the dangers of rugs with leg straps

FabioandFreddy

FabioandFreddy

Well-Known Member
Joined
16 September 2009
Messages
976
Visit site
We went out to sort the horses tonight and a bit of a drama occured. OH was hanging nets in the shelter whilst i was doing dinners. Was just bringing the feeds down when Freddy really nastily lunged at Fabio. He grabbed him at the withers and ripped his rug literally down the middle (and also obliterated his snuggy underneath). Fab went off at full pelt in a panic as the rug was flapping round his sides (when i checked the rug when Fred ripped it h'd done it with that much force he'd pulled the front straps off one side, they're still buckled up in the other side. Couldn't understand initially how the front had undone when it was buckled up). Sparks were flying off his shoes as he came down the one side and he was still galloping when he got to the fence.....he tried to jump but was too close by that point and came through the post and rail. :( At this point the rug did actually come off. He ran up the yard and back and calmed down when OH went to settle him whilst i grabbed a headcollar. Took him in his stable and just calmed him down for a while before putting them all in the other paddock as they couldn't stay in the other (you'll see why in the pics).
Now, This has happened a couple of time before with Fabio. Either front straps have come undone or rugs ripped, but all only had a tailstrap. Unfortunately this one had leg straps. :( All the other rugs have come off in seconds once they've slid off the middle. This one just caught round his legs and sent him into even more of a blind panic. I will never use leg straps on a rug again and tbh had never really thought about how dangerous they can be until tonight. So, just a warning for all that use them.

Pics of the damage

IMG1173.jpg

IMG1172.jpg

IMG1174.jpg


the side where the straps were

IMG1175.jpg


and still buckled the other side

IMG1176.jpg
 
sounds pretty scary. Hope he is ok. First thing I do with a new rug is take off the leg straps and put on a fillet string. I think they are dangerous and also time consuming when doing a rug change.
 
Cant say I have ever had that happen to a rug and mine can be hard on them.

What make was it, the front straps on mine are sewn on far better than that, they would rip half the rug off before the strap would come off. I doubt they would rip down the middle like that either, the thick bindings would stop it.
 
But with the middle surcingles if the fronts gave way then it just slips off the back. The leg straps get caught round the legs. I won't use them again anyway!
 
Agree with the others, it sounds like it was a poorly made rug with poor stitching thread. I have a mare that can only have a leg strap rug and even though the others grab hold sometimes, it's never even marked let alone ripped even with my gang of thugs. It is a Weatherbeeta though so strongly made.
 
I never use leg straps, hate the things.

I have to say I had a similar issue with a front buckle this morning, horse galloping like a loon, fell over and pinged the rug open at the front, ripped the strap off the rug but the buckle stayed done up and that was a Masta rug.
 
What a horrible situation! I'm glad all is ok now.

I'm another who can't bear leg straps, I always take them off and use a fillet string instead. Leg straps can cause all sorts of problems, even on relatively sensible horses. I don't use haynets either.

TBH if I were you OP, I'd bring the horses into the stables to feed them and sort out hay/shelter etc while they are out of the field.
 
Though i do think the quality of the rug had some bearing on this, the fact the rug wouldn't free from his legs was the major issue. I've had some expensive rugs that have ripped just as easily (PE, Weatherbeeta), but after initial panic have slid off easily from the bum.

Will email the company tomorrow though who made the rug to say about the front straps. OH thinks that however good the stitching it would have torn from the force but i'm not so sure.
 
I hope both you, your OH and horses are all (relatively) unscathed and calming down - sounds scary!

Personally I don't see that leg straps do anything worth the extra hassle/bits and bobs around horse's private areas and risk. In my fantasy world where I own my own horse (as opposed to sharing) I'm not sure I even have fillet strings... and certainly not leg straps.

Get those scissors out!

And thanks for posting.
 
I am sorry that you had problems, but the dangers of rugs without leg straps on horses that are turned out in high winds, like mine are, are far greater. They will kick a rug free if it is behind them. If blown up and around the front they can trip and break a leg or their neck trying to get away from it. Blowing up from behind, if you live in an area of high wind, is much more common than tearing free at the front. I've had three rugs destroyed in the last year by my in-house rug terrorist with a wither split and none of them came off the horse.

I would advise caution before you ditch your leg straps if you turn out in wind.
 
Sounds like a scary experience! I detest leg straps and immediately remove them from any rug I buy. Not sure I would go without a fillet string as well, though. Would that not lead to the famous "parachute" effect whenever there was high winds, Tickles? :D
 
Santa Paws - I only use fillet strings and turn out in high winds (we had 70mph+ a few weeks back), can't say I've ever seen that happening before? Certainly seen the parachute effect if the fillet string has come off for whatever reason (make sure they're secure, peeps), but not any other time. Does it depend on the make/fit of the rug do you think?
 
I have a Swish rug and when I brought Ethel in the other day there was a rip right through the tail flap along the seam and the clip of the leg strap was undone and somehow was through the rip. No idea how it happened so took leg straps off and made one into a tail strap. I'm not keen on them antwsy
 
It seems to me that the source of the danger is not the rug with/without leg straps, but 'Freddy' who 'nastily lunged' at Fabio.
Your OP also suggests that this is a frequent behaviour of 'Freddy' - This has happened a couple of time before with Fabio. Either front straps have come undone or rugs ripped
Now I'd suggest that rather than obsessing about leg straps, you sort out your herd dynamics before a horse or human is seriously injured. :(
S :D
 
It's not the leg straps that are the issue here. It's keeping clearly incompatible horses together that's the problem. It's actually happened before and you still allowed it to happen again??!
 
Shilasdair said:
It seems to me that the source of the danger is not the rug with/without leg straps, but 'Freddy' who 'nastily lunged' at Fabio.
Your OP also suggests that this is a frequent behaviour of 'Freddy' - This has happened a couple of time before with Fabio. Either front straps have come undone or rugs ripped
Now I'd suggest that rather than obsessing about leg straps, you sort out your herd dynamics before a horse or human is seriously injured. :(
S :D
Click to expand...

Completely agree.
 
Err, hang on peeps! It has happened before.....but not with Freddy. We've had him since June and had no issue up until today!!! The rug coming off has happened before, once by sheer bad luck and the other by our old horse literally ripping it off Fabio's back.
 
i think also, its a common problem to do all straps to loosely. maybe have a look at how you adjust your rugs op?

after all leg straps have been around for years and used safely on 99% of horses.
 
I have yet to have any rug ripped off any horse - and have managed a fair few in my time (I am very, very old).
The issue is that if rugs are made with a higher breaking point, then the horse is more likely to be injured. Low breaking point, and stupid owners complain when they rip.
I feel for rug manufacturers sometimes... :p
S :D
 
Hate leg straps. The first thing I did when I got Skinny Minnie and bought her a rug was to take them off and make a tail strap from one of them to stop the rug blowing up.

Pleased the horses, and you, are all ok OP.
 
FabioandMiro said:
Err, hang on peeps! It has happened before.....but not with Freddy. We've had him since June and had no issue up until today!!! The rug coming off has happened before, once by sheer bad luck and the other by our old horse literally ripping it off Fabio's back.
Click to expand...

Leg straps, belly straps, front buckles or clips can all be hazardous in certain situations.

Horses in Winter can be hungrier, more fed up and more narky, I would be taking precautions to prevent and be aware of that, not blame a rug or it's straps. If some straps hold or break, are expensive or cheap, they can all be death traps in any situation just like any type of fencing can be.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top