Rugs for small wide ponies

[chaps89]

Ok, I'm being kind. Fat ponies.
I don't rug as a general rule (Clearly only if the horse copes ok being naked!), but in prolonged rain I do like to put on a 50g to keep the worst off them.
Little companion is about as tall as he is wide. I usually have a very good handle on weight as Madam has EMS so well used to the drill, but due to various circumstances largely out of my control he is overweight.
I bought him a Gallop rug and its like a mini skirt - skims the tops of his elbows? And really tight around his neck.
Whilst he's fat, albeit on a diet, he clearly needs something a bit more generously cut, and I suspect will do so even when slimmed down.
I don't want to spend a huge amount as he's not mine and I can't envisage him wearing it much, but I would like the option of having something to put on him if needsbe.
Pony rugs (4ft9/5ft) are a new one on me so any particular recommendations please?

 

[meleeka]

Weatherbeeta or Ruggles are a good bet. (Weatherbeeta only do a 100g though I think, rather than a 50g.)

 

[Green Bean]

Premier Equine rugs are good for the larger model

 

[chaps89]

Thanks, ruggles don't have a 5ft in stock unfortunately.
Weatherbeeta do have a 50g rug now, as I have one for my mare, but I'm not thrilled at the thought of spending £70+ if I'm honest, so same goes for premier equine. However I will keep an eye out for second hand ones as you never know what might pop up!
Its annoying, I'm looking at more pictures of the gallop rugs now and in some they look fine and other pictures they look really shallow anyway, wish I'd realised before buying one! Shame as it's not bad quality for the money.

 

[meleeka]

Thanks, ruggles don't have a 5ft in stock unfortunately.
Weatherbeeta do have a 50g rug now, as I have one for my mare, but I'm not thrilled at the thought of spending £70+ if I'm honest, so same goes for premier equine. However I will keep an eye out for second hand ones as you never know what might pop up!
Its annoying, I'm looking at more pictures of the gallop rugs now and in some they look fine and other pictures they look really shallow anyway, wish I'd realised before buying one! Shame as it's not bad quality for the money.

I bought a Gallop Trojan for my very chunky Friesian mare. I know she’s a lot longer than a pony but I bought it because it was recommended for wide horses. It fits her perfectly, so perhaps they’ve got the measurements wrong when they scaled down. Very odd.

 

[Quigleyandme]

I bought a Masta Vento zero fill for a chunky RID youngster. I didn’t want to spend a lot as he is growing but it fitted well, is completely reliable in the rain and is now doing good service on a smaller youngster. I bought it from Harry Hall (One Club member).

 

[chaps89]

I bought a Gallop Trojan for my very chunky Friesian mare. I know she’s a lot longer than a pony but I bought it because it was recommended for wide horses. It fits her perfectly, so perhaps they’ve got the measurements wrong when they scaled down. Very odd.

Yes, this is the one I bought- looks quite deep on the photo/certainly not short
https://www.gallopequestrian.com/index.php/rugs/trojan-50-standard-turnout.html
It fits much more like this which personally I think looks a lot shorter? You can even see his sheath it's that short. It's too short on the length as well (he measured at 4ft9 which is what I ordered but it's a way off his bum so he'd need a 5ft but I can't see going up in length will make that much of a difference to the depth of it?!)
https://www.gallopequestrian.com/index.php/rugs/dogs-print-100g-turnout-rug.html

 

[chaps89]

Having had a look I've concluded:
50g pony turnouts
Up to £55 are Shires, Hy Equestrian and Gallop. Any ideas on Shires or Hy fit anyone at all?
Around the £70 mark are Weatherbeeta, Ruggles, Swish and Amigo. I know I'm being tight but I'm just not sure I want to spend that much.

If I look at 0g or 100g there's much more choice.
He grows a thick hairy coat so I'm worried about him being too hot in 100g, but I like the 50g as I've found in the past the 0g when wet just cling to the horse and even if they're waterproof the horse ends up feeling damp or cold underneath.
Any thoughts on if I should go up or down a weight?

 

[meleeka]

I’d go for 100g. My mini has one because I couldn’t get him a 50g and don’t like 0g for the reasons you say. If it’s only going to be used rarely I wouldn’t worry and certainly my mini hasn’t overheated. I think modern rugs are breathable enough for it not to matter too much.

 

[PapaverFollis]

Little Dragon has a Mark Todd pony rain sheet. It's really long. She's not a hugely wide pony but she's not super slim and it's down to her little knees!

 

[catembi]

Thank you for this post! I have been having the same trouble with my 12 hh NF mare. She does feel the cold, especially if it's wet, but a 5 ft Gallop does indeed look like a miniskirt. She isn't remotely overweight, either! I will try to find a 2nd hand Weatherbeeta.

 

[dorsetladette]

My friend had a rambo on her very rotund Shetland /welsh that fitted nicely.

 

[J&S]

I have a very broad 13hh companion pony and I got a decently fitting brand new rug for her from Ebay for £35.00. Last winter I didn't clip her and so it was hardly worn as I was hoping she would lose weight with out a rug. TBH, when it really rains hard every thing gets so wet no rug with out a neck cover really works so to my mind they are better with out.

 

[chaps89]

More success with a Shires

 

[Gloi]

If she's fat don't rug and use the winter to get the weight off. Ponies don't dissolve in the rain.

 

[NinjaPony]

Shires and amigo work well for my chunky welsh a in 5ft rugs. He also gets on quite well with Mark Todd.

 

[chaps89]

I promise you, the chances of him ever actually wearing this are tiny!
But I want to have the option that if the weather is awful and he seems to be struggling I'll have something.
It's my first winter with him, he came out of last winter like a yak, so I don't think he's going to struggle with the cold.
But from experience with my mare, who also grows an impressive winter coat, prolonged rain meant her thick coat got waterlogged and she got quite poorly as a result.
He may or not be the same but at least I have the option to throw a sheet on him now if I do need to.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

More success with a Shires

View attachment 55782

The shires 50g are decent rugs I bought them for my Arabs last year they fit my 2 really well and had no leaks even with all the rain we had in the winter.

 

[Micky]

John Whitaker do decent rugs but I think the lightest is 100gm,, and they do them in 4’9

 

[SEL]

Swish rugs have worked well for mine and they do 50g. I've even got the Ardennes squeezing into one - had to adjust around his neck but fits width really well if I get a size bigger. And he's wide....

 

[PapaverFollis]

I've been looking at Swish rugs wondering if they might go round The Beast... if they go round the Ardennes then I think the answer might be yes!