What rugs?

[flurryjuno]

I'm in the process of buying rugs for my mare for the winter, but I have no idea what to get her. She's my first horse and first to be fully clipped out as I am used to just having ponies with a medium weight turnout to keep them dry in the winter!

She's a 16.1hh ISH, rode 4/5 days a week and came with a medium weight which is a bit tatty now so will be a spare. The thing is she wasn't turned out as much last winter before I got her than she will be this winter, so do I get her a medium weight full neck turnout and stable rug, or just the normal stable rug and turnout? Or a heavy weight turnout and a medium weight stable rug?! I'm scared of her losing her condition as she lost a lot of weight being turned out after I got her in her old rug and I don't want that to happen again as it took a long time to build it back up, help!

 

[WelshD]

I have a little Welshie who didnt grow much winter coat last year (due to medication) and the rug I used the most was a 100g turnout with neck, it was the most useful of all my rugs for the huge number of days that were 'do I rug? dont I rug?' weather

I prefer turnouts with necks and stable rugs without necks as I have a probably quite irrational conviction that the mane needs a bit of air at least some of the time (my pony didnt lose any mane last year despite only wearing combo turnout rugs the majority of the time so maybe its not as irrational as I think!)

Generally you can get away with layering rugs in a stable more than turnouts so I would think a medium stable rug would be ok but get medium and heavy turnouts

 

[Polos]

Is she going to be stabled awsell? My horses each have 2 medium weight turnouts with neck (so there is always a dry one), 1 heavy weight turnout with neck, 1 lightweight turnout, 1 180g turnout, a fleece, a lightweight stable and a medium weight stable. It kind of depends on the horse and how much they feel the cold. Both of mine were fully clipped last winter and this winter and where fine most of the winter in a medium weight TO with a fleece underneath in the field for most of the winter. I only put the heavy weights on them when it got really cold. They are quite 'hot' so don't need too much rugging or too mic extra feeding

 

[flurryjuno]

She'll be out for a couple of hours a day, depending on the weather even if its just in the outdoor, then in at night I have a fleece for her, I was thinking a medium turnout (with neck) until the weather gets really bad then a heavyweight. As for the stable I agree with you WelshD, no neck for inside So then a medium weight in stable with fleece on really cold nights, yes?! Thank you for your help though cleared it up for me a bit more, I find it very confusing usually

 

[Meowy Catkin]

When CM was stabled at night she had a Horseware Amigo no-fill, a Bucas Smartex Rain, a Rambo Duo (I bought a 100g liner for this, it came with a 300g liner), a Bucas Irish 300g turnout and two stable rugs (a 200g and a 150g) so I could layer them on really cold nights.

Now she lives out the stable rugs are stored away and she has more turnouts than you can shake a stick at. The Duo and Bucas rugs are still going strong (with a couple of repairs) several years later, so they were good buys.