Rug advice

[Leadhorse]

I have a thoroughbred horse who I'm retiring to a field where hw will be out 24/7. I have a 499g premier equine rug But I need advice on what other ruga I'll need and what I am looking for in a rug to keep him warm and dry.

Any advice will be appreciated

Thank you from a confused owner

 

[Leadhorse]

I have a thoroughbred horse who I'm retiring to a field where hw will be out 24/7. I have a 499g premier equine rug But I need advice on what other ruga I'll need and what I am looking for in a rug to keep him warm and dry.

Any advice will be appreciated

Thank you from a confused owner

Prem equine is 400g with neck
Derby house 200g with neck

 

[Meowy Catkin]

OK, so you have a medium and a heavyweight. I would also want a lightweight. Maybe a 50g Amigo? I find them to be very useful rugs in the spring and autumn.

 

[Leadhorse]

OK, so you have a medium and a heavyweight. I would also want a lightweight. Maybe a 50g Amigo? I find them to be very useful rugs in the spring and autumn.

Thank you I will get looking now ?

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Premier Equine are quite big size wise and Amigo can be on the small side, so you might need to be careful with the size you order.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I use 50g and 100g mostly with liners and I prefer detachable necks, but I also have 200g and 350g turnouts because I think I just like buying rugs, I tend to buy shires or weatherbeeta rugs they fit well and are about mid range price and most liners fir both even the swish ones fit on both.

 

[Cragrat]

IMO things to look out for are 1) decent tail flaps, so that when it blows horizontal rain their bums stay dry, 2) good depth to the rug or even belly flaps to stop rain blowing around their belly, and 3) material which DOESN'T weigh 200kg when wet and take for ever to dry.
I also love liner systems because you can adapt the rug so easily, and you can easily wash the liner to keep his skin clean, without wrecking the waterproofing of the outer.

 

[motherof2beasts!]

Personally I am a massive fan of the Rambo duo , mine is 50 g but have liners of 100g , 200 and 300. They are lighter when wet than PE and extremely waterproof and comfy fit with 3 belly straps and the neck is detatachable and doesn’t seem to rub at all.

 

[HashRouge]

I have two lightweights (no neck), one middleweight (no neck) and two middleweights with necks (one fixed, one detachable). This is for an elderly Arab mare. I do stable in the worst weather though, as she is really getting on and she likes her creature comforts. I will occasionally double up on rugs if needed - the middleweight without a neck cover goes quite nicely over the top of the one with a fixed neck.
My advice though would be to leave unrugged for as long as you can in the autumn, to let his winter coat grow. And keep a close eye on his temperature - you may find he needs rugging less than you expect, especially if he grows a proper winter coat after years of being unclipped.
My Welsh, as a contrast, will be unrugged all winter.

ETA half of my rugs no longer have tail flaps because the Welsh goes through phases of pulling them off.

 

[AmyMay]

If the horse is going to be out 24/7 my personal choice would be Rambo rather than PE. The PE rugs become very heavy in wet weather and I wouldn’t want that on my horse for any length of time.

 

[Leadhorse]

Thank you so much for all your advice, I'm going to have a look at the Rambo rugs now as he will be out 24/7 for the first time ever which I'm very nervous about, my horse will probably give no care in the world

 

[Squeak]

Another vote for Rambo. I found the Optimo really good for slightly precious/ wimpy horses that needed that bit more coverage. It was also good about not pulling back and rubbing.

 

[Winters100]

Does the field have a shelter? Or natural shelter? IMO this is really necessary. Also the horse will need to be checked twice a day, and the rugs taken off for a while each day. Sorry if I am telling you what you already know, but I am not sure how new you are to this.

Personally I would also like to have a 50g and a 100g in your situation, but if it can only be one I would go for the 50g.

Have you thought about where you will dry the rugs and what to use in the meantime? It is always worth having a plan for this eventuality, and also to have spares in case a rug needs repair or replacement. I keep old rugs for this, but you could also maybe pick something up secondhand.

Good luck and I hope that your horse enjoys his retirement.