Confessions of a Blanket Addict

"Hello, my name is Juli, and I'm a horse-blanket-oholic. I have no power over my disease ...."

Those were my thoughts last night after I went to the barn to snuggle up the horses against a sudden September temp drop. How in the world did one woman with just a few horses end up with enough horse clothing to cover an entire herd?! It started so innocently, and then .... Will scientists someday discover a gene that's responsible for my blanket-hoarding behavior?

As long as the weather was nice, I didn't have to confront my affliction--I could keep the door to the blanket room closed (yes, it takes a room to hold what I've amassed). But once that weather turned to the precursor of winter, I had to face a fact: I'm the Carrie Bradshaw of horse blankets. Just as the "Sex and the City" character couldn't resist "just one more pair" of Manolo Blahniks, I can't seem to resist "just one more blanket" designed to fill some specific horse-nut need.

My inventory includes items like these:
* Blanket for newborn foal, "just in case."
* Blankets (and sheets) in all incremental sizes from weanling to grown-horse size 82.
* Corresponding "equine underwear"--those stretch-fabric items that cover head/neck/body.
* Full-body horse suits that resemble fuzzy pajamas.
* Every size of neck warmer, plus the full-head hoods they've now replaced.
* Fly sheets, bathing coolers, post-workout rugs, rain sheets,
turnout blankets.

Neatly suspended from rows of wall hooks, these decidedly horsey-smelling items are sorted by size, color, specialty use, and state of repair. A "Needs Repair" bin sits next to the latest stack to have come back from being fixed. There's a box of spare buckles and straps--never know when you'll need those--and a shelf groaning under
the weight of laundering products. Not to mention a row of go-to-town halters in colors to match the corresponding coverings.

If this isn't a classic case of horse people and their weird priorities, I don't know what is. I haven't bought a new dress for myself since 1995, when I needed something besides jeans to wear to my daughter's high school graduation ceremony. That same dress worked just fine four years later, when I watched her receive her college diploma. The story's different when it comes to special-occasion horse blankets. I'd much rather see my horse slip into something new than do likewise for myself.

I think it may be time to sign up for a 12-step program. But first, I have to study the tack catalog that came in yesterday's mail. There's a pre-winter sale on horse blankets, and I need to get my order in before they run out of my horses' sizes ....