stable rug mind field? help

kerrieberry2

kerrieberry2

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i know I keep post about stable rugs, but I've entered the world of having to stable my horses this winter! I've not done this for 11yrs, have been lucky enough to have grass livery up until now!

so I normally turn my mare out in a 300g combo at the coldest times of the year, so was thinking, i'd get a 300g combo stable rug for the night? am I wrong? there appear to be some massively heavy rugs? 420g? honestly I think she'd pass out in that?

so they will be in big airy concrete stables with straw beds, would you go for a heavier rug inside because they aren't moving about as much as they would outside? if so how much warmer? both of the horses are pretty hardy, so don't want them to get too warm? but then I don't want them cold if they are standing still all night?
 
I don't use stable rugs unless a horse is on box rest. Mine are all in either Rambo Duo or PE Trio turnouts which they live in during the winter and I change the liners according to the weather
 
eggs said:
I don't use stable rugs unless a horse is on box rest. Mine are all in either Rambo Duo or PE Trio turnouts which they live in during the winter and I change the liners according to the weather
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hummmm interesting, this would save me a lot of money! do you find that their rugs tend to get a bit stinky if they wear them in the stable though?
 
if the stables are sheltered there will be far less wind chill indoors. My pony feels the cold and there wasnt a single night last year I would have put him in a heavyweight stable rug. I would go for the 'bog standard' stable rug (which I guess must be around 200g) you can always add another rug like a fleece underneath or even use your turnout on odd nights if you feel you need to

Using a cotton sheet or fleece underneath can be a good idea as they are easier to wash - This would give you maximum flexibility to adjust to the weather too

I never used a combo stable rug over winter as I wanted his mane to have a chance to air overnight - he didnt lose any mane and I think it was partly down to that. Again there were a few nights it may have been useful but the majority of time a standard neck was fine
 
WelshD said:
if the stables are sheltered there will be far less wind chill indoors. My pony feels the cold and there wasnt a single night last year I would have put him in a heavyweight stable rug. I would go for the 'bog standard' stable rug (which I guess must be around 200g) you can always add another rug like a fleece underneath or even use your turnout on odd nights if you feel you need to

Using a cotton sheet or fleece underneath can be a good idea as they are easier to wash - This would give you maximum flexibility to adjust to the weather too

I never used a combo stable rug over winter as I wanted his mane to have a chance to air overnight - he didnt lose any mane and I think it was partly down to that. Again there were a few nights it may have been useful but the majority of time a standard neck was fine
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Ok cool they are outside, 3 of them are in front of a barn so have a bit of protection, the 4th is more open, was planning on putting my boy in that one as the field is out of sight, so he will be able to see me bring the others around, so will get less upset about being in on his own! I have mediums for them all anyway, so hopefully that will be fine then!

Thank you!
 
Definitely use outdoor rugs when inside. They don't smell and they don't absorb the pee so you end up with a cleaner horse but without the usual mountain of rug washing in the winter and they are all breathable. Don't know why everyone doesn't do this as it is such a money saver
 
I have sold all my stable rugs, even though my boys are in during the worst of the weather - turnout rugs are perfectly fine in the winter, I think they save energy by having a nice warm rug on when they go out rather than twice a day having to heat up a cold rug.
They get less stinky than stable rugs as the pee doesn't soak in, wet rugs (as long as not wet underneath) dry much faster on the horse than hanging up.

Save your money

I think standard stable are a little cooler overall than outside but american barm stables about the same - for my horses anyway
 
The only time I don't use turnout rugs in the stable is if the rug has gotten wet as I feel it's a bit heavy and maybe uncomfortable then for them to wear all night.
 
kerrieberry2 said:
do you find that their rugs tend to get a bit stinky if they wear them in the stable though?
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I did find that but I have quite a wet dirty horse. Yard Manager left one on overnight and still smells a year later, I have another where he rolled in sheeps poo that still smells.
I personally don't like washing turnout rugs as I feel the waterproofing is never quite the same so they smell if they get a lot of poo and pee on them. Stable rugs get washed regularly.

The stables are warm so I would be using a different weight on rug indoors to out so if you are changing anyway, it's just as easy to use a stable rug and being on livery it means they get more of a check over.
 
Amigo stable rugs are fab...if you get yourself a Rambo Duo and a variety of the liners that go with them, then you can use them with the Amigo stable rug. It can be layered up or down according to the weather. The liners will obviously be used with your turnout rug too. Personally I dont use turnouts in the stable, when wet they can be quite heavy. I do rug washing for a business and when I have had rugs to clean that have been used as stable rugs trust me, they stink and stink bad. The urine can rot the material too. It will also depend on whether you clip your horse too.

If you did the above then you would only need one turnout rug and one stable rug. Amigo do the 200g Insulator and they dry very quickly if you have facilities to wash it when needed.
 
Izzwizz said:
Amigo stable rugs are fab...if you get yourself a Rambo Duo and a variety of the liners that go with them, then you can use them with the Amigo stable rug. It can be layered up or down according to the weather. The liners will obviously be used with your turnout rug too. Personally I dont use turnouts in the stable, when wet they can be quite heavy. I do rug washing for a business and when I have had rugs to clean that have been used as stable rugs trust me, they stink and stink bad. The urine can rot the material too. It will also depend on whether you clip your horse too.

If you did the above then you would only need one turnout rug and one stable rug. Amigo do the 200g Insulator and they dry very quickly if you have facilities to wash it when needed.
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I love the Rambo duo but my young horse ripped most of his rugs last winter and he's only 3 so still growing so can't justify buying him one! the mare is 28 and clipped all year round and has about 12 turn out rugs, so wont need another turn out for her!

ill keep thinking about my options for now then!
 
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