Opinion's Please!

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siena

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10 February 2011
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hi,
i am getting my first horse after years of sharing and loaning.. yey!
i was just wondering, i obviously have to get everything and was wondering about rugs there are so many.. turn out, stable, excersise, cooler and so on.. do the more expensive ones tend to last longer so you get better value for your money or does it not matter, ive got to get everything from grooming kit, first aid, traveling, bridle, saddle, rugs and the list goes on!!
any help would be appreciated!
thank you for reading
siena
 
In all my years of buying all sorts of stuff I would say that the one thing I have learnt is that you get what you pay for.

Doesn't mean you can't have 2nd hand, just research the good brands and look for bargains.
 
Can you tell us about the horse you are getting? Age, height, breed, how its currently living (stabled, in at night, out 24/7) and how you plan to feed it? All of this will impact on what rug(s) you need...
 
I found the most reasonably priced and log lasting rugs are weatherbeeta for turn out, they are a very good rug. But for stable and cooler rugs you can afford to get slightly cheaper ones as they don't need to be as durable.

I don't know where you are based but I heard this Catlips place is amazing and you could probably get everything you need in one go. Or if your near a Robinsons or Derby House.

Best of luck and hope to see lots of pictures once you get your new neddie :)
 
With rugs you need to look at two numbers: one is the external rip stop Denier number, the higher the number the less likely the rug is to rip. All rugs will rip under pressure, but some cheaper rugs may be cheaper because they are not particularly tough and they may rip within a few weeks of use so it's false economy to buy them. The other number relates to the filling and tells you how warm the rug is. Whether you need a warm rug or not depends on the type of horse you have, whether it is clipped or not, whether it will live out 24/7, and individual horses respond differently to hot/cold weather.

Everyone has their own views on rugs, but one of the best purchases I have made is one of those three-in-on turn-outs that a number of companies do. They have a main rug for warmish days, a variety of different weight liners you can add to this as the weather gets colder, and a detachable hood you can add when it gets really cold. This allows you to play around with one rug and adjust to different temperatures. Personally I don't bother with stable rugs, I only change my outdoor rugs if they are soaked through. Two good outdoor rugs should last you 3 winters with no problems. I would also buy a fleece cooler for when your horse is sweaty after work and leave it at that. Now is a good time to buy and you can find a lot of bargains in the sales.

You can pick up ready made grooming kits, headcollar and leadrope for very reasonable prices and then you can add to them as and when you decide what you want extra. You also need two saddle-cloths/numnahs and possibly boots depending on the horse. A first aid kit is also very useful, best to start with one of the ready made kits and see what else you need as and when.

If you hack it's also worth getting some hi-viz for horse and rider. You have many options here and most items are very reasonably priced.

I would start with all this (plus saddle and bridle) and see how you get on!
 
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