My horse got his rug off.. straps all done up!

Hoof_Prints

Hoof_Prints

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Last night I put him in his amigo no fill sheet with attached neck rug, as it was going to drop in the night but be warm in the day.

I went to the stables early as possible this morning to take it off before it warmed up, and there he was- standing in the field without a rug!! I walked up the field and found the rug inside out in the field.. completely done up and without a single rip or tear- chest straps, belly straps, neck straps.. the fillet string had come undone though (I do hate those things).

I imagine he must have got it off over his head, but how on earth did he manage it with all the straps done up?! anyone else's horses remove their own rugs? :rolleyes:
 
If windy at all I think they can blow up from the back if fillet string is not on and then go over the head that way.
 
I have seen rugs with fillet strings be blown off horses' backs when it's windy. They go over the back and then over the head, the horse sort of 'reverses' out of the rug. It's pretty dangerous IMO so I always use rugs with leg straps when it's windy.

As the fillet string came undone, it would be even easier for the rug to come off in this way. If you get a bit of baler twine, you can tie the fillet string to the rug. If the clip comes undone again, the string will still keep it in place.
 
My friends horse used to regulary de rug himself when he was too warm. I think it became a game as he did it fully clipped in minus temperatures.
 
Mine has performed this trick several times too, though in the early days of our partnership when perhaps he was a little over-rugged at times - absolutely no damage to rug with chest straps, surcingles and leg straps all secure. I would love to know how he managed it....though I seem to judge his rug requirements much better these days so if he's rugged he tends to stay dressed :)
 
My friends horse did this!

It was a full neck rug, with neck straps, chest straps, X straps AND leg straps...all of which were still done up and no damage to the rug. HOW?!
 
Wow Nah that is quite amazing.. Houdini horse?!

I can imagine it blowing over his head.. but there was no wind, probably a teeny breeze- nothing to blow a rug about ! The fillet string was done up quite short, but is a bit useless now so it has been replaced with twine that is knotted very securely..

Will see if he has already taken it off tomorrow morning! Although I've taken the neck cover off to make it less dangerous in case it does happen again.
 
I got to the stables after school one cold winters day to be greeted by my loan ponies owner screaming at me, saying i had taken the ponies turnout off and just turned her out in her stable rug. Now i was young yes, but not stupid! said i had turned her out with both on as instructed so we went rug hunting in the field (she still didnt believe me!) anyway, went in field and found the rug with all straps done up, even the leg straps and it was inside out. What makes it more impressive is that she managed to remove the top one and yet keep the bottom one on! :D
 
What makes it even more amazing, is that it's a big strapping Sec D!

My dog used to wriggle out of her doggie seatbelt in the car too, I have no idea how she did that either!
Ned can untie himself without pulling on the rope, Blobby(r.i.p) could get into the feed room and Spike(r.i.p) could get his bridle off in 2 seconds flat!!

These animals are smarter than we give them credit for, I think :P
 
Mine does this all through winter when stabled over night. All straps done up rug inside out, silly boy! Only way to stop it is to use a turn out rug with leg straps.
 
I used to have a rug remover! Fully fastened leg,neck and belly straps, upside down in field every time.I only saw him do it once, he was rolling and managed to get his head out the neck hole,when he stood up the rug just slid along his back and he stepped out. Then went for another roll in a puddle . The nexy day we added an external roller , he couldnt get that off :D .I dont know if that rolling about method would work with a neck cover though, your boy has skill!
 
Not as freay as derugging and I sort of know exactly how she did it....

My old mare can get out of any electrically fenced field she fancies...Dad engaged in what we dubbed the fence wars....

She would basically gallop flat out and time it perfectly so her body was fully extended so she could gallop under a 2ft fence (or she jumped it) and it usually occured within 5 minutea of me turning her out and just asI turned my back:rolleyes:
 
I'm glad he's not the only one! Not sure how he managed the neck cover, I might rename him Houdini! He has on a small number of occasions, unbolted his stable door and let himself out when the kick bolt or his door clip hasn't been on during feeding/rugging etc. :p Not to mention escaped from the field a few times when bored of it.. I do think he has issues with boundaries !

But getting rugs off with leg straps? I think I better tell him that he should give up as there is some rug removing talent out there :eek:
 
Mine has done this a couple of times :D

On one memorable day, I'd paid the YM to turn out for me, with rugging instructions (that were generally half ignored...), got to the yard in the evening to find poor horse naked after a day of chilly drizzle and wind. Cue several deep breaths before I asked whether she'd put on a rug as asked... Got to field and medium combo was perfectly laid out on the floor, with all straps done up, no mud, no damage!!

Did go back and apologise for being snippy.... But the next day, she didn't bother turning him out with a rug since he obviously didnt need to wear one if he got out of it...:rolleyes:
 
A welsh d my eldest daughter had used to leave his rug in the field, all straps still done up. The first time we thought someone was having a joke, but he did it a few times. Never found out how though!
 
Mine did it a couple if times. Always just the fillet string gone. I figured out how he was breaking the fillet string (annoyingly it was always the loop part the fillet string was attached to, and not the actual fillet string that broke)
He used to sit like a dog on his fillet string and hump his shoulders to pop it. He no longer wears a rug
 
mine got his off (A 26yro) Has chest straps, belly straps, leg straps and a NECK somehow he got all off without a tear... I also know a 34yro pony who did the same.. but took her under rug off and her 'over' rug was still on.
 
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