# How do you dry your rugs without a heated rug room?



## Achinghips (26 August 2010)

Be interested to know - do people have spare rugs while the wet ones dry?  Seems a waste to buy 2 of the same, but thinking of doing this now,


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## Seth (26 August 2010)

They dry best left on the horse.


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## hadfos (26 August 2010)

leave them on,horses bodyheat can dry a rug within an hr


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## Louby (26 August 2010)

Agree with Seth,  I used to be The rug queen, 2 of everything, LW, MW, HW etc etc. I moved yards and there they used breathable rugs as both turnout and stable rugs, so they never had the problem of trying to dry wet rugs or putting damp rugs onto horses in the morning.  No more smelly stable rugs either.  Took a bit of getting used to but the best thing Ive done.


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## abina (26 August 2010)

Agree with Seth - if the rugs are not saturated and horse wet/damp underneath - they dry best left on the horse. If they are removed then I find hanging them in the hay barn a good way of drying them or laid over the hay bales. Our barn is quite warm due to the amount of hay stored inside an enclosed area. 

I do have a few spare rugs that I can use if rug isn't quite dry enough to use again, these are usually older rugs that have ben replaced or a couple gifted to me. 

Always worth having a spare as the present rug may just get trashed, ripped, or just so wet and muddy that needs a few days to dry out.


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## trendybraincell (26 August 2010)

Leave them on much easier, especially with the range of breathable rugs available nowadays.


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## Montyforever (26 August 2010)

I leave them hung on the rug rack the stable, Normally dry or still slightly damp by morning


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## Honey08 (26 August 2010)

Personally I detest leaving the horse in a wet rug in a stable where it can't even move around to warm itself up when it gets cold!  We had DIYs that did that, and when I checked the horses at night they were always cold.  They also took much more feeding than ours - as they were using their calories to dry rugs rather than heat themselves.. 

I would leave the rug on the horse for up to an hour to let the really wet drops drip off, then change to a stable rug, and hang the turnout rug on a rug rack in the stable, which means its still getting a bit of the horse's bodyheat without it being at the horse's expense..  Obviously the best thing to do is have two turnout rugs and alternate them..


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## SusieT (26 August 2010)

Leave it on-have never had a cold horse yet, the rugs should not be cold if properly waterproof... Always dry within an hour. Always check first that horse is not wet under the rug.
Honey08-I seriously doubt you have ever tried that as the vasty majority of horses given a rug rack in their stable will pull the rugs off or injure themselves on said rug rack..


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## sychnant (27 August 2010)

I have a heated rug rack. If the rugs are just a bit wet on the surface the horses keep them on overnight, but if it has been a very wet day the turnouts go on the dryer and the horses wear their stable rugs for the night


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## Sanolly (27 August 2010)

I normally leave them on as well. Rather than buying thick rugs I prefer to layer them so I would change the under rug and put the wet rug back on top.


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## *hic* (27 August 2010)

SusieT said:



			Leave it on-have never had a cold horse yet, the rugs should not be cold if properly waterproof... Always dry within an hour. Always check first that horse is not wet under the rug.
Honey08-I seriously doubt you have ever tried that as the vasty majority of horses given a rug rack in their stable will pull the rugs off or injure themselves on said rug rack..
		
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*sniggers* I'd got used to my Welsh being perfectly happy to have rugs hung over his front wall and kept several there. When I moved my AA mare into the pen next to him I hung her rug over the wall to the front of her. During the night she pulled it into her stable and mixed it with her bed which was bad enough but the Welshy seems to have thought it so amusing that he took all the rugs off his wall and passed them to her and they were all in her bed, none in his at all. There's no way she could have reached them herself so he must have co-operated.


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## Pidgeon (27 August 2010)

leave on the horse as long as dry underneath and will be dry in a couple of hours max
Honey08 - couldn't leave a rug in stable with Pidge he'd trash it! Plus I leave Pidge's rugs on him however wet they are - all breathable horseware ones, he's very spoilt, and in the winter he's fully clipped, he's and ISH so plenty of TB in him and he spent most of the winter in a 100g rug as was so warm and he doesn't get fed huge amounts of hard feed either to keep him warm!


