Leg straps or Fillet string?

Black Beastie said:
Elasticated leg straps :)

Brilliant idea who ever thought of it and I converted all of mines that werent elasticated when bought :)
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My new JHL rug has come with totally elastic leg straps. They don't seem to hand loose but sit against the skin, so will prob rub his legs and give me something else to worry about :D
 
I use whatever the rug comes with as my mare isn't very accident prone and i've never had any problems with either. I do prefer fillet strings but that's just personal preference :) Elasticated leg straps sound like a good idea too!
 
wallykissmas said:
My new JHL rug has come with totally elastic leg straps. They don't seem to hand loose but sit against the skin, so will prob rub his legs and give me something else to worry about :D
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Mare's previous rug had elastic leg straps. They went the way of all knicker elastic :D When they were no longer elastic at all, I ditched them and replaced with a fillet string. I seem to end up doing this rather a lot!

Of course, the problem is that when I root out another rug, bring it up to field and sling it on, I only then notice that its fillet string has been appropriated for a different rug. That's when the baler twine comes into play :D
 
3Beasties said:
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 :rolleyes: )
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My own rugs are ok as always have fillet strings, my probs start when doing other peoples horses :D Forget to check sometimes, luckily poor horses stand patiently still while I faff about round their back legs :rolleyes:
 
I prefer fillet strings but not all my horses' rugs have been converted. Ever since a couple of years ago when I drove by my friend's field and saw her mare with one leg caught in too loose belly straps I have been very careful about belly straps but never really thought about leg straps. Luckily her mare was very calm and it only took a minute to hop the gate and sort it, being a trotting horse I guess she was hobble trained or something, but if I didn't happen to drive by she would have been like that for a long time til morning.
 
Will never use leg straps again. Fabio had an accident with a rug with leg straps. Our other horse lunged at his withers and ripped the rug right across the back, front straps broke too. He was galloping round the field with the rug round his back legs as the leg straps wouldn't break. He came straight at our post and rail fencing and through it. Luckily at this point the rug caught on the fence and stayed behind. Luckily he was just a bit cut and bruise but could have been a lot worse. If it had a fillet string it would have just slid off. Although also won't use that brand of rug again either as the quality was dubious. Change all mine to fillet now if they have leg straps.
 
Either for me. Like a previous poster said, horses manage to get themselves into all kinds of trouble regardless!

I have had a pony injure himself through leg straps but I put it down to a freak accident. I'll continue to use them if the rugs that I buy have them on already and if they don't then I'll use a fillet string.
 
For those thinking baler twine is a safe option, its not. Modern baler twine doesn't break easily, so for rugs, tying up or anything else you need to split it in half, maybe more for a very light pony or foal.
 
I'm another that uses a fillet string. Leg straps come off, string goes on. I make sure it is really quite short. I also tie the belly straps with a shoe lace as the amount of times they come undone and dangle down, get trod on, ripped rug, panic'd horse is all too common.
 
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