Winter rug help!

Clofox

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 June 2011
Messages
830
Location
Hertfordshire
Visit site
Posted thread like this earlier should of posted here! anyway i have a 13.2 unclipped welsh mountain pony in light work walk/trot/canter schooling/hacking roughly 3-4times a week tops.And she needs a winter wardrobe, well she had one but needs updating this is my 1st winter with her so very un-sure of whats needed! and thickness dosent mean anything to me! never been rug shopping before! some say turnout with fleece underneath for stable but i don't want her in her stable in thick mud though, so suggestions please and i dont want to go out and buy 4-5 rugs at £60 each:eek:
 

Ella19

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 May 2010
Messages
2,320
Location
Surrey
Visit site
See other post

But ebay is way forward! If she happens to be 5ft 6 and you want a spare heavy 300g+ turnout for cheap pm me.
 

Ginger Bear

Well-Known Member
Joined
14 November 2010
Messages
1,319
Location
Essex
Visit site
Well if you have an unclipped welsh pony you probably won't need a major thick rug. ITs always best to have two incase one gets soaked through. I would probably go for medium weights which is sort of 170g - 250g. Plus you can always double them up as a heavy weight for freezing days. Iv got a tb and he spends most of the winter in medium weights, he has one with a neck and one without, he then also has a heavy weight for really cold days, he is unclipped but gets almost no coat. It's also good to look on web sites like preloved as you can pick up some cheap new or used but in good condition rugs cheap!
 

LittleWildOne

Well-Known Member
Joined
12 February 2011
Messages
536
Visit site
A meduim weight stable rug (I find Amigo insulator MW not too heavy for natives and the nylon lining keeps the coat shiny ;)), 2 MW turnouts as you need a spare incase one gets soaked through or ripped. (Masta, Weatherbeeta fit my NF pony very well). I'd recommend a lightweight turnout for spring as you don't want to have the pony in a MW one day then naked the next. (I like the Amigo Lite for this, it has no filling but keeps the rain/mud off). I would also recommend a fleece cooler of some kind to put on your pony after work while it cools down. It can also be used under the no fill turnout for slightly chilly days but not cold enough for a MW. You canalso use the fleece to keep your pony from getting chilled after a bath (even in summer, they can shiver after a bath).
I've bought a lot of bargains on ebay. Most of the rugs I've bought were brand new but very cheap (wrong size bought for sellers pony).
I'll be having a rug clearout soon as I have some stable and turnouts that are too small for my current pony (think I have some 5ft and 5ft3 I don't need). My 2yo New Forest filly takes a 5ft6, and I'm buying a Welsh D 3yo on Thursday who takes 6ft rugs. I'm sure I have a 5ft Weatherbeeta Tristar (if not 5ft, it's 5ft3). There's no way that will fit any of mine.
I'm going to have a clearout, get anything that needs it washed/repaired/reproofed then advertise them for sale. :)
 

russian_charm

Active Member
Joined
11 September 2011
Messages
38
Visit site
I'm in Australia so I'm not sure about how cold it is where you are (I'm guessing England?) but my horse has a medium turnout (so around 200g fill) and then I have a fleece to stick underneath it if it gets really cold (and believe it or not, Australia DOES get cold!), and then a rainsheet for spring. My wimpy TB gets through the winter fine with those three rugs, he's normally in his medium, then if its really cold medium with a fleece, if its warmer rainsheet with a fleece.
Under rugs like fleeces are normally heaps cheaper than getting a heavier turn out (mine was like $50, so probably 25-30 pounds), plus you can get a few and layer them up, they're absorbent so you can put it on if your horse is a bit sweaty to help him dry off then take it off later, or for travel, stabling, etc. Much more useful, and cheaper than having a medium turn out and then a heavy one IMO.
 
Last edited:

Clofox

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 June 2011
Messages
830
Location
Hertfordshire
Visit site
Yes russian_charm im in England so quite cold in winter!, so if i get a 200gturnout, and fleece or if i can find a cheap stable rug i will buy that instead,but if not will a fleece and turn out for stable do?,What size do u tihnk she will be?shes 13.2 and quite tubby:D and would 200g stable rug be ok?
 

russian_charm

Active Member
Joined
11 September 2011
Messages
38
Visit site
You can't really get much more than an aproximation from height, my horse is taller than my friend's but he wears a rug size smaller, and then different brands will fit a little differently. This might help, though, so you can measure her, its reasonably easy.
http://www.weatherbeeta.com.au/fit-a-horse-blanket-rug.html
If your buying from a saddlery, rather than online, its a good idea to give her a thorough brush then try the rug on and see if it fits, then if it doesn't fit take it off before it gets too dirty

I can't really say if it will be enough since I don't know how cold it gets over there, but welshes are pretty hairy and hardy so I'd say with a 200g and then if its super cold, a stable, she would be fine. It would also be great to have something a bit lighter like a rainsheet so she has something to go into when its too hot for the 200g but rugs are very expensive so its probably not a priority (my horse coped fine the first season he was rugged, going from a 200g to naked before I bought him a rainsheet, and he's a wimp)
 

Vetwrap

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 May 2002
Messages
1,345
Location
Leicestershire
Visit site
If I were you, I would be looking at the following:

Full neck 200g turnout - http://www.swish-equestrian.co.uk/details.php?cat=Rugs:Turnout Rugs&id=64

Standard neck 100g turnout - http://www.swish-equestrian.co.uk/details.php?cat=Rugs:Turnout Rugs&id=63

and something that could be used as a liner, in case it does turn really cold. I have 100g stable rugs that I use for this. http://www.swish-equestrian.co.uk/details.php?cat=Rugs:Stable Rugs&id=65

I know that I have put all Swish Equestrian rugs up (I swear that I don't work for them) but they are really good prices and superb quality. I won't buy less than 1000 denier rugs, because they just don't last more than one winter with my boys. Also, with Swish being a small company, growing it's business - were you to buy a few rugs from them, you might be able to negotiate a discount??? Also, you would only pay one lot of P&P.

BTW - personally, I don't put fleeces under as liners, as I find that they pull back and become tight across the chest. I prefer to use something with a nylon lining because it will move with the horse - but that is just MHO.

Hope this helps.
 

bounce

Well-Known Member
Joined
19 January 2009
Messages
809
Visit site
If she is an unclipped welsh mountain pony then does she really need a rug wardrobe?
They all seem to cope quite well without a rug on the mountains in wales. I'd save yourself some money.

Even my thoroughbred will winter without a rug as he grows a decent coat. He only had a lightweight rug on in the coldest part of last winter when it got down minus 12C.
 

Polotash

Well-Known Member
Joined
2 May 2009
Messages
1,647
Visit site
I think Masta rugs are horrible but's that's just my opinion, i don't like their fit - on a number of different types too!

Hadrian equine who sell wormers produce their own very reasonably priced rugs and they fit very nicely. Premier Equine ditto, my heavy weight going into it's 7th winter and still as new.
 
Top