Rugging/unrugging in the field

[JanetGeorge]

The BHS teaches that horses' rugs should be done up front first, then surcingles, then leg straps. And for removal, release legs straps first, then surcingles, then front straps! The BHS DOES say that horses should be cauht and held while this is done.

Now as long as your horse is caught, and held securely, it doesn't actually MATTER what order you do the straps up in. BUT, if the horse is free in the field - and you do it in BHS order - what happens if the horse spooks - and takes off - when only the front straps are done up?? No prizes for guessing. The rug slips around the horse's neck and he treads on it. If he's lucky, the front trap breaks beore he falls and breaks his neck, or his leg, or his shoulder. I have heard of this happening at least 10 times - the last time just a week ago.

 

[SuperCoblet]

I do back to front usually - then of horse goes off they wriggle out if just legs and belly done up

 

[starbar]

Yes, I rug and unrug without a headcollar.

Rugging - front straps, leg straps, surcingles (But you are absolutely right about what if they spook)

Unrugging - Leg straps, surcingles, front straps

 

[JanetGeorge]

Oops - you were quick - while I was still trying to get the ruddy poll done. And - I agree with you!

 

[Auslander]

I do - but only my own horse, who is 16, and sensible about rugs (plus he's usually eating, and a bomb could go off underneath him, and he'd still lick the bowl clean)

I remove one leg strap and turn the other into a fillet string the moment I buy a rug - hate legs straps with a passion. When I rug in the field, I do the cross surcingles first, then the front clips.

 

[JanetGeorge]

Aaggh - how do you edit the poll - I've made a mess of it!

 

[MyBoyChe]

I had this happen to me, fortunately no harm came to the horse or the rug but it really shook me, had done up one front clip when an unexpected gust of wind caught the rug and blew it up, horse spooked and took off with rug hanging like a cloak. Horse stopped before any harm came to him but ever since then, if I have to do it I always lay it over the back then do up one surcingle, then the front, then tuck the fillet strap under the tail, then final surcingle. I always try and do it whilst horse has his head in a feed as well. Thought provoking post though Janet.

 

[D66]

Generally I do it while they're eating and then they don't take off. Come to think of it I don't think they have ever taken off - yet.

 

[Sugarplum Furry]

I had this happen to me, fortunately no harm came to the horse or the rug but it really shook me, had done up one front clip when an unexpected gust of wind caught the rug and blew it up, horse spooked and took off with rug hanging like a cloak. Horse stopped before any harm came to him but ever since then, if I have to do it I always lay it over the back then do up one surcingle, then the front, then tuck the fillet strap under the tail, then final surcingle. I always try and do it whilst horse has his head in a feed as well. Thought provoking post though Janet.

Yep same, back to front in the field, generally because the horses stand with their backs to the wind, and the back of the rug will be the first to go in a gale.

 

[Spiritedly]

Yes, I rug and unrug without a headcollar.

Rugging - front straps, leg straps, surcingles (But you are absolutely right about what if they spook)

Unrugging - Leg straps, surcingles, front straps

I do it the same way....I had to with my Foresters rug because the front strap wouldn't undo so it had to go off and on over his head ...I wouldn't do it with a strange horse though, they would be tied up.

 

[JanetGeorge]

I had this happen to me, fortunately no harm came to the horse or the rug but it really shook me, had done up one front clip when an unexpected gust of wind caught the rug and blew it up, horse spooked and took off with rug hanging like a cloak. Horse stopped before any harm came to him but ever since then, if I have to do it I always lay it over the back then do up one surcingle, then the front, then tuck the fillet strap under the tail, then final surcingle. I always try and do it whilst horse has his head in a feed as well. Thought provoking post though Janet.

It frustrates me that I KEEP hearing of accidents - and the BHS still assumes that people won't do it - so the order they teach is safe! In Oz, I used to have 40-50 grass liveries at the last place I worked - most of whom had to have rugs put on/taken off every day for at least part of the year! We always did them loose (catching them would have doubled the time taken for a pretty big job). It wasn't RARE for a horse to take off - and we NEVER had a disaster because we undid front first - and did it up last!

I DID have a horse break a leg strap and the rug slipped - he took off around the farm and God alone knows how he didn't kill himself - I picked up more than 100 pieces of rug while tracking him down - and the front strap was STILL done up when I caught him! He had a few scratches.

 

[mandwhy]

I do both of mine loose in the field, I do front straps, don't have leg straps so check fillet string is over back end properly, then surcingles, then bring tail out from under string. Usually whilst they are eating also.

I have had one trot off with only front straps done up, I guess because the fillet string is over the back legs it holds pretty much in place, I can't really imagine what you describe happening with either of them (well, anymore than I can imagine a lot if other freak accidents) unless it was very windy or the horse was having a real tantrum. I would tie up an unpredictable or unknown horse.

 

[JanetGeorge]

Yep same, back to front in the field, generally because the horses stand with their backs to the wind, and the back of the rug will be the first to go in a gale.

And there's another possibility! We discussed this on my own forum and one member had been rugging - did front straps up first, the back of the rug was caught by the wind and blew forward and one of the leg straps (which was clipped up as it should be) actually landed around her neck!!! If the horse HAD taken off at that instant, SHE would have been badly injured or killed!

 

[freckles22uk]

I do mine loose in the paddock, no head collar on..

rugging... chuck on.. front straps first, then belly, legs in any order
unrugging... leg straps/belly in any order... and front straps last

 

[nikicb]

On the very rare occasion that I might do this in the field..... front done up last, undone first (actually I do this wherever I am). I never leave leg straps on - remove one and the other becomes a fillet string. The other day my son didn't realise I wanted my horse's turnout rug on as I had a lesson in the afternoon. While I wasn't desperately happy about seeing him from the house putting it on in the field, at least he remembered to do it how I consider the correct way.

