Pressure on the horse's withers with three styles of blanket.

The objective of this study was to compare total force and localised pressure on horses' withers with three blanket styles (straight cut, V-shaped insert, cutback withers). Three pressure recordings, each of 5s duration, were taken in order to determine blanket pressure on the withers during standing and walking in 12 horses. Means+/-SD were calculated for the following variables and compared across blankets: total force, mean pressure, maximal pressure, and area with pressure >4 kPa. For standing trials, the blanket with the V-shaped insert had the lowest total force and smallest area with pressure >4 kPa (P<0.05). For walking trials, the straight cut blanket had the highest total force, maximal pressure, mean pressure, and largest area with pressure >4 kPa (P<0.05). The results indicate that blanket style affects force and pressure on the horse's withers and that blankets may exert sufficient pressure on the withers to induce the formation of pressure sores. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.