What weight rug to buy?

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SMIS

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Hi everyone,

I have owned my first horse for 5 months now so never had a horse in winter. He is a TB and has two rugs at the moment.
1 - lightweight Amigo 600 denier no lining.
2 - mediumweight Amigo Bravo 12 1200 denier 250 lining.
He is currently wearing his lightweight rug but now its getting down to 5 degrees on a night I am worried it is not enough.
I am not sure whether to put on his medium rug or not as it is not winter yet.
I am starting to think perhaps I need to buy another rug - I initially thought the two would do him.
What would you do? If you were to buy another rug would you buy an under rug or a thicker rug? Would you get one imbetween the two I already have or a heavier one than the medium weight?

Thanks!
 
As its your first winter with him, it will be a case of monitoring how hot/cold he is as you go really.
I personally have a no fill amigo, 100g amigo, and 200g rambo. My horse will never need the 200g unless shes fully clipped as shes a good doer.
It really depends on his routine and how much he will be clipped etc , its so hard to tell :)
 
katie_southwest said:
As its your first winter with him, it will be a case of monitoring how hot/cold he is as you go really.
I personally have a no fill amigo, 100g amigo, and 200g rambo. My horse will never need the 200g unless shes fully clipped as shes a good doer.
It really depends on his routine and how much he will be clipped etc , its so hard to tell :)
Click to expand...

this in a nutshell

try feeling his armpit or the base of his ears in the mornings to see if he is cold. make sure there is enough hay out if there isn't much grass, he will be able to help keep himself warm that way. if he will not be clipped i'd buy a 100g rug for chilly nights and keep the 250g for the depths of winter i.e snow and freezing nights :)
 
I had this same dilemma a couple of weeks ago and ended up choosing a 100g rug

My reasoning was that if it was that cold I would probably bring the pony in overnight

I think the 100g is a good bet personally
 
When I got my horse she only came with a light and medium but I found that because of the amount of rain we have had over recent winters, she actually needed another medium to swap with so the other one could dry out a bit. Like the others have said you might just have to gage her and if she looses weight or is cold then consider a heavy. If you do feel that you need something more further down the line then personally Id go for a heavy rather piling rug under rug under rug.
Im not much into rugging but i do like to have a neck cover because my girl tends to loose it in her neck first.
So yeah just maybe get another medium with neck since your horse tb then see how you go. Be careful though because rug addiction is a real yet very serious disease. Many on here have it and go to weekly meetings to try to overcome it! Lol!
 
Thanks so much for your replies.
I was hoping to keep hold of his 1200 denier 250g quilt rug for when winter really hits. I don't want to be tight but when I looked at the cost of thicker rugs they started at £130 and I thought ouch!
I will start checking his ears and arm pits from now on, no-one has given me that tip before it sounds really useful.
When his lightweight rug is not keeping him warm enough would you switch to the medium weight 1200 denier 250g quilt or buy something in the interim?
 
Thanks everyone. I might head to the local tack shop this week and check out what
100g rugs they have as an interim between using the one I have for winter.

I am concerned about rug addiction - my Dad has two rugs and has only had two for the past 15 years!! But I can see me getting a 100g for now then needing to get one thicker than the 1200 denier 250g quilt for winter! How thick do these rugs get??
 
I would personally go for a 100g rug, nothing to 250g is quite a difference , and if your hoping to keep it for real winter a 100g is a nice inbetween weight.

I have a 100g for my very old pony that I took on this year, its just enough to keep him warm but not too much yet as its not 'real' winter.
 
Rather than buying yourself a new rug, get yourself the horseware liners!!
They come in 100, 200 and 300, and they go under the turnout rug. Front velcros up, and they have clips at the back to keep them in place via the leg strap clips. They are fab, and you'll be able to use them with both of your rugs.

From personal experience I can vouch for them being excellent.

There is a thread about them here... http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=425862

ETA- Have you got a lightweight and slightly heavier neck for your rugs too?
 
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I thought about getting a horsewear liner but I did not think that they would be compatible with my rugs. I thought you had to buy a special rug to use them with. I will look into getting one of those as I could put it under both the rugs. I would just be worried about it slipping and getting ripped to shreds - that seems to happen to a lot of people on my yard who layer rugs.

