Which Rug

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goldentintin

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I have just bought my first horse and I am getting things ready for the winter. I have a 16.3 Irish Sports horse. I am going to clip him for the winter and he will be living out 24/7 only coming in for his feed.

I am trying to find suitable rugs for him. I have been advised that the fal pro rugs are the best to get and was told to try and get a commander, however, this is proving to be extremely difficult as they are not being made anymore.

I have looked at the bulldog range but bearing in mind I have no rugs I have been quoted £400.00 for an outer rug with neck at 200g, an under rug 200g and a l/w 40g.

My questions are -

Are these the only rugs that I will need through the winter?

Also are there any rugs that anybody can recommend which would compare to the commander as i like the idea of having the under rug at 200g and the outer rug at 200g.

Should I just go for the £400.00 and just get the bulldogs.

Thanks in advance for your input
 
I am a FAL PRO horder:D

I love Fal rugs I have got rid of my stable ones and just using turnouts . The warmest of the fal is the GOLIATH its 14 oz
I use
14 Goliath after 2nd clip : dec-jan-feb
12 cavalier or chieftan etc oct nov-dec march
7 0z bulldog autum
4 0z spring and early autum

The bulldog and cavalier and goliath are the original Fal

and the best. Keep a look out on ebay for bargains.

If you can get a goliath 14 oz he will be so toasty .
The Chieftan is still a nice rug but Goliath is worth having

http://www.redrae.co.uk/fal_goliath_silver_interactive_rug.htm

try here

Quite honestly your better off with a second hand good make than a new cheap make.

The good make will always sell better as well and keep its value
 
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As good as Fal rugs are they are an invesment piece in the wardrobe stakes ( for example

(God I sound like Gok Wan )

You can get some othe good value rugs as you will need more than one I have the whole range of Pessoa rugs which have been fantastic !

You will also need a fleece type rug for after wet rides cool nights warmer days in etc

I could live without stable rugs and happiy just use TO's the rest of the time though
 
I have Fal rugs too :) I've have the Bulldogs with detachable neck in the medium weight and heavy weight. Think they must be about 7years old now and apart from renewing the elastic at the neck the still look brand new - I love them.

My other rug is the Mark Todd which seems to fit my mare well.
 
I have only got now ( as sold most stable rugs) t/o


the only fal rugs i have now


5 fal goliaths
2 chieftons
3 cavaliers
5 bulldogs
1 terrier
3 taskers
2 godolphin
2 slumberdowns
1 warrior
1 stable tasker which i am selling

I wouldnt buy any other turn outs
They are the deepest rug I have found for my ID mare.
they are roomy round the chest
never rub
keep them toasty
lightweight
 
I like weatherbeeta for my boy. I would never buy a rug over £60 as he just trashes them (something to bear in mind). Personally if your clipping him out I would go for a couple of rugs rather than one heavyweight one as the air between them will insulate him more. My lad was clipped out last winter and had a fleece, stable rug with a neck and a heavyweight turnout rug with a neck. Depends how much money you want to spend but at the end of the day they're going to get muddy, full of poo and smelly!
 
i personally dont buy expensive rugs. 1. because i cant afford them and 2. because they stay clean for 2 secs (my tb literally rolls in mud patch as soon as headcollar comes off). i have a few winter turnouts mainly a 400g (£40)allpro and a 360g derby house (£28 in sale!). but as said above i use several rugs underneath to trap the warm heat. my tb is wimpy so he usually has 2 or 3 thinner rugs on underneath and it works as he never dropped weight. as said before it does depend on what u want to pay but have alook on places like ebay, preloved and gumtree for bargins.
 
Thanks for all you replies

Leviathan - I checked out the redrae website and they didnt have the sizes i wanted. Your information on what rugs you use was fantastic and thanks for taking the time to answer.

I think whilst the Fals are the way to go they are too pricey for me to buy them all at once, I think I will add them to my wardrobe as I go on and the Bulldog seem to be the best ones and I think Ladylina your quote about Gok was great - hehe.

Mrs B I have taken your advise and I am going to get the Premierequine rugs I like the idea of being able to build the rugs up with different weights, you should take a commission on this sale ;)

Thankyou again Charlir and Tim's girl I have just got the new robinson catalogue so will look up those rugs you have mentioned.

Once again everybody who has replied thankyou.
 
I've tried every make but went back to the Rambo's and sold all the others.
I found the Fal's rubbed badly at the withers and Fal Goliaths very heavy to lift up onto my horses, they are 16.3hh and I'm 5'3''!
 
Mrs B said:
I personally like the Premier Equine rugs. They've lasted very well and the company is good and easy to deal with.

