I'm going to have to do it (Rambo rug)

[PapaverFollis]

I've got more sodden rugs after this weekend than I ever want to look at again. Final straw, my less than a year old Ruggles 200g... completely soaked after a few downpours this afternoon. I'm really cross because every single rug has gone through this weekend. I know they're cheap rugs but I expected more than one season out of them. And I've got several Ruggles rugs because of the fit of the Heavy Horse ones.

Got a Swish rug in the post but that's a cheap rug too so not very hopeful now.

Anyway I think I'm just going to have to stump up for a Rambo and liners.

Are they really as good as people say?

Will it stand up to constant wear?

Which type of Rambo? Looking at the Optimo because I like how they do the shoulders.

Will it fit the monster? She's currently looking like an overstuffed sausage in a 6ft6 Weatherbeeta that's about 10 years old that Granny horse hardly ever wore. I like Weatherbeeta rugs but the fit is hopeless for The Beast.

If I got an Optimo could I still layer another rug underneath? 400g should be enough but if it got really cold she might need more (muscles/tying up etc)

What other options are there? The cost of the Rambos is eye-watering but could work out cheaper if they actually work and last! I've definitely got more than £300 worth of wet rags currently drying not very well in the barn....

Help me. I hate buying things. I hate making decisions. And MrPF is crossly scrolling through websites looking at Rambo Optimos and I don't want him to click buy in case it's a mistake!

 

[milliepops]

you won't regret it.
My herd have ancient supremes and duos which are totally watertight, even the 0g ones. I wouldn't buy anything else, most of mine were second hand. I never get them cleaned, which I really believe helps. I never ever come back to a wet horse.

Never had an optimo but they do seem to fit the bigger ones well.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

I have a collection of Rambo rugs. Some I bought new some I bought second hand. There are my go-to. I have no regrets and have always been satisfied.

 

[ElleSkywalkingintheair]

Do it. Do it do it do it do it. ?

I worked in New York state many moons ago.....it was often -18 in the morning and if we were lucky it warmed up to -10. All the horses got 400grm Rambo rugs to replace the hundred of other rugs we used to layer the poor ponies in. All were warm and happy in them ?

 

[GinaGeo]

You absolutely won’t.

I would have never bought one, but a friend worked at Horseware for awhile and sent me a heavily discounted Rambo Duo.

I’ve since kitted the rest of the herd out with them (Admittedly all second hand).

They’re fabulous. They never rub. They never soak through and they survive some pretty rough gelding play that other decent makes (Weatherbeeta, Shires, Masta) fell victim to.

They will all wear that one rug all the way through winter, I will bung liners under if I need to.

I love them.

 

[PapaverFollis]

Thank you all.

That was the other thing I was worried about. MrT is a sod and quick with his teeth if the mares annoy him, especially around food. The Beast is sweet and maybe a bit dim and always hungry so she occasionally cops for a telling off! Her Ruggles rugs have a couple of tears between them.

I expect the Rambos are made of tougher stuff but it's still a worry.

 

[paddy555]

a rambo is not a mistake. I have had 4 in rambo wugs since the storm started before last week end, they are in the same rugs and all horses have been dry throughout. They will stay in the same rug all winter, days out and nights stabled and they will remain dry throughout

Mine just last year after year. I have had most of the current ones for around 5 years and I am not thinking of replacing for at least the next 3/4 years. I have had them for well over 20 years in various styles

One of mine is PSSM so needs extra rugging. He lives in a 450g varilayer wug for the entire winter. He is clipped and ridden daily, ride and just stick the rug back on and he dries off and is warm and toasty underneath. Even when it is wet I can easily lift the wug up onto it's hooks so it can hang down whilst I ride.

You cannot put liners under wugs, only under their rugs. I prefer the better fit of the wug over the withers but it is up to each person as to what style will fit their horse and how they want to layer if they do.

I would encourage Mr PF, he is doing a good job.

 

[Abby-Lou]

wouldn't buy any other rug ! love how you can wash the liners. Honestly money well spent

 

[Impu1sion]

I remember my 5 year old son letting the cat out of the bag by saying I had gone to the horse shop and bought a very very expensive rug, it was the Rambo purple turnout with neck. Such a good buy, it's still in use, has never leaked in monsoon conditions, and same son is 30 this year!!

 

[PapaverFollis]

I remember my 5 year old son letting the cat out of the bag by saying I had gone to the horse shop and bought a very very expensive rug, it was the Rambo purple turnout with neck. Such a good buy, it's still in use, has never leaked in monsoon conditions, and same son is 30 this year!!

Wow! That's pretty impressive.

 

[Celtic Fringe]

You won't regret it - my old Welsh D had one for 15 years. He lived out 24/7/365 and wore it in the depths of winter and was always warm and dry. All his other rugs were also Horseware Rhinos and lasted years and years.
Check the fit though if you have heavy horses - I switched to Ruggles for my younger cob as they fit much better but I know they won't last nearly as long. He is only 14.2 but would need a 6'6" Horseware rug to ensure his great peachy bottom doesn't hanging out the back!
If you are wincing at the cost then I found the Rhino rug was really good and less expensive than the Rambo - my younger cob had one when he was younger and it was totally waterproof and very tough. I've only just sold it as he outgrew it as he muscled up.

 

[PapaverFollis]

My worry over fit is that I got a cheaper Horseware rug a while ago (Amigo?) and it was ridiculous. Honestly she looked like a slightly overweight lass in a size too snall body-con dress... but the Optimo looks generous?

 

[Tiddlypom]

We’re an all Rambo set up here.

