Best sweet itch rugs

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Stenners

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I'm trying to plan ahead as it wont' be long before these are back on. My dartmoor has basically ruined and broken her Rambo rug so I do need to get a new one - I have the Rambo Ripstop Hoody but it rubs her shoulders a little so thats my spare for when the other is in the wash!

What do you all recommend before I buy?
 
I still like the Snuggy ones. My horse has been in them for 8 years and they work. They do not stand up to teeth at all though - have had to move fields as his much-loved, small, playful ponies were costing me a fortune.
 
The Shires sweet itch hoody was hard wearing on my SI girl, as was the Weatherbeeta. The latter is going into it's third year and the shoulder dart is worn through, plus a couple of tiny holes (glueable for now) in the neck area, but my girl really is bad - she rubs to form open wounds and I have to neem oil and benzyl benzoate problem areas not covered by rug (ears, face, armpits and teats, lower legs...).
 
I bought a boett (2nd hand) for my shetland last year which helped the sweet itch massively! BUT.... his fieldmate grabbed him when they were playing, and it tore from the wither to the tail! This has reminded me to send it off to see if it can be repaired though.
 
This is the problem I have! My Dartmoor has one tiny whole in the neck so my big boy thought it would be fun to grab hold of and play with and rip it!!
 
I think Premier Equine are the hardest wearing. I've got some that are years old and when they get a hole or rip I get them patched and keep using them. They can get a bit warm in them when the weather gets hot. Shires are good but they seemed to change the design a few years ago and the belly straps are too long for my pony. I didn't like the Weatherbeta as the material felt very synthetic. Ruggles are good- pony was wearing one of these before the cold weather set in - but I've found that they're not that hard wearing. The Rambo ones are good if it gets hot although I find that the neck is too short for my pony. I think it's a good idea to buy cheap second hand ones to see if the fit is good before you buy new ones. They are all expensive. You also need good fly masks - I really like the Rambo beekeeper type.
 
My horse doesn't have SI but the flies can be pretty bad here and this fly rug has been by far the best at keeping him covered and keeping the flies off. For some reason he went through a couple of periods of being super itchy this summer and I was impressed how well the rug stood up to it:

Amigo Camofly Detach-A-Neck Fly Rug - Grey/Orange

The Horseware Amigo CamoFly Fly Rug Grey/Orange is a bright and bold fly rug which provides the highest levels of fly protection for your horse.
www.hopevalleysaddlery.co.uk
 
Premier Equine if I am feeling rich and shires sweetitch rug is the next best thing though like the above poster the belly flap straps don't go short enough. My sweet itch pony is a thickset Dartmoor. I try and keep a stash of three rugs and wash them every couple of days which has saved me a fortune in creams as his skin keeps much better on the whole.
 
Mine don’t have SI but do hate flies. I love Shires Sweetitch hoodies, the highlander plus ones with ear holes.
They are my go to fly rug.
PE are also good but do they still have tummy cover or is it just surcingles? Not sure.
Rambo I found didn’t stay over the ears but they are nice too.
 
I really rate Boetts. If you have a sewing machine they are very easy to repair, I'm rubbish at sewing and I've repaired mine loads.
 
Stenners said:
I'm trying to plan ahead as it wont' be long before these are back on. My dartmoor has basically ruined and broken her Rambo rug so I do need to get a new one - I have the Rambo Ripstop Hoody but it rubs her shoulders a little so thats my spare for when the other is in the wash!

What do you all recommend before I buy?
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Boett blankets! Or De Meulenkamp ( same fabric, designer worked for Boett)
Might be able to find cheaper secondhand ones this time of year?
 
Hobo2 said:
Premier Equine if I am feeling rich and shires sweetitch rug is the next best thing though like the above poster the belly flap straps don't go short enough. My sweet itch pony is a thickset Dartmoor. I try and keep a stash of three rugs and wash them every couple of days which has saved me a fortune in creams as his skin keeps much better on the whole.
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Ah the Shires one would be no good then as my Dartmoor is a belly kicker with the flies and has been known to get stuck in rugs
 
I have the Boett and Shire Highlander plus (in ?2 ?weights). I intensely dislike the Boett. He gets very hot in it and it rubs his chest/elbows raw/upper thighs (and was fitted by a 'main dealer' lady for Boett, along with facebook veiwing session to review fit), and it has a massive gap where the neck falls back. I find it heavy.

The Shires Highlander (with ear holes) is a much better fit, and when I found the Highlander version that is a FLy rug weight, rather than a 600 Denier weave (too hot), I've ended up with one of each Highlander weight. He's much better. He neither rubbed his tail off nor forlock/top mane off in 2024. Success! (he loses his lower mane, but he does that with any neck rug without rubbing.....)
 
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