When to?

[Friesianfoal1999]

At what sort of temperature would you use a 200g turnout combo?

and

At what sort would you use a 300-350g turnout combo?

trying to decide which one to buy my mare. She is a TB.

 

[Goldenstar]

Impossible to say as horses vary so much .My Horses are clipped and out today it’s freezing here ( ice in buckets in the stables )
The heaviest rug on one of my horses is 200 the rest are 100 .
I probably would buy the lighter one .

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Is she clipped, if yes, what clip?
Is she a cold or a warm horse?
Will she have ad lib hay/good grazing while turned out or will she have poor grazing/no hay/limited hay?
Do you have a field shelter or good natural shelter?
Are you somewhere that is cold or mild, wet and windy, hardly drops under zero degrees C or is often well under zero?

 

[Friesianfoal1999]

No clip, She's a tb who used to get quite cold but ive built her tolerance and we don't tend to rug till October now. But can drop weight in the extreme colder weather like we've had recently.
Yeah she has lots of grazing and pretty much constant haylage.
I am in south east England so id say its between 0-10 degrees most winter. rarely below and we have a rug for below 450g PE

 

[Upthecreek]

It would depend totally on the horse and how they are kept. What coat does she have? What is her body condition like? Does she have access to a shelter in the field? Is there hay in the field?

Also depends on whether the horse is naturally on the warm side. One of mine has been out all week in a 200g & the other has been in a 350g. One is always warm and a very good doer, the other is always cooler and doesn’t maintain his weight so well. Both are fully clipped except legs.

You could buy a 200g with a separate 100g liner to give you the option of adding warmth if needed.

 

[Friesianfoal1999]

It would depend totally on the horse and how they are kept. What coat does she have? What is her body condition like? Does she have access to a shelter in the field? Is there hay in the field?

Also depends on whether the horse is naturally on the warm side. One of mine has been out all week in a 200g & the other has been in a 350g. One is always warm and a very good doer, the other is always cooler and doesn’t maintain his weight so well. Both are fully clipped except legs.

You could buy a 200g with a separate 100g liner to give you the option of adding warmth if needed.

She is a tb so its taken a few winters to get her a long coat but its definitely longer than ever before a good inch. She has giant shelter in the field, and natural shelter as well, haylage in the field. Body condition at the moment isn't the best as she has dropped a bit of weight, she often drops when it gets below -3/-4. No matter how much we rug but she picks it back up within a week or two.

I have a 150g undercut I often use so maybe 200g is a good idea.

Its been -6/-7 where we are and she's been in a 450g heavyweight plus 200g liner. I don't think she's ever had it so cold here

 

[Friesianfoal1999]

Another question, does the material of the inside of the rug effect its warmth?

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I would get the 200g then.

I don't think the lining material makes much difference to warmth (cotton v shiny lining) but I definitely seek out shiny linings because they rub less.

 

[Friesianfoal1999]

I would get the 200g then.

I don't think the lining material makes much difference to warmth (cotton v shiny lining) but I definitely seek out shiny linings because they rub less.

Thank you, will do that I think. No you say that I have noticed my cotton rug rubs her shoulders (which is the one im replacing)

 

[Meowy Catkin]

In your other thread you say you have some liners. You could always pop the thinnest liner you have under the 200g rug to make it a bit warmer (if the 450g rug you have would be too warm).

 

[Friesianfoal1999]

In your other thread you say you have some liners. You could always pop the thinnest liner you have under the 200g rug to make it a bit warmer (if the 450g rug you have would be too warm).

She has 2 different under rugs for turnout and then stable rugs but I try not use them underneath for turnout. Her 450g is a Premier equine, so heavy and sometimes far too warm! so sounds like a plan

 

[Winters100]

I use a 300g with neck when it is cold and windy, below -15. A 200g without neck for about 0 to -8, and depending on the wind would add a neck to a 200g below about -8.

I have a 450 g that I was given as a gift. It is lovely but never used.

My older mare quite often gets changed to a heavier rug before the others, but I have never needed more than 300g.

They are unclipped, but in work all year so never get very long coats. I would say don't buy super heavy rugs, as you can always add something under a lighter one if needed. Also I get D rings stitched to rugs which don't have them, and each horse has a 0 fill and a filled neck cover, so these can be used instead of switching to a heaver rug for 'in between' weather.

As others have said it is quite individual to the horse, so monitor how he is feeling and condition.