Just last night I blanketed the Mozzie Man (19 months old this month) for the first time this season. It took 2 cookies, a halter, and a total of 20 seconds to complete because I first set myself up for success by putting on the halter.
Could I have blanketed him without the halter? Most likely, but it surely wouldn't have been a crisp, quick, and clean as with the halter.
Will I eventually blanket him without a halter? Of course, but I will not even attempt to do so until I am 150% sure that I can. Be it this season or the next eventually he will blanket like every other horse I own.
But until then I would rather take a halter out with me and spend a few seconds tying it than spend an hour or two trying to catch, calm, and undo all the trauma of a horse running all over the pasture with a blanket half on because I tried to rush his training with shortcuts