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## hudsonw (27 August 2010)

SusieT said:



			Honey08-I seriously doubt you have ever tried that as the vasty majority of horses given a rug rack in their stable will pull the rugs off or injure themselves on said rug rack..
		
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If Honey08 says that's the way she drys her rugs then that's the way she does it. Basically your calling her a liar which is just rude.
You seriously have to read your messages before you post and think to yourself...does this look harsh, b1tchy or just plain nasty.
I know plenty of people who hang their rugs over stable walls while horse is in there. Heck, some people even have storage boxes in their stable.
Not all horses are clumsy or distructive.
I personally have a heated rug rack, but I have been on livery yards where space is like gold dust and people store things where they can and that includes their stable.


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## catembi (27 August 2010)

Oil filled rug dryer.  It is like a heated towel rail but rug length & drier 2 at a time.  Worth its weight in gold.

I leave the rugs on the horse if they're staying out, but if the weather's so filthy that they're in, I put them on the dryer overnight.


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## guido16 (27 August 2010)

Are people saying that they leave the turnout rug on the horse overnight when its stabled?

Wheres the logic in that?


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## Beccahh (27 August 2010)

If there soaked and the horse is dry under it then they are left on upuntil i go home ( do not sleep in them)  and then we hang them in our mini haybarn where theres a constant breeze 
the rest of the yard do the same but in the big hay barn.Also have spares on hand incase the rug is to wet.
Major advantage for me is at my dads work he works in a power sation no i dea doing  what but he must be good at it as he keeps getting promoted (more stuff for the ponies in my eyes  ) any way at his work they have a HUGE drying room and if my dads on nights he puts the rugs in the room and leaves them there to dry then when he has finished in the morning he comes down and turns out and sometimes the rugs are still nice and warm inside =]


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## millitiger (27 August 2010)

guido16 said:



			Are people saying that they leave the turnout rug on the horse overnight when its stabled?

Wheres the logic in that?
		
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the logic is that the horse remains warm if the rug is waterproof and the topside of the rug gets dried- seems very logical to me 

i used to have lots of turnout rigs and stable rugs and now mine just have turnout rugs that they were in the stable as well- they all look great, require no more feeding than they did when they were getting rugs changed, have very healthy coats etc.


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## only_me (27 August 2010)

I Leave turnouts on the horse; but then I own 1 stable rug 

I prefer to buy good quality turnouts and then the horse wears them all the time! 

I dont see why people dont get the fact that turnouts can be used in the stable?! Its not like they are the old fashioned new zealands anymore


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## Ashgrove (27 August 2010)

I let my horse dry her rugs out. That way I rarely put cold rugs on her.

Obviously she is checked under the rug frequently.

If she had to stay in her stable for a long time, like when we had the ice for a fortnight last winter, I change to stable rugs.

It hasn't curbed my need to have 2 of every rug though!


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## Laura1234 (27 August 2010)

guido16 said:



			Are people saying that they leave the turnout rug on the horse overnight when its stabled?

Wheres the logic in that?
		
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Have you never taken a turnout rug off the night before - wet - and find it is nowhere near dry in the morning then?  Only yesterday in this heat - it was 18 degrees, my boys sheet did not dry in time (heavy rain), thankfully I had another one that he could wear.  If I had left it on, it would have dried within an hour, but I thought it was a little warm to leave it on in his stable at the moment (he is in during the day, out at night), but had it been any colder, it would have stayed on, and I would not have had to use a different sheet the next day.  The logic is, if you leave the turnout on if it is wet (but dry inside, and horse is warm), the horses bodyheat will dry the rug, the horse stays warm, and everybody is happy!  I can't see the logic in taking a wet, filthy rug off and to change it to a stable rug??  What do you do with wet rugs in winter, it is impossible to get them dry in time to replace them the next day?