The medium rug (1200 denier 250g quilt) has a removable neck attachment but the lightweight does not. He is not clipped and I wont clip him. He works 4-5 days a week 30-45 mins schooling or hacking for 1-2 hours we dont go mad he rarely works up a sweat!
 
do you know how she usually does over winter? Being a TB is she quite a poor doer? Id be wary of her losing condition quickly going into winter so would actually err on the side of caution and at 5deg at night Id have her medweight on overnight now. You will definitely need heavier rugs for her, Id look at at HW 350g or more, 100g stable rugs and fleeces are useful for layering in bad weather also.
 
I have not owned him over winter before and did not ask the dealer I bought him from about winter which I should have done now I think about it. When we got him in April he was very slight but apparently where I bought him from are notorious for not feeding their horses up. 8 other horses on the yard are from the same dealer. People told me he was a bit too skinny when I bought him but with summer grass he has plumped out nicely there are no ribs showing now and people tell me how much better he looks.
I dont want him to loose condition - people have warned me that if he looses weight he wont get it back until the summer. He is incredibly greedy and will eat and eat so there are no worries re: his appetite! I just want him to be happy and it so hard as people have warned me about too much rug will make him overheat and not enough will make him skinny. I wish I had more horsey experience to do the right thing by him.
 
Dont worry too much, worst thing about a livery yard is everyone has an opinion, and its a different one:rolleyes:;)

Go by your horse. Look at him every day. Does he look well? Is he well covered and simply , does he feel warm under his rug? If that means popping back at 10pm once or twice to check then Id do it to put your mind at rest. Id def have a TB in more than a LW just now though.
 
All you can really do whilst getting to know your horse is keep a careful eye on him. Feeling his armpit or ears is a great way of telling how cold he is, and as a TB I imaging he'll let you know through his physical condition if he is feeling the cold as typically for the breed they lose weight quite quickly. We have one TB on the yard who is in 300g already as turns into a walking skeleton (even with adlib feed) at the first sign of cold, and another who is an average type doer.

I would recommend always access to good grass and/or hay, monitoring feed and increasing it when need be. Hay and grass are the best from a not affecting them mentally point of view but if you need extra we swear by miconised linseed and calm and conditioner for weight and condtion without the fizz! I'd also buy another rug. 100g would do you great for now.

I have a 100g stable rug which I put on under my rain sheet until its cold enough for him to go into his 250g. I also have a 320g HW and last winter when I was mean and turned him away (injury related) whilst fully clipped he had the HW + the 100g stable.

I wouldnt worry too much about layering within reason, most horses I know often have a layer or 2, those who destroy them are the types who will destroy rugs anyway! I prefer proper stable rugs to liners (unless they are part of a range so to speak and can be attached) as I find stable rugs with 2 breast straps, cross surcingle etc stay in much better place. An 100g stable would also give you the flexibilty should you need it to put it under your middleweight.
 
Hi SMIS, I currently have my TB boy in either his lightweight or mediumweight both with necks on during the day depending on temp and at night he now has nothing less on than a medium weight purely because I know he feels the cold a bit more (he's 15). As it gets colder i.e. snow, I'll put his 100g stable rug under his medium weight and alternate that with his heavyweight so rugs can dry out if weather is wet. Try not to worry to much as you'll gage how your horse is by checking temp in the morning (either ears or under arm pit) - my boy on really cold mornings or nights has a scoop or sugar beet with his dinner and warm water poured over it and thats helps to keep them warm too. I would go for a rug liner or stable rug or no more than 100g if you do decide to buy another rug that way you can put it uinder his lightweight if you feel its not enough and when its really cold you can put it under his 250 and itll become more of a heavyweight for him so you are able to use it under both rugs. Also access to hay in the evening if he's stabled as that helps to keep their body temp up when they're standing in their stables. You dont mention bedding but straw is also a good insulator for bedding if hes stabled at at night. Hope it works out!
 
NeverSayNever said:
Dont worry too much, worst thing about a livery yard is everyone has an opinion, and its a different one:rolleyes:;)

Go by your horse. Look at him every day. Does he look well? Is he well covered and simply , does he feel warm under his rug? If that means popping back at 10pm once or twice to check then Id do it to put your mind at rest. Id def have a TB in more than a LW just now though.
Click to expand...

I agree, I too would have more than a lightweight on now overnight. My boy is in a medium weight with a neck, he is quite a poor doer in winter so prevention is better than trying desperately to pump them full of feed half way through winter once they've lost loads of condition.

