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Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Frosty

My boy with snows on his nose!

Monday, January 03, 2011

Savvy's New Coat

With an eye toward the coming -0 degree weather I ordered Savage this expandable foal blanket from Schneider Saddlery. I chose to buy a foal blanket as opposed to their dog blankets (which do seem really nice) because as usual, the dog jackets don't take into account the size of a Great Dane. Also, this one sounded very well-made, with 420 denier nylon, fiberfill insulation, and soft nylon lining. Surprisingly, it cost me under $30.00, too! I chose the color because of my personal preference, but also because it was the brightest offered; more visibility = more safety.
Savage has not been outside for enough of an extended period of time to really need the protection, but today we took a walk just to try it out in the 20 degree weather. First of all, he seems to tolerate it well, but that's normal with him and "clothing". Like his other hand-made coat, it slips to the side immediately, even with the belly band cinched snugly. Since this doesn't bother him, and he still is protected from the cold I choose to ignore it for now. The coat does come with D-rings, presumably so elastic leg straps can be attached, so maybe that will be something to think about in the future.

I can't say that the coat really hinders his movement, but he moves a little differently; with more small steps, like he does when he's trailing a leash. It's worth it to note that I bought the Large size that should fit large foals. Horses are measured differently than dogs in regard to blanket size. While a dog's topline is the primary measurement, a horse is measured from the center of the chest diagonally to the top edge of the tail. On Savage this measurement is 38" and his coat expands from 38" to 45". His topline measurement is around 32" to 33", which is beyond the range of most dog jackets.
I'm eager to see how this jacket works for him in very cold weather. I'm also enjoying how handsome he looks, even in purple!