What rugs do you consider to be 'essential'

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alwaysbroke

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Rugs for winter, pony with a blanket clip, in at night turned out in the day? But also full wardrobe for all year round

Can't decide what rugs are really needed.

Lightweight turnout with detachable neck
Medium/Heavy weight turnout with detachable neck
Lightweight stable
Medium/heavy weight stable with detachable neck
Fleece
Fly rug

or use turnout as stable rugs.....

help me save some money please!
 
Unless very thin skinned, mine rarely need lightweight t/o and I dont often use fly rugs either, they usually have company and hedges/trees for shelter.
A good med weight t/o with det.neck is ideal for most.
Same for stable rug.
Fleeces are really useful.
When we had the snow mine wore their stable rugs with t/o on top 24/7 and were all really warm.
 
A lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight. I like to have both a combo and standard. Not a fan of detachables. Also a rainsheet is handy for all seasons whether it be summer showers or ontop of heavyweight on cold winters day to keepy heavyweight dry.

I also use turnouts for stable unless I'm showing in which case I'll use a fleece or a stable rug.

Also an excercise sheet!
 
Probably the wrong person to answer this, at the last count I think mine had about 35 each. Although they all take the same size so one might actually have more than the others.

I think a fleece is essential to dry out wet or sweaty horses
Whether you need a fly rug depends on how bad flys are in your area and how sensitive your horse is.

I think a lightweight and a mediumweight stable rug would do, you can put them on together to make a heavyweight.

Same goes for turnouts really, you can layer. Lightweights are good in wet weather for putting over the top of your medium or heavyweights to keep them dry. They are easy to dry out than the heavy ones.

So minimum for me would be light and medium weight stable and turnout rugs.

However I would also want spares in case the weather is really really bad or your horse decides to destroy one when the shops aren't open.
 
I'm a fan of using turnouts as stable rugs. Don't quite understand why you would want to take a warm rug off to put a cold one on to either turn out or leave in stable. If slihtly wet then the heat from horse dries it perfectly. No need to stress in morning that rug is still wet as your have had it on it's own clothes horse
 
I have survived last 4 years with MW TO with detachable neck, Fleece and stable rug.

All mix and match and have no issues. People have far too many rugs now and they are really not needed. Last winter all ours were full clipped and only had 2 rugs in the snow and -10! They all maintained condition and all on very simple food but ad lib hay.

Alternatively if you feel the need to cover your pony in rugs just buy them off ebay 2nd hand.
 
MiCsarah said:
I'm a fan of using turnouts as stable rugs. Don't quite understand why you would want to take a warm rug off to put a cold one on to either turn out or leave in stable. If slihtly wet then the heat from horse dries it perfectly. No need to stress in morning that rug is still wet as your have had it on it's own clothes horse
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Its like going to bed in your damp jeans and coat. YUK

I also think it makes rubs more likely, plus the people I've seen doing it seem to get lazy and dont actually take the turnout off to check whats happening underneath. Not saying that applies to everyone.

And I like to add more rugs at night, it gets colder and they move around less so need more padding.
 
Depends on the pony. Mine had a lightweight (YO's horse ate it so need another :mad: ) and a heavy weight with detatchable neck. She also has a cooler I use as another layer. She went from the LW into the HW wthout the neck when she was clipped then as it got colder the neck went on. Saying that last winter I had to buy another rug in a hurry as in temps of -22C :eek: :eek: :eek: the poor thing was freezing and ended up with her entire wardrobe on!
 
Thanks for the replies, they have bee very helpful.

She is quite a hardy pony but its the first time she will be clipped this winter, I am not a fan of piling rugs, but a pet hate has become a clipped neck growing back before the rest of the coat:rolleyes:

Have seen a few bargains on ebay so off to make a few purchases:)
 
One rug that I just could not do without is my Thermatex rugs - Brilliant so versitile use for every situation from - warming up, drying off, travelling, under blanket, night rug, chucking over tack to keep warm while standing, snuggling dogs up when cold and wet and waiting in car -

Would like be having my right arm removed if I didn't have my Thermatex

Also the leg wraps are brilliant - saves bandaging - dries legs and keeps warm after hunting and use on my dressage boy who is fully clipped out legs and all in winter to keep legs warm in winter.

