Leg straps or Fillet string?

[bitlessbill]

Got me thinking after the recent tragic thread about the surcingles. My friends young pony got caught up in his leg straps and cut his leg last week so I'm now wondering whether to change to fillet strings on turnouts or buy elasticated leg straps?

 

[goldypops]

I hate leg straps so any new rug gets them taken off and one strap turned into a fillet strap. Rugs dont move without them so dont see the point of them - they are a disaster waiting to happen in my opinion.

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Pro's and Cons with both.

Never had a problem with either, but horses will always find a new and novel way to injure themselves.

Rugs with fillet strings alone, can be blown over a horses back/head in high winds.

 

[The Boy]

Horse managed to roll on leg strap clip and give himself a puncture wound, so all leg straps were promptly removed and filet strings attached instead.
I haven't had any problems with wind blowing the rugs up at the back, all his rugs are very deep fitting which probably helps.

 

[AMW]

I always take leg straps off and replace with fillet string, usually made from baler twine which will break in an emergency.

 

[Sprout]

I always take leg straps off a new rug and convert one to a fillet string.

 

[Equilibrium Ireland]

I have one that for whatever reason can't deal with leg straps or a fillet strap. It's a very long story told on here already. She has her tail pulled through straps on the tail guard. Hasn't moved through rolling or the worst the Irish weather has thrown our way. I have never used leg straps. Some cheap rugs won't stay on the right way without them. Always shifting. But yeah, no leg straps for mine.

I thought the horse got them stuck in the belly straps. Didn't realise it was leg straps.

Terri

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Pro's and Cons with both.

Never had a problem with either, but horses will always find a new and novel way to injure themselves.

Rugs with fillet strings alone, can be blown over a horses back/head in high winds.

As above.

 

[Montyforever]

Don't like leg straps as I've seen a horse with a leg trapped and it's not nice
Always used fully let strings, my mares only got her rug over her head once because I forgot to put it under her tail so that does prove how well they work to me

 

[Blitzen]

I use leg straps, but tie a small loop of split baler twine through the rings that the clip to, and clip to the twine instead. That way the rug is held down in windy conditions, but if a leg were to get caught then the twine would snap

 

[Montyforever]

Fillet not fully let, stupid auto correct!

 

[scarymare]

When my OCD went into overdrive following broody's degloving, I found these things from Germany called jelly beans or something. They basically form a rubber interface between ALL catches on rugs, belly, legs or fillets. If caught the clips just pull through.

Eventually however I decided that this added a whole new level of things to worry about, what if..the clips came out... what if.....

So I don't rug my babies - just not the weight to snap things and I would never have rugged my feeding broodies anyway for fear of strangulation on any strap. I've gone for years without any accidents rugging, even with the crappy old green NZ's we used to have with the surcingales but out of 10 in my field this morning, only my supersafe GD is rugged and even then he isn't allowed out with the youngsters if rugged as I'm always worried one of them will get caught in his straps whilst playing.

Rambling........ must get some work done.

 

[acw295]

I only use fillet strings, find leg straps a pain in the wotsits - especially as my mare liable to kick me in the face (she hates being rugged).

All the fillets strings on my rugs are thick and with safety clips, not the thin feeble sort. I've never found they have blown back, but they all have big tail flaps and she has an enormous tail which probably holds it down!

 

[3Beasties]

I always take leg straps off a new rug and convert one to a fillet string.

This ^^^^^

Don't like fafing about with leg straps, plus I always forget about them when I'm taking rugs off so the poor horses always end up with a rug wrapped round their legs (yes, shoot me now )

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I thought the horse got them stuck in the belly straps. Didn't realise it was leg straps.

Terri

There was some confusion in that thread, but the OP did later confirm that it was the X surcingles/belly straps that the horse sadly got caught up in.

Rugs with fillet strings alone, can be blown over a horses back/head in high winds.

This.

I've had it happen twice (it's flipping scary) and now I have rugs with leg straps that the horses wear in the winter if it's windy.

Some people don't seem to be confident about how to correctly fit surcingles and leg straps and therefore do them too loose. Although I'm still convinced that rug manufacturers make surcingles too long if your horse isn't overweight.

