New pony owner - advice needed on rugs please!

[Bucketlist]

Hi,

My daughter has a new pony and we're first time owners, so still getting to grips with things and what we need to buy.

Our pony only came with one medium weight turnout rug, which he has worn inside the stable and outside, but I'd like to know which rugs you would advise us to buy? This funny weather makes me unsure what to buy as we've had 15 degrees and sun, rain, 2 degrees and strong winds and snow in one week. His current rug doesn't have a neck and he's seemed ok without it even in the rain. So far, he's had the rug on every day/night, apart from on the hot, sunny days where he's not had anything on and didn't seem cold.

He's a fully clipped cob and is in light work (5 rides per week, either hacking or light schooling with a child). He's slightly overweight and gains weight easily so don't want him to get too warm.

We're also wanting to do some shows, so will need to bath him. If anyone could recommend a rug that we can put on after bathing to dry him off, it would be much appreciated.

Yard owner did say that they suffer with midges in the summer as they're near a pond, so will need a fly rug. Would you buy one with the head/ear bit and to cover face, or not?

Any advice on rugs/brands etc would be much appreciated.

 

[Damnation]

I don't know about other people on here but I stable in turnout rugs.

I would reccomend you buy a Fleece (wick sweat away from the pony and to help dry pony off after a bath and keep clean over night if needed!), a no fill rug to keep pony clean/dry if it chucks it down in summer and your child wants to ride, a 100g turnout for before you clip (Although if pony grows alot of fluff you may not need it!) then keep the 200g for when pony is clipped.

With regards to flyrugs, my mare gets huge bites and infected eyes from the flies so she looks a bit like a spaceman with her flysheet (I like the ones with the belly flaps not just the belly straps) and a matching flymask that attaches to the top of the neck of the rug to stop the neck falling down!

 

[gnubee]

What rugs you need is quite specific to the type of horse, local weather conditions, shelter, and what the routine is. If the horse is overweight then keeping him slightly under rugged won't hurt as he will use energy to stay warm. Mine have necks on their turnout rugs as they are out 24/7 most of winter with limited shelter so I want to reduce the area with rain beating down on it. If they are only out part time so come in daily to dry off or have access to shelter I wouldn't bother with necks as they tend to rub the mane out. In your situation a mw turnout for most of winter and a hw for if it gets really cold and he is clipped should be enough. In summer I would expect him out without a rug even in rain. Mine have lw rain sheets because they are out in summer 24/7 with no shelter so if it's very windy or there are long periods of rain it protects from the worst of it.

Unless they are evidently cold or losing condition I also wouldn't put necks on a stable rug. Mine are in rarely enough that they just wear turnout rugs in the stable, but if yours is in regularly a mw stable rug might be better.

For when they are wet after a bath you want a fleece cooler. Your choice on neck for those; I like it as it dries them off a bit faster. If they come in wet I will sometimes pop a fleece rug on in the stable for a couple of hours to absorb the worst of it, but then take it off before I leave them for the night so the wetness isn't being held on them longer than necessary. Some people will just leave a cooler on all night though. You can also get sweat rugs (like a string vest) to put on under regular rugs when the horse is damp or sweaty. I prefer to just thatch under the rug with handfuls of straw if for any reason I need a proper rug on a wet horse. Basically both keep an air space between horse and rug to give the horse space to dry off.

For your fly rug, look what others on the yard have. Many are bothered around their eyes by flies in which case a full face one may be ideal. Some horses hate them though.

Most of us over the years acquire way more rugs than we need, but a couple of turnouts, a fleece, a stable rug and a fly rug should be more than enough.

 

[zara-190]

My personal choice of rug is a Rambo Duo as it is so versatile. Both my boys have one with the 100g and 200g liners which makes a 100, 200 or 300g rug. They can be worn inside and outside. I also have some no-fill sheets for warmer days with rain showers. The Rambo is expensive but one of mine is 12 years old and still as good as new and in regular use. As my boys are on top of a hill with no water near-by I don't have much experience of fly rugs so not much help. Good luck as I'm sure you will soon have plenty of rugs as I think most of us have a bit of a rug fetish; just love a new rug!

 

[Bucketlist]

Thank you for such informative replies. They've really helped me to understand what to use and when. x

 

[honetpot]

There are loads of second hand rugs on Facebook. Like all things buy good quality known brand, so if it doesn't fit it makes it easier to sell on.
A pony under normal circumstances should on need a couple of turnout rugs if you want to keep it clean and dry and perhaps give it a basic clip in winter. If you have a medium weight I would buy a lightweight, to either wear on its own as a rainsheet or throw over the other rug to layer up. A have a Welsh A that has been stabled most of the winter that is now wearing two as he has had to go out, and its bloomin' cold.

