Have you read the description for a horse blanket and it sounds like a foreign language? What follows are a few of the basic descriptions of the terms you might find when blanket shopping.
Denier - This is the measure of nylon fiber density, and is used to rate the strength of the exterior material on horse blankets. The higher the denier, like 1200D, the more durable and more water-resistant the blanket.
Grams of Fill - This is the amount of warmth a blanket provides (basically “stuffing”). A basic breakdown is:
-
0-100 grams – Sheets or Light Weight Blankets
-
150-250 grams – Medium Weight Blankets
-
300+ grams – Heavy Weight Blankets
Gussett - Often in the shoulder area, a gussett is extra fabric sewn in to allow for greater freedom of movement
Rip-Stop – This is a style of nylon that features a checkerboard weave, which helps prevent small rips from spreading. That way a small hole in the blanket can be patched instead of buying a new one.
Water What? - There are different levels of water repellency.
-
Water-resistant - able to resist water penetration to some degree, but not entirely
-
Water-repellent - not easily penetrated by water, especially as a result of being treated with a surface coating.
-
Waterproof - impervious to wate
