What rugs do I actually need?

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HelloImNew

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New-ish owner here and still a bit lost when it comes to rugs!

Clipped sports pony, stabled with turnout.

Rugs I have:
350g (heavy) turnout with neck
250g (medium) turnout with neck
Thermatex cooler
100g stable for travel/layering

Do I need a 100g turnout with neck or is that just a waste of money and I’d be better off with no fill?
Pony runs a bit warm, but is a sports spoiled boy who likes his comfort.

At the moment he’s in the heavy if temp is under 5, medium if it’s warmer but then I think that might be too thick for ~15 degrees?

Am I overthinking this 🤣?

What rugs do you have?
What rugs you bought but wish you didn’t as they don’t get any use?
 
I have a few each of 0/50/100/250 and heavier! I do actually use them all, my least used rugs are the heavy weights. I couldn’t cope with out the lighter end ones.
 
I use the 100g outdoor blankets the most. Have had both clipped and furry horses, all have used 100g a lot and seemed to do well with that. 250g is a really thick first step for a blanket, that's what I use when we have -20°. Though of course wind and rain can make it necessary in warmer weather too, just definitely not always.

I don't use 0g rain blanket unless it's warm (about 8+), no rain or a very fluffy horse. It easily gets heavy, and you need air to insulate towards coldness.
 
HelloImNew said:
Do you have 100/150 or just 50g and then straight up to medium?
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I have pretty warm horses
One fully clipped has 75g with 200g liner detectable neck and a 200g rug with neck
I could double up to get a 475g but he never needed more than the 275g always warm
One fully clipped but has her legs and half face she’s a very warm mare so just has a 50g no neck
 
TheMule said:
350g is far too much except for the most extreme of weathers IMO
My 50g rug is my most used with 100g for cooler days and 250 for cold days
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Agree. Some years they never even come out at all, if the do it’s for a whole few days maybe and then I’m annoyed I got them dirty when a liner under their normal rug wouldhavedonethe same job!
In fact OP just buy a few 50g and a 50 and 100g liner and you’re sorted!
 
I use a 50g rug with a detachable neck as my base, then add or remove liners as necessary. I never seem to have to go beyond 250g even on my fully clipped old boy. At 15 degrees my old boy will be in his 50g or maybe even a no fill.
 
You may need a fly rug as well and a couple of fly masks. You can also get waterproof fly rugs. They have a waterproof top and mesh sides.
 
I'd say have a lightweight and medium weight, but only bother with a heavyweight if it will get used. Have two of your most used weight though, (for me that's a no-fill for the sec D and a 200g for the old boy) so that you can rotate when they get saturated (or ripped).
In your shoes I'd prioritise a no-fill/50g, as that will come in handy on those days when it's warm and wet, a 100g might be a bit too warm for the spring/summer temps.
 
As per the others a 100 or 50g with detachable neck and a waterproof fly sheet.
I must admit, i like spares of 200g and 350g in case of damage- mine are thugs.
 
A Lightweight with detachable neck and the liners underneath. So much more versatile combining than one rug for every occasion!!

I have two fully clipped horses that live out apart from in the worst weather and never use more than 100 or possibly 200 is the weather is terrible. Horses shouldn’t feel hot.

Edited to add a fly rug? Mine have sweet itch rugs only because we have horrendous midges and the fly rugs don’t cover them up enough.
 
I have a 0g and 50g liner system T/O rugs (plus a spare 0g) and have a 50, 100 and 200g liner so can make 0-250g. Both rugs have a detachable neck.

I also have an original Thermatex, a Rhinegold version of a summerweight Thermatex and a fleece skrim cooler. Oh and a waterproof fly rug for summer as he's clipped out all year and hates being rained on or a bit chilly.

I've not needed another rug but my 50g and 100g liners are most used.
 
