Please help me to understand rugs!!

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Merri

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We have just bought our gorgeous 14.1 Connemara mare for my daughter.
Things have moved on dramatically since I last had a horse 20 years ago! I had a NZ rug, sweat rug (like a string vest!!) & a stable rug.
Pony came with lots of TO rugs & stable rugs, but I am looking for something to throw on her to dry her off for riding, if she's been brought in from the field sopping wet. There is so much choice!! Please can anyone help me understand the choice? I would have rubbed horse with a towel, then 'thatched' my horse with straw & thrown on a sweet rug, but I cannot see anything like that, plus pony is on shavings ;)

TIA!
 
A rub down with a towel is fine and unless she is really cold I would just tack up and ride, if being left for a while a fleece, waffle weave or thermatex will help dry them off and warm up but I rarely dry mine off in the summer other than to rub the saddle patch with a towel to ensure it is fairly clean and dry before getting on with exercising them, if time is tight it does no harm and they soon warm up and dry off.

I think many people rug up to make themselves feel better having a different rug for every possible scenario when in reality most leisure horses will come to no harm getting a bit wet now and again, mine frequently come in get a quick rub over and are ridden with no problem.
 
Agree a Thermatex or Thermatex style rug is probably what you need. If you can't afford real Thermatex prices, you will find there are quite a few similar style rugs available which will do the job just as well for less money.
 
Many fleeces wick moisture well - not just the thermatex / thermatex type ones. You can also get microfibre type rugs which are specifically designed to dry fast.

I'm not sure if you are talking about needing something for now when it is generally a bit warm to rug but you might get a cloud burst - or for winter when drying can be more of an issue?

If you are just talking about now then I would go with BP - towel off the saddle area and ride anyway. Its too warm to do much else. Or if you really need to - use a microfibre rug. If you are thinking ahead to the dark days of winter - the best plan is to keep the saddle area reasonably dry with a turn out rug. But if you haven't managed then my preferred option is a microfibre under a thermatex for speed. Or a thermatex / wicking fleece depending on the prevailing temperature. If you get them too warm you just end up with a hot wet pony. Not a drier one!

For a micro fiber rug - you can get really expensive ones like the rambo horse dry. But you can get one (in a horrible colour) from decathlon for £24. It has no surcingles you you must use an elasticated surcingle if you are going to leave the horse alone. Otherwise - except from rotten looks from pony about the colour - they work like a dream!
 
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