Horse blankets repair

[Catharina]

As suggested in the new member gallery, I am starting a new thread in here,for horse blankets repair, while technically not only leatherwork, they are part of the horse care and ownership, right? If not, please move the thread over to where it belongs, if there is one in this forum? So, having aquiered a new to me Pfaff 545 H3 machine, and thinking about making felt saddlepads, I could also do some blanket repair work, there a quite a few horse owners around my place (in France) that might be in need. So what would be a good thing to have on hand for the repair work? Strips of leather in different lenghts? Buckles? And what about the fabric? I could use probablly some fabric from the beyond repair blankets, but to start with, I haven't any. For those repairing, do you match the fabric color as closely as you can or are you just patching away? And another important question, do you get your blankets in already cleaned?  I really don't mind horse smell, having horses myself, but not in my workshop where a lot of things non horsey are being made too.. Any hints, tips and suggestions welcome?

Thanks!

Catharina

[Handstitched]

@Catharina Good idea putting this thread here  Can't think of anywhere else.

Later, I will give a you a  full run down of what bits 'n' pieces you need for horse rug repairs, the most commonly used/broken parts etc.  , what I've been doing , a few  ' before & after' pics etc. , and, what to do about those smelly rugs, sourcing materials and so on   . I've lost count the amount of times I end up smelling like a horses butt .  I've been doing it for quite a while now. 

Get back to you soon. 

HS

[chrisash]

I would suggest going to a few stables around your area and asking the manager about what he/she wants and expects. really they need to be cleaned prior to any work and that is limited to the surface, sweat does go dep so i was told when i enquired about it and owners unwilling to spend much  on repairs

A Google search shows the new costs of some blankets which can be surprisingly low

Edited February 17, 2022 by chrisash

[Handstitched]

1 hour ago, chrisash said:

I would suggest going to a few stables around your area

Its a bit different here in Oz.  No ' stable managers' , just  private horse owners  that attend  clubs, and various horse events etc., and some that own horses for leisure/ pleasure  / for the love of horses.   A lot of my horse rug trade is ' word-of-mouth'' and some local advertising, and attending some of those events  to get known. That didn't take long. 

Its a case of ' know your customer and the area  ' .  The market may be  a lot different in your part of the universe   

HS

[Catharina]

1 hour ago, Handstitched said:

Its a bit different here in Oz.  No ' stable managers' , just  private horse owners  that attend  clubs, and various horse events etc., and some that own horses for leisure/ pleasure  / for the love of horses.   A lot of my horse rug trade is ' word-of-mouth'' and some local advertising, and attending some of those events  to get known. That didn't take long. 

Its a case of ' know your customer and the area  ' .  The market may be  a lot different in your part of the universe   

HS

That sounds a bit like the situation here in France. I don't think it will be a problem to find horse owners that need horse rug repairs. But before I start making myself known I would like to have some material to get started.  I'll have a look around on various websites.

[Mulesaw]

I repair a lot of horse blankets. Here is what I have found out:

I use a Singer patcher with a homemade table that fits around the arm. It makes it a lot easier to me that I can keep the horse blanket "still" and change the direction of the needle. 

The blankets should be washed when you get them, otherwise the dust and sand will quickly cause extra wear to your sewing machine.

I charge an hourly rate + spareparts/materials.

Most of the time the crossing surcingles (50 mm webbing) that goes below the horse are torn off. The front closure is also prone to require some work. 

My suggestion of spareparts for a start up is:
50 mm webbing, you can start out with 15 m. I just use black. 
25 mm webbing for the front closures, 2 m will do for a start.
50 mm velcro, get 2 m.
50 mm buckles for the surcingles, get 15 sets.
25 mm halter type buckes for the front closures, (5 pcs)
25 mm karabiners for the front closures, (10 pcs) (these are often the first thing that needs to be changed on a halter as well)

Often if another horse has been biting the blanket, the inside with the padding is torn off. I just use whatever thin fabric I have to repair that on the inside. If it is e.g. a wool blanket with a long open tear, I will put a piece of reinforcement on the inside and sew along the sides of the tear. I often use 50 mm webbing for the reinforcement. 

If a blanket is too far gone, some parts of it can still be used for spare parts such as webbing or hardware if there is still any of it left. Just be sure to ask the owner if they want it back or if you can buy it for a symbolic sum. 

Laederiet.dk or pethardware.cz has got all the spare parts that you will need.

Have fun.
 

[TomE]

This book on rug repair might be helpful. https://www.ebay.com/p/16038802178  The author is a master saddler and I own his other books on bridlework, repair of harness and tack, harness decorations, etc.  They are well written and have filled gaps in my knowledge.  The JA Allen pictoral guides are brief but cover main points of each subject.  This article on the JA Allen book shop is a fun read for anyone interested in equestrian history https://www.museumofthehorse.org/j-a-allen-the-horsemans-booksho/

[jcuk]

Here in the UK it is a legal requirement to have the rugs washed and cleaned before any repairs are carried out. Some of the rugs to be repaired may have be stored with horse mess (to put it nicely) still on them that may have mould spores on them also stored where Rats and Mice may have messed on them too, there is a big chance some may have Ring worm and other such nasties on them and its widely  know Ring worm can survive quite a long time of some surfaces including wood thats why a lot of stables will be steamed cleaned if there has been a big out break, so be careful you don't want to get this in your work shop in some way or more importantly on you or any of your customers. I don't know if it is a legal requirement in France but you may want to check if it is, if it not you may want to offer the washing and cleaning side of it as part of the service at a cost of course, lots of people started companies doing such a thing when it became a requirement here, some i know do good business doing this.

Here a company that will have everything you need to repair rugs.

https://www.abbeyengland.com

Hope this helps

JCUK

Edited February 17, 2022 by jcuk

[DrmCa]

Here's a tip: used seatbelts can be had nearly for free at scrap yards because they cannot be legally reused. They make for very good, strong webbing. They also come with some slide buckles. I always try to have a shopping bag full of seatbelts on hand, for all kinds of repairs. They also come on child carseats.

[TomE]

9 minutes ago, DrmCa said:

Here's a tip: used seatbelts can be had nearly for free at scrap yards because they cannot be legally reused. They make for very good, strong webbing. They also come with some slide buckles. I always try to have a shopping bag full of seatbelts on hand, for all kinds of repairs. They also come on child carseats.

We bought this seat belt webbing for $0.17/ft at https://www.repurposedmaterialsinc.com/seat-belt-webbing/ to repair horse blankets.  Free shipping in the US.

Edited February 17, 2022 by TomE