Heavy weight rugs

[Bluewaves]

This is my first time starting a thread. Hello!

When i bought my first horse a few years ago, i bought a heavy weight rug for him to wear after his first clip. I used it a bit, but he turned out to be a very good doer and since I realised this, I've only used medium weight rugs at most. This winter he is living out 24/7 in a 50 g rug as he's retired and no longer clipped. My other horse goes in a 200 g when he is clipped.

Is it worth keeping the heavy weight? It weighs quite a bit, it's an old Gallop model. I keep it at the minute for backup for in case we get a killer winter like the one about 10 years ago. But im not sure if i would be better donating it to an animal shelter to make up dog beds and double rugging instead if we ever get another arctic freeze. At the minute it's just taking up space in my spare room.

I forgot to say both my horses are the same size so technically i can swap rugs between them, but because of their different situations, i haven't needed to yet.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I would get rid, I have just disposed of loads of rugs which I either don't use or don't fit as well as I would like.

Get a £20 Shires or the like under rug, then if we do have a freeze you can put that under a medium weight, will take up less space to store

 

[dogatemysalad]

You never know.... I had a retired Cushings mare who couldn't regulate her body temperature effectively. She had to be clipped because she was so itchy, shabby and uncomfortable. The old heavy weights came out of storage for those very freezy days as it was easier to regulate her body thermostat with rug changes.

 

[Polos Mum]

I can offer you no help - I have more than 50 rugs in sizes 5'0 to 6'9 and while I have 4 horses - none have worn a rug in 2 years and max size for them is 6.3 - I think I have a problem. !

In all seriousness if it's a pain to store then get rid, if you can hoard without inconvenience then you never know when these things are useful.

 

[WelshD]

I will always hang on to a rug that may be useful rightly or wrongly!

like someone says though you can always get an under rug (I use weatherbeeta super lightweight stable rugs) and they are very easy to store and more importantly wash

 

[Scotsbadboy]

Get rid before everyone works out how fab layering and using liners is and makes heavy weights redundant. I had a couple once and they sat around gathering dust for a long time before i realised i was never going to use them.

 

[Bluewaves]

LOL, this is helping a bit i think.

The dogs' home will maybe get my donated rug. They have very clever people who take old bedding (and horse rugs), cut them up and use an industrial sewing machine to repurpose into dog beds.

 

[Bluewaves]

Do liners not get wet or does the turnout keep them nice and dry?

 

[J&S]

Been wondering about a heavy weight Rambo that I have too. I got it down from the tops shelf, unwrapped and considered using it one cold wet night, but after handling it decided it was far to heavy and its gone back on the shelf. Mediums, with or without neck covers seem quite adequate these days, even if very wet.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

Get rid before everyone works out how fab layering and using liners is and makes heavy weights redundant. I had a couple once and they sat around gathering dust for a long time before i realised i was never going to use them.

I can't bear liners! I have never found one which doesn't pull or move or the clip breaks or they fold up.. I have a very odd shaped horse though so that won't help. I would use an under rug if it gets super cold, as it will only be about 4 days of the year that he will need one!

 

[milliepops]

i wouldn't keep it in my spare room, if that was the only option I'd get rid.
I have a few HWs lurking around that are the rugs of last resort but currently unused for the last 5 years and tbh it would have to be something fairly catastrophic that would make me reach for them, i only keep them because I have a load of horses that live out and.. well you never know. fortunately i have loads of sheds etc to hoard stuff like that.

 

[Goldenstar]

You should get rid of it , I however would keep it I have a serious rug issue .

 

[HufflyPuffly]

I cannot comment on this, I have a shed full of rugs, two rug rails full of rugs and a feed-bin full of rugs... I blame mum mostly, but it is ridiculous as they both use about 6 rugs max between them on a regular basis.

I should definitely get rid of Doodle's rugs as they're only 5'9 and 6' and Topaz and Skylla both take 6'3's but somehow they are still just sitting in my shed, vacuum packed into bags lol.

 

[Winters100]

Are you asking the logical part of me? In which case get rid of it.

Or maybe you are asking the part of me that takes care of my own rug collection. In which case there is some possibility, however remote, that you might need it in future, so keep it, and seriously consider buying a second just in case you need it and it gets wet and needs to be taken home to be dried.

 

[Chappie]

Maybe you could donate it it a local riding school or equine charity? They might really appreciate it. Although the dog charity sound like they would make good use of it too. Or sell it on gumtree/ebay/preloved & donate the money to the dogs! Even with the lockdowns I've managed to remotely buy and also donate rugs contactlessly.

Rug technology seems to have changed a fair bit over past decade and newer versions may be warmer/drier/tougher yet not so heavy. I've got a Weatherbeeta 50g with 1200 outer which I've not used yet but it looks like it will be very useful.

 

[muddybay]

Maybe you could donate it it a local riding school or equine charity? They might really appreciate it. Although the dog charity sound like they would make good use of it too. Or sell it on gumtree/ebay/preloved & donate the money to the dogs! Even with the lockdowns I've managed to remotely buy and also donate rugs contactlessly.

Rug technology seems to have changed a fair bit over past decade and newer versions may be warmer/drier/tougher yet not so heavy. I've got a Weatherbeeta 50g with 1200 outer which I've not used yet but it looks like it will be very useful.

Agree with donating it! Our riding school just had a few rugs stolen off the horse's backs in the field!

 

[laura_nash]

I kept mine (which came with him, I wouldn't have bought it) just because it was such a nice rug. I did actually end up using it when my cob was very sick in the middle of winter. I wouldn't keep it if it was in the spare room though, donating is a good idea.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I keep all rugs unless they leak but I am a rug hoarder and you just never know when you might just need it.

 

[Shysmum]

I keep all rugs that come my way. That said, I had a VERY expensive winter weight rug that Shy actually shredded all over the stable, we never knew how, so now I keep the weight down as much as possible by layering.

 

[teddypops]

Do liners not get wet or does the turnout keep them nice and dry?

No, they stay in place under the turnout so stay dry.