Swish or Ruggles Turnouts

D

DizzyDoughnut

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 January 2013
Messages
1,169
Visit site
My heavy cob needs a new turnout rug and I'm worried about wasting more money on rugs that are too tight round his neck.

He's got a whitaker rug that fits him well but I can't find the same one and worried if I get a different one it will be a different fit.
He also has a Big Horse Shop rug that fits him perfectly but it started leaking really badly within 6 months of very light use so I'm weary of getting another one incase the same thing happens.

I'm thinking of a swish wide fit or a Ruggles heavy horse, does anyone have any experience of either of those or can recommend any other makes for tank like horses?
 
I have both Swish and Ruggles, neither for a heavy horse so can't comment on fit, although a friend has swish on her Normandy cobs that are like tanks! I prefer the Swish. The two I have are both 1200d LW with removable necks so pretty comparable.
The little trigger clips have all been replaced on the ruggles as they jammed pretty quickly. I also don't think its as waterproof in real serious rain.
 
My swish have stayed waterproof better than Ruggles. What thickness Big Horse did you have? Rainsheets useless but my 50g & 200g have been ok

ETA I lost my Ardennes 3 years ago but I know what it's like to rug hunt for a tank! My part bred draft isn't exactly scrawny either.
 
Following with interest as my horse also needs a roomy neck. Amigo rubbed him and Rambo also was no good. Want something decent quality and properly waterproof.. have heard mixed reviews on swish et al.
 
I had the no fill big horse shop one because I thought it would be easier to have one outer rug and add liners depending on the temperature. I love the fit of the rug but even the neck part which has only been used a handful of times leaks, hes basically soaked all over like he hasn't even had a rug on. It puts me off trying a different weight one incase it happens again. Are the 50g 100g etc made of the same heavy material as the no fill ones? I also love the tail flap on the big horse shop rugs, its huge and stays where it should be even in gale force winds.
 
I did really like Ruggles but the inside linings on my more recent ones have ripped really easily after not that much use which has annoyed me
 
I have Swish on my chunky connie - the wide fit is a good fit. My 100g got a bit leaky at the end of the 3rd winter but was wearing well otherwise so I have reproofed it. I used to have Horseware but they just don't fit him well. All my rugs are Swish now but I can use my Horseware liners as if they are a bit short on the quarters it doesn't matter
 
I just bought a Swish 50g with detachable hood. We will see how it holds up with the blanket monster....

Eta: horse is a large shouldered TB who normally wears Weatherbeeta. I prefer the fit of the Swish so my fingers are crossed.
 
I can't comment on the wide fit but the regular swish fits my chunky shouldered Warmblood well. They also seem to last incredibly well. He lives out and has had many of his for years. Always dry underneath
 
lynz88 said:
They say on their website not to use a 0g for waterproofness. For that, to go with a 50g
Click to expand...
Maybe they had complaints! Although why a £100+ 0g wouldn't be water repellent in rain showers is beyond me.

I replaced with Shires range & even their 0g is waterproof in heavy rain (and cheaper)
 
DizzyDoughnut said:
I had the no fill big horse shop one because I thought it would be easier to have one outer rug and add liners depending on the temperature. I love the fit of the rug but even the neck part which has only been used a handful of times leaks, hes basically soaked all over like he hasn't even had a rug on. It puts me off trying a different weight one incase it happens again. Are the 50g 100g etc made of the same heavy material as the no fill ones? I also love the tail flap on the big horse shop rugs, its huge and stays where it should be even in gale force winds.
Click to expand...
My no fill was professionally reproofed and still useless so went in the skip

I have a 40g from the old boy and a 50g on the mare which both hold up in heavy showers.
 
MuddyMonster said:
Maybe they had complaints! Although why a £100+ 0g wouldn't be water repellent in rain showers is beyond me.

I replaced with Shires range & even their 0g is waterproof in heavy rain (and cheaper)
Click to expand...

Nocturnal said:
What’s the point of the rug then, may as well not bother making them lol
Click to expand...
Perhaps they did have some complaints! Dont shoot me though...I am just the messenger 🫣🙂
 
I recently purchased a Bucas big neck rug for my chunky ID mare, I was really impressed with the quality and fit on her. It gives a lot of room around the shoulders and neck. The only downside I could find was there isn't much choice in the weight of them, I got the 50g.
 
I love my Swish rug :) Forth winter now and still great - 100g and 1200D.

i have just got a mud rug 50g which is also 1200D so will report back this week!
 
Swish have a wide option now in most styles - I’ve got a standard size and a wide size and the wide is certainly wide. It is almost a bit big for my boy and he has a very wide chest!
 
I’ve had bad experiences with both brands having very poor quality fittings (we’re talking clips snapping, stitching on cross surcingles failing in a few weeks, that sort of thing) and (when I stupidly fixed the damage rather than rejecting the rugs) waterproofing failing within a few months. The Swish also rubbed and was quite oddly shaped and the detachable neck design was quite poor.

