On the prowl for a new quality rug.... decisions!

holeymoley

holeymoley

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Looking for opinions and experiences here with different rug brands , and any you would recommend :)

I would like to buy my gelding a good quality proper heavyweight rug which will last him a good few Winters. He has various rugs of different makes but this year as he's getting a bit older, and we now livery on a hill, I would like to get him something a lot warmer than he has. I don't mind paying a decent amount for it as I hope it would last, however I think Rambos are a bit out of my budget!

I've been attracted to the Premier Equine Storm Buster 450g which looks great, however have heard a few stories about them being quite heavy once they get wet? Also is it better to go down a size with them? I like the look of the depth of the rug and the shape of the neck cover.

The Weatherbeeta ComfiTec Range look good aswell, however have recently had a detach a neck of theirs when they first came out and found the fleece in the neck cover took a while to dry if it got wet. I also found it absolutely drowned him in size in every way possible!

Any other ideas? Like I say I am drawn to the PE but just looking for reviews on them if anyone has one.

Thank you

ETA- brands I avoid are Amigo, Saxon purely due to fit. I have Shires and Masta but again wouldn't say they're as good a fit.
 
For me, its got to be a Rhino or Rambo. They are more expensive, but will truly last for years, stay waterproof and don't get horribly heavy when wet.

I would get a lighter weight and get a couple of liners for different weather conditions :)
 
I have some PE rugs .
They are strong waterproof and have lasted well they are heavy when wet however I do have a 450gramme and it's rarely used because it's so hot so I would buy lighter with some liners .
But Rambos are such such good rugs I think I would look a those as well .
 
Thank you , I will have a look at Rambo again . I forgot about Rhino , so will have a look at those too.

I do like the idea of the layering and it has crossed my mind , however he has a fantastic set of rugs in every other weight so I don't think I could justify buying a lighter one to then layer up . It may be an option though . We are on the Scottish hills so that's my excuse ! He is fully clipped , I've been having to double layer and now we're getting a couple of really cold bursts quite early on .
 
I've found the PE rugs very heavy in weight I love amigos, not the mio's which are only 600 denier but tend to get the bravo ones.
 
I've just bought a rambo duo and it's a lovely rug. I've always been a premier equine girl but my new mare is the wrong shape for them. The rambo is not as durable as the premier equine rugs though.
 
I have three turnout rugs which are now 10 + years old and are still going strong. The first is a Bucas, the second a Shires Stormcheeta and the third is a Rambo.
 
Bucas for me - lovely fit. My horse hated the weight of a wet PE. Although it was very robust. I changed rugs for a friend whose horse wears PE rugs and was staggered at just how heavy it was!
 
Mines in a mw Fal for the first time this year and I have to say I'm impressed, fits well and nice and deep. It's got zips and velcro for a neck thing if you want.

The PE is heavy when wet, I've got through hw full neck, but imho on a really cold wet day it's pretty impenetrable. I also think I prefer it to my sisters full neck rambo, the neck bit really does cover right up to his ears, and the neck cover has never come undone.
 
rambo, no contest. My PE lasted less than 2 years before I had to bin it due to it being so horrible and heavy when wet for the horse to wear. It was a very expensive mistake. Rambo's have lasted donkey's years. Try e bay, you can often find rambo bargains.
 
My best turnout by a mile is my Shires Typhoon. Fit is beautiful, quality is great. I just wish they made a choice of weights as it is too heavy most of the winter for mine.

I've got PE too, although not the heavier weights. I don't find mine any heavier than other quality rugs, unless you have the liners attached then they feel a bit heavier as you are lifting two rugs instead of one. One of mine wears her PE all winter and has the liner system, the other only has hers as a beginning and end of season rug. The fit is pretty good on both (I sized down). The quality is good although the filet strings only last a year before the elastic wears through. Mine have had to be replaced/mended with string.

Lots of people love Rambo but I couldn't get a good fit on either of mine with them.

I've got a Weatherbeeta turnout too, it has done 20 years on various horses and still is a great rug. No repairs and no parts replaced either.
 
I've got a Rhino plus medium (200g) turnout which is on it's seventh winter and still going strong. It's got a detachable neck and I have 100g and 200g liners as well as a no fill turnout. This combination gives me flexibility for all year round. My horse is in at night but stays in his turn out rug.

I think the Rambo rugs are even better than the Rhino rugs but I've never had the budget to buy one unfortunately. I always pick up rugs in the sales and earlier this year I paid about £90 for an exact replacement of the Rhino rug I've got as it was such a bargain. It's still in it's bag under the stairs but it's there if I need it :)
Note to self - I must stop buying rugs.
 