Even my dogs have little Thermatex coats !!
 
Medium weight turnout.

Liner/stable rug, for layering when it is very cold.

Cooler/Sheet/Fleece, for travelling, bathing etc. They can also be used for layering when it is not quiet cold enough for a liner but too cold for just a rug, and they are good for keeping windchill off on cold summer days as long as you know it is going to be dry.
 
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My guys each have;

lightweight turnout (basically a rain sheet)

heavyweight turnout with neck cover

thermatex

light cooler

fly rug

I haven't had stable rugs for any of mine for about 10 years and I now have a tb and a very fine tb x who are both very adequately catered for.
 
I'd say lightweight (ie no fill) turnout, mediumweight turnout (I have one with and one without a neck but to be fair since I got the one with neck the other didn't get much use, I'm not a huge fan of detachable necks but that could just be because I've never found a decent one), some form of fleece / cooler and then a lightweight and mediumweight stable rug, which I used to layer in colder months.
 
A question I have been pondering too, needing to cut down (and not stock back up!!) as ours seem to have been breeding in dark corners!

I find that the ones I use are:
light weight no fill
100g turnout
200g turnout with detachable neck
Snuggy hoods turnout neck
fly sheet and mask
lightweight stable
medium weight stable with neck.
holey vest type cooler
jersey rug
landsdown (like thermatex) rug.

A cheap cotton sheet is handy to put under turnouts so they don't need to be washed as often, you can just bung the sheet in the wash.

I got a few rugs from here in their sale and have been really impressed, http://www.swish-equestrian.co.uk/products.php?cat=Rugs

For a fly sheet, the gallop and hy ones with belly cover seem really brilliant for the £, as is the derby house one - though only if you get it reduced as they are on sale so often you would be robbed if you paid full price!

A fleece was the first rug I got her, but tbh I hardly use it as it stretches so pulls across her shoulders and is therefore useless for layering, and if I use it overnight as well as the pulling, it gets covered in bed and poo! For drying off and traveling in warm weather I use one of those amigo jersey rugs. Not that much different to a fleece tbh but doesn't seem to slip back and pull so much, is smarter for travelling and everything doesn't stick to it (and it is cheap and easy to get matching travel boots if that is your thing) so can use it overnight too for something light on.

My mare is an ISH and is fully clipped each year (legs and front of head left of) and I have never used more than a medium weight as she runs really warm! The heavyweight I got is barely used and tbh the couple of times I used it I could have just popped her lightweight stable under her medium weight really.

To cut down further you could use turnouts for stable rugs, but if you do this I would spend more on the turnouts so you can get ones that are actually totally waterproof and are breathable too. I have to admit I prefer not to do this as ours go out in all weathers, so if they have been rained on all day their rugs are heavy so I prefer to put a fresh dry rug on. I have never found that changing a rug causes them to become cold. Ad lib hay and keeping the wet and wind out sorts most things tbh!
 
obv you have your fleece, travel and sweat rug

but for winter:

LW stable rug for Oct - Nov & Mar
HW stable rug for Dec to Feb

No fill turnout for Oct/Nov/april
LW fill turnout 100g for Nov/april
MW fill turnout 200g for Nov/Dec/mar
HW fill 350/400 for dec to feb

Never use turnouts for stable rugs - I wouldnt like going to bed in wet clothing, the rugs are never cold as we store them in a warm room, they like having their rugs changed anyhow. They would like to go shopping with me for and have requested their colours and designs for this year.