 

[Brightbay]

Still slightly traumatised by the day last winter I found my horse with a strap tied tightly around his fetlock... I spent quite a few minutes worrying that someone had come into the field and tried to lasso him with it, or had been trying to tie up his front leg

Then I noticed that his mare friend's rug had a frayed strap hanging off the back...

At some point during the night, his leg had got entangled in her leg straps (I am not going to pry about my horses' nighttime activities ). And fortunately, her leg strap had broken under the strain. I do worry (because I'm a worrier) about how long he hopped around on three legs following her, and how much she objected to the fact that he was pulling on the back of her rug... but neither horse had any bruises, cuts, or indeed seemed any less fond of each other (they're joined at the hip - just not normally tied on to each other at the hip ).

So, tbh, I am now of the opinion that horses can get themselves into all kinds of trouble regardless of rugs/no rugs, and all I can do is try to be vigilant and do my best to make sure that everything has a breaking point (oh, and mare's rug now has a fillet string...)

 

[MrsElle]

I too take off leg straps and convert one into a fillet string. I've heard too many horror stories about leg straps.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

Elasticated leg straps

Brilliant idea who ever thought of it and I converted all of mines that werent elasticated when bought

 

[HBM1]

I always remove the leg straps and have never had a problem with a rug blowing about.

 

[smellsofhorse]

i hate leg straps.
Dirty, awkward and dangerous.

poor horse having them dangling there constantly.
if i get a rug with leg straps i always remove them even having to cut them off with siccors!

 

[Equilibrium Ireland]

Oh yes, I did also forget the time my SIL ended up in a coma for a week after a kick to the head when fussing with leg straps.

If the rug needs them in order for the rug to stay put, the rug isn't worth having.

Terri

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I always remove the leg straps and have never had a problem with a rug blowing about.

I never did when I lived in Herts as the horses were in quite a sheltered field. Now they live on a Welsh hillside and although they have sheltered spots, they insist on going up the top of the hill and rocking the windswept look.

 

[wytsend]

Adjustable fillet straps only.

The surcingles should be done up so in contact with the belly....no way can a horse gets its foot thro it getting up.......if loose, this is an accident waiting to happen in my opinion.

 

[kerrieberry2]

My 2yr old got out of his amigo yesterday, front and belly straps done up still and broke the D ring off that the filet string attaches too! So now I'm planning on getting him a new rug with leg straps instead :s

 

[bitlessbill]

Thanks everyone that's made my mind up, I am converting to fillet straps . Luckily my friends pony wasn't badly injured but who knows how long he had been tangled up.

 

[Orangehorse]

I admit that I haven't heard many horror stories, apart from one pony damaging a tendon in a rug strap, which ruined a top class pony as he never came right again.

I too have forgotton to undo the leg straps occasionally and then go hot and cold at the thought of what would happen if it led to a panic from horse - luckily he is quite OK with things round his legs, but some horses would go balistic. Shudders.

My stable rugs have belly straps and a filet string. The outdoor rugs have belly straps and leg straps crossed over. Belly straps were supposed to be an improvement on the old sursingle/roller round their middles.

Terrible sad story about the pony that broke its legs, but I would be very cross about the rug that didn't break - I though the straps/stiching was designed to break under strain.

 

[hayinamanger]

I prefer a fillet string, we are on fairly exposed, high ground, I have mainly Horseware and Fal rugs, neither have legs straps.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

We always take off leg straps and use fillet strings instead. We have never had a problem with a rug blowing up, that I can remember and as we are at the top of the Pennines and only use rugs in the wettest and windiest of weather, I think most other people should be ok. We don't use particularly expensive rugs either.

 

[deicinmerlyn]

I hate leg straps so any new rug gets them taken off and one strap turned into a fillet strap. Rugs dont move without them so dont see the point of them - they are a disaster waiting to happen in my opinion.

This ^^

 

[wiglet]

This ^^^^^

Don't like fafing about with leg straps, plus I always forget about them when I'm taking rugs off so the poor horses always end up with a rug wrapped round their legs (yes, shoot me now )

Oooh... me too. I remove all leg straps and convert to fillet strings. Never had any problems with them other than they get a bit poo'd up - easily sorted by washing overnight while they're stabled then replacing in the morning