travel rugs

[dottylottie]

what are your top picks for travel rugs? both girls have a fleece & a mesh cooler, but i fancy a “posh” travel rug! and by posh i mean posh and on a budget, no recs for a genuine thermatex please

the fleeces are my after bath rug so quite possibly wouldn’t be completely dry, and the mesh coolers seem a bit insubstantial for clipped ponies in cool weather, even if they are welsh! seems like there’s a million different options of materials etc, so looking for everyone’s go to!

 

[SEL]

You can get some decent bargains on thermatex 2nd hand on the FB page. I picked two faultless ones up for about £60 ish.

 

[criso]

I would have 2. A cotton sheet or cooler for warmer days, I don't like fleece as everything sticks to it. I've got a nice PE thin waffle cooler and a Mark Todd cotton sheet.

For winter I've got a thermatex original (seconds) or a weatherbeeta show rug which is fleece lined.

 

[Squeak]

Agree with Criso that you might need more than one if you're wanting one for all year.

I personally was really impressed with the look of the new shires rugs especially given cost:

Cooler Rugs - Rugs - Horse | Shires Equestrian

Shires Equestrian

shiresequestrian.com

Also you always have Horseware and Lemieux:

Browse our Coolers & Travel Rugs Range Online - Horseware Ireland ®

Shop our range of Coolers & Travel Rugs online today. We stock high-quality Coolers & Travel Rugs with fast international delivery and free returns.

www.horseware.com

Shop Our Wide Selection of Horse Cooler Rugs | LeMieux

Stay cool this summer with our Horse Cooler Rug. Don't let the heat affect your horse's performance. Perfect for keeping your horse comfortable during hot weather.

www.lemieux.com

Hope Valley had some really good deals on the Mark Todd Coolex which I always think looks smart whenever I've seen them.

 

[Sealine]

I've got an older version of this rug and it's been great as a winter travel rug. The new version is very smart.

WeatherBeeta Thermocell Standard Neck Cooler Navy/White | Naylors

£80.00 |

www.naylors.com

If it's a bit warmer I just use a fleece or a mesh cooler.

 

[Abacus]

There’s a second hand 5’9 thermatex in our local tack shop for £20 if anyone needs one! It is far from perfect condition (a few pulls and a small hole that could be repaired) but still serviceable.

 

[Auslander]

I've got a Shires Tempest Original Tech Cooler which is a lovely rug - really smart and good quality. It's the nicest pretend thermatex I've come across so far.
I also rate the Thermatex summer rug for warmer days. It's probably what I'd choose to travel in, as I'm not one for overdressing them in transit

 

[HopOnTrot]

Not a travel rug but we have a Decathalon drying rug, it’s microfibre and dries floofy ponies in winter in 1/4 of the time of a thermatex!

 

[WelshHoarder]

I recently succumbed to smart travel rugs for small Welshie/Penny (thankfully they’re currently the same size!) and Satin. Ordered these B Vertigo ones from Horze in the sale, and they’re absolutely lovely. Really soft, smart, super fit on the fairly chunky girls, very similar to a Thermatex. Ordered on the Tuesday night and they arrived on the Saturday, which really surprised me too!

B Vertigo Dylan Thermo Rug with Faux Fur Collar

Buy B Vertigo Dylan Thermo Rug with Faux Fur Collar online at an affordable price ✓ Purchase on account ✓ free shipping from £99 ➤ Order now!

www.horze.co.uk

 

[marmalade76]

Fleeces are good, they wick away moisture and dry quickly, they're fairly inexpensive and can come in some nice colours (I have one navy bound in bright yellow which looks really smart) and when it's colder you can layer rugs, put your fleece on top of your mesh rug the old fashioned way.

I am a lover of the traditional so also have the old string vest style sweat rug, checked cotton summer sheet and Whitney wool day rug which, again, can be layered depending on the weather. Ebay is your friend if you like vintage/traditional gear.

