Do you rug with one heavier rug or lots of lighter ones?

Birker2020

Birker2020

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As title really.

With stabled horses - do you prefer to rug with one or two rugs like two lightweight quilted type rugs, or with two or three thin cooler type rugs? Or a mixture of both? I always thought lots of lighter rugs were better at keeping you warm but its more fiddly for staff.

Its going to 'officially' reach freezing tonight in my neck of the woods for the first time since the start of the Autumn although its got nearly as low previously. So I will be putting a fleece and a lightweight stable rug on my fine coated equine friend tonight.

I've got a fine fleece with a neck on order which got delivered to a neighbour this morning by accident (for some reason I put the wrong house number on ebay delivery address) and as the neighbour didn't know us its winging its way back to the sender but I'm going to start using that when its cold at night as my horse has arthritis in the neck and I think it will help her to have a neck on at night.

How do you rug?
 
ester said:
With the materials we have these days I don't layer, it just tends to get more restrictive. Fleeces in particular have always pulled back on shoulders even those purposely designed not to.
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I agree that there is nothing worse than seeing a horse with all stretched and marked skin where their ill fitted rugs which have pulled back across the breast.
 
ester said:
With the materials we have these days I don't layer, it just tends to get more restrictive. Fleeces in particular have always pulled back on shoulders even those purposely designed not to.
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Yes I preferred layers in the days of blankets and circingles but now I prefer heavier weight rugs. My 300g is very light to handle and I imagine more comfortable to wear than a m/w and a fleece.
 
I use Horseware rugs with liners. I have the no fill turn out and a 200g turn out and 100g and 200g liners. This gives me enough flexibility throughout the year for all temperatures. My horse is out in the day and in at night and he stays in the same rug. I always make sure he has plenty of hay at night to keep his internal central heating running :)
 
I used to layer my stable rugs in years gone by but, nowadays I have different weights of rug and just use one appropriate to the overnight temperature. Layering (and I've seen people layer up to 5 rugs!) must make the horse feel so uncomfortable, IMO.
 
I used to layer but no need to now, I have never seen a fleece work well under a stable or turnout rug as they pull back however well they fit, I like the idea of the liner systems but mine are rather well off for rugs to see them through for a long while so will have to make do with whatever they get;)
 
I only use fleeces for travelling or to dry them under the lamps. Fleece and shavings don't go, and fleeces always pull back, plus they get static and rub as well.

I use a max of 2 layers, and 2 layers would only be when it gos below -10 degrees.

To approximate...

For 5 degrees down to zero they have a 200g,
for 0 to -5 a 300,
-5 to -10 a 400 and
-10 and below a 300 and a 200.

I rarely use a neck rug as I quite like them to have a mane.

If it is really windy then I may have to adjust for that.
 
I use the horseware liner system for outdoor rugs and think they are brilliant as I can wash the under rugs myself easily. I've got three stable rugs, one is very lightweight, one is fairly heavyweight and I have another which I use on top of the other two if needed and which I can wash at home. I like the rugs to be fairly clean so being able to wash them at home iis a real bonus although my local rug wash will wash and dry the heavy one on the same day if I let her know in advance. I never use fleece rugs or coolers underneath as they slip back.
 
In the stable I usually have a cooler/sheet, a medium weight stable rug and an underrug for each horse and use and layer as appropriate. We have american barn stabling so is always sheltered. Outside I occasionally use a lightweight turn out in autumn/spring (prefer naked if not wet), mostly use a middleweight turnout with neck once they are clipped in winter (only out in the day) and might put an underug under that if it were truly freezing. I usually find MW rugs with cooler/sheet or underrug underneath sufficient as a general rule even when fully clipped and can't comprehend people who layer up HW rugs.... seems unnecessary and horses must get so hot and uncomfortable. But all the different weights and plethora of types of rugs are really an annoying marketing gimmick I try to resist.
 
For turnout I only use one rug.
I rarely stable overnight these days but if I had clipped out horses in I would generally use 2 stable rugs overnight so it it easy to remove the top one if necessary in the morning.
I put a cooler under a stable rug to dry a wet horse if it is cold, or sometimes under a fleece.
 
With the horseware insulator stable rug, there's no need for extra layers , but for turnouts, this year, I've started using a fitted liner with Rhino L/W instead of a heavier TO, purely because the excessive rain has made the fields a slushy bog. I can wash the liner overnight and the LW rugs can go in the machine or be hosed off if needed.
The liner works really well, I've been surprised that they stay in place. Will probably use the heavier turnouts when it's freezing but dry in the fields.
 
