How to Maintain a Horse Blanket

"Hi on behalf of Expert Village.com on Shelly at AA callister in Salt Lake City, Utah. Today we're talking about how to choose a winter horse blanket. We've kind of gone through all the steps that you're going to use in purchasing your horse blanket and now you need to know what you're going to do with your horse blanket now that your horse has been wearing it for a while. You know most horses will be horses and they're going to get it dirty. They are going to roll in the mud. They are going to roll in the snow and the rain. They're probably going to lie down and roll in their own manure which happens. So you want to take this in to consideration when purchasing a winter horse blanket is how easy is it to clean and care for. Take in mind that some of your canvas blankets, like this, if you try to machine wash them, you will ruin the waterproof barrier that's on the top of the blanket. So this one is just going to be need cleaned with a hose and a stiff brush where as some of the turnout and stable blankets are machine washable. You can through them in your washer on cold water with mild detergent. But make sure that you read the label and instructions that come along with your blanket so that you don't ruin the waterproof barrier of the blanket. So take that in to consideration, how easy is this blanket going to be to wash after my horse has worn it for three or four months out in the snow, the manure, the rain and the mud. Think about can I just throw it in my washer or can I hose it off, will it clean up easily for the next season."