Tack Review Tuesday!!

Ok, so it's Wednesday. Tuesday just sounded better in the title.

Cuna had Tuesday off and a light hack today, so not a ton to talk about other than how the rest of y'all are missing out because you don't have a Cunafish of your own and I am NEVER SHARING, but that gets repetitive after a while.

Our model

Today I thought I'd do a review of the fly sheet Cuna has been sporting all summer. It's the Kool Coat Airstream Detach-a-Neck from smartpak.

List price: $53.95

What I paid: $53.95

Sizing: Cuna is a big, long horse. He wears an 81" winter blanket in the Amigo/Rambo side of things, and he fills it up well. I got him the corresponding 81" in the Kool Coat and it fit perfectly. No rubs, no problems.

General Description: designed to keep a horse bug free and as cool as possible in the summer time, the Kool Coat features a soft cotton body with white mesh cutouts to allow air circulation. The cotton doesn't stretch or move with the horse, but it never bunches or binds, either. There are two chest buckles, a hidden surcingle, hind leg straps, and the removable neck cover features one normal buckle and three plastic snaps to close. I've never actually taken the neck off of the blanket, so I don't remember how it attaches.

Pros: Cuna is an incredibly sensitive horse. I literally can't keep hair on him. That said, this sheet hasn't caused me any rubbing problems whatsoever. The neck stays up remarkably well. The sheet also washes well--I just toss it in my normal, top loading machine at home and it comes out bright and beautiful. I hang it to dry, but have experienced no shrinking whatsoever. I thought that material might be contributing to Cuna getting a bit sweaty under his sheet in the heat of summer, but a subsequent purchase of a lightweight, no-neck sheet proved that he just gets sweaty in summer, period. Thus, this sheet is no hotter than any other sheet.

Cunafish in summer

The other great thing about this sheet is that it really keeps the sun off. Cuna is a rich, dark chestnut, but he quickly fades out to a nasty yellow in the hot summer desert sun.

Cons: Super lightweight. Cuna is easy on blankets, but a harder-wearing horse would literally destroy this in minutes. A friend described it as a single season sheet, and I think she's right. I'll probably be able to eek a couple months out of it next year, but I doubt it will last me two full seasons like the higher-priced sheets do.

Conclusion: I got what I paid for. This sheet has been extremely functional and I don't regret buying it. I hope to have $200 lying around next summer to snap up a Rambo Fly Buster, which seems to be a lot more durable, but in the interim, this is a perfectly acceptable piece of equipment for those sensitive horses needing bug and sun relief.