Buyer Beware - PREMIER EQUINE

pepsimaxrock

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A rug does not just rip on its own without help from the horse in some way.

Ahem. The rug was manufactured for a horse. And £150 was charged for it. Surely that means that it should be as impervious to horse damage as it possibly could be. Or are these companies manufacturing stuff for horses and then expecting horses not to use them?

What is it about the horse retail industry that sets them above proper standards. And allows them to charge the earth?
 

windand rain

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My pony has a end of line Shires rug bought over 10 years ago has been washed both at home and by a rug company. She lives in it 24/7 for about six months of the year this year was the first time it had a repair to a small tear that appeared when it was washed probably caused but the washing machine. The cleaning company mended it for free and I am more than delighted with Shires it cost about £40 Its biggest draw back is that it has a wool blanket lining which hair sticks to and it is so deep she looks like she is wearing her granny's nightie. Cant say A I would be too chuffed if an expensive rug lasted less than 6 months and B the customer service seemed to think it was ok for a rug to last less than 6 months
 

Paint Me Proud

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I've just looked at the photo again and I would definitely say it is friction damage from rubbing. You can see on the rest of the strap how the rubbing has also roughed up the stitching of 'premier equine' writing. It's broken through on the buckle because the strap has been sandwiched between the metal of the buckle and what ever he's been rubbing on and has worn through so much quicker. I'd guess maybe he's rubbing it on the stable door, probably unintentionally.
 

JennBags

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OP I don't think you're unreasonable for expecting the rug to last longer than a few months, even if your horse had been rubbing, I wouldn't expect that sort of damage in such a short time.

I'm not keen on the PE brand, I can't exactly tell you why but they do seem to be more style over substance and a lot of the replies on this thread confirm that for me. I love weatherbeeta and shires for long lasting good quality rugs, and have only heard good things about rambo and rhino rugs too. I got an amigo a few months ago which has now got a slight rip on the surcingles attachment but it wasn't expensive so I shrugged it off as just one of those things; if I'd spent £150 on it I'd be wanting a replacement.
 

TPO

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A rug does not just rip on its own without help from the horse in some way.
Same as straps that come off, if its faulty stitching the rug will be fine and the strap would just part from the rug, if there's holes left in the rug a force has been applied. Only takes a minute for a horse to rip or make a hole, the fact the rug is new doe not make the companies liable.

I'm well aware of how rugs work. I rugged horse, turned him out, stood at gate and watched him mooch about before noticing the strap was loose. I went to tighten it and that's when I saw it hanging by literally a thread. It came off completely in my hand when I unfastened the strap. This all happened in the space of half an hour.

In 30yrs of horse ownership I've never had anything like this happen. The rug was obviously faulty.

The company is liable for providing a faulty product and for extremely rude "customer service".
 

cremedemonthe

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As some of the others have said, the problem looks to me to be on the inside of that loop. pressed out surcingle fittings and loops are used on even the most expensive rugs, cast fittings are far better but twice as expensive and who would know the difference?
Manufacturer's often rely on you not knowing a quality fitting if it jumped up and bit you.
I would run my fingers along the inside to see if it it too sharp on the edges. I have replaced dozens like this, it's a common problem with pressed fittings, especially when/if they get a bit of rust on them as they wear as in Nickel covered steel, Oz (Saddler)
 

Moomin1

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Ahem. The rug was manufactured for a horse. And £150 was charged for it. Surely that means that it should be as impervious to horse damage as it possibly could be. Or are these companies manufacturing stuff for horses and then expecting horses not to use them?

What is it about the horse retail industry that sets them above proper standards. And allows them to charge the earth?

Horses are animals. Animals do all sorts of odd things. Nobody can remotely say there is no possibility of them, given their size, destroying anything. Hell, I have a 17 mth old daughter who manages to destroy everything in sight. So my 700kg horse can easily tear a rug...
 

Boulty

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I think it's difficult to prove either way if there's a fault with the rug (would be checking that metal part for sharpness) but agree that the tone of their response could be better. Will also admit that the part in question is one I've never seen a horse manage to damage in that way. I have a 4 year old PE rug myself that is mostly in very good nick although is pending a repair to a small rip near the bum and once that's done I expect it to last a good few years yet as the fittings are like new. Interestingly he has ripped one of his Fal rugs in the same place (twice as I fixed it the first time!) and I actually think that with the way the fabric has torn and being able to see the inside of the rug that the PE is the better quality rug of the two (The Fal is the newer rug but has not fared as well and they've had roughly equal amounts of use). Mind you for longevity that award has to go to my Saxon 1200D which cost me £50 and is about 9 years old now. One small rip repaired but still waterproof and perfectly useable. Sadly is is like a mini-skirt on current horse so I've given it away to my YM, look forward to seeing her ponies try to kill it (I'll be impressed if they do!)
 

Moomin1

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Fact of the matter is this. The strap in question is a bottom chest strap from what I can see. Bottom chest straps take less pressure usually than top ones. Now, if the argument is that this particular strap has given under pressure very easily, then why hasn't the top one? The top one looks fine. Secondly, the only way I can see any pressure taking place on a bottom chest strap, when the top one looks fine, is that it has been caught/rubbed etc. Now, whether this strap has been less than durable as a result of the above, is a question which nobody can really answer unless many more voice the same problem with the same brand rug. The only other explanation I can see is that the bottom strap WAS faulty, in which case the offer of a voucher is more than reasonable for that amount, given it would be such an easy repair. I still fail to see any fault in what PE have said. I really wouldn't have worried my backside over it lol.
 

Girlracer

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As some of the others have said, the problem looks to me to be on the inside of that loop. pressed out surcingle fittings and loops are used on even the most expensive rugs, cast fittings are far better but twice as expensive and who would know the difference?
Manufacturer's often rely on you not knowing a quality fitting if it jumped up and bit you.
I would run my fingers along the inside to see if it it too sharp on the edges. I have replaced dozens like this, it's a common problem with pressed fittings, especially when/if they get a bit of rust on them as they wear as in Nickel covered steel, Oz (Saddler)

That's very interesting, I will have a better look at it later on today. Thank you.

King says, he's rocking the trusty old Amigo now anyway.

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PerfectCoffee

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I must say I've not been amazed with the quality of premier equine rugs and don't buy them any more tho do rate their saddle pads and boots. But I think a voucher is a fair deal particularly as it is not clear whether it is a defect in the rug.
 

_HP_

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I use their sweet Itch rugs and am very pleased with them....mine is 3 yrs old so far and it gets a lot of battering.
I think sometimes people expect too much tbh..rugs need protecting from things that can rip themmif you want them to last.
 

paddy555

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I' m another not very happy about PE products. I got the trio and it was expensive. It leaked and was just so heavy when wet, took ages and ages to dry. Contacted the company but all they offered was a discount off another rug. The last thing I wanted was another one of their rugs.

I have been using 2 amigo rugs with neck covers which have the same fastenings as yours. This is the third winter they have been used, 2 different horses and they are basically worn 24/7. Both horses are stabled overnight and spend their time doing the usual rubbing stuff. The fastening/material are 100% on one rug and there is about 1/8 of an inch tear just starting on the other which is not running. That is after 3 winters.
The amigo was not the most expensive rug and far cheaper than my PE. I am pleased and think their performance on the neck fastenings is reasonable and what I would expect.

i know horses can damage rugs but surely rugs should be robust enough to deal with the usual wear and tear of horses in general.
 

Amaranta

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I would also expect an expensive rug to last longer that 4/5 months, I did have a fal that this happened to, but that rug was nigh on 12 years old. Normal wear and tear does not explain it, rips and tears to the body of the rug yes, fraying of the buckles? No.

They say you should judge a company on the way it's customer service deals with problems, big thumbs down in this case I'm afraid and I will not be buying from them any time soon.
 

paddi22

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I used to buy cheap rugs over the years and just gave up, the outer covers aren't as tough as the rambos. Now when horseware do their crazy sales twice a year, a gang of us go up and stock up on discounted rambos. It's well worth a trip up to dundalk as last time got heavyweight 6ft rambo with detachable neck for 50 euro, was delighted. their facebook page should when the sales are on.
 

Tern

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My Amigo has done the same thing. Didn't complain - just sewed it back up!

I once bought a Shires rug many years ago.. Horse managed to put a leg through the side overnight and he never touched or ripped his rugs! Place I bought from refused to refund so it got sent to the rug repairs for a hefty price!
 

SatansLittleHelper

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My friend has a super heavyweight Breton draft mare who is a rug wrecker.
Before Xmas she wrecked 3 rugs in as many weeks!!! These were 2 Saxons and a Shires.
She managed to get a set of almost new PE rugs for £60!!!!! Secondhand and so far the mare hasn't been able to damage them and has had them for over 6 weeks.
I've never used them and would never spend big money on rugs but these do seem to be beautiful quality.
I can see your point though OP...if the wording had been just slightly different in response se....have you told them how you feel in relation to the customer service?
 

wingedhorse

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I am a PE fan, and have been for many years.

I have their Sweetitch buster fly rugs, which are the only ones that last and don’t rub. My horses have lived out in them for 3 summers, and are still going strong. I’ve tried to buy lighter weight ones and have all rubbed or fallen apart.

I have 5 x 100 trio rugs (. Two when under six months old had strap damage (one a surcingle, and one a front strap). I sent PE photos, and they offered me various options, I chose to buy a replacement rug, for a big discount, and had the rugs repaired by saddler fairly cheaply. I was very happy with their response.

I also have lots of their liners which I think are wonderful. And their headcollars :)

I’ve only ever had good customer service.
 

Crackerz

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I agree with OP.

My experience of PE customer service and rug quality is not good either.

The first rug i bought fell apart at the seam in 24 hours. They said it was the horses fault yet the rug was still clean, nothing was stretched or ripped and horse was in a field surrounded by electric tape. Mum fixed it, even though she wanted to send the rug back and get a refund but they wouldn't.
Then it rained. Once. My rug was wet from corner to corner inside. Apparently that was my fault too. With much arguing, they gave us 50% off another rug....
And whilst that has stayed together, and is waterproof, it already looks a few years old yet it is only 6 months old.

Crappy quality overpriced stuff.

I have Masta rugs that are 15 years old and not ripped and all buckles working!!

When i spend £100 on a rug, i expect at least a few years regular use of it. Oh, and i expect customer service not to dimiss everything.


My YO asked PE if they sold chest extenders. the reply? 'our rugs don't need them'. Well, clearly they did as my YO's horse needed it! I think she bought a Rambo one in the end.
She also raised an issue a while back with them that it was rubbing withers - she wasn't complaining, only letting them know. The reply? 'Our rugs don't rub withers'

What have just brought out? A new rug with wither protection!!
 

Palindrome

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Interesting, I bought a fly rug 2 years ago and on the 2nd day my horse had a rubbed patch on the flank. It had never happened before with other makes of rugs and rug seemed the right size (a bit deep but right length and chest/neck opening), so I contacted the customer service and was told to send it back so they could inspect the rug. Not sure what they would have seen as the rug was brand new and in good order, just causing a weird rub. Rather than post it back which would have cost me more money, I gave it another try (cue even more rubbed hairless patch) and then sold it on e-bay.
 
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wingedhorse

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Interesting, I bought a fly rug 2 years ago and on the 2nd day my horse had a rubbed patch on the flank. It had never happened before with other makes of rugs and rug seemed the right size (a bit deep but right length and chest/neck opening), so I contacted the customer service and was told to send it back so they could inspect the rug. Not sure what they would have seen as the rug was brand new and in good order, just causing a weird rub. Rather than post it back which would have cost me more money, I gave it another try (cue even more rubbed hairless patch) and then sold it on e-bay.


Fly rugs seem very horse specific though. I bought the shires sweetitch combos on recommendation. Both rubbed my horses, I sold both to fellow liveries, and allowed to trial a week or so to see if rubbed their horses and they didn’t.

I like the sweet itch buster PE fly rugs for my horses. Not so keen on the other fly rug PE types, and fit not same.
 

Palindrome

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Fly rugs seem very horse specific though. I bought the shires sweetitch combos on recommendation. Both rubbed my horses, I sold both to fellow liveries, and allowed to trial a week or so to see if rubbed their horses and they didn’t.

I like the sweet itch buster PE fly rugs for my horses. Not so keen on the other fly rug PE types, and fit not same.

I accept that but that was strange to have such a large rub (larger than my hand) form in just one day and on the flank. Horse is a standard thoroughbred shape.
 

Embo

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I think this is a standard response from PE, in all honesty.

I had a set of travel boots from them, a couple of months old and only used a few times (not many of us use travel boots every day, after all!). Came home and took B off the trailer, the bottom strap on the near fore boot had been ripped off. The stitching had come away on the inside, so the strap was still attached at the velcro. Of course, he could have stood on himself and torn it, but there were no other marks on the boot at all. I thought it was strange but wasn't convinced myself that it was entirely a manufacturing fault.

I contacted PE, not expecting anything at all, thought on the off chance they might have a spare boot they could send me. They decided that it 100% wasn't a manufacturing fault. They offered me a £20 voucher or 50% off of a new set of boots. I went with a new set of boots as the other set were last seasons in the sale anyway.

I was quite happy with the outcome, to be honest.

I keep meaning to repair the other set and sell them!
 
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