Q: Why do sheep wear blankets?
A: Blankets or spandex tubes are worn by sheep that have been groomed for show to keep them clean until they go into the ring. A lot of work can go into washing and trimming an animal to make it look its best and usually this prep happens awhile before show time. This gap of time between grooming and showing gives your animals the opportunity to really get dirty, it is amazing how you can put a clean blanket on your lamb one night and come back the next morning to find it not looking so clean anymore. Blankets definitely save time the morning of the show because they eliminate most of the need to spot wash and dust off any shavings/hay.
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| Fluff aka Prairie Winds 1X in her blanket won at the Provincial Sheep Show in 2011. |
This is one of the most common questions people have when we have our sheep on display before a show. Most think their purpose is too keep the sheep warm, but even though some of the lambs have been slick shorn this is not the case. The shows we usually attend are during the summer so it is nice and warm and during the winter their wool provides enough insulation that blankets are not needed like they might be for horses.
We order our blankets from the CCWG in Lethbridge where they come in three sizes. A size one fits smaller lambs with full fleece or a bit larger lambs that are slick shorn. Most of our market lambs end up wearing ones if they are under 120 lbs. if they are a bigger framed lamb then they wear a size two. Smaller ewes also wear twos and the rest of the ewes and rams wear threes. Fluff is pictured here wearing a size three.
Lamb tubes are also another option, they are made from spandex and come in a variety of different colors and patterns. This website really has a great selection of tubes and even colored blankets: Show Stopper Equipment .