 

[dottylottie]

thankyou everyone! budget-version thermatex was my thinking, but didn’t want to cook them! think i will give the mark todd coolex a go. wanted something multi-functional, so warm in cold weather but will also wick away sweat if they’re too warm for whatever reason!

i’m happy with their mesh coolers in summer, but i’m not keen on fleeces - i don’t think they wick particularly well and don’t like them being left with a soggy rug stuck to them.

lily has a rambo dry rug, but it’s an older version that doesn’t have a brushed outer and it’s so full of straw and shavings, that it’s a far cry from a smart travel rug

£37.99 for the mark todd rug on hope valley is my kind of deal, boujee on a budget

 

[Bobthecob15]

Thermatex for winter, have a Le Mieux stable sheet for spring/autumn

 

[Squeak]

thankyou everyone! budget-version thermatex was my thinking, but didn’t want to cook them! think i will give the mark todd coolex a go. wanted something multi-functional, so warm in cold weather but will also wick away sweat if they’re too warm for whatever reason!

i’m happy with their mesh coolers in summer, but i’m not keen on fleeces - i don’t think they wick particularly well and don’t like them being left with a soggy rug stuck to them.

lily has a rambo dry rug, but it’s an older version that doesn’t have a brushed outer and it’s so full of straw and shavings, that it’s a far cry from a smart travel rug

£37.99 for the mark todd rug on hope valley is my kind of deal, boujee on a budget

The coolex are quite warm rugs (thermatex are equivalent to 200g and these are probably not far off) so are great for cold weather and will as you say wick but not so great for warmer weather.

I do actually really rate fleeces for travelling and wicking. Often I'll see moisture on the top of the fleece where it's been wicked away yet the underside of the fleece and horse are dry. As marmalade said you can get some in smart colours and they're not as expensive or as warm but that means they're useful for spring and autumn or british summers.

Eta wool rugs are often missed/ under rated these days and you can pick up some real bargains second hand. They look really smart and are warm.

The coolex rug is a good choice though if you're wanting a warm rug

 

[dottylottie]

The coolex are quite warm rugs (thermatex are equivalent to 200g and these are probably not far off) so are great for cold weather and will as you say wick but not so great for warmer weather.

I do actually really rate fleeces for travelling and wicking. Often I'll see moisture on the top of the fleece where it's been wicked away yet the underside of the fleece and horse are dry. As marmalade said you can get some in smart colours and they're not as expensive or as warm but that means they're useful for spring and autumn or british summers.

Eta wool rugs are often missed/ under rated these days and you can pick up some real bargains second hand. They look really smart and are warm.

The coolex rug is a good choice though if you're wanting a warm rug

i do have a few fleeces that i use for after baths, and i love the ones with the fleece necks - “posh travel rug” for sure! maybe i just don’t have the “right” fleeces lol. off to put some more in my basket

 

[poiuytrewq]

I once had the Shires that Squeak linked and I was super impressed.
Hope Valley had Mark Todd Coolex on offer a while ago, current horse has that.

I think it depends completely on the horse though as some travel so warm compared to others.
My other horse would only wear something really light, even if I think it’s freezing he will cook in anything warmer.

I see you’ve already seen the Coolex! I really like mine. It’s great for the one but as I say way too warm for the other

 

[marmalade76]

I once had the Shires that Squeak linked and I was super impressed.
Hope Valley had Mark Todd Coolex on offer a while ago, current horse has that.

I think it depends completely on the horse though as some travel so warm compared to others.
My other horse would only wear something really light, even if I think it’s freezing he will cook in anything warmer.

I see you’ve already seen the Coolex! I really like mine. It’s great for the one but as I say way too warm for the other

Yes, some horses get really warm when travelling but you'll still need something to put on once you've got where you're going if there's going to be much hanging around.

The Coolex sounds like a real bargain, you'd struggle to find a rough old Thermatex for that!

 

[poiuytrewq]

Yes, some horses get really warm when travelling but you'll still need something to put on once you've got where you're going if there's going to be much hanging around.

The Coolex sounds like a real bargain, you'd struggle to find a rough old Thermatex for that!

Very true. I was solely thinking of in the lorry.
The Coolex at Hope are pretty much sold out. I thought about getting a second but they don’t have many sizes left.