These days, rugs for horses and ponies come in varying weights, meaning you can always find the right one for your equine.
Many of us develop quite a wardrobe of equine rugs for the seasons and elements!
If you are only looking for something to keep your horse clean and dry whilst he turned out and you are not too concerned about your horse laying down a thick coat, a lightweight rug with no filling, or a light filling up to around 150g, would suffice. (Remember that, even in summer, some horses do need turn out rugs; for example, a sensitive, thin skinned Thoroughbred may feel the cold more than his colder-blooded native cousins, if rain is persistent.)
Many people find that a medium weight rug, which usually has a filling of between150 - 250g, is useful to start the winter off with; however, some horses can manage with a medium weight rug right through winter-time. (Remember that in Autumn, we see much changeability of temperatures, so on a colder Autumn night, a medium weight horse rug could be ideal.)
If you have a fully clipped horse, or one that feels the cold, then you are probably going to need a heavyweight rug, which will have 250g-400g filling. This would be ideal for very cold and wet periods during winter. Remember that between the temperatures of 9 and 16 degrees Celsius, a horse uses no extra energy to maintain its normal body temperature, as long as it is not excessively wet or windy; however, in persistent rain, the horse or pony will get colder more quickly, and use up valuable energy.
Always rug for the current conditions; e.g. a too-heavy rug on a warm day could be as uncomfortable for the horse as a too-light rug on a cold day.
Keep spares, in case of mishaps or (in the case of a turnout rug), very heavy rain that requires the regular rug to be dried.
Look after your rugs and ensure hair and grease deposits are removed from the interior regularly.
Follow the manufacturer’s care instructions to keep the rugs waterproof year after year.
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