Maximum two rugs at a time and only ever in the coldest spells. I’m completely anal about having good fitting rugs and would never ever use anything as an under layer that wasn’t a perfect fit - fleeces are the worst.
 
one single rug usually, I think it must be more comfortable. Though I do use liners for turnout because it means you can have a top quality outer that works for all seasons.
The only fleece I own (between 5 horses) is the emergency rug in the lorry. I hate them. I don't wear fleece myself because it brings me out in a rash and the static & pulling back does my head in.
 
I layer, but never with more than two rugs total, because it's simply not necessary. I have a 100g liner/stable rug, a 50g turnout rug and a 200g turnout rug. That's more than enough to keep her toasty warm, even when she's clipped. I think she's worn the 200g rug maybe five times total.

I prefer to keep my number of rugs to a minimum, just for storage reasons.
 
I layer. They have a 50/100g base rug that they keep on, with readjustment, day and night. I don't think it's nice having a warm rug off and a cold one one. I like these because I can fit them in the washing machine and generally wash them every time I clip them.
 
I would definitely happily go down the liner route for turnouts in the future, I have just managed to acquire enough second hand rhinos and rambos that I don't need them! I do use pony heat for drying turnouts but they are still quite a bit heavier than my stable rug equivalents so tend to switch them once dry.
 
Horseware with their liners. Mix and match so you don't need more than 2 layers by using different weight rugs (unless its -10 and that's so rare). Light, wash well and dry fast. Turnout liners and stable liners all fit all rugs. You can leave liners attached so you are only putting on/taking off one 'rug'
 
My lad breaks out in hives if he gets too hot so it is very rare that he has more than a medium weight turnout on even when clipped.

i do have a cotton liner under all rugs as it is easier to wash.
 
I just use one rug at a time. I find under rugs and fleeces nowadays slip back. Didn’t seem to have that problem when we used light duvets back in the day.
Even fully clipped, mine never need anything more than a 200g in the very worst of winter. Most of the time they are happy in their 100g.
 
Just one rug but I also have a wb 100g liner that if I need to can be popped on under anything to make up a bigger weight without the bulk.

I like these liners due to them having a cut out for the shoulder so they don't rub my big boys.
 
I do layer rugs, my horse is hunter clipped and drops weight if cold. The yard is also high and cold (we can have snow at the yard and not at home just a couple of miles away).

I don't layer with fleeces due to the pulling back mentioned. Fleeces are only really used for drying off or travelling.

I either use one of the horseware or premier equine liners or an amigo insulator as the under rug. These don't pull back, are light weight and fit well. I only use two layers in the field or overnight, I might have a sweat sheet and fleece under two stable rugs if it is very cold and I am trying to dry off after hunting but the fleece and sweat sheet come off before I leave for the evening.
 
I also prefer one rug, two maximum. I ended up using a fleece under a rug last night as yard managed to turn out in stable rugs (doh) so they came in wet. Put thermatexes on under a warmer rug (they are clipped) but refuse to leave them over night to get ruined so put a fleece on the one who was still a bit damp overnight. In general though I think it’s more comfortable to just have a thick top rug. When it gets below -3 or so then I’ll put a thin poly under their heavyweights.
 
hopscotch bandit said:
As title really.

With stabled horses - do you prefer to rug with one or two rugs like two lightweight quilted type rugs, or with two or three thin cooler type rugs? Or a mixture of both? I always thought lots of lighter rugs were better at keeping you warm but its more fiddly for staff.

Its going to 'officially' reach freezing tonight in my neck of the woods for the first time since the start of the Autumn although its got nearly as low previously. So I will be putting a fleece and a lightweight stable rug on my fine coated equine friend tonight.

I've got a fine fleece with a neck on order which got delivered to a neighbour this morning by accident (for some reason I put the wrong house number on ebay delivery address) and as the neighbour didn't know us its winging its way back to the sender but I'm going to start using that when its cold at night as my horse has arthritis in the neck and I think it will help her to have a neck on at night.

How do you rug?
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one decent one, I wont use more than 3, as I am adding weight not warmth, having too many rugs on is like a riders weight all night. I would rather buy a good quality 450gm than loads of thin ones, i would not liek to wear 6 coats, i would rather wear one nice puffa.

mine live in their turnouts as they dry better and also go out keeping the warmth they accumulate during the night out to the field and vica versa. I have VERY few stable rugs
 
Kat said:
I either use one of the horseware or premier equine liners or an amigo insulator as the under rug. These don't pull back, are light weight and fit well.
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I like my amigo stable rugs they are all the things you say :), Frank's original one is now 14 years old and just as good.
 
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