So I found the blankie...

Houdini managed to get out of her "straight jacket" the night before last. I swear, I just don't understand why she's so bound and determined to be naked. Now I have to get this damn thing fixed in time before the next cold snap... it's not a matter of if, it's when.

Back paddock, mid field

So here's where I found it. It was just laying there, in a heap, like it was napping. Or maybe like a fallen soldier. Or a forgotten toy. Or... well, you get the picture. What I don't get? How she managed to get fully out of it. Both crossed belly surcingles and both hind leg straps were still attached. She managed to somehow wriggle out of it, and it's not hung up on something as though she rubbed it off.

Before finding it, I saddled up Ivan and rode out to exercise him a bit, plus search for the darn blankie. Once we discovered it, I had to go all the way around to the gate to that pasture, then loop back around to where she'd discarded it. He was so good for me when I dismounted and hauled it up on his back in front of the saddle, then was so careful carrying it and me back to the barn.

Ok, so this part I expected. As you can see, only one D-ring is still intact. The 2nd bottom D-ring has been pulled off, and the stitching is coming loose on the webbing. The two D-rings on the top are completely missing. Webbing, rings, and all, completely gone.

Here's what REALLY confuses me. Now, what you're seeing are two loops, formed into loops by doubling back the webbing through a buckle. What's supposed to be at the left end of both of those loops is a snap... a swivel snap that is completely MIA. Where are the snaps? How the heck did they get lost without even undoing these buckles? WTF? No trace of the snaps or D-rings or webbing where I found the darn blankie.

This houdini behavior is really starting to get old. Most of the rest of the boarders don't blanket their horses at all, but then I feel bad for her after we have a long ride and her hair is too long. When she's really furry, she gets hot sooner when we're working, plus her hair/fur gets sweaty and matted up, and it takes forever for her to dry, then it takes forever to brush her out afterward. Not to mention I'd like to show with her in the spring, and I'd rather not have to clip her entirely and her have to continue to be blanketed into April... I need a solution!!!