Neck covers for horse rugs: When to use them

Neck rugs are a fairly recent addition to the modern ranges of horse rugs, and most horses will have neck covers for at least one turnout rug if not more. The better made neck rugs such as those by Weatherbeeta or masta will be cut generously to allow total freedom of movement for your horse, and also have features such as anti rub linings to prevent manes from being damaged and stiffening strips to prevent the neck cover from falling down in use.

Neck covers are suitable for almost every horse to wear and are particularly ideal for horses with fully clipped necks. A large proportion of a horse's heat can be lost through his neck on a cold day, and by having a rug with a neck cover on it such as the Weatherbeeta Tri-Star you will help to avoid a cold horse. Horse that have cold necks also tend to grow the hair back faster on their necks than the rest of their bodies which leads to more frequent clipping. The best neck covers zip onto the rug and are usually supplied with it, for example on the Orican turnout which keeps the warmth in, and the rain out. They feature a gap over the withers to help prevent pressure and are easily removed when not required.

Separate neck covers are available for some turnout rugs and stable rugs and they usually have a fairly universal fixing consisting of 3 points of attachment, one either side and one at the top and so are compatible with most rugs that have 3d shaped rings near the neck of the horse rug. It is always best from a fitting as well as an aesthetic point of view to choose a neck cover made for the rug you are using on your horse, as this will ensure the product will perform to its maximum for years to come.

How to check if a horse rug fits correctly

The fit of your horses stable or turnout rug is very important not only to his comfort, but to the longevity of the horse rug itself. A well fitting rug does not have to endure unnecessary strain on the material or stitching that can lead to leaking or early failure of the seams, and obviously from the horses point of view a badly fitting rug can be uncomfortable or even painful if left to rub for long periods.

Ideally, the rug will be lined with a smooth material such a breathable nylon which glides easily over the horses coat and helps to prevent the rug from being caught over the horses wither and causing strain. Many modern horse rugs from equine rug manufacturers such as Weatherbeeta , Masta and Mark Todd use this type of material in their turnout rugs to improve the perfomance of them which is why it always pays longterm to buy the best rug you can possibly afford, such as the very popular Weatherbeeta Taka , or Masta Check-Teck turnout .

When the rug is put on the horse, it should be placed slightly further forward than necessary and the front done up before being slid backwards into position. The surcingles should then be tightened to allow a hands width between belly and strap. There should easily be a comfortable hands width between the chest of the horse and the front of the rug, and the top of the rug should be sitting well in advance of the withers so there is no chance of it pulling back and behind.

When the horse is in motion or grazing, the rug should finish just at the top of the dock, and the rug should not look as if it is straining on the horse at any point, but moving over the top of his coat. Sometimes even with a correctly fitting rug (especially when in moult) horses can start to get bald patches on their chest or shoulders, and shoulder guards or anti-rub vests are very useful to use under the rug to help alleviate this problem.

How to measure your horse for a rug?

Modern horse rugs tend to be fairly similarly sized between makes, and excepting the very cheap imported rugs (which tend to compound the issue by being badly cut) most horse rugs are fairly easy to measure for.

Rugs are measured along the bottom seam, so to find the ideal size stable rug the easiest way is to use a piece of string or bailing twine to measure from the centre of the horses chest (roughly where you can feel the horse breastbone) horizontally around his shoulder, along his side and just past the last point of his rump. You can then measure this on a tape measure, ideally in inches to give you the size. Horse rugs are measured every 3”, and if your horse is between sizes, for example 6’2” it is usually best to go up to the next size which would be 6’3” in this example. Stable rugs without a neck are best bought at the measured size, as are cooler rugs, sweat rugs and fly rugs without necks.

Most Turnout rugs and any horse rug including stable rugs with integrated neck covers are best bought one size larger to allow greater freedom of movement for your horse. Although sizes tend to run true amongst the different popular makes of turnout and stable rugs, the cut is sometimes slightly different and can suit different shapes and sizes of equines.

Mark Todd turnout and stable rugs have highly adjustable fronts and large shoulder gussets, and are especially deep which makes them generally a good choice of rug for any large chested or hunter type horse. The Weatherbeeta rugs have a good range of fitting, and will fit most middleweight horses as well as finer types such as Arabs and Thoroughbreds. Masta rugs are a very adjustable and deep fitting rug, and fit middleweight to larger horses best, but can adjust down to fit finer horses nicely too if required.