Have a look at their Buster Trio combination rug. It's currently priced at £224.99

http://www.premierequine.co.uk/acatalog/Turnout_Rugs.html

Have fun with your new horse! And remember when you get to about the 3rd week in February - the mud doesn't last forever :D
Click to expand...

^^^^ agree!!!

ive had various rugs but premier equine are brilliant. my girls have them and were cpzy and dry all winter. as with most rugs, the detachable neckpiece leaks around the zip so id go with an attached neckpiece. but in my opinion, if its cold enough for a horse to need a thick rug its cold enough to need a neck piece....esp if clipped. i would never buy any other HW turnouts now, and whats better is they are breathable so can be worn inside if need be.

and another bonus, they have a sale on the end of every winter! i got heavyweights (450g), full neck, for £70!!
 
goldentintin said:
Mrs B I have taken your advise and I am going to get the Premierequine rugs I like the idea of being able to build the rugs up with different weights, you should take a commission on this sale ;)
Click to expand...

:D Good idea! Good luck with it and when it arrives (if it hasn't already knowing PE) we must have photos...
 
goldentintin said:
Wow that was quick ordered it yesterday and delivered this afternoon.

I will try them on him tomorrow and take some photographs. ;)
Click to expand...

They are great and very helpful if you get the wrong size!! didn't charge me the postage for the 2nd and 3rd one they sent out oops

I also use shires, the best ones are very good, wouldnot buy their cheap one

I had a Rambo extreme it leaked, sent it back the replacement leaked in the same place, so had refund and got PE one
 
Sad news im afraid the rug didnt fit so no photographs.

The under rug didnt reach the tail ;(

The top rug came half way up his neck and he didnt seem to have much room to move around. The length of the top of the rug was perfect.

Is the top rug supposed to be half way up his neck and the under rug is it supposed to be the top of his tail or is it supposed to be halfway up his dock.

I really want these to fit as well, they are an ideal system.

When i tried them on i put a masta fleece rug on to protect them so as not to get them dirty, however the masta fleece was at least 5 cm longer. Is the under rug supposed to be a snugger fit, I really dont want them to rub him.
 
To be honest,i wouldnt spend that much on a rug when there are cheaper and just as good rugs out there.

I bought (against everyones opinions) a masta LW, and its fab. Even had a big argument with a friends GF who basically said all cheap rugs are crap and got quite heated that i obviously didnt care about my horse enough to buy a £100+ rug when this was £40 and withstands rolling, mud brushes off, even in torrential rain its not leaked or got damp underneath.
 
Kal came to us with some very nice Shires turnouts, and I've chosen to supplement them with Masta and (just one) FAL. The Fal doesn't seem to perform any better than his other rugs and as he is also a mud monster (happiest when he's up to his neck in the stuff) I wouldn't spend that much money on a rug again. All his rugs are regularly cleaned, reproofed and repaired, none leak, all keep him warm.

P
 
with the layer rugs- like the trio- the inner liner is shorter in length (to tail) and also in the body. I assume this is so it is protected under the outer layer.
The Premier equine rugs I have I love. I have a HW with detachable neck and receently bought the outer of the trio. Both fit perfectly but yes they do come higher up the neck than most rugs, but to me that makes them a better fit and more snug. Rather higher up the neck than too big on shoulders and pulling down under the shoulder or back on the withers.
take some pics on the horse and post on here or maybe speak to premier equine to ask their advice/send them the pics. I think the rug may fit, it's just the correct smaller size of the liner/inner rug that is confusing.
 
i have spoke to premier they were extremely helpful gonna try again tomorrow without the fleece they said they dont mind.

i will take some photos and see what people say.

With it being half way up the neck does it rub the mane at all?
 
yes and no to rubbing the mane. I have found that rambo and premier equine rugs are far better for not rubbing mane although I think the rubbing comes from a dirty/greasy neck cover rather than the rug.
IMHO for a rug to avoid all the mane it doesn;t fit as would be far to far back on withers and would cause a pressure point there. Take some pictures, but I don't think it's as bad as you think!
 
I use Horseware rugs (rambo, rhino or amigo) and Weatherbeeta's and think they're great! There's a rug for every budget in their ranges.
 
I purchased the PE Buster Trio and I noticed that liners were slightly short on the rump but fits into the outer fine.

Another livery mentioned that as the liner is not waterproof, it needs to be completly covered by the outer so it wont get wet.
 
my horses mainly have weatherbeeta rugs - i find they are a really good fit, excellent quality, not over priced and dont rub etc.

I have a few horsewear ireland rugs (rambo, Rhino, Amigo) but much prefer the WB ones
 
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