Leg Straps of Fillet Strings?

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SPSP

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What's everyone's opinion as to which is best on a turnout rug? G has leg straps on at the moment but I know many people who prefer fillet strings. I find that leg straps keep his rug on much better and if it's just a fillet string they get all wonky! He's However, I've heard that fillet strings are safer and being as paranoid as I am I end up spending ages constantly adjusting his leg straps e.t.c to make sure they're all ok...
What are the pros and cons of each? His old rug had a built in fillet strap so no problem with getting to stay on.. But his new ones can do either and I'm finding it easier with leg straps so really just looking at it from a which is safer point of view!
We're talking about the horse who is often nicknamed 'Houdini'... :)
 
I hate leg straps!
It just looks so uncomfortable!
The only way they look better is when they look nice abs look so as not to obstruct any movement or rub, but them they become dangerous when a horse rolls!

I anyways use fillet strings, on the rare occasion I buy a rug with keg straps I take them off and put on a fillet strings, even if they means getting d rings sewn on!

As for the rug slipping, I never have a problem and don't think you will with a good quality rug.
Sometimes the lining and filling etc can bunch up inside a cheaper rug and this can cause slipping.
But I don't but these!
 
Me too, I hate leg straps and always cut them off. Never had a slippage issue, but I do always have good quality well fitting rugs - saying that one of mine is currently wearing a rug which is a size too big and even that hadn't slipped. I am careful that the cross surcingles are adjusted correctly, it's a pet hate of mine to see them dangling down dangerously just waiting for a hoof to get caught up.
 
Pro to fillet string - easier to manage in wet/cold. Con - gets covered in poo.
Pro to leg straps- keeps rug in place better. Con - can get forgotton when removing rug with disasterous results!
I've got one who has to have leg straps else the rug slips badly without, sometimes even going over her back. And 2 who have fillet straps with no probs. I prefer fillet straps but use leg straps if necessary. If you've got a houdini you're prob best with leg straps though!
 
I prefer leg straps. I find in windy weather the fillet string does not work and the rug gets blown over horses back, or ends up hanging on the ground.
 
My mare rolls normally twice every morning when turned out never had problems with her rug slipping with just a fillet string.

She had leg straps and somehow clipped to the stock fencing once. Somehow kept her cool for however long she was there for (3poos were behind her!!) and grazed a nice semi circle! ! It was the only rug with them and so took them off.
 
Fillet strings any day of the week! Made from bailer twine so the tail doesn't get caught and ripped out in the clips. Plus my lot tend to itch their backsides on fences so I don't want them to attach themselves to the fence. Not that they would bother but they would either break the rug or break the fence!
 
merlin12 said:
I prefer leg straps. I find in windy weather the fillet string does not work and the rug gets blown over horses back, or ends up hanging on the ground.
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^This with bells on when it's very windy.

If the weather is calm, then the rugs with fillet strings (eg Horseware rugs) can be used.

As I've said before, I'm paranoid about adjusting all of the straps properly as I've seen a few horses with legs caught in baggy cross surcingles.
 
fillet strings everytime for me. Ive known a horse in the past who got its opposite hind hoof caught on a leg strap with a shoe and made a real mess of his leg as he panicked to get free :( I know it was a freak accident but its always put me off since.
 
Never used leg straps since my horse got his hind leg stuck in one.
I think he had been standing on 3 legs for several hours.( judging by the fact he hadn't touched his hay ). He wouldn't weight bear when I freed the leg. Called emergency vet , amazingly he was never lame but his hair all fell out on the affected leg. Vet said it was from the rope burn effect. Fortunately it grew back quickly.
I have never had a well fitted rug with fillet string slip at all so I wouldn't risk leg straps again.
 
merlin12 said:
I prefer leg straps. I find in windy weather the fillet string does not work and the rug gets blown over horses back, or ends up hanging on the ground.
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I prefer fillet strings, and the Rambo rugs I use have a loop on the inside of the tail flap. You pop the tail through, and it then acts to stop the rug being blown up and over.

I have one Bucas rug with leg straps. I never remember about the straps when I remove the rug, ending up with a tangled mess on the floor, and a pitying equine stare.
 
