# Winter rugs for a thoroughbred?



## AABBCC (17 August 2016)

Hi, 
This is going to be my first winter with a four-legged friend and I'm wondering what rugs people would suggest (weights and brands etc)
So the facts are: we're based in Britain, she is thin skinned when it comes to flies (does that mean she may feel the cold as well?) and she lives out 24/7.

Sadly the livery field doesn't have a shelter at the moment but I'm planning on fixing that soon! Currently I was just thinking of getting a medium weight with a neck so she stays dry but she isn't overheating and to put her in some turnout boots as she tends to get minor cuts on her legs...
However, I'm also thinking that I might end up clipping her, I don't know which clip yet though and I thought this might affect which rug she'll need. I'm going to try my best to keep her in medium work with 1/2 days off a week during the winter, I don't know how sweaty she gets but does anyone have any suggestions for clips? Or rugs?
Thanks, any advice appreciated.


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## Tasha! (17 August 2016)

As a TB owner I'd say get at least 3 winter rugs. Then you might make it through without emergency visits to the tack shop to buy hideously overpriced rugs to replace the shredded pile of fabric you find when the nag decides to disrobe. And turnout boots sound like a great idea... until you fork out a fortune for them and the wretched TB has an allergic reaction to them and you have to call the vet. Or you get hypoallergenic ones (at extra expense!) but the TB steps on them to pull them off and destroys them in the process. I'm not bitter, just resigned to the life of a TB owner 

Seriously though, I'd get a decent quality one, 1000 denier at least. I like Rambo personally. I had a really good premier equine which finally died after a number of years, but the new one I got hasn't lasted quite as well. That may be down to my horses' thuggish behaviour though.


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## TGM (17 August 2016)

Agree that turnout rugs of 1000 denier or more are best - less likely to leak or get torn than lower denier rugs.  Personally I like to use under-rugs or liners with turnout rugs - a 100g under-rug is a useful thing to have.  If you buy a lightweight turnout, a medium-weight turnout and a 100g under-rug then you have the following options:

LW turnout on its own
LW turnout with 100g under-rug
MW turnout on its own
MW turnout with 100g under-rug

Unless you are in very cold area, your horse feels the cold exceptionally and/or you clip her right out, you should find that a MW turnout with 100g under-rug is the most you are likely to need.  An under-rug also has the advantage that you can easily pop it in the washing machine, so you can keep the fabric in contact with your horse clean, without having to clean a bulky turnout rug.

As for brands - lots of people like the Horseware rugs and their Amigo rugs are the cheapest range.  However, their Mio range is only 600 denier, and I've found these rip easily, so I prefer their Bravo range which is 1200 denier.

Cheaper than Amigo but still good quality and 1200 denier are Maxima Equestrian turnout rugs, which are what I use now.  They also have the advantage of more adjustable fastenings at the front than the Amigos, so easier to get a snug fit.


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## Meowy Catkin (17 August 2016)

In her younger days she lived out 24/7, all year unrugged and unclipped, but as an older lady she did get a rug in bad weather.













The TB is on the right in the second photo. The rug was a Rhino Wug 200g, the hay feeder always had good quality hay or haylage in it. She did have a LW rug and a HW too, but hardly ever needed the HW.


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## AABBCC (18 August 2016)

Thats a good idea, thanks. 
What do you think to the shires Tempest Original 100 Combo Turnout Rug? (http://www.shiresequestrian.com/horse/rugs/turnout-rugs/medium-weight-rugs/tempest-plus-200-combo)
Any experience with shires rugs? Fit, value for money etc?


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## paddi22 (18 August 2016)

rhino wug all the way!!My lad used to rip all his rugs, and that's the only one that lasted and still looks good. They are expensive but well, well worth the money.  got through 2 years rip free and never rubs or twists on them!


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## Amye (18 August 2016)

Had the first winter with my boy last year and ended up getting some cheap-ish rugs. He basically had 2 rainsheets, 1 MW and 1 HW. The HW only came out when it was really cold (icy and snowy) so didn't get too much wear -  he's a warmblood and is quite a warm horse anyway so i didn't want to overrug him. 

Mainly he was in his MW throughout winter, which I would suggest getting 2 of if you can (unless you have a heated rug room). If it absolutely chucked it down one day it wouldn't be dry for the next day so i am investing in another this winter (as an alternative I used to put his 100g stable rug on with a rainsheet on top).

TB ted to feel the cold more I guess so I would definitely make sure you have a couple of decent MW rugs and one HW just in case it does get below freezing. Or if you got MW and under rugs you could just stick an underrug on and this would be similar to a HW. 

I was a first time owner this time last year and the best advice i got for winter is that it's better for the horse to be too cold then too warm. Obviously you don't want them to freeze but a horse can warm itself up much better then it can cool itself down. If a horse is cold for one night then it will put energy into growing extra thick coat to keep it warm. It also gets warmth from eating and moving around. 

I think I clipped my boy around October time and this is when I started rugging him. He didn't have any rug on when he had his full winter coat as he just got too warm. Once he was clipped I started putting rugs on.


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