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## guido16 (27 August 2010)

only_me said:



			I Leave turnouts on the horse; but then I own 1 stable rug 

I prefer to buy good quality turnouts and then the horse wears them all the time! 

I dont see why people dont get the fact that turnouts can be used in the stable?! Its not like they are the old fashioned new zealands anymore 

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I dont see the logic as turnout rugs are designed for outside/bad weather. So therefore if your horse wears it in a (warmer) stable then it wont get the full benefit of it when its outside in the colder weather.

Same way that you or I put on extra layers to go outside, a horse generally needs extra layers/thicker rug to go outside.

I presume people are removing these rugs each night to do a check of their horses.


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## guido16 (27 August 2010)

"What do you do with wet rugs in winter, it is impossible to get them dry in time to replace them the next day? "

I make sure I have enough rugs to put a dry one on!


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## Laura1234 (27 August 2010)

guido16 said:



			I dont see the logic as turnout rugs are designed for outside/bad weather. So therefore if your horse wears it in a (warmer) stable then it wont get the full benefit of it when its outside in the colder weather.

Same way that you or I put on extra layers to go outside, a horse generally needs extra layers/thicker rug to go outside.

I presume people are removing these rugs each night to do a check of their horses.
		
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Oh, right I get your point about temperature.  I would think it would not make much difference, as the horse is still in the stable, so not generating much warmth moving about, but when outside, they are hooling around, keeping them warmer, that's how I look at it 
Everyone is different, if I had somewhere to get rugs dry, I would probably change to a stable rug overnight, just to get them out of their muddy turnouts!


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## millitiger (27 August 2010)

of course my horses are checked every night under their rugs 

and actually turnout rugs will only benefit the horse with more warmth if the rug has more togs than an equivalent stable rug.

also horses are actually able to keep warmer outside rather than in a stable as they can move around more to keep warm (presuming they have good quality forage in both scenarios and the horse does not have a wet coat).

its another case of people humanising horses- there is no point comparing a different species to what a human would do in that scenario, otherwise i would never take my dog for a walk naked, particularly in the winter!!!


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## Allover (27 August 2010)

Rugs definatley dry quicker when they are left on a horse and most decent quality rugs are made with this in mind, hence why they are waterproof AND breathable. If a rug fits your horse properly and is well waterproofed there is no reason for the horse to be wet underneath (rain sheets excluded!). 

Horses do have the ability to control their own temperature

And agree with SusieT, a lot of horses simply cant have rugs (or anything for that matter) in reach as they will destroy them, am always a bit jealous when i see people hanging rugs over there doors and leaving storage boxes in them!


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## Allover (27 August 2010)

guido16 said:



			I dont see the logic as turnout rugs are designed for outside/bad weather. So therefore if your horse wears it in a (warmer) stable then it wont get the full benefit of it when its outside in the colder weather.

Same way that you or I put on extra layers to go outside, a horse generally needs extra layers/thicker rug to go outside.

I presume people are removing these rugs each night to do a check of their horses.
		
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Have not found this to be true, mine were out in -15 to -20 this year and only had medium weight turn outs with necks. I had my heavyweights at the ready and they simply did not need them, i have 3 tbs (one is 35) and a polo pony. None of them lost weight and they didnt eat a huge amount of hard food, they were hayed in the field and had plenty of hay when they came in. I was desperate to put more rugs on them but couldnt do it


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## dibbin (27 August 2010)

I leave mine on the horse, it's fully waterproof so he doesn't get wet under it (although I always check).


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## katherine1975 (27 August 2010)

Personally I leave the turnout rugs on, they dry quickly and I don't like putting a cold wet rug on in the morning. Don't agree with guido16, it's colder for the horse in the stable where they can't move around to keep warm, that's why most stable rugs are thicker than turnout rugs. Our water froze in the stables last winter so that's pretty cold!


