HELP, cant keep rugs on!!!

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bellgave

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Have also posted this on new lounge to get max readers!!!!

I wrote a post earlier this week, but no one came up with any suggestions so thought I would try again and see if there are any new readers tonight as I really am at my wits end!!!

Any ideas how to keep a rug on a horse who just keeps on ripping them off!!?? In all my years have never had a horse that really didnt get over this, but my sisters 6 year old stallion can not help himself but to tear off anything you put on him as soon as your back is turned!!! We have tried Nobite and all sorts of nasty tasing things

We tried a half muzzle thing which worked for record time of 2 hours!!! We were all very hopeful only to come out this evening to see shreds of rug outside his door!!!

Have now run out of tatty old rugs for him to attack and have no idea what to try next. I would like to let the bugger get cold, but he is in serious work and will no doubt get clipped soon as he will compete all winter.

He lives in and we have only had him since July so had not noticed this problem untill now, we imported him from hungary and have emailed his old owners to see how they coped, but the language barrier is a bit tricky and we aont get a reply for a few weeks untill their english speaking friend goes to visit!!

So what do you think, Im all for taping his mouth shut with Gaffa tape!! (only joking) But we do need a solution as he is presently destroying a rug a day!!!!
 
Have you tried an expensive rug? I use the Shire Storm Cheetas because they are a 2000 Denier outer, which I believe is the toughest on the market

I use them because I keep mine in a herd and one horse that has sweet itch pesters the others until they bite him. I got fed up with stitching rugs!

The other thing is to find a really tough NZ and use this on the top of the good rugs.
 
I am going to put an old jute rug on him tomorrow. My sister would be seriously P****D off if we put on a good rug and he ate it. Maybe we can get some chain mail to go over it!!!!
 
I ust to look after a grade A horse that kind of did this. Blushing Groom he was called. Anyhow he would shred his rugs unless you put on his tatty green rug that was good for nothing. Didn't matter where it went in his 5 layers so long as he had it on. When ever we stayed away at shows the grooms would always say is that the horse with the green rug!!?? Don't know why he did this but thats horses for you.
Sorry I've not been much help for you.
 
I know this is probably not at all helpful but I had a horse that always trashed her rugs to get them off. I was forever going around the field retrieving rugs.
I got so fed up of her I just stopped rugging her, I just shouted out in to the field "Freeze you b**ch"!! (I was thoroughly fed up of her)!!
Turns out, she was just bloody hot and didn't want my stinking rugs on anyway. Hahahahahaa!!
I made the mistake of thinking because she was a fine thin skinned horse that she would need rugging. Quite the opposite. LOL.

As I said, probably no help what so ever but that is my experience of a rug destroyer.

C x
smile.gif
 
Ha Ha, my mum andI just laughed out loud when we read your post clipclop!! We have said pretty much the same to him, infact I just popped out to check on th eboys for the last time and whilst the others were all toasty when I checked them, I just looked at him and said "hope you're cold you b*****d!!!!"
 
When you say he lives in, do you mean he's in 24/7?

I might get shot down for this but if he's in 24/7 then maybe he's bored and frustrated? Is there any possibility of turnout? If he has something else to think about other than being in he might be less inclined to trash his rugs. Mine can be riggy and he would kick the stable down some days if he had to stay in 24/7, never mind trash a rug. Just my opinion....
 
my friends horse has managed to trash every rug he has apart from some of the more expensive ones..maybe try some second hand [but good quality ones] rugs, might be more hardy. and paint some nasty tasting stuff on it.
 
I had a Westfalian gelding who did the same! I was putting my previous horse's rugs on him but as soon as i bought a brand new rug he stopped doing it! Something to do with the smell of another horse perhaps?? Could be especially in the case of a stallion being territorial.
 
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