The Well Horse
Promoting practical ways to improve sustainable health in horses
We’re Ready for Winter with our Guardsman 4-In-1!
Yes. That is in fact SNOW in mid-November. As a Georgia girl living in Kentucky, snow makes my heart bristle, and my toes cold. The weather has also revealed Ty’s disdain for the devil’s dandruff. To be fair though, he is also a southern gentleman. None the less, winter blows in with all its chilly bi-polarness. Ergo- Blanketing season begins!
4 Blankets in 1
On a college budget, the idea of keeping a pansy skinned thoroughbred comfortable through the winter initially daunted me. However, after finding the Noble Outfitters 4-in-1 Guardsman Turnout System, it has been no sweat! This system provides a tough outer shell that stands up to even the silliest gelding rituals. Within the shell, pockets for filling inserts allow the system to range from a sheet to a heavy weight blanket.
The inserts include a 150 gram (light) filling and a 250 gram (medium) filling. I can also stack the inserts to fill heavyweight, frigid weather needs. Upon filling Ty’s Guardsman, I found these inserts easy to insert, adjust, and remove. To prevent slipping around inside the shell, the inserts Velcro to the shell and to each other.
With this blanket, I will save space and prevent clutter in the barn this winter. And with only a $200 price tag, I will save money in blanket purchasing, maintaining, and cleaning winter-wear.
Effective design
Guardsman blankets offer the most effective, sustaining design I’ve ever seen. To reiterate— the shells are tough. Water proof, gelding-in-a-group proof, and mud resilient, they stand the test of time.
Memory foam around the chest and withers stabilizes the blanket over the horse. I’ve also found with this feature the blankets don’t tend to rub these sensitive places. With plenty of room for the horse’s shoulder, the horse doesn’t feel constricted from movement. ***So important*** as the horse who doesn’t move out through his body gets sore through his back.
The filling in this blanket rests heaviest over the topline, then lessens as the shell rolls down the horse’s side. This design keeps the horse’s back warm while remaining breathable to prevent overheating. 
The STRAPS. When the thermometer reads 18 degrees, and the wind chill makes it hard to breathe, the last thing I want to do is pull off my gloves to fiddle with a frozen metal blanket clip. With the Guardsman blanket, I don’t have this problem. The Guardsman’s quick connect buckles require someone to push the knob through the big hole, and pull it tight to the small hole. No fuss, and the clips are tough.
Ty and I look forward to enduring through the winter well equipped and in style! Thank you so much Noble Outfitters for designing products with innovation mindful of the horse and handler. Through this, you do so much to support the forever well horse!
