Winter Rugging For Horses

Nowadays there’s a lot of choice when it comes to looking to purchase a rug for your horse; with so much variety in the range of price, fill and aesthetic it can sometimes all become a little overwhelming!

So just what are the best horse rugs for winter? Follow this guide below and soon you will have a tack room full of horse rugs ready to tackle the colder months.

1: Winter rugging for horses: Focus on the fit

Ensuring the rug you’re looking to purchase fits your horses in winter is such an important factor, as they will most likely be wearing the rugs for a lengthy period of time. We want to ensure your horse is comfortable and the rug is doing its job (keeping all of them warm and dry not just looking pretty).

Step 1. Decide where you want the rug to end on the hind end of your horse. Some people prefer the tail section to cover down to below the dock of the horse’s tail and some owners prefer to have the rug stop just past the start of the horses tail.

Step 2. Stand your horse on a level ground and take a tape measure and measure from middle of your horse’s chest to his hindquarters in a straight line.

Step 3. Convert this measurement into feet and inches (you can use Google for this!)

Top Tip: if the measurement is in the middle of two sizes then always choose the size up.

2. Winter rugging for horses: Durability and suitability

Choosing which rugs to purchase will most likely depend on whether your horse lives in, out or both. It’s important to ensure you have enough rugs to keep them warm and dry in the stable and out in the field.

Stable rugs:
When rugging your horse in the stable it’s good to have a couple of rugs that can be used on their own and together. So for example a lightweight (normally a stable sheet) that locks in the warmth, can be paired with a middleweight rug (with or without a neck depending on your preference) and/or a heavy weight rug with a detachable neck for flexibility in use.

Turnout rugs:
When rugging your horse for turnout it’s good practice to ensure you have a good quality rug that’s going to last the full winter, and many more winters to come! A turnout rug can have anything from a 0g fill to 400g. For winter, anything above 200g fill is recommended. Turnout rugs can come with liners to add extra warmth or lighter weight stable rugs can be added underneath a turnout for extra warmth. Deciding which fill to get with your turnout rug will depend on how much time your horse spends outside, for example if they spend all night out a 400g fill will keep them warm for the night and if they only go out for a couple of hours a light rug with around 250g fill is suitable, with a 100g liner more appropriate for the colder days.

Winter rugging for horses: Clipped horses

When it comes to deciding how to rug your clipped horse this winter, be careful not to over rug them beforehand, so that when they are clipped they feel the full benefit of the warmth of the rugs. Also ensure that once they are clipped they are kept warm at all times to ensure the hair doesn’t grow back
at a rapid speed and they don’t lose body heat too fast. When exercising very lightly, pop an exercise or hacking sheet on to keep them toasty whilst tacking up and riding. You can also use a thermatex rug after a bath for example, just to regulate their body temperature.

Products to help you this winter…

Equine rug wash:
Our Equine Rug Wash helps keep rugs in tip- top condition and good shape. Use our Equine Rug wash to help maintain the quality of the rug, and to keep the inside clean to prevent pulling of the mane.

Rub free balm:
Always dread the rubbed shoulders or sore withers in winter? Use our Rub Free Rug Balm to help prevent the rubbing of rugs, with its natural Ingredients and blend of natural oils, it’s the best!

Our Balms are made with all natural ingredients and environmental friendly packaging, which allows you to help the environment out while preventing rubbing of rugs for your four-legged bestie… Win win!

Here at EcoGreen equestrian we take sustainability very seriously, especially when it comes to the welfare of our animals.

We have a great range of products and treats for dogs here, all of which are natural and environmentally friendly!