Saying that though, all horses are different, just keep a good eye on him.
 
SMIS said:
I thought about getting a horsewear liner but I did not think that they would be compatible with my rugs. I thought you had to buy a special rug to use them with. I will look into getting one of those as I could put it under both the rugs. I would just be worried about it slipping and getting ripped to shreds - that seems to happen to a lot of people on my yard who layer rugs.

The medium rug (1200 denier 250g quilt) has a removable neck attachment but the lightweight does not. He is not clipped and I wont clip him. He works 4-5 days a week 30-45 mins schooling or hacking for 1-2 hours we dont go mad he rarely works up a sweat!
Click to expand...

Amigo is one of the brands owned my Horseware, so they will be compatible, alongside Rambo and Rhino.
No special rug, use the HW liners with a Mark Todd rug sometimes and they are fine. The liners fasten with velcro at the front, then along the neck line they have velcro tabs which go on the loops which should be on the actual rug to keep them in place. There are then trigger clips on the two back corners which clip onto the filet string/leg strap loops to stop the rug slipping round and over.

Only asked about the neck cover, as it helps with less mud which = else grooming. :D

ETA- Derby House have 2-4-1 rugs on sale atm still I think. Although you get what you pay for quality wise...
 
From my experience, I think you will need thicker rugs than a mediumweight over winter, even now mine would freeze if I had him in a no fill. My TB is in a 200g mediumweight now and I'm not one for overrugging! The heaviest mine had on last winter was a 360g full neck - quite cheap at around £55ish. When it gets colder, i tend to put a fleece or thin stable rug underneath.

If you cant afford new ones, why don't you look on eBay? Theres usually some decent quality second hand ones on there :)

Just remember that every horse is different, keep an eye on his condition and temp and make a decision from there.
 
Depends on your horse obviously but I think a jump from the no fill to the 250g is quite a big one so you may want something inbetween.
My TB is not clipped (but does not grow much fuzz!!) and is in his 100g PE Trio rug at the moment with neck cover and has the extra 100G lining at night and during colder, wet and windy days (as he was starting to lose a bit of weight).
If you are not wanting to spend too much at the moment I would highly recommend getting say just one liner at 100g. That way you could use it with either of your rugs and it will give you alot more options through the winter as you would effectively have a 100g rug, a 250g rug and a 350g.
 
I have two tb's and its just a case of monitoring. I have everything up to 450 in weight but they live out 24/7 with only natural shelter.

I would suggest looking on ebay, equestrian clearance etc. Some fantastic deals. I got my weatherbeeta 360 with two neck covers for £95 last winter!!

Don't forget, they wont drop dead if a bit chilly, will just loose some weight and condition.
 
It's rather like 'how long is a peice of string'.

It depends entirely on your horse and his management.

Things I consider when rugging:

Some horses are much 'warmer' than others and just don't get cold. It often related to how tubby they are: well covered (i.e fat;)) horses are much better at keeping warm.

How much and what they have to eat makes a HUGE difference: they produce a huge amount of heat whilst digesting long fibre (long woody grass or hay) and simply giving a cold horse a big pile of hay is usually enough to warm it up.

Full neck rugs are far more effective at keeping them warm: a full neck MW is usually just as good a standard HW , esp as it stops rain getting down inside the shoulders. Length of rug and tail flap also make a difference : having their bum sticking out the back or the tail flap doing little to keep the wind out won't help.

They need to be warm to stay dry with a rug. Very few rugs are entirely waterproof (that'd just make them sweaty underneather) and require the horser to produce enough body heat to drive damp out the weave.

They also need to be dry to stay warm! A wet horse will get cold. Which is why many horses are perfectly happy naked at -18 in the snow but cold cold at +5 in the driving rain.

And finally, horses are far better at warming themselves up than they are at cooling themselves down and will feel far more uncomfortable over-rugged than they would chilly.

As for your current rugs: I'd want a full neck rug as it keeps them drier. A full neck 100 or 150g rug would be perfect as you could then put a liner/underblanket on without it getting wet down the shoulders.

For a well covered TB who doesn't seem to feel the cold much (as your seems to be, since he's happy in a no fill at the moment) and has plenty to munch on (be it old grass or hay) I'd buy a 100-150g (or there about) full neck and a 100g liner to go with it. That'd cover all bases.

And you don't need to spend a fortune: have a look on ebay and you'll find rugs for under 80quid.
 
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