I also do not have half necks or full necks, just high necks.
 
well for a start I have too many fleece type rugs and struggle to use them as others have said they are no good for layering as they stretch too much and ruin by having bedding stuck to thme if used in stable

I have2 standard fleeces, one full neck, a light weight thermatex, a normal therma cell. and a posh fleece that is too warm for show days :rolleyes:

you only really need one or two at most I would say a lighter weight and a heavier weight for drying off after washing down after exercise

I have a rain sheet
a 100g which is a must for me as rain sheet is only any good in warm weather for light showers, imagine having a kagool on in anything else

220g full neck
400g full neck
200g under rug which I can use under any of the others to make up weight if the other is wet or add to 400g when -20

horse fully clipped WB
 
ghost&secret said:
One rug that I just could not do without is my Thermatex rugs - Brilliant so versitile use for every situation from - warming up, drying off, travelling, under blanket, night rug, chucking over tack to keep warm while standing, snuggling dogs up when cold and wet and waiting in car -

Would like be having my right arm removed if I didn't have my Thermatex

Also the leg wraps are brilliant - saves bandaging - dries legs and keeps warm after hunting and use on my dressage boy who is fully clipped out legs and all in winter to keep legs warm in winter.

Even my dogs have little Thermatex coats !!
Click to expand...

I'll echo this - Kal has two - the green, slightly holey one he came with and a very smart black one "for best." They are hugely versatile and well worth the ££££.

As for answering the original question - I think it depends on your horse (hardy/wimpy, native/sensitive WB or sport horse, good/poor doer, lives in/out, etc.), but:

A fleece (or Thermatex) or two for chucking on after bath, chucking over tack, autumn nights indoors, etc.
A good lightweight/rain sheet for summer showers (or downpours) or as others have said for chucking over a M/W turnout as they are easier to dry
A M/W stable rug, with neck - you can make this a H/W by layering with fleeces or putting on underneath M/W turnout
A M/W turnout - again, you can layer this up with other rugs to create a H/W - I'd always get one with a detachable neck, but that's just b/c Kal's mane disappears in the winter due to rubs and I like to have the option of removing the hood if it's cold but not wet just to give him some time without
Exercise sheet - fab for hacking when it's cold or warming up in the school - we have two - one hi-viz for hacking and one fleece-y one for use in the school, but you could get away with one
Summer sheet - for me this was essential when Kal was in at night as he's grey and it just helped reduce the poo stains to a minimum - now that he's out at night, though, it really isn't necessary - up to you really
Fly rug - well it does depend on whether your horse is really plagued by flies/suffers from sweet itch. I bought Kal a couple last summer b/c his field was right next to a sewage treatment plant and the flies were appalling - but he has only worn one once this year (and that was because he was clean, I wanted to turn him out, and I wanted him to stay clean)

Last thing - I'm a big believer of leaving wet rugs on horses to allow them to dry (provided they are waterproof and horse is nice and dry underneath) - but now that we've moved to a yard with a rug dryer (hurrah!), Kal will be having his wet rugs changed, plus he has enough for one to be drying and one to be in his stable (dry) ready to be worn. Yes, he is very spoiled :).

P
 
I have 3 Rambo wugs, which the 3 pensioners wear 24/7 from sept until the beginning of april (they are TB and out 24/7), I have 3 med stable rugs which are put on whatever comes in for sale prep (I've had them for 6 years) and 3 cheap summer sheets in case it gets too hot for the sale horses in the stable rugs (they haven't had much use TBH:)) and 1 bucas cooler, which the sale horses wear when they have had their bath before the sale until they've dried off ( they only get 1 bath), I've had it for 12+ years! Nothing wears a rug travelling and they are all TBs although admittedly none are clipped and they all get out every day even during the snow without covers:eek: I must be heartless!:D
 
I used to really wrap my horses up in rugs but last year with being concious of not wanting to over rug my youngsters due to me having read it can contribute to some growth problems and having had terrible problems with having to use false plaits at the start of the season due to thin and missing manes I cut down to lighter weight rugs in winter and ditched the fly rugs in exchange for home made spray and they managed better than I ever expected.