I rarely use anything more than 200g. Most used in winter is 100g. I have Rambo Duos with liners rather than several rugs. On warmer but wet or still very muddy days always a 0g (I use Horseware Amigo and Rhino and have never had them leak). I prefer detachable necks especially on the 0g.

I have the above weights in turnout and stable rugs. Also extremely useful is a fleece cooler, a summer sheet, a fly rug and a duo type of fly rug with a waterproof area across the back. I have other rugs including thermatex but they are less used.

At 15 degrees (C) I’d have no more than a 0g and possibly it would be a nakey day depending on how muddy they would get and how much time I had to groom. They live a good roll especially when they’re losing their winter coats.
 
I have, per horse:

2 x 0 fill turnout or 50g for the horse that runs colder (does most rainy weather that isn't too cold, gets the most use so having two is useful to swap)
1 x 200g turnout with neck (for very cold, horrid weather - honestly anything needing more weight and they'd probably stay in anyway)

1 x stable fleece (nights where there is a chill)
1 x 50g stable rug with detachable neck and liner system, 100g and 200g (keeps things flexible and allows me to keep them warm when in - to add, this year I haven't used a liner yet because it's been so warm)

1 x fly rug which gets killed relatively often so gets replaced. I don't get attached to fly rugs

1 x nice smart travel / show / occasion fleece

I am more likely to put a heavier rug on a horse that is in and standing than out and able to warm itself up.
 
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I have - all with a detachable hood apart from the fleece:

Fleece (obviously not for turnout)
50g (0g are pretty useless for me tbh: i find 0g will 'sweat' on the inside when it is rainy but having a bit of fill prevents this)
100g
220g

Seems to capture all of our use cases here
 
I have a connemara who lives out 24/7 with a chaser clip. Been out all winter with a 40g with neck. We're in the East of the UK so never that cold, but she gets shivery if wet. I always figure the heavy weight rugs are for proper bad ass - 6 foot of snow, Baltic - cold and then work backwards from there.
 
Unclipped in South west. We have been fine on rain sheets and over night stabled in January and February. I have a fleece too but we tend to leave them in 0 full as rugs dry then overnight.
 
As you will have seen, OP, this is a very mixed set of answers! That is partly because things you have to consider first are - is your horse generally a warm soul in which case, even clipped, you may need thinner rugs than you think ( 350 is quite thick ). Secondly, what are the weather patterns where you are - the Highlands might be very different to Cornwall. How sheltered is your turnout- leafy and low lying, or bleak windy moorland? ( extremes but you get my drift). An experienced vet and horse-keeper of vintage years once told me that any horse is better off chilly than hot.
 
i have 2 welshies, lily is fully clipped and her 0g is currently out of action due to someone ripping the fillet string off - i’m desperately missing it!

50g is absolutely invaluable, but at the minute when it’s a nice 10-12 degrees i’d very much appreciate the no fill just to keep any rain off her back, rather than worrying she’s going to freeze if the heavens open😂

Lily is very very soft and i don’t have anything warmer than a 250g for the worst of winter. not even sure where divas 200g turnout is because she just doesn’t need anything that thick!

waterproof fly rugs are also in regular rotation for me, not quite yet, but i do get use out of them well into autumn.
 
Totally depends… but as an average

0g rain sheet
50/100 g turnout
250g turnout
350-450g turnout if required

Do you/yard swap horse into stable rugs at night. If not I’d get a 150-200g rug only in case. If rugs swapped over:

As above, plus 50g rug, and 350g rug. Be prepared to buy thicker as well if required.

Other rugs you may need, fly rug, cooler rug, exercise sheet(s)
 
I really do think a lot of over rugging goes on in this country UK. Because humans feel cold in damp dark weather we anthropomorphise the feeling to the horses. They are not nesting animals they would not be indoors or under cover naturally and agree that probably biggest problem is when they are stabled and can’t move to get warm.would also say liners can be very dangerous if not attached correctly. Have seen them tangled round legs. Great as long as well fitted. I’m of the school that 350 gram rugs are for north Scotland or arctic!
 
