How often do you clean your stable rugs and is it fair to expect

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Evergreen

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staff to handle really disgusting filthy rugs?

If a client's rugs are never ever cleaned and are soaked in urine and mould, plus the horses tail is always covered in wet droppings is it acceptable for YO to insist rugs are laundered and tail kept clean if they are to change rugs twice daily?
 
My rugs are washed at the end of the winter and packed away.

Not sure how you get by the wet tail though.

Getting filthy in the winter is an occupational hazard I guess.
 
Mine get washed every couple of months. Definitely YO should speak to the livery about getting them washed even just for the horse's sake, they sound bad!
 
I'm confused. Why would an owner insist on rugs being changed when they are so filthy? I would insist they were cleaned if they were that bad.
 
I keep a horse for someone I see her maybe once every 3 or 4 months so horse is pretty much mine but she pays his bills and sends me livery money every month. His rugs were gross (so was mine) so I paid to have them both done at the same time in the same big machine.

No I don't think it's fair if it's a DIY or something however I didn't think it was fair for the owner to turn up every few months and see her horse (who I am caring for) in a filthy rug especially as it is under my full care (would be the equivalent of full livery in UK).. So I think it's just something that you have to look past as they can't stay clean.
 
I wash my stable rugs at the end of winter before putting away ready for next year.

As for requesting to keep rugs cleaner, yes I do think you can ask for the rugs to be laundered! Sounds like theses rugs need some TLC.
 
All my rugs get cleaned at the end of the winter.

The only time I see really disgusting stable rugs are when there is insufficient bedding / minimal bedding on mats - then the horses get stinky. I kept a filthy one of mine this way a few years back and used a rainsheet as a top rug to help minimise stinkiness (meant could be hosed down!)
 
Mine get washed at least once a year for heavyweights, the fleeces and light rugs go in the washing machine as and when needed. I would never put a urine soaked rug on my horse, that's disgusting.
Re the tail, I would be looking at why the droppings are so wet. My pony has a white tail, goes out every day and his tail is never covered in poo. I wash it once a week, but it doesn't get covered in the meantime...
I wouldn't expect my YO to handle rugs that filthy.
 
Evergreen said:
staff to handle really disgusting filthy rugs?

If a client's rugs are never ever cleaned and are soaked in urine and mould, plus the horses tail is always covered in wet droppings is it acceptable for YO to insist rugs are laundered and tail kept clean if they are to change rugs twice daily?
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Mine just wears a fleece so that goes in my washer at home every few weeks/each month ish
I think it's reasonable to ask for it to be cleaned - I hate changing my own if it's covered in poo!
 
I'd be looking into the stable management is rugs are soaked in urine. Sounds like the horse doesn't have enough bedding. My rugs are washed after the winter and never end up in that state. As for the tail, if the horse is that loose that it's tail in covered in wet manure, then again, I would be looking at feeding.
 
My stable rugs are all washed once the horse is naked for summer and then stored away for winter. They don't really get that dirty anyway as my horse's bed is pretty clean.

Some horses do have issues where stuff dribbles down their tails which is hard to manage (I speak from experience!), but in my opinion that is no excuse for the rest of the rug being that dirty.
 
As a yard owner, I expect my liveries to have their rugs washed regularly if they want to use stable rugs and turnouts as I find stable rugs get dirty fairly quickly with some horses that like to lie in their wettest spot! Leaving TO rugs on can work better for those horses as the urine does not soak through. Personally, I wash stable rugs every 3 - 4 weeks and TO rugs much less often but at least twice a year, more if they wear them in their stables.
 
mine live out but this is the reason I personally hate rubber matting I have yet to go to a yard with these and not be overcome by the stink mine have stable rugs on under turnouts these are washed twice a month as they fit in my washer I also was dirty tails regularly and leave in conditioner so the clean easier
 
Mine get washed as and when they need done - I don't like having to handle filthy rugs and I wouldn't expect the yard staff to. Turnout rugs get hosed off if dirty and then properly washed and reproofed before being put away.
The yard I'm at has a washing machine for rugs and numnahs but we usually take our stuff home to wash ourselves. Dad bought a separate washing machine for the horses' stuff and it's already paid for itself.
 
One of our horses seems to look for piles of poo to lie on no matter what type or depth of bed she has.

