Blanketing?

I'm just wondering how safe it is to blanket a horse then leave it in a pasture. I'm a little worried about him hurting himself. There is nothing that he could get stuck on and besides that all he would do is rip the blanket. But do horses ever get tangled up in their own blanket? The straps that go underneath his belly hang down about 4-6 inches and they are at their tightest. Another thing is when they roll how much does that wreck the blanket.
I've never blanketed my horse other than for hauling in winter so this is all new to me. I've seen lots of horses that wear blankets in winter but I'm still a little paranoid about him getting hurt.
Thanks.

If the belly straps hang down that much when they are tightened your horse needs a smaller blanket. Or you need to have the straps cut down by someone who does blanket repairs (or has a big sewing machine). Ideally you should be able to get a flat hand between the strap and horse.

And if they are turnout blankets there shouldn't be a problem. If your worried about them being ripped get a blanket with a higher denier. My guys are 1600D, pretty tough, but he still manages to have a few tears by the end of the season. But a trip to the blanket lady and $20 and they are fixed for the next season.

I've never had a blanket come off while rolling, they might shift a little but nothing major. As long as you check on them at least once a day they'll be fine. Also, it's good to take the blanket off everyday to make sure there are no cuts/scrapes underneath; I can't get out to the boarding barn everyday so my guy will go 2-3 days with his on and he's fine.

You have to remember the amount of horse power behind an animal that get's tangled up such as a blanket. I have never had problems with horses and blankets tho I have seen some completely destroyd blankets. Hopefully the worst case scenario is that the blanket is torn to shreds. One reason I try to prevent blanketing as much as I can because of the expense of getting them fixed.

Ok well it sounds like I shouldn't bother then. I'm sending him for training and he will be boarded indoors and I just wanted to get a head start on getting him to shed. But I'll just not bother. I'm not sure what kind of blankets I have since my friend bought them for me and I never looked at the tag so they probably aren't even the right kind.
Thanks for the advice.

I always blanket my horses in the winter, I know it's silly but I hate seeing them cold! :P
As far as hurting himself, just make sure all the straps are done up correctly and not hanging loose then you should be fine

If he's going to need to keep a short coat (say for training/ winter riding), you must blanket him.

It sounds like your surcingles are a little long. Other than that there should be no issue.

May I ask why you are blanketing him? I am in Canada (it gets pretty cold here!) and I don't blanket my horses, and they are out 24/7. If it's to keep his coat short I guess I get it, but other than that, most horses will do really well just left to grow a winter coat ;)

From what I read above she is sending her horse to a trainer to get some training and it is much easier to work a horse heavily in the winter when it does not have a full winter coat.