About TurtleNeck

The TurtleNeck® concept was developed by our founder Glen Hathcock because he wanted a better turnout for his own horses. His comments below give us an insight into his motivation.

“We had a genuine problem finding blankets for our show horses that fit properly and did not rub the shoulders or the withers. When we tried to use larger sizes for our horses they had gaping holes in the neck opening and they hung dangerously low. We once had a colt hang a hoof in a nylon belly strap while rolling and the ensuing panic it caused was the last straw. We were in a position to do something about it and we did.”

The company set out to create a turnout rug that would resolve these issues and provide a high degree of safety for horses. The first change was the installation of detachable elastic belly and leg straps to eliminate the possibility that any horse would ever be bound by unbreakable nylon straps. Our next change was redesigning the pattern with extra room in the shoulders and neck then we added heavy elastic binding in the neck to keep it from gaping open. The stretch in the neckline was tested and a ratio determined that kept the neckline snug against the horse yet comfortable. Finally we added the elastic binding in the shoulder gusset to allow it to stretch in conjunction with the elastic in the neckline and straps when the horse ran and played. The result was a blanket that moved and stretched with the horse in every direction but remained snug. An added benefit of the new snug design was that it kept the horse’s body heat inside the blanket and prevented wind, rain, sleet, or snow from entering through the neck opening. After extensive testing the first TurtleNeck was brought to the market in 2003. Our brand is now recognized by many horse owners and retailers as being a uniquely superior product that stands up to our motto “The Ultimate in Protection and Safety.”