Non "brand" rugs ??

DJ

DJ

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Hi everyone :)

I`m struggling to find a rug, I want a medium fill (100g - 200g), must be a combo, and I prefer dog clip chest fasteners rather that the T style ones.

I love Shires, they fit well. I have a gorgeous full neck combo with dog clip chest fasteners that is a no fill (ideal for spring/autumn) and was only £39.99 delivered from a certain well know auction site ;) lol ... and I also have a Shires combo 180g fill, I got this from a local tack shop, more expensive (£60) but it has the T style chest fasteners, still perfectly usable, I just don`t get on with the chest fasteners.

So looking online, there seems to be an influx of "Non branded" rugs that fit the bill, but are they any good? Do any of you have any reviews, good or bad? I suppose I don`t mind paying a bit more for a branded rug that is designed to last, but horses being horses at our place, rugs do seem to end up shredded/damaged quite quickly, hence why I`m asking about the cheaper ones. I don`t mind a £30 rug being damaged as opposed to an £80 rug.

Cookies and hot chocolate for any one who got this far, Thanks :)
 
You get what you pay for mostly.

I have some excellent rugs that have lasted me years that all have clip chests, in fact, come to think of it I haven't seen any with the T clips for ages.

You can only try them, if they work they work and that's the job sorted and you have saved some money, if they don't then that's 40 down the drain.
 
What size are you looking for? I've had two of mine in Maxima Equestrian HW combo turnouts this winter, and very pleased with them. They are tough rugs with 1200 denier outers and they do have the adjustable clip fasteners. My daughter's horse is quite tough on his rugs, and usually rips 600 denier ones, but the Maxima has survived the winter intact. The only problem for you is that I think they have sold out of a lot of sizes in the MW combos this winter as they have been so popular.
 
try Axiom on eBay-although they are buckle rather than dog clip. Also really impressed with a DH 70g rug I bought this year, it was the higher denier one, a Pro or Elite or something. Axiom are 1200D-1800D and they do lots of nice colours at 180g. They are ace in driving rain, not had one leak yet and we do get some weather up here! They have large tail flaps (I hate stingy tail flaps).
 
The BEST rug for autumn / spring is the Bucas power turnout. It has a huge temperature range so you're not constantly fretting if your horse is too hot / cold, it has a wicking liner so can be put on a sweaty horse (brilliant at this time of year!), and is incredibly robust. They are expemsive but keep an eye on ebay and preloved for bargains, (I picked up a brand new one with tags for £90).
 
Ruggles are good and often sell end of line or slow moving stock on eBay too.

The maxima turnout rugs look ok for the money, I find the colours tacky and cheap looking personally but the rugs look like they'd do the job
 
I love my swish rugs but they're buckles not clips. Only bug bear of mine is the cost of delivery so tend to try and pick them up at shows.
 
If you don't want to pay Bucas/Rambo type prices, I have also been very impressed with Ruggles - really good quality for the money. And they have the kind of chest clips you're looking for.
 
I have several Maxima rugs, some turnout rugs and a fly rug and they have all been good. The clip fronts are great for my narrow mare as normal rugs gape on her. I also like the free delivery and that the rugs have always been delivered within a week.
 
I paid £35 for a MW with neck 3 years ago and it's still going strong- brand new, a brand I can't remember the name of but bought it cheap to last until payday and it lasted better than both the Masta and the Weathabeeta I had.
 
One of the best rugs I ever had was a waterproof one with a thick fleece lining. I bought it second-hand from Ebay and it was sold because its previous wearer had died. Cost me £30 and it was a fabulous, versatile rug. The makers name meant nothing to me and I concluded it had been made for a local tack shop. My only gripe was that the leg straps were set a bit high so I had to lengthen them to the maximum and on a horse with a bigger bum, they wouldn't have stretched. But I could have altered them if I'd been really concerned.
 
I've had a Bridleway Ontario turnout for about 3 years now which I picked up for about £30 in the sale at my local tack shop. It's a medium weight and he literally lives in it for most of the year. It's only just starting to go into holes now where the belly straps are stitched on - it's outlived two Horseware turnouts so it doesn't owe me anything! Definitely recommend Bridleway for bargain rugs :) X
 
BarnesBridge said:
I've had a Bridleway Ontario turnout for about 3 years now which I picked up for about £30 in the sale at my local tack shop. It's a medium weight and he literally lives in it for most of the year. It's only just starting to go into holes now where the belly straps are stitched on - it's outlived two Horseware turnouts so it doesn't owe me anything! Definitely recommend Bridleway for bargain rugs :) X
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They also make a VERY robust sweet itch rug! :)
 
I have a gallop combi heavy weight that has been good. Pony came with a cozy pony and ringold rugs - both don't seem to fit well - may be the pony but not sure.
 
I love equidor for non posh branded durability, but they do have buckles rather than clips. The main seller on eBay also uses uk mail for delivery who I now refuse to deal with because of too many returned packages so might only work if you are always in to sign for it.
Derby house own brand have clip fronts and mine have lasted quite well from them too.
 
Limbo1 said:
Pony came with a cozy pony and ringold rugs - both don't seem to fit well - may be the pony but not sure.
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Might not be the pony! My husband bought a secondhand Rheingold turnout for his horse and that doesn't fit well at all, slips badly after rolling, has rubbed the horse's mane raw (despite him not normally having a problem in combo rugs) and the fastenings both on the neck and chest are fiddly and annoying to use. I hate it - it's nickname is the 'rug from hell' in our yard!
 
I recently bought a 100g Swish rug to tide us over through the winter/spring transition. Impressed with it so far, fits the old girl pretty well, seems pretty good quality and SO much lighter than PE at double the price!!
 
Why don't you just buy a liner for your no fill rug. As long as the clips attach at the back I find they stay put well. I do this with both my shires and my Ruggles no fill and they're fine.
 
Wow, I wasn`t expecting that many replies, thank you all. I`ll go have a look at the ruggles rugs now as they seem to have the best reviews so far, still a bit more than I wanted to spend, I may well take a risk on a cheapy one, if all else fails it`s not as bad to lose out on £30 quid.

Cheers
 
DJ said:
Wow, I wasn`t expecting that many replies, thank you all. I`ll go have a look at the ruggles rugs now as they seem to have the best reviews so far, still a bit more than I wanted to spend, I may well take a risk on a cheapy one, if all else fails it`s not as bad to lose out on £30 quid.

Cheers
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I used to do this but it was a totally false economy, he went through loads of rugs. Now i never buy under 1200 denier and his last rug lasted three years. Swish are my favourite.
 
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