Waterproof or water-resistant: what's the difference?

Our horse blanket guide lists turnouts as having a waterproof or water-resistant outer shell and says a stable blanket is designed for indoors and is not waterproof. Our winter riding boots and barn boots guide says that on boots, waterproof and water-resistant are not the same promise.

The words stop being a clean guide once you read the makers' own pages. LeMieux's page for its Maisie jacket says it is made from water-resistant fabric with taped seams, and it also states a waterproof rating of 10000 mm. That is not necessarily a contradiction, but it shows that one word on a label can sit beside a very high rating, and a very high rating can sit beside a modest word. So when a listing gives you the word but not a figure, ask for the figure. And when it gives you both, read what the maker says the rating applies to: the fabric, the seams, the zips or the whole garment.

Our horse blanket guide gives that definition for blankets and offers rough bands: about 1,000 mm for light rain, 1,500 to 2,000 mm for sustained rain and wet grazing, and 3,000 mm and up for genuinely soggy climates. Those bands are the guide's, written for blankets. We did not find a source that gives matching bands for riding jackets.

Makers on riding jackets state both numbers. Here is how LeMieux words it on four of its jacket pages (some of these styles now show as discontinued on its site, and we use them only to show how a maker words things):

The breathability figure is written in "mvp" on the Brooke and Maisie pages, and the pages do not spell out the unit. Each maker states its own numbers, and we did not find a source saying every maker tests the same way, so we have not tried to compare one maker's figure with another's.

The four LeMieux pages above name them one by one.

• Coating. The Isla page lists a durable water-repellent coating. Our blanket guide describes the same idea as a DWR coating, the finish that keeps water beading off the surface, and says waterproofing wears off with use and washing.
• Seams. Three of the pages say taped seams and one says heat-sealed seams. Makers list seam treatment as its own feature, and we found no source that rates one seam type against another.
• Zips and pockets. The Brooke page lists waterproof zips at the front and on the pockets; the Go Aqua page lists watertight zip pockets.
• Vents. The Go Aqua page lists under-arm and back vents for breathability.
• Care. The Brooke page says to wash it inside out, air dry only, and not to tumble dry or bleach. Follow the label on your own jacket, since care can affect how long a coating lasts.

Our horse blanket guide does that for blankets: about 1,000 mm for light rain, 1,500 to 2,000 mm for sustained rain and wet grazing, and 3,000 mm and up for genuinely soggy climates. Read a blanket listing against the weather your horse actually stands in, not against the biggest number on the shelf.

Boots follow the same logic. Our winter riding boots and barn boots guide says wet feet get cold whatever is lining the boot, and its table puts mild winters with rain over snow in a group where waterproof matters more than warmth, with wellies and country boots as its examples. For a day mostly in the saddle, the same guide asks for a riding last and a slim sole, so waterproofing is one need among several.

On jackets, one LeMieux page offers a different answer to the same problem: the Go Aqua jacket is described as a waterproof companion for use over a show jacket, or on a wet day at home. It is a separate layer for the wet, and the page lists vents for breathability. We are not telling you to buy one. It shows that makers think about wet weather as a layer you add, not only as a property of your everyday coat.

If you are not sure how much rain you ride in, ask the people who ride where you do. Local trainers and barn friends know whether your fall is drizzle or downpour.

Our winter riding boots and barn boots guide flags the height point: on some tall boots the membrane runs to the ankle rather than full height, and it says neither is bad, so match it to your winter. The descriptions on our own listings, which carry the makers' wording, show the range.

None of these listings gives a waterproof rating in mm the way a jacket page does. Riders also test the claim in real life, as in the review below. If you are choosing for a wet winter, our winter tall boots page and the winter riding boots page are where to compare them. Our Barn Talk page on keeping feet warm in the stirrup covers warmth.

One Ovation mitten is described as a waterproof and breathable softshell with a Thinsulate lining. An Ovation glove is described with a waterproof Griptex fabric and a Thinsulate lining. A WeatherBeeta glove is described as synthetic leather with a durable and waterproof outer, lined with 3M Thinsulate.

Those are the makers' descriptions, and they are brief. If wet hands are your problem, look at what the listing says the waterproofing is made of, and how it is lined, rather than the single word. Our gloves category has the full range, and our Barn Talk page on sizing riding gloves covers fit.

Our horse blanket guide says waterproofing wears off over time and to reproof annually with a spray-on waterproofer after washing, and its season-start checklist says to test by pouring a little water on the shell: it should bead and roll off. Horse & Hound explains that you can reapply the outer protection but not the inner membrane.

That is why washing and reproofing matter, and why a wash that strips the coating shortens a blanket's life. Our Barn Talk page on washing and reproofing a turnout blanket goes through it, and the page on blanket labels, denier and fill explains the other numbers. A waterproof turnout is not the same as a stable blanket. Our blanket guide says a stable blanket is designed for use indoors only and is not waterproof. For a horse who is already wet, see whether you can blanket a wet horse.

Everything in this table comes from the sources above.