Equine Rugging Advice from The Saddlery Shop

Horses acclimatise gradually and naturally to colder and wetter weather conditions, however it is our intervention that includes clipping and grooming coat oils away that leads them to feel the cold. Some horses may not need rugging up, providing they have three key things - 1. Ad lib hay, as this forage acts as an internal heating system to provide warmth via digestion. 2. Turn out that encourages movement. 3. Suitable shelter, not just a hedge. However, if you do feel it necessary to rug, use the rug weight that you deem necessary for your horse’s breed, health status, including the animal’s age, and its environment. Choosing a size Rugs come in feet and inches, e.g. 5' 9" or 6’ 3". To check the size, using a tape measure, measure your horse from the centre of his chest, horizontally along his side, finishing at the point of his tail. If the measurement is between sizes, go up a size rather than down, to avoid rubbing. Advice • Provide ad lib hay in sheltered areas • Don’t rug too early in the year, the coat may not to develop enough, so you need to rug more • Rug your horse or pony ‘as and when’ you need to • Rug progressively - e.g. light, then medium, then heavy Rug weights • Lightweight -up to around 150g • Mediumweight - a filling of between150 - 250g. • Heavyweight rug - a filling of 250g-400g. Visit The Saddlery Shop’s rug pages for inspiration! Click here for further advice on horse care.