 

[Bucketlist]

Hi honeypot, when you say a lightweight rug, do you mean a no fill one? I'm just finding it all confusing about what sort of temperature it needs to be for each rug and in particular, on odd days like we've had recently where it's been pretty warm and sunny and then wet and miserable in the same day. Like if I was to put on a fly rug (I presume this goes on alone), what happens if it then turns cold and windy/wet? Or at the moment, he's in his medium weight and seems ok but when the sun really shines, he feels a bit warm. During Easter when it was warm, I removed his rugs altogether, but should I have put him in a lightweight/no fill rug? Sorry for all the questions, I'm just finding it hard to get my head around what to use and when. Thank you.

 

[Makemineacob]

Thinking about rugs can blow your mind as there is so much choice. I, like many owners have collected over the years pretty much every variation on weight and type of rug. The thing to remember is not to overrug, it is tempting to think your horse is cold just because you are.

I do find this time of year when it is sunny one minute and rainy the next, the showerproof Gallop fly rugs are a god send, they don't make them warm even when the sun comes out and keeps them dry when it does have an April shower moment! Lightweights can also have a very light filling ((100grms as an example) but I have found over the years people generally use both the lightweight and no fill terminology for the same type of rug (just to confuse you more!).

Dont make the mistake of thinking you have to spend a ridiculous amount on rugs, there are a lot of very good inexpensive rug manufacturers that make quality products. We use Gallop waterproof fly rugs, Rhinegold no fills (combo i.e comes with a neck attached), Ruggles for pretty much every other rug apart from heavyweights that are shires rugs (as got them on offer).

Different manufacturers will fit your horse differently for example Masta rugs generally come up larger than the rest. The Thing I like about ruggles is they have both buckles and clips on their rugs so they can be fully adjusted across the front to ensure the rugs fit properly across the chest.

Diane at Ruggles is fabulous if you have any queries about rugs.

 

[Micky]

Firstly decide which (if you can) rug brand fits him the best! I personally prefer horseware/amigos, but it's what fits the horse!
A fleece, wicking away rain/sweat and also good for putting under other rugs when it gets a bit nippier towards winter.
A lightweight or 50gm for spring/summer showers.
A medium weight which you have already.
I again personally, have a stable rug, about a 200gm, to put underneath turnout rug, to keep warm again in depths of winter.
I prefer medium turnout with a detachable neck, you can then decide, weather wise, if to put this on when turned out or not.
These rugs should suffice, a good doer or no, you can swap and change as you see fit!

 

[irish_only]

Don't forget that a favourite topic with men at a dinner party is how many bloody rugs does she need for the horse. After years of having rugs for every occasion, I now have either Rambo or Premier Equine duo rugs. It comes with the turnout and you can layer with under rugs of different weights according to time of year, and with neck attachments. Wear indoor and out. The only other one I need is a cooler, and because of the amount of money I save now on minimal rugs, I have a couple of cordura thermatex. Fit is very important, you don't want one that is too big around the shoulders because it will slide back over the wither and cause a pressure point.

 

[Mister Ted]

Rugs -for a new comer the weights (rug filling) can be bamboozling.
Lite no fill -means no filling and would be a rain sheet for eg.
Med./lite -means a lightweight filling which would be 100/120 weight.
Med.fill -means around 150/200 weight.
Heavy.-means 300/400 filling/weight.
The lite no fill is ideal Spring cool weather, gives a bit of warmth and keeps rain off.Can be used in Summer/early Autumn bad weather too.A versatile rug.Med/lite are used for Autumn into Winter for a bit of extra warmth in the field.Usually something around the Med weight for winter should be suitable for a cob.Heavy is used for thoroughbred types that need extra warmth in winter.All are called turnout rugs.
For the stable a cooler could be used, its a fleece type stable rug useful for cooling off after exercise/bathing or if the pony is in overnight.Again stable rugs come in fill/weight but usually a lightweight is best. If there is a midge problem fly sheets are useful.They do have to fit well and as with all rugs knowing how to put them on correctly is important.Googling this gives good advice and on sizing also.
I personally like the Wetherbeeta brand .They do standard neck and a wide neck for broad cob types Shires are also good quality.
With rugs it often trial and error when it comes to fit even though you have the correct size some rugs sit more comfortable than others.
Your main rugs at this time of year would be a lite/no fill rain sheet for outside.If stabled a cooler rug or no fill stable rug.Fly sheet.A show sheet looks nice when he needs to be kept clean beforehand. Otherwise at this time of year if the weather is nice ponies like the sun on their backs and no rugs.! Keep his wardrobe simple and dont over rug meaning keeping him too warm.I have a passion for rugs so I am the first to be buying !

 

[Windston]

Gallop waterproof fly rug? I'm intrigued but can't seem to find on google. Where did you buy from? Thanks