Cuurently two are wearing duos, one with a neck, the other an original with neck. The liners work well. Got an as yet unused HW varilayer turnout for the PSSM mare when needed.

Have heard good reports about the optimo, but haven’t seen one IRL. Seem to remember the sizing is slightly different, but can’t remember if you need to go up or down a size.

My IDx brick outhouse is fine in her original Rambos.

In last year’s wet winter:-

 

[wiglet]

I’ve have a Rambo Duo that’s around 15-16 years old. It’s still being worn and has never leaked. I do have it cleaned and reproofed once a year. You can sometimes pick up a bargain on eBay if you can’t bear to pay full price!!

 

[Dyllymoo]

I have a rambo optimo 100g liner in 6ft 3 if any good.

 

[PapaverFollis]

I have a rambo optimo 100g liner in 6ft 3 if any good.

Thank you but she's a 6ft9, possibly 6ft6 if they come up big!

 

[Flame_]

They are worth it. I'm really tight but whenever my Duos do need replacing (they're about ten years old and still going strong) I'll shell out for them straight away, I barely use any other rugs. I'm not convinced on the Optimos, I've never had one but they look sort of "awkward" to me, like they don't lie right?

 

[PapaverFollis]

I've seen an Optimo on a horse in real life and it looked great. They are unusual though.

 

[Barlow]

I’m so pleased to read this thread, I spent last week agonising like PF over whether to go down the Rambo route, and then whether to go for Rambo tech duo or Rambo optimo. In the end I went for the optimo as hope valley had an offer on and I don’t like the fit of the amigos as they seem tight in the shoulder hence going for optimo as more room...it turns up in a couple of days so we shall see. Of course I didn’t read any of the stuff about the sizing being different so it will probably drown my horse now!!

 

[Regandal]

My horse is currently out in a Swish rug, it’s either a 50 or 75g, can’t remember. Hasn’t leaked in 3 years.

 

[ElvisandTilly]

ive the Rambo duo and the Rambo optimo. The duo is nearing 5 years old and never leaks, the only thing I find is it’s short down his sides so looks like a mini skirt so I treated him to an optimo last winter. Love the optimo for how deep it is and again it’s versatility due to all the different liners you can buy.

Ive gone down a size in the optimo as they are so generous! You will also need to buy optimo liners as the standard ones don’t sit right and pull over the shoulder so i bought separate liners in sales when I saw them so we have all the different weights.

The neck cover comes as 150g so my next purchase will be the neck cover in 0g so we have the full set!

I have amigos but they don’t fit too well and leak in heavy rain so I now live by the motto ‘buy cheap.....buy twice!’.

 

[PapaverFollis]

My horse is currently out in a Swish rug, it’s either a 50 or 75g, can’t remember. Hasn’t leaked in 3 years.

So good to know! If the Swish fits and works that's great. But I got a 400g because I thought I had 50, 100 and 200 sorted! So it's not going to be very versatile unfortunately.

 

[Louby]

I love both Swish and Rambo. Mine was out in a Rhino 0g today, my friends in a Swish 100g and both came in dry. My Swish 0g finally needs reproofing after 3 yrs, hence using the rhino but its been fab and only slightly leaked, I have them in various weights and friends have converted to them and not been disappointed. Got the 50g pink number lol ready and waiting. They seem to fit a variety of horses and I dont think you will be disappointed. Love Rambo/Rhino rugs too, especially for rug wreckers. I have a 0g one that must be 10 yrs old and its still going strong

 

[Libbygrey]

I have a Rambo wug that is at least 15 years old. It's a brilliant rug. It's had a lot of use and is still as good as when I bought it

 

[Jeni the dragon]

I'm another who won't buy anything else! Thena is very broad across the front but the Wugs fit her really well. I've never had an Optimo as I really don't need any more! She does have two Duos, but the second one was a real bargain and I couldn't resist!
My first Wug must be 20 years old now and still washes really well and is perfectly waterproof.

 

[Palindrome]

My gelding did rip his Rambo original on its first winter. The Shires rug was shredded though, so all in all not bad. He has an Amigo this year and new field companions that are a bit less handy with their teeth, seems ok so far.

 

[PapaverFollis]

It's not gelding okay fighting here, just the odd swift nip from the boss man if she doesn't do as she's told. So hopefully not enough to trouble a tough rug.

It's just so much money. ? Anyone want to buy a pencil sketch of their horse? ? or a kidney?

 

[Micropony]

My absolute favourite rug is my rambo optimo summer sheet. The same 6'3" rug fits my 16.2 WB (and he was 15.2 when it was bought for him years ago as a 3yo and still fits and looks like new), my friend's 15.3 Welsh D and her chunky 16h Iberian beautifully. I would love the turnout with the liners, but can't justify the cost as he has a perfectly serviceable collection in various weights already.

 

[AUB]

I used to be a big Rambo duo fan, but it does rub my mare on the shoulder, so I’ll try Premier Equine now.

Never had problems with rubbing before this mare though, and I’m super pleased with the quality in general.

 

[dogatemysalad]

Love the Rambos, they are great in heavy rain. I have an optimo stable rug which is great. Even my 16 year old Rambos were like new when I sold them.
My ISH has muscled up after a summer of hard work, so the lightweight Rambos were a bit snug around his neck ( the mid weights are fine), so I've bought the Amigo Bravo 12 XL, which has 20% more room around the chest. It's absolutely brilliant. After yesterday's monsoon, the rug just needed a shake to get rid of the water droplets. It remained dry inside and as lightweight as it was when I turned him out.