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## niagaraduval (27 August 2010)

I've got a washing line going across my tackroom, great for hanging saddle cloths,rugs,bandages etc. on to dry out in the winter. Leave it hung for a couple of days and it's bone dry. I have enough saddle cloths for a week, also boots, bandages and when my horses rug does get wet it's left to dry and I put a lightweight one on.
You can get these rainsheets to go over any rug, fleece, stable w/e, They look really good and they are like a coat the water just runs off - might be my next winter purchase!


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## only_me (27 August 2010)

Of course I always check my horse in the evening!

And When he is wearing a turnout rug, he is usually clipped, meaning he is back in work so its not like he wears the rug 24/7 

Thing is, when he is in the field he is moving around so generates warmth. When he is in the stable he can still move around, just not to the same extent; There is no wind chill factor in the stable so it wont feel as cold - and there is no rain etc.  So it will be warmer than in the field (with wind/rain etc.) so there is no need to change rug.

Dosent help that my stables have tin roof so the condensed water drips onto the rugs in the morning 

And Ive used the turnout rug in the stable for years, never had a problem with the horse getting cold


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## Luci07 (27 August 2010)

I must be old school then I don't like leaving wet rugs on my horse and have never done so. I appreciate I am lucky as he is in a barn and rugs draped over the hay/tractor dry pretty quickly. In the event of a real onslaught I do have back ups which I have acquired over the years (and also for owning 2 -3 horses previously, never just 1). We also have a heated rug room (thought I had gone to heaven when I got to this yard and found it!). I also have a horse who needs to be rugged carefully because he is ISH. Thats not being precious its having to take into account his rugging needs vary wildly between outdoor rugs (absolutely freezing - we are on top of an open hill) to a lot less needed when in the barn. So, each to his own, and as long as the horse stays dry, does it really matter? Mine is also a compulsive mud monster - has to be, hes gray, so rugs come back in with a layer of mud on them anyway!


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## only_me (27 August 2010)

Luci07 - hope you dont mind me asking, but why do you say you have to rug carefully as he is a ISH? Just curious


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## D66 (27 August 2010)

I leave the turnout on to dry unless it is wet underneath. He has a second heavyweight turnout rug for when it's saturated.  I dry them by hanging them on baler twine washing lines over a very old oil filled radiator in the tack room.
Whether you can store rugs in the stable depends on your horse.  Our stable's previous occupant had ropes fitted and hung rugs and numnahs two or three deep. It must have increased the insulation considerably.


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## ISHmad (27 August 2010)

We use FAL dual purpose rugs and have never had a problem with leaving damp or wet rugs on our horses.  They are always toasty warm and dry underneath.


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## guido16 (27 August 2010)

Oh well, I must be different.

Prefer to have stable rug under turnout (weight depends on weather so it can be a lightweight cooler or a heavier stable rug) so I can take turnout off over night.


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## Umbongo (27 August 2010)

guido16 said:



			I dont see the logic as turnout rugs are designed for outside/bad weather. So therefore if your horse wears it in a (warmer) stable then it wont get the full benefit of it when its outside in the colder weather.

Same way that you or I put on extra layers to go outside, a horse generally needs extra layers/thicker rug to go outside.

I presume people are removing these rugs each night to do a check of their horses.
		
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think about it, would you be colder standing still in a stable all night, or moving about and hooling around the field and being able to generate some body heat? Stables do not have heating like our houses do and whilst I would put on more layers to go outside....for the horse I would put on more layers when it is in at night as he will be colder in his stable at night and not being able to move about much.

TBH I have not left a turnout on my horse to dry it out, and have had the trouble of putting on a cold wet rug in the morning when I have not had a spare, but in the future I think I will be leaving my wet rugs on the horse to dry out so long as he is warm and dry underneath!


