What rug for a big shouldered and big withered horse?!?

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xFernonx

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I have a 17hh ISH Mare, she has very big shoulders and a wither. She is a 7ft 3 in most rugs some 7ft.

I have tried an Amigo on her, to small and not deep enough. Weatherbeeta seem to be ok they have started to rub her shoulder so not 100% happy with fit. She has a rambo stable rug which fits her a treat so thinking whether to get her some T/O rugs in that make.

Have heard good and bad reviews of shires on big built horses...

What are your opinions...

Thanks you :)
 
Shires rugs fit my solid cob well. He's nowhere near as tall as your mare at 15.1 but he's massive across the chest and shoulders. I've been very happy with them and they're reasonably enough priced. I wouldn't say no to a beautiful rambo turnout though!
 
blackandwhite said:
Shires rugs fit my solid cob well. He's nowhere near as tall as your mare at 15.1 but he's massive across the chest and shoulders. I've been very happy with them and they're reasonably enough priced. I wouldn't say no to a beautiful rambo turnout though!
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Thank you :) I think im going to try and Shires on her as have heard great reports but i do love Rambo they fit her perfectly but have a hefty price tag ££ :O
 
i have struggled terribly with all my rambos on my boy, just not big enough for him! i even emailed them to ask what they suggested and they were useless, sold them all, apart from an old rhino that oddly fits.
However the relatively new XL range seems to be fitting him better, otherwise its weatherbeetas, I also have a cosy tum that fits well, and mark rodds are pretty good.
 
Mine as big shoulders and a big movement and she seems very comfortable in Swish. They haven't rubbed but I always use a Bossy's Bib on any rug she wears, whether it's Swish or not. Weatherbeeta also work well, but only those with the large shoulder darts not the small darts on the shoulder corners.
 
Premier Equine was my first thought too.. but again ££££!!
Rambo's and PE do last though, provided she isn't a rug terrorist
 
All my horses have been big shouldered and I swear by Fal and PE. Not cheap but they do last. My two Fal rugs will be going into their 10th winter this year and are still going very strong. Even the lightweight one is still waterproof. My boy is quite heavy on rugs so the 200g is about 1/2 rug and 1/2 patches but it still performs.
I've been told though that Fal have switched production from the UK to overseas and quality has suffered (hence buying some PE ones recently) so I'd keep an eye out for second hand ones on e-bay etc.
 
I'm having a similar problem with my mare. I've bought some second hand rugs off a friend which are Jumper's Horse Line/Mark Todd. Although she hasn't worn them out, they seem by far the best fit of any rugs I've had on her (weatherbeeta, amigo, masta, swish). They also seem to be quite sturdy, when I worked at a yard last winter there was an old horse there who had one and it was a great rug- the only thing was he had a huuge wither and because the stupid livery owner never wanted his rug changed it did start to dig in at the top of his wither a bit but he had his rug on 24/7 and it was an older version.
 
I generally buy rugs second hand (outdoor rugs are worn into the ground by my boys so a couple of starter scuffs don't matter). I get them cleaned and reproofed and they're usually still less than half the price of a new one. I also sew sheepskin around the withers and any other rub points. It looks awful but really helps with rubbing. Many rug repair companies can also recut the neckline slightly, but you wouldn't want to do that on a new one. Just some other thoughts!
 
For very big shouldered horses, the only one's that fit my lad are the specialist ones like Rambo XL, Bucas Extra Big Neck and Fal Big Neck. I think these give you an extra 3'' around the chest.

Big Horse Shop rugs are awful, mine ended up as a cover for the guinea pigs cage. The L/W turnout wasn't breathable and the fit was bad. The summer sheet was consigned to the dog bed.

For ordinary but roomy sized rugs, Mark Todd and PE are quite generous.
 
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