To Toss or To Repair…

CONGRATS!

Your blanket was lucky enough to survive another harsh winter! AND Now, it’s that time of year to get it washed, repaired, waterproofed, and ready for the next season.

BUT WAIT….what if your blanket is torn, shredded, worn out….the question is, when do we say enough is enough? What is the difference between worn and torn?

Well, here are my suggestions for you. If you are looking to have blankets that are in working order, that are doing what they’re intended to do, then the following information is for you!  Worn or Torn? It is a hard question that all horse blanket owners must decide on, and while it seems like it would be easy to determine the difference…sometimes it is NOT!

TORN?

Did your horse do this? These problems are things that can be easily repaired, and at Laura’s Blanket Repair, repairs are AFFORDABLE, not the cost of a NEW BLANKET! Your blanket can be repaired, patched and back in working order quickly! Will it be as strong as it was before? NO! That is because now you have “weak” spot in your blanket. Your blanket it not one continuous piece any more. **However, at Laura’s Blanket Repair, we take the time to mend each tear before patching! There may be situations where it is challenging to do, but we do our very best to repair all problems before patching over!** This will allow for longer wear, less weak spots, less of a chance that this will happen again in the same spot, or that the same spot will continue to create problems.

 

WORN?

These are the blankets that have gone thru winter after winter, that have protected your horse as it was meant to do, and worked it’s way into your heart and your home, but now….now it is tired. Maybe it’s the nylon webbing straps and edging that you noticed started to fray first, starting to disintegrate, spots are becoming bare. Nylon webbing can be replaced, or repaired in some situations, and that should not be the death sentence to your blanket, however it is the first sign that your blanket is starting to degrade.

But, what if you start notice that the inner lining is starting to wear, that there are holes are from wear, not from any pulls, getting caught, rubbing on something, or mice chewing into it. What if the outer shell now feels like a sheet on your bed, it is so thin and worn, pulling in spots and bare in others. These are other signs. So what is the problem? Well, we can definitely repair these when they first start, however next year, I can almost guarantee that those wears will be bigger, probably now starting where the worn spot was patched, even though we took all precautions and repaired it before patching. The problem is, is that the patches are now stronger that the material itself, and as it starts to wear…it will just continue. Spots will pull, and little by little the blanket becomes just a faint image of what it used to look like fresh and new.  It is a hard path to go down, but if the patch is stronger than the blanket, the blanket will not last and the patch will not do much good in the long run. It is time…

 

WHAT TO DO NOW?!

So your blanket has lot of worn spots, they keep spreading, getting bigger and starting to form all over the blanket. The nylon is worn, shredding and it seems like the blanket is falling apart or you can see your hand thru the worn spot in they lining. What to do?! Well, you’d hate to donate it…it may not provide much good to horses that are at rescues as the blanket is not really functioning well, *no matter how many times you waterproof*.

You could donate to your horse blanket laundry, many times they get good and well functioning blankets in that no longer have a good use at a barn, or people do not feel like selling. Maybe someone wanted a whole new blanket because hardware was missing. These blankets are typically donated to horse rescues. Your donated blanket, if there is any hardware that is in still good and functioning condition, could be used to go onto those good blankets that people no longer have a use for, and be then donated to horses in need.

You could donate to your horse blanket laundry, and hardware can be stripped down and recycled appropriately.

OR

You could bury, toss or burn.

Hope that Helps

Well I hope that helps you gain a better understanding of what blankets to get ready for next year, or when to make plans for a different future. Sometimes it’s better to be knowledgeable on the future of your blanket before you get the dreaded call from your Blanket Repair company asking you “What is the future purpose of this blanket? Are we looking to make functional as a back up? or Looking to Make Pretty? Because this blanket may not make it another year, and it may not be worth the cost.”

The future of your blanket  is up to you, however sometimes….it may not be worth the cost to repair those that are WORN! The repairs will only be temporary before another problem quickly arises. I try to save you money when I can, but sometimes we need to get new (consider all that you have saved in the past with your blanket service like money in the bank!!)

Until Next time Friends,

 

~*~ LBR~*~

 

xx

 

P.S. Looking for a new blanket? Consider checking out THIS page for helpful information on which blanket to buy or THIS page to help determine if you need a stable blanket or a turn out!