I had an old PE 450g Stormbuster, heavy when wet but then it is a 450g rug!

Never leaked, lasted about 6-7 years before current horse removed it twice in a week and I thought sod it she can have a new rug!

I now have 2 turnouts. One rainsheet and a Masta Climatemasta with the liners. Once out of the rainsheet the Masta lasts me all winter. It's a year old and has had pretty heavy use as my only rug with weight to it (I don't do stable rugs) and I really rate it. Doesn't leak, doesn't move on her and the outer seems very resilient, not even a slight tear yet!
 
I would recommend Rambo too. If you spend some time searching the internet you normally can find a few bargains. I got a brand new supreme on sale at £160. I hate PE because they are so difficult to put on and off when they are wet.
 
I bought a 70g lightweight PE for one of mine, a big chunky IDx and I hate it, it's very heavy even for a LW, far too deep even though the horse is huge, see lost the fillet string within 2 days and periodically removes the rug in the field.
My choices would be Horseware, Shires or Weatherbeeta
 
I know it's not exactly a premium brand, but I think the Amigo Bravo 12 Plus is excellent....last one I bought for £109 from memory and I got 3 good years from the last one. Also has liner available for super cold weather.
 
I have just bought a new rambo, the old one was donkeys years old and I was just beginning to doubt its weather resistance. As we have all the liners and 2 neck covers i didn't see the point of going for a different one. I dont buy lots of rugs but the rambo seems to cover all eventualities.
 
I haven't got my horse yet but have bought her a shires middle weight rug and a fleece. I am thinking of layering rather than one thick one. Hope it works, the shires one I have bought looks really nice. Hope you find a nice one x
 
I've just got Billy a light weight high neck (hard to find!!) from bucas, it's a brilliant rug! Very impressed and hoping that I can afford another soon :D
 
Rambo or Fal for me. I like the design of the fal neck cover but think Rambo high neck is better value if you dont want the neck cover. I have found the ordinary Rambo without the higher neck cuts in to the base of the neck.
 
ClareGilby said:
I haven't got my horse yet but have bought her a shires middle weight rug and a fleece. I am thinking of layering rather than one thick one. Hope it works, the shires one I have bought looks really nice. Hope you find a nice one x
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Layering with liners made from a silky material works great, but fleeces tend to pull back terribly if used as under rugs.
 
Love Rambo rugs. have always liked WB ones, not so keen on PE and just recently been very impressed by Swish Rugs - only downside to them are the buckles on the chest rather than clips but if they had that they would be perfect imho and a great price too
 
Generally Rhino,rambo or bucas for me,well worth the extra expenditure! I did however,buy a horse this year who doesn't fit these,I've got a ruggles for her which fits great & seems pretty weather proof, also bought her a Weatherbeeta comfitec & I'm impressed with it(I'm very fussy about rugs!) it's a great fit,doesn't slip,doesn't leak,isn't heavy & fits well,the horse is quite well built & I was struggling to get stuff that fitted well. Used to like premier equine but found they're very heavy when wet also I think they're ridiculously expensive now & think you can find good rugs much cheaper.
 
I quite like PE rugs, durable and I haven't had one break on me yet and I've got a very very old one still going strong. I also like the reflective strips on the new rugs, good for people thAt have to cross roads and I think just generally is a good idea. I was tempted by the weatherbeeta comfitech but I don't think the denier is very high like the other weatherbeeta rugs.
 
I have Rambo's and they are brilliant.
Also have a few PE and I love them too. Don't think they are much heavier than any wet rug really.
I've also got a few Mark Todd heavy weights which I love! They have the extra panel over the either so when the horse is grazing it's still covered to his ears. The 600d Mark Todds are rubbish though it's the plaid coloured ones I like.
 
Gonna offer a different brand rather than the usuals: equidor. Good quality they go up to I think 500g which has a belly to it as well so great for Highland winters. Plus they are about a 5th of the price of rambo and frankly I wouldn't buy rambo as I am pretty sure my horse would destroy it so it's not worth the price. He hasn't destroyed an equidor one yet.
 
Faracat said:
Layering with liners made from a silky material works great, but fleeces tend to pull back terribly if used as under rugs.
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Agree, I like layering but don't use fleeces for this purpose. I like the Amigo Insulators or Maxima Versimax, as they don't rub or get tight under another rug, fit neatly without dangling below the top rug, plus have their own cross surcingles so can be used as standalone stable rugs if necessary. Plus they can be washed in a normal home washing machine and dry quickly.
 
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