So now I just have 50g or 100g turnouts and layer lightweight stable rugs underneath if needed and have one heavier stable rug each for use during the coldest nights. Also a fleece for after bathing and a summer sheet if you're going to a show (for smartness!) and that's it.

I don't use combo rugs as I think they rub the mane out so if something is clipped and really needs a neck cover they get the premier equine turnout with a detachable neck as these seem don't rub the mane out. No necks on stable rugs.
 
ghost&secret said:
One rug that I just could not do without is my Thermatex rugs - Brilliant so versitile use for every situation from - warming up, drying off, travelling, under blanket, night rug, chucking over tack to keep warm while standing, snuggling dogs up when cold and wet and waiting in car -

Would like be having my right arm removed if I didn't have my Thermatex

Also the leg wraps are brilliant - saves bandaging - dries legs and keeps warm after hunting and use on my dressage boy who is fully clipped out legs and all in winter to keep legs warm in winter.

Even my dogs have little Thermatex coats !!
Click to expand...

Hi, not heard of these are they widely available?
 
I use t/o rugs as stable rugs, doesn't mean they don't get changed over ;)

Layering is the key for me and I have:
1 x stable sheet
1 x flyrug (wimpy and gets really peed off with flies and spray doesn't work)
1 x turnout sheet (keeps mud off more than anything as the swine rolls)
1 x MW stable rug
1 x HW stable rug
1 x stable neck (interchanges with both stable rugs)
1 x MW t/o with neck
1 x HW t/o with neck
1 x cheepy lidl fleece
1 x sweat rug (string vest sort)
An assortment of exercise sheets (flouro waterproof/newmarket/thermatex)

He is a wimp, I've tried toughening him up but he just drops weight like a stone (I wish I could do the same) so I end up in combos of stable rugs and turnouts in the dark vile winters and have enought to get one set washed while the other set is in use :)
 
I have a Rhino MW full neck - although a little too small now, neck bit undoes and flaps, will be passed over to another (smaller!) horse

HW PE full neck - awesome rug, wore it on the coldest of days last year and was fine.

MW townfields turnout, no neck.

Stable rugs - One MW no neck and a full neck duvet underrug. Not many really! I think I occasionally put a cotton sheet on the coldest of nights for extra layering, but can't help feeling they must feel a bit trussed up with more than 2 rugs on.

I couldn't bear to leave his wet rug on overnight, he doesn't give me a dirty look when I change them, he is too busy stuffing his face with hay. It may still be a bit damp when I put it on in the morning, but it gets to walk around 12 acres all day, and east yet more hay so won't get cold then. TBH unless you have more than 5 or so horses to do I can't see the time benefit of not changing rugs, it really doesn't take that much time :)

Previous horse, full TB, had a MW stable rug, and a one canvas sheet with wool lining NZ with a blanket clip, and he never lost weight or got cold, they are molly coddled these days aren't they?! :D
 
My Snuggy SI bodies are my essential rug for summer and I will if very wet and windy use a no fill t/o to keep the worst off them as their field has no shelter.

For winter, I have fleece, 100, 220 and 350 t/o and stable rugs so I can adjust according to the temperature. I only need the 350s when it is 1 or below, though with the -12 last year, I did put on a 350 with a 100 underneath as mine are full clipped and this was not the usual temperatures we get in Essex.
 
Depends on the breeds and peoples veiws i have throughbreds which are very thin skinned and i rug them well all tho i know many people who turn there throughbreds out all year round with no rug and they come out the winter looking ok.

Mine have
thermatex/sweat rug
Thin sheet
Light weight T/O rug
Medium weight T/O
Heavy weight full neck T/O
Full neck fly rug
Lightweight stable rug
Medium weight stable rug
Heavy weight stable rug with full neck
 
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