Rugs - what to get a new horse?

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Gorgeous George

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As you may know I have a new horse and come the autumn / winter I will need rugs for him. Now I know it's ages away but I have noticed that some places have got sales on at the mo so it may be a good time to buy! I really need to know what is the minimum number of rugs I need, the horse in question is a thoroughbred shire/irish draught x (no-one really knows!) who holds his weight pretty well. He will have a fairly minimal clip in the winter and will be out during the day and in at night in a loddon box inside a barn (his stable is furthest from the door and the elements). Suggestions please!

Thanks
 
i would get a min of one lightweight,one medium and one heavyweight new zealands, and for stable a fleece, a medium weight and one heavy weight..............my horse has a least two of the above just incase any get wet/ripped!!........i got two cracking heavyweight rugs from premier equine and managed to use one this winter and my mare was toasty!!http://www.premierequineinternational.com/acatalog/horse-rugs.html have a look, my mare got the stormbuster and the winterbuster and the fits are the best ive found as my mare is broad at the chest!!!
 
well...............you could build up slowly and just get medium and lightweight turnout for now to help build up. i have in the past put a stable rug under a new zealand if its been cold and my heavyweight is wet so if you can only get 2 mediums then buy a second hand stable rug to throw under to make it into a heavy weight. secondhand or cheap is better for putting under turnouts as my horses have always managed to get mud on them underneath the turnout rug!! saves washing..............i could have a rug fetish though!!!!..........search around for the cheapest deals, i tend to find that you can usually pick up good deals at end of seasons so worth lookin year round!!
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If you want to keep to a minimum I would say, a cooler/fleece, a light weight turnout and a mediumweight turnout.

You can use some turnouts as stable rugs, and you can layer too if needed.
 
Get a rambo duo- it's all you will need to start off with. Although it's a turnout, they are totally breathable, so fine to use in the stable- in fact it's best to leave them on as they dry out soo quickly, then your horse always ha a dry rug when they go back out. MY boy never takes his off!
IT gives you loads of flexability and they are almost indistructable- it is without a doubt the best rug money I have ever spent. also, it fits in a washing machine, so is easy to keep clean- no rug laundry needed.
Other than that a cheapo fleece for traveling and to dry them off, and if you were feeling flush a Thermatex as well.
 
because of the shire in him I would say light weight and medium turn out, fleece and medium stable rug, you can always layer him up if he gets cold. Can always put him to bed in turnout if he is sleeping in.

that way you can assess what he needs rather than wasting money and not using or needing things.
 
That advice is exactly what I would suggest. Sounds like he won't need a heavyweight rug with his breeding; I hate to see over-rugged horses. You can always stick a fleece underneath if it's very much sub-zero.
 
I'm with Gentle_Warrior...although I don't follow my own advice and have about 50 (really!) rugs for my three...
I need rug-a-holics anonymous help, if you know of a group I could join.
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I agree, a rambo duo will do all you need if you get the different liners. Both mine have their turnouts on all the time in the winter. Modern rugs are breathable & they dry much better if they're still on the horse. Plus in the morning you're not taking a toasty rug off to put a cold rug on.
You can always get extra rugs then if you need them.
I'd recomend a thermatex - not cheap but they are the best coolers/ travel rug you can get
I could also join rugs annonimous
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thin turnout rug (no weight), mediumweight turnout (about 200g) and heavyweight turnout (350g - 400g).
If you get breathable turnouts he can wear these in the stable overnight. Rambo duo's (breathable) are good as the outer is 100g and you buy the liners to go with it making the rug either 200g, 300g or 400g so you just change the liner depending on the temp. Then just have a spare in case anything happens to the outer rug.
Remember you can layer rugs, I use 100g stable rug under a 200g turnout to make a 300g for example.
Then get a thermatex if funds permit as it is a fab cooler, you can actually see the moisture on the outside of the rug, can travel in it, use as an underug so basically lots of uses for one rug
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Oh another tip for you, because of his breeding I would suggest getting a bib or two to go under his rugs as he is likely to get shoulder rubs due to his build, but if you use a bib then this will stop that.
Sorry for long post - I do not have a rug addiction, I am not obsessed with rugs, I do not have a rug addiction, I am not obsessed ..........................
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When it comes to rugs, buy the best you can afford. They will last longer and fit better.

What I would consider vital:
Fleece/thermatex-type rug
Lightweight stable rug
Lightweight turnout rug (you can put the above under it if necessary)
Heavyweight dual purpose rug (that you can use in and out - Fal, Rambo or Bucas recommended). You don't need an separate heavyweight stable rug if you have one of these.

Useful:
Medium weight turnout (I find I don't use them that much, but maybe that's just me!)
Under rug (for very cold winter nights - but the lightweight stable rug should do the job nicely)
Fly rug (indispensable if your horse is sensitive to flies)
Summer sheet
Heavyweight stable rug (not really necessary if you have a dual purpose heavyweight
 
I recommend a Thermatex and a thinner cooler.
A medium weight turnout for Autumn time when it starts to get cold.
A heavy weight turnout for winter, ideally a Combo if you're going to clip at all.
A medium weight Stable rug (ideally a combo which you can fold back if don't want to use).

I think this is the minimum (I have millions.....!!). You can layer a bit, like use the thermatex under the MW stable rug for example to make it cosier. The thermatex is a cooler but also quite cosy (hence why you need a thinner cooler for hot summer days), which can double up as a nice stable rug.

I love my Weatherbeeta turnouts.
 
Minimum I would get is a lw, mw and hw turnouts - all with detachable necks. If funds are tight just use these in the stable. I can't talk though, Chex has 15 turnouts
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, and he's a cob
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bibs, tend to rub. I would not personlly waste money on one. Its another layer just to rub the skin. My lad is VERY broad chested and have never had to use a bib on him. He gets rubbed a little, but it has never cause pain or discomfort, just loses the hair
 
Depends on where you are going to clip him if he will need rugs with necks on, if you can get away with out clipping his neck (I'm not a clipping expert btw!!!) then that means you will save pounds on the rugs with necks (that often cost almost as much as the rugs themselves).

I would get a l/w rain sheet, m/w to, nice weatherbeeta fleece for cooling him down, and a m/w stable rug. You would then be able to put the stable rug under his l/w to if he decided to wreck the m/w to (i'm talking from experience here, its really best to have something you can put your horse in if they wreck one, mine ripped his on a gate, only had 1 to so he was out naked in the middle of winter.)

If you need something with necks on I would recommend
Premier Equine

one of their 300g turnouts for £90, although expensive, compares to £120 (ish) for a similar mark todd one.
 
I am selling all of Amy's rugs and buying a Rambo Duo for Thumper. He'll live in that 24/7 once it goes on. It has interchangeable linings so I can add warmth of varying levels once it's needed.
 
rather than getting under bibs, id recommend getting rugs with gussets in them, id never buy anything else for my wide shouldered cob after i bought my first gusseted rug.

also, be warned, buying rugs is REALLY addictive
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Um, I just get the rugs as I need them..... does that make sense.

It sort of went along the lines of "oh I need LW turn out", then "oh a fleece, ah I need a LW stable", I do layer rugs but I am now in a situation where I have 2 horses and not enough rugs aparently, so I am doing the trickle effect, so that I not only get the rugs I require without hurting the bank balance, but the OH doesn't tend to notice as much!!
 
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