My alternative suggestions would be Horsewear Amigo XL (nice & wide & deep) or Premier Equine. Both were a good fit on my Highland (I’ll be honest PE has fit every native I’ve had so far) and leakproof. Gallop Trojan also supposed to be ok on moderately wide things (although didn’t find a good fit on my very wide one) although make sure it’s the new neck design if getting detachable as the old design is blooming awful (blows forwards at the back and leaves a huge gap for rain to get in due to extremely outdated attachment system… someone else on yard has one). New design looks closer to what a lot of other manufacturers are doing with big Velcro tabs which IME works much better

I prefer Amigo for rain sheets as they’re so lightweight so don’t tend to make them sweat if weather warmer than expected whereas PE are heavier (esp when wet) but you could nearly submerge the horse and it still be dry! (Also in my head the extra heaviness hopefully helps with windchill, maybe?)

I made a thread on more or less this exact subject last year in search of a 50g rug & ended up ordering / borrowing a few different brands, not liking them & then caved and put my hand in my pocket for a PE and it didn’t let me down.

My only issue now is that I had that horse PTS and bought a 3 yo who is obviously currently NOT in a 6ft3 rug and despite being a cob x is going to be nowhere near as wide as the Highland. Do I keep the rugs for the next few years in the hopes he’ll grow into them (muchos growing required!) or sell them & curse myself later 🙈
 
Last edited:
I don't have a lot of choice. She has Swish fly rugs and Big Horse rain sheets. No issues.

Amigo XL didn't fit at all.

She has a Bucas 50g, which I like, but they are so expensive that I only bought the one.
 
I have two Bucas big neck rugs. They have stood up well to the heavy rain/ wind we have and still look good after two years. They are expensive but you can sometimes find them reduced if you’ve time to look.
 
MuddyMonster said:
Maybe they had complaints! Although why a £100+ 0g wouldn't be water repellent in rain showers is beyond me.

I replaced with Shires range & even their 0g is waterproof in heavy rain (and cheaper)
Click to expand...
They have always had that warning as long as I have been buying Swish (4 years)
 
Nocturnal said:
What’s the point of the rug then, may as well not bother making them lol
Click to expand...
Anyone who knows anything about this or has any experience, would agree.
No fill, ‘breathable’ rugs will flatten right down onto the horse’s coats in heavy rain, and moisture gets sucked through via capillary action.

Once you have a soaked horse covered by a soaked fabric - far more difficult for that horse to dry out again.

Furthermore, zero- fills flatten the fur so that the horse’s natural mechanism of fluffing itself up in cold weather is compromised.

If instead, you have a non breathable, nylon but waterproof, fabric directly onto the horse’s coat, it will start to sweat anyway.

They may be handy for a light shower or to keep a turned out horse clean just prior to riding, but any Biblical downpours - forget it.

A 50g fill just slightly lifts the outer skin from the horse, usually sufficiently to allow circulation and prevent sweating, and providing you’ve bought into a decent quality rug - should keep him dry.

Personally, wouldn’t waste my money, but no-fills are cheaper and therefore remain popular.
 
Exasperated said:
Anyone who knows anything about this or has any experience, would agree.
No fill, ‘breathable’ rugs will flatten right down onto the horse’s coats in heavy rain, and moisture gets sucked through via capillary action.

Once you have a soaked horse covered by a soaked fabric - far more difficult for that horse to dry out again.

Furthermore, zero- fills flatten the fur so that the horse’s natural mechanism of fluffing itself up in cold weather is compromised.

If instead, you have a non breathable, nylon but waterproof, fabric directly onto the horse’s coat, it will start to sweat anyway.

They may be handy for a light shower or to keep a turned out horse clean just prior to riding, but any Biblical downpours - forget it.

A 50g fill just slightly lifts the outer skin from the horse, usually sufficiently to allow circulation and prevent sweating, and providing you’ve bought into a decent quality rug - should keep him dry.

Personally, wouldn’t waste my money, but no-fills are cheaper and therefore remain popular.
Click to expand...
I guess I’m just a noob who has no idea about anything then 🤪
My horses have never been damp under their rain sheets so guess I’m living in another world.
 
Nocturnal said:
I guess I’m just a noob who has no idea about anything then 🤪
My horses have never been damp under their rain sheets so guess I’m living in another world.
Click to expand...
Nope, you’re definitely not!

I have both Fal and Horseware (Rambo and Rhino) 0g rugs that have remained completely waterproof for many, many seasons (Fal is about 25yo!). And I live in a particularly wet bit of Scotland!

I wouldn’t trust a cheap, poorly fitting or badly looked after rug to behave similarly though. Mine get professionally washed and reproofed yearly.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top