I have many 0g with detachable necks
50g with detachable necks
100g with detachable necks.

on my fully clipped pony i've not used more than 100g all winter (stabled at night, out in day)
i have lots of coolers and full neck coolers too

i have only used a 250g with one pony ever, he had to be fully clipped to compete all winter but was a poor doer.
 
I find this guide is useful when thinking about what rugs you need. It will depend upon whether the horse is stabled or clipped

www.horseandrideruk.com

Rugging Guide

Does the thought of organising your horse’s winter wardrobe send a shiver down your spine? It might be time to tailor your rugging system with some bespoke solutions to real-life quandaries
www.horseandrideruk.com www.horseandrideruk.com
 
I have collected far too many rugs to own up to over my many years of horse ownership but my go-to rugs with my clipped warmbloods (out during the day and in at night in winter) are:

50g turnout with detachable neck
Back on track mesh rug (used under turnouts)
liners in various weights
Thermatex heavy
Thermatex light
fly rug

I very rarely go above 200g these days and only use the neck cover in torrential rain. My horses certainly seem happier to be a little on the cool side than on the warm side.

Today they have gone out naked as it is dry, sunny and they have good thick hedges around the field for shelter.
 
I have more rugs than I can count that I've collected over the years, I don't even know where my heavyweight is as I never need to use it even when fully clipped 🙈

The ones I generally have on rotation through winter are:

A good high denier 0g - I only use Rambo and find they are genuinely 100% waterproof in any weather. I also have the 50g liner for it when I need a bit extra.

A lower denier 0g for spring/autumn when it's milder and they don't really need a rug but I just want to keep them clean & dry to be ridden, as the high-denier 0g rugs are quite heavy and I find they get too warm. The HW Mio ones are good, very lightweight, showerproof and do the job of stopping them coming in plastered in 6" of mud!

100g turnout - a super useful rug, mine seem comfortable in this anything from 3'c-12'c without getting too hot/cold. It just seems to trap the right amount of warm air to allow them to regulate their temperature well and I don't have to panic about sudden weather changes.

100g stable rug - I like this for spring/autumn when it's mild during the day but the temps drop overnight, it's not too thick I can put it on early evening without overheating them but offers some warmth if it drops overnight.

200g (medium weight turnout) - I use in the depths of winter when there's a cold biting wind and driving rain and leave on overnight where it offers enough warmth even for minus temps.

A decent thick waffle cooler (Thermatex type, there are lots of good equivalents on the market now, I like the Weatherbeeta Thermocell) for travelling, cooling after exercise and also doubles up as a stable rug that offers the same level of warmth as a mediumweight stable rug IME.

A lighter cooler for spring/autumn - any fleece cooler does the job but if I'm leaving on overnight I find the cheaper ones pull back on the shoulders, so I prefer the PE, Mark Todd and Horseware ones that are a better fit across the front/shoulders.

A good, well-fitting fly rug.

I also have in my collection a 200g stable rug that only gets dug out if they're stuck in for a few days or on box-rest and its minus temps, otherwise they stay in turnout rugs to dry off or get a thick cooler put on after working. Various stable sheets and heavy-weight turnouts/stable rugs that never see the light of day!

My best advice would be invest in good quality turnout rugs that fit well and you can leave on overnight, it will save you a lot of time, expense and hassle swapping out for stable rugs all the time!
 
every horse is individual, but do remember that Horse and Hound did write an article in recent years saying the over rugging is one of the biggest welfare issues!

my horses live out with access to a shelter and plenty of forage, which helps keep their warm.

They're clipped, one hunter clip, one Irish clip. they've pretty much done most of the winter in 50g but 1200 denier, and that does make a difference!
they had 100g with necks on when we had persistent rain! and a couple of times I put the 50g on top of the 100g when it went really cold over night! but that was very few times!

they're now in 0g and have started to go out naked when the sun is out!

they do both run warm!
 
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