Two others are messy bobbos, so it's easier to wash rugs; two are fairly neat but they're now out 24/7/365 so it's academic :)
 
lhotse said:
I'd be looking into the stable management is rugs are soaked in urine. Sounds like the horse doesn't have enough bedding. My rugs are washed after the winter and never end up in that state. As for the tail, if the horse is that loose that it's tail in covered in wet manure, then again, I would be looking at feeding.
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Horse gets 3 bags of bedding a week but always lies in his wettest spot. The stable rug has never been washed (it is 6 years old) and the fleece has not been washed for 3 years. Horse's droppings are normal but he has a lot of wet leakage and always has. He is fed chaff and a balancer and very dry haylage. Horse is extremely itchy which I don't think was being helped by the dirty rugs. I started leaving him in his clean TO rug (clean because it's new) but owner is complaining.
 
My stable rugs get taken home and washed every couple of weeks as my horse rolls in her stable just before she gets up in the morning ... straight over all the poo she has deposited overnight. I hate seeing her in dirty pyjamas, my OCD, I guess. The turnouts get washed and packed away at the end of the season, whatever season it is for that particular rug or rugs.
 
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I think that you need to have a chat with the owner. Is the horse on DIY that is having rugs changed by you as an extra or on full/part livery? If on full/part I would tell them that if you are responsible for his care and well being you need to have him in a clean rug. I would still be adding more bedding to the wetter area of the stable too. If he is on DIY and you are just turning in/out I would tell them that they need to keep him in his turnout rug if he is getting that wet.

I have to say that I haven't met many horses over the years that weren't kept on thin puny beds and mats that have got their rugs soaking wet. Even my dirty horse manages to keep his rugs fair enough for one season. If anything I have the rugs cleaned once a year to get rid of the scurf inside rather than the muck on the outside.
 
I'm very lucky as I have an industrial rug washing machine where my horses are that I have free access to - so all rugs (mine and boss's horses) are normally cleaned as soon as they are even a bit gross. Normally 3 weeks, sometimes more often if they've been on under turnouts or been taken to shows/used in the lorry.
I don't think it's particularly nice for staff to have to handle rugs if they are disgusting, certainly can't be nice for the horse either. I think owners should be responsible for making sure their horses equipment for staff to use is safe and clean, aka rugs, headcollars and whatnots.
 
I agree. Some horses just muck up their stable rugs no matter how good their beds are. I have one mare that is really clean in her very large stable, but she lies in her urine spot every night. Therefore, with the agreement of her owner she stays in her turnout rug which saves on washing costs. I would refuse to change the rugs if they are as dirty as the OP is saying. I have a cob here that always has a dirty tail because he doesn't lift it when he poos. It is minging! I have to request his owner washes it or pays me to wash it. They usually opt for the former! I hate doing his rug straps up when his tail is mucky as it gets all over my sleeves and gloves, so I don't. I leave his TO rug on him when he gets bad.
 
I dont think its unreasonable to ask for rugs to be washed but if YO wants to stay clean maybe they are in the wrong business! Lol as for the urine, that could only be down to poor stable managment and wet dropping should be looked into!
 
ihatework said:
used a rainsheet as a top rug to help minimise stinkiness
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We do this with Bruce, as he is a filthy cretin!

We would never expect our livery to handle disgustingly dirty or overly smelly rugs - and likewise. Winter rugs are professionally cleaned and reproofed during summer and summer rugs get sent for cleaning over winter if they are too bulky to go in the washing machine.

You can't avoid a bit of mud, shavings and the odd stain with horses who are insistent on being grotty - but even a scrub under the hose with some fairy liquid will get rid of the worst and make them bearable.
 
rowan666 said:
I dont think its unreasonable to ask for rugs to be washed but if YO wants to stay clean maybe they are in the wrong business! Lol as for the urine, that could only be down to poor stable managment and wet dropping should be looked into!
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It's not necessarily bad management some horses are very dirty with their rugs one of mine is.
If staff are handling rugs you have no choice but To make sure they are not required to handles filthy mouldy **** covered rugs it's a H and S issue .
 
Dirty/mucky rugs is totally different to soaked in urine! If the rug is soaked in urine then clearly there is not enough bedding down to soak it up!
 
My horse is disgusting and if I allowed it his rugs would be in the same sate as the ones in the OP.

As a result I am on a constant rotation of rugs-one load back from the rug wash and another load goes in. I'd guess he probably gets a clean set of rugs every month (but then again I don't really keep track).

If I cleaned them at the end of the winter they would be absolutely disgusting and most probably by then only fit for the bin.
 
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