubberized repair patches and glue (it is actually better to use "Goop" (i.e. "Carpenter's Contact and Adhesive Sealant")).
All you do is clean up loose threads in the tear in the hose blanket, cut pieces of repair material so that you have about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch material to adhere to the blanket, cut to fit the tear. Then put the glue on one side of the repair patch (I use a wooden popsickle stick or tongue depressor to do this), slide the patch between the liner and the covering of the blanket (glue side to the outside), then line of the sides of the tear on the glue of the repair patch (it is worth while to wear rubber gloves for this :-)) so that the tear is closed on the patch. Align the ends of the tear so that the repair job looks neat and clean, then put a sheet of Saran Wrap or other plastic material on top, weigh it down with a brick or something flat and heavy and let set over night. Then next day you will have a tight and very clean and waterproof repair. This works for pretty much any size tear and I have used it to fix what was consider "permanenthy ruined" horse blankets.
Hope this comes in handy!

Christine
Member:
Jjet

Posted on Sunday, Jan 4, 2004 - 12:30 pm:

Thanks for the tip, Christine! We go through blankets like crazy around here. The main reason is always seeming to have one or two youngsters, and they love to pick and pull on the other horses blankets. I save the old ones for emergencies, til I can get a new one. Just lost another yesterday! Really lost, not recoverable. I could make them last a little better if repairs really held. My previous attempts didn't last long enough to make it worth the trouble. I'll give it another go. Thanks again!

Jan
Member:
Skye

Posted on Sunday, Jan 4, 2004 - 12:47 pm:

This technique worked great for me: Cover the blanket with Ivory Liquid mixed with cayenne pepper. The orange color should disappear once the blanket dries. When I did it, no babies--or adults-- ever took any more hunks out of my colt's blanket. A tacker dealer told me that one, and it saved me a lot of trouble and money.
Member:
Nathalie

Posted on Sunday, Jan 4, 2004 - 12:54 pm:

Since I am not living in the US and Ivory Liquid is not sold over here I just need to ask is this just a regular soap or is it different from others? (so I know what to look for over here!)Great idea, will definately give it a try!
Member:
Jjet

Posted on Sunday, Jan 4, 2004 - 2:04 pm:

Eleanor: The idea of applying the cayenne pepper as a deterrent is good but I'm wondering if the liquid detergent would penetrate the fabric during some of those heavy rainstorms? And in so doing, carry some of the cayenne to the coat? Not that that would be so terrible but if it penetrated, it would probably cause damage to the waterproofing. That would be a problem for me. My guys like to spend a certain amount of time outside, pouring or not. I'm thinking, another adherent for the cayenne should work but it would have to be nontoxic and not affect the breathablity of the fabric. Appreciate your input!

Jan
Member:
Skye

Posted on Sunday, Jan 4, 2004 - 3:49 pm:

Ivory Liquid is a gentle dishwashing liquid for handwashing dishes.

About carrying the cayenne to the coat, maybe that's possible. The blankets I'm used to, though, seem to be thick enough that I wouldn't expect such a result.

I can't be sure, but the method was recommended to me by a tack specialist.
Member:
Jjet

Posted on Sunday, Jan 4, 2004 - 11:50 pm:

Ellie, You're probably right about the cayenne; I guess it's the waterproofing issue that is really most important to me. I feel that if the waterproofing outside becomes somewhat 'washed' (or deeply soaked) in a heavy rainstorm, after an application of soap, even a mild soap like Ivory Liquid, the waterproofing may become weakened. It is my understanding that it is normally recommended that additional waterproofing product be applied to a turnout after it has been washed. I don't think that the inner 'stuffing' would protect the horse from moisture once the outer layer has become permeable (but it may indeed filter out the cayenne). This is just an opinion of course. I do think, however, that the Ivory/cayenne mixture would work very well if you had little or no rain.

Jan

Member:
Sylvy

Posted on Monday, Sep 13, 2004 - 12:41 am:

Should all turnout blankets be washed in cold water? Mine are Big D. I think I washed a Weatherbeater turnout blanket in warm water and it shrunk. I know you can't put them in the dryer, but how many washes in cold water is it going to take? They get pretty dirty!! Any advise?
Member:
Canter

Posted on Monday, Sep 13, 2004 - 8:41 am:

Sylvia,
I've found that if you can "hand-wash" the blanket between machine washings, it reduces the wear & tear on the blanket. Just hang the blanket up (over a fence, picnic table, whatever) and with a soft brush and mild soap, scrub it down, rinse with a hose and hang up to dry. This will never get it as clean as a machine washing, of course, but it does seems to extend the blanket's longevity while keeping it at an acceptable level of "mucklessness".
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