# Rugs for thoroughbreds



## FaldingwoodLivery (12 August 2010)

hi everyone! quick questions for all you thoroughbred owners. How many rugs do your horses have and what are they?

I've just taken on a semi-retired ex racehorse, that is coming with absolutely nothing so need to do some major horsey shopping  yay!! Just not sure what I'll need. I'e only ever had natives before and so if they'e been rugged up at all theyve only had a med weight turnout and a med weight stable rug.

They're are so many variations of rugs on the market 

Do i really need a rain sheet, lightweight, medweight and heavy turnout, and a couple of stable rugs or am i being a bit OTT? The people i'm getting him off said he's a bit nesh in winter and needs rugging up well.


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## schneeko (12 August 2010)

You probably will need a few rugs.

A quilt can go underneath rugs so that's useful and I like having necks on most of my rugs for my tb.


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## NicoleS_007 (12 August 2010)

hmmm depends if he feels the cold easily, mine gets alot of rugs in winter and another tb on the yard gets very little.

I have a 400g Shires Standard Turnout (cant remember what one) Fits really well. I find all the Shire rugs i have fit them very well tbh
Masta cooler which is also an awesome fit.
Amigos fit them great to lol


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## almostthere (12 August 2010)

Hi - i was in the same posuition before last winter when i took on an older TB. Can only speak for my boy but "Mr I have skin like paper and really feel the cold by dropping 5kgs over night even though i am stabled at night" now has:
2 x medium weight amigo turnouts with necks - in case one gets soaked the day before
1x heavy weight amigo turnout with neck
1 x lightweight turnout- only really used at beginning of autumn
1 x heavy weight stable rug with neck
1 x heavy insulator with neck
1 x medium insulator with neck
and various thermatex/fleeces as under balnkets.
all amigo which i find fit him really well and don't cost an absolute fortune
He may be an exception but other TBs on my yard have a similar wardrobe, i am afraid!.


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## Dizzle (12 August 2010)

I have a freakishly warm tb, did XC on Tuesday and washed him off, it was 15c so I chucked a fleece on him for two hours&#8230; my god was he vile when I got back to take it off, he HATES being hot, everyone else&#8217;s tb gets rugged overnight mine is usually naked. Winter he has one h/w without neck, he did have a m/w with neck but he destroyed it (probably because he was hot) I have a l/w with a bit of fill and a couple of rain sheets (But my best friend uses one most of the time) I also have two fleeces for in the stable.

Most essential rug item IMO is my bossy bib, stopped everything from rubbing his shoulders!


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## rupertsmum (12 August 2010)

ditto almost there-the amigo fit really well, nice and deep.

mine has necks on everything too. he is the wimpy version of the TB.


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## FaldingwoodLivery (12 August 2010)

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm thinking he may be similar to yours allmostthere as keeping weight on him is apparently quite difficult. God knows why I'm taking on a 15yo ex racer who's in poor condition and difficult to keep in good condition......I'm a softie!! Looks like eBay will be my best friend in the coming months, that and my credit card!! Don't think hubbys realised poor Sunny will cost a lot more to keep than my daughters little welsh pony. Do any of your tbs live out in summer?


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## Horseback Rider (12 August 2010)

My TB - ex racer doesn't feel the cold to badly and gets to hot in a 300g with neck cover so I just have a Masta 300g no neck for when it's baltic atm he is in in the day and out at night and only has a no fill rain sheet thingy when its pouring. 

He drops off weight thorugh stress more than anything! since I have moved him he is in a much better routine even though the grazing is not as good and there is less of it!  But he knows exactly what to expect and when so he is now the fattest I have ever seen him !!


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## BubbleDog (12 August 2010)

I've got a TB ex racer and I find the only turnout rugs that fit him well are Rambo's or Shires.  All the rest are either too big or the wrong shape.  I never get any rubs with those two makes.  I don't mind buying other makes for stable rugs as they are not moving around so much indoors.

He's got

Turnout
Amigo 600 rainsheet
Shires 600 rainsheet combo
Rambo 1000 rainsheet with detachable neck
Rambo 1000 Wug (halfneck)
Rambo 1000 100g with detachable neck
Shires 600 200g combo
Weatherbeeta (the last one I buy for him) 360 combo

Stable
waffle cooler
fleece cooler
weatherbeeta jasper 110g
Masta 170g
MT 250g combo
Weatherbeeta 360 combo


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## kirstyl (12 August 2010)

Hi. I've found Premier Equine rugs fit TBs really well, they are nice and high on the shoulder and long enough in the body to give a bit of tummy protection! Weatherbeetas I find are too big and low on shoulders but perhaps thats just the style of rug I've got! I have a rain sheet, a med t/o and a heavy t/o. Stablewise I have a lightweight, med weight and 2 heavier rugs as well as a fleece, cotton sheet and a cooler.  I find I can layer rugs in the winter to keep him warm enough


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## almostthere (12 August 2010)

Kayleighn - he is usually out during the night in Summer (although not this year because of box rest - another story) and a few hours during the day in Winter. I also took him on at 17 as a retired eventer so more in common with yours! They are all different of course but, in case it helps, another tip for keeping my boy's weight on was Allen & Page's Calm and Condition which really helped during the Winter as put the weight on without sending him into the stratosphere (or no more than usual TB fizz!). Good luck! And no you are not mad -he gives so much more back than i put in that i could never repay him......


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## celia (12 August 2010)

My lad is an ex-racer and lives out all year round. 

He has:

weatherbeeta no-fill turnout
weatherbeeta half-neck 200g turnout
premier equine 300g turnout (with detachable neck - which hardly gets used)
weatherbeeta 450g half-neck turnout

+ a stable rug and several fleeces/coolers. 

He wasn't clipped last year and didn't need the 450g one at all. 

I also have a couple of 200g full neck rugs which came with him but they rub his mane so live in my cupboard!

I think my lad is pretty easy to keep compared to some but living out definitely suits him. He has Alpha Oil over winter and ad lib hay which keeps the weight on well. Often with TBs plenty of good quality forage will do more than tons of conditioning feeds. 

Good luck with him!


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## Achinghips (12 August 2010)

Premier Equine rugging system. Fantastic quality and usually in the Jan sales at half price. 
Their mw and hw rugs are fab too as are all their rain sheets and their new thermatex type rug. I wouldn't buy any other brand for my narrow TB who looses weight at the drop of a hat.


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## BubbleDog (13 August 2010)

almostthere said:



			Kayleighn - he is usually out during the night in Summer (although not this year because of box rest - another story) and a few hours during the day in Winter. I also took him on at 17 as a retired eventer so more in common with yours! They are all different of course but, in case it helps, another tip for keeping my boy's weight on was Allen & Page's Calm and Condition which really helped during the Winter as put the weight on without sending him into the stratosphere (or no more than usual TB fizz!). Good luck! And no you are not mad -he gives so much more back than i put in that i could never repay him......
		
Click to expand...

Yes, my boy is on Allen & Page Calm & Condition as well, and as long as you don't mind the soaking nonsense it's brilliant and stops him from going off his trolley.  It's very good.  I also give him blue chip feed balancer and Alfa A Oil


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## McNally (13 August 2010)

mmm, mine has...

2x heavy t/o
1x medium
1x light/medium!
2 or 3 light weights

then about a hundred cooler/fleeces summer sheets etc

1x heavy stable
1x medium
1x light weight 

and a collection of under rugs/duvets to layer with

He has rather a lot of rugs really but i do actually use them all through out the year.
A lot of what you need depends aswell on your storage facilities for example i have no-where really to dry rugs so if something gets wet through its usually out of action for a couple of days until its dried- whereas at my last yard we had proper rug hangers in a dry barn and i could get away with far fewer rugs.

Just buy the basics and add if you need to as you go along!


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## akashapachamama (13 August 2010)

I only every use Horseware rugs for my horses especially my TB,  in my opinion they are the best quality and i've never had problems with rubbing. Rambo rugs are amazing. Very expensive and apparently they're going up in price in september but i swear by them. You can get second hand ones on Ebay, always worth it I think as they're such good quality, even if their a bit worn they last for years.


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