 

[MurphysMinder]

Aaggh - how do you edit the poll - I've made a mess of it!

Glad you said that, I've been staring at it trying to work out how to answer it.
I used to do front strap up first, undo last, but read on here I think about an accident when horse stood on rug, so now I undo front first and do up last.Not that my poor neglected beasties wear rugs very often.

 

[Fools Motto]

I do it loose, and have always done middle, front and back putting it on, and back, front and middle taking it off. I've seen many 'bib episodes', and feel for the panic stricken horse. Mine has been known to 'go' mid rug, but never had an accident though!!
It makes me nervous when I see not only others doing it wrong, but dawdling about in doing so, thus increasing the time for an accident to happen.

 

[char3479]

Back to front, loose, all four of mine. In fact was doing just that in the wind last week and had a (BHS) voice in my head saying I was not being correct. Impossible to do it any other way under the circumstances. I think perhaps the BHS should have a caveat for situations requiring use of common sense.

 

[Mince Pie]

I rug and un-rug the same way: undo front straps, walk round the offside of the horse, undo the leg straps and then carry on round to the surcingles. Mainly because I find front straps easier to undo from the offside.

If the rug has a fillet string then I do front straps, then surcingles and then fold the front of the rug back so the rug is in half and then slide it off their bum.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

I throw over, do front clips, rear fillet, belly straps.
When removing, belly straps then front clips

Having had a horrid accident quite a few yrs ago, I dont have rugs with leg straps, nor do I ever do a loose animal out in the field. It either has a headcollar on or comes in.

Am also lucky (?) enough not to have to do shed loads of horses these days, just mine

 

[dixie]

I've always done front first, leg straps last HOWEVER when I worked briefly in New Zealand they are taught the other way round because if horse takes off and only the front is done the whole rug can go over the horses head. After much thought I had to reluctantly agree!

Most of my rugs have a filet strap behind though so its easy to hook through tail and then do front straps.

 

[Clodagh]

I do all three of mine, one a 3 year old, loose in the field. All fillet strings so rug goes on, string under tail, then front straps then surcingles. Then I make the 3 year old let go of the rug he is wrestling with (worn or on the floor, he doesn't mind) and move on to the next.

 

[Brightbay]

Very good points made I simply hadn't thought about the rug sliding sideways.

They're all done loose in the field because they live out and we don't have a yard (and there's no real place to tie up). I've got rid of all leg straps, as I hate them, so it's a fillet string at the back. If taking rug off, I undo front straps, then surcingles, then (if necessary and it isn't always necessary), fillet string. Putting back on I extract myself and horse from under the rug where it has blown over our heads , then do up front straps, surcingles and then flip tail over fillet string.

From now on, I'll do surcingles first when replacing rug

To be honest, they are all pretty bombproof and have all been rugged and unrugged in the worst of Scottish weather, with rugs flapping all over the place. I've had to reposition horse so that surcingles blew underneath towards me instead of away from me on several occasions, and I've also had entire rugs lift off horse before I could get any straps done at all

ETA - this probably isn't the place to admit this... but I once threw rug over horse, happily did up surcingles and straps then beckoned horse to follow me and wondered why he didn't and why he was looking at me quizzically. And it was because I'd throw the rug with surcingles over the horse AND the fence he was standing beside, then surcingled him on to it...

 

[Orangehorse]

Since having a "dead quiet horse" take off while doing her rug, I either tie up, or at the very least put a headcollar on and hold it. Should I put on the rug in the field loose, then front straps would be last now.

Heard of a pony that was spooked as it was having a rug put on in the field, took off, panic, tried to jump the gate and broke its neck.

 

[Hippona]

Why not stick a headcollar on so you don't have to worry about it?

 

[Equilibrium Ireland]

I always do fillet strap first, then front, then surcingles. But maybe will leave front for last. I have one mare that won't tolerate a fillet strap so she gets her tail put through holders on her tail guard. She never had a rug failure but she had an issue with rugs. Very weird. Anyway once fillet strap removed no issues. So since I need to move rug back a bit to get tail through the tail guard this has been my way of doing it. Back to front.

I saw your post of FB the other day. Thanks for bringing up a topic most of us just take for granted.

Terri

 

[sandi_84]

Yes I unrug and rug in the field minus the headcollar.

Unrugging - I do chest straps, surcingles, leg straps (so if by some miracle my boy wakes up enough to spook it just wiggles off his hind legs rather than get caught round his front ones)

Rugging - I do in the same order as above so I can then pull it back rather than pulling it forward or undoing it all to start again - as inevitably when I try doing it the "proper" way I somehow end up with the neck behind his withers

 

[Kat]

I don't have leg straps on my rugs but do the back to front wherever I am as I think it is safer. I have just taught my nephew the same method, that will no doubt earn him a telling off in any PC or BHS tests he does ...... oops ..... forgot my way isn't the proper way......

Must check how the husband does it.

 

[Nicnac]

Hmmm - when I do it in the field, they are either having breakfast or dinner so are distracted. I can't tie up in field. If I put a headcollar on them, they'd be doing pirouettes around me when I went to do the back of the rug despite long lead ropes.

I tend to fasten back first and finish with front when in field eating, but start with front when they are tied up. I don't always do it the same way though....

 

[Mrs B]

Depends. I don't like leg straps and prefer fillet strings ...

With no howling gale, fling rug over, fillet string under tail, chest straps, belly straps.

In howling gale, place over (poss in folds), chest straps, fillet string, belly straps.

Unrugging? Belly straps, chest straps, slide off. If stupid legs straps are there, leg straps undone and re-clipped to own sides, then as above.