SPSP said:
What's everyone's opinion as to which is best on a turnout rug? G has leg straps on at the moment but I know many people who prefer fillet strings. I find that leg straps keep his rug on much better and if it's just a fillet string they get all wonky! He's However, I've heard that fillet strings are safer and being as paranoid as I am I end up spending ages constantly adjusting his leg straps e.t.c to make sure they're all ok...
What are the pros and cons of each? His old rug had a built in fillet strap so no problem with getting to stay on.. But his new ones can do either and I'm finding it easier with leg straps so really just looking at it from a which is safer point of view!
We're talking about the horse who is often nicknamed 'Houdini'... :)
Click to expand...
Fillet string over leg straps any day
 
I'm glad I'm not the only one who forgets that one of the horses occasionally wears a rug with leg straps, and I'm also glad that said horse is unruffled when I whip the rug off only to find I then have to dive in and start untangling the darn things from around his legs.

I prefer fillet strings, and will remove leg straps. The elastic ones are even worse - after a few months, they start to do that worn knicker elastic thing and stretch. I also shudder when the horse rolls, because all I can see on the underside are a network of scary straps for legs to get caught in. Also, I have untangled a horse who got a leg caught in his friend's leg strap during a game and the pair of them clearly hobbled around joined together for some time before the strap broke!

In all the years I've been using fillet string rugs with horses who live out on an exposed Scottish hillside in fierce weather, I've yet to find one with the rug blown over a back, and although the rugs can twist slightly on the wonkier horses, they never twist to the extent that they need anything more that a small reset.

The Horseware tail strap on the inside of the tail flap is actually a good idea - I reckon it would be very simple to stitch one on to any rug that didn't come with it for extra peace of mind, thank you for that idea Tiddlypom :)
 
Tiddlypom said:
I prefer fillet strings, and the Rambo rugs I use have a loop on the inside of the tail flap. You pop the tail through, and it then acts to stop the rug being blown up and over.
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I have both Rhino and Rambo rugs with that set up that have been blown off.

Brightbay said:
In all the years I've been using fillet string rugs with horses who live out on an exposed Scottish hillside in fierce weather, I've yet to find one with the rug blown over a back.
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Maybe Welsh wind is stronger! :p ;) I've had more than one rug blow off, but my horses do have the terrible habit of not seeking shelter in awful weather. Instead they stand at the top of the hill, bums to the wind and stoically keep on grazing.
 
I hate leg straps, and most of the rugs I buy do not have them, but on the odd time that they have come with them, the first thing I do is take them off and turn one of them into a fillet string, but that is just my view,
 
I personally like leg straps for turnout, they keep the rug in place and stop the wind from coming up their bottoms' on windy days.
My Father's horse was once grazing in strong wind, with a fillet string on her rug, and her rug came over her entire body and blew away! We were all watching from the window ;) Thankfully it only went into the next field, so we could still quickly retrieve it before it blew away.

For the stable, fillet strings are fine though as the horse's doesn't run around as much.
 
I prefer fillet strings. I know someone whose arm was broken by a horse when she forgot to undo the leg straps. I have a few rugs with leg straps but never on a youngster.
 
Toffee44 said:
My mare rolls normally twice every morning when turned out never had problems with her rug slipping with just a fillet string.

She had leg straps and somehow clipped to the stock fencing once. Somehow kept her cool for however long she was there for (3poos were behind her!!) and grazed a nice semi circle! ! It was the only rug with them and so took them off.
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Oh bless her heart!
 
I'll never use leg straps again after a horrible incident with my youngster. I was taking his rug off, as per usual in the field one morning and got one leg strap undone, then for some unknown reason he panicked and took off with said leg strap dangling down, banging against his leg. Proceeded to somersault over a boundary fence landing neck first, then took off across the field and bolted straight into a five bar metal gate, denting it. Thank goodness it didn't come off it hinges as there was a huge water filled ditch beyond that. Scary stuff!
 
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merlin12 said:
I prefer leg straps. I find in windy weather the fillet string does not work and the rug gets blown over horses back, or ends up hanging on the ground.
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I live in NE Scotland, at the edge of the Grampians, and our horses live on the side of a hill. Despite wind so strong I can ACTUALLY lean into without falling over, we've never had a rug blow off/over heads with a fillet string. However, we do keep our fillets short (MUCH shorter than most people I've liveried with before, and I'd never use a leg strap as a fillet as WAYYYY too long IMO without some serious doctoring) and our cross surcingles well fitted.
 
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