Census of opinions please?

Old school green canvas new zealand rugs ran the risk of rubbing wet and stabled but modern rugs are more like waterproof stable rugs. I leave mine on to dry with no ill effects
 
when I was at a posh yard with a rug drying room I changed rugs daily...now I am at livery with just grass and a stable and no heating in the barn so a wet rug would not dry by the morning. I take the rug off in the morning and thoroughly groom every day whether I am riding or not so my horse is checked properly at least once a day and I feel she is more comfortable keeping her nz on rather than changing and putting a soaking wet nz on in the morning. I would prefer to change rugs but I cannot afford to have loads of rugs so this works for me...
 
Thank you again everyone. As I said in the original post I can't bear to NOT take a rug off to groom daily so that wont be an issue. I have several TO rugs for each horse so wet/rubbing/possible wrong weight hopefully wont become a problem. If they have to stand in for a day or two if we have exceptionally bad weather then I can always revert to stable rugs for that period but having read what you all had to say, I will give it a try and see how we all get on. As several of you said the rug comes off for grooming/riding so there will never be a case of leaving a rug on a horse and not looking under it for days on end.
My loose boxes are in a covered barn, open both ends. Brilliant ventilation and cool during hot weather but bloomin' parky in Winter so I doubt anything will get too hot!!
Thank you all.
 
I don't like mine to stay in her turnout. The main reason being that she box walks when waiting to be turned out and I wouldn't want her to sweat under a turnout and then go out in the cold. My turnouts are breathable and high quality but no waterproof rug will ever be as breathable as a non-waterproof. I like her to have a fresh rug in the morning, I like her in a warm but not heavy rug overnight, but I don't mind her standing in her turnout to dry it.
 
cobgoblin said:
I'm sure some of the modern rugs are perfectly ok as stable rugs, but I could never put a horse in the stable in a wet rug! Just seems lazy to me.
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I don't think anyone would want to put a horse in a stable in a wet rug but if the rug is dry on the inside then what harm is it? I don't buy indoor rugs, outdoor rugs are better quality and better value. As far as I can remember Horseware recommended people not to take a warm outdoor rug off a horse and replace it with a cold one. That doesn't mean you can't open the buckles and fold it over in halves to check firstly the withers and shoulders area and then the hindquarters before closing it up again.
 
cobgoblin said:
I'm sure some of the modern rugs are perfectly ok as stable rugs, but I could never put a horse in the stable in a wet rug! Just seems lazy to me.
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I do agree with this. It's lazy in exactly the same way as not ironing your socks and knickers, I think. Disgusting :D

On a serious note, not everyone has space to dry wet rugs. They don't dry hung on a string in the stable overnight, even if your horse will allow you to do that. And I think it's a much worse thing to put a damp-inside rug back on a horse in the morning than to leave a wet-outside rug on it overnight.

Outdoor rugs seem to stay dry inside as long as they are on the horse, but once taken off when the rug is sodden wet, the liner goes damp.
 
I tried it once. Horse at the time pulled his stable rug off the rug rack to lie on. He obviously wanted his stable rug as he had never pulled a rug off before or since

Stable rugs are softer so to me seem nicer to lie down in. To me the above proved horse thinks so too
 
I always change rugs and I always have done. I would only leave a turnout rug on overnight if it was really wet and wasn't going to dry hanging on a rug rack (and the horse was warm and dry underneath it).
 
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