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## Achinghips (27 August 2010)

Yep, I was met with the scenario yesterday that her rainsheet was soaked through and she was wet underneath and I couldn't keep it on her as it was still tipping it down, so needed to dry the rug (didn't want to keep her in - arthritis, she gets stiff in stabele). Luckily I had another to put her in, original didn't dry overnight, though.

As for leaving them overnoight in stable in turnouts, many of my Premier Equine rugs are designed specifically for that dual purpose

Is there a cheap heated option, anyone can think of?


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## chestnut cob (27 August 2010)

guido16 said:



			Are people saying that they leave the turnout rug on the horse overnight when its stabled?

Wheres the logic in that?
		
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Yes.  I leave TO rugs on my horse overnight when stabled.  What's the problem with it?


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## chestnut cob (27 August 2010)

guido16 said:



			I dont see the logic as turnout rugs are designed for outside/bad weather. So therefore if your horse wears it in a (warmer) stable then it wont get the full benefit of it when its outside in the colder weather.

Same way that you or I put on extra layers to go outside, a horse generally needs extra layers/thicker rug to go outside.

I presume people are removing these rugs each night to do a check of their horses.
		
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But horses are not people.  Most of the time the stables are colder than outside anyway!  Horses can move around when they're outside to keep warm (or in the case of my horse, spend all day in winter galloping around and playing).  You actually probably need *more* rugs at night in the stable since the horse will be standing in more or less the same place for 12-16 hours.

Even if my horse comes in soaked, his rug is dry within an hour usually.


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## Pidgeon (27 August 2010)

I think people need to realise that the breathable turnout rugs are actually designed to be used inside and outside so its not a case of leaving an outdoor rug on when inside 
And yes my horses rug comes off each night and he's thoroughly checked over as I ride him each night throughout the winter, apologies he rarely gets a day off bad mum that I am


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## Louby (27 August 2010)

Maybe a freak accident but thought it worth a mention, a horse on yard near us was found hung one morning. It had somehow got strangled by the leg strap on a rug hung drying on a make shift rug rack in the stable.
I used to do this too as I had no where else to dry them, Im now using dual purpose rugs, as said earlier took some getting used too but best thing I ever did.  No more damp cold rugs in the morning.
As for putting different weight rugs in the day and night.  In the depths of winter I use a Rambo which is 370g I think, my heaviest stable rug was 350g so not much difference.  It may be colder at night but in a stable you are out of the wind and rain/snow so cant see much difference,  I would only be replacing rugs like for like.  I do think we are a nation of over rugging to be honest.  How did they cope years ago with a canvas turnout and a thinnish jute rug for night.
Just my opinion


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## Penny Less (27 August 2010)

Ive just had a rug reproofed for the winter and had to use it yesterday, and horse soaking wet this morning ! Wouldnt leave this on him to dry as he already has arthritis, I wouldnt like to be stuck in a soaking wet coat all day .  Takes days to dry a rug at the yard, usually end up takign it home and putting it in the airing cupboard.  Yeah, its really smelly in our house in the winter!


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## Allover (27 August 2010)

I think most of those "for" leaving outdoor rugs on have said they only leave them on if the horse is dry underneath, if the horse has gotten wet underneath its turnout then it has to come off!


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## TicTac (27 August 2010)

Yep, like most other people, I leave them on the horse, providing that the rug isn't completely wet on the inside as well!


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## CrazyMare (27 August 2010)

I NEVER leave turnouts on inside - mine wear an under rug - thickness depending on horse, which they wear day & night (comes off for a groom/ride every day) so they always have a warm layer. I hate the idea of putting a cold rug onto a clipped horse.

Rugs then go into the garage where they are hung out next to the boiler and are lovely and warm & dry come the morning. If by any chance they aren't dry, then they wear spare rugs.


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## Spit That Out (27 August 2010)

I have never used the Turnout/Stable combo and i must admit I'm a bit of a rug addict and do have various rugs for various degrees of temperature and in the case of them getting ripped/damaged or still wet.
We have however got heated drying rack but it's expensive to run so gets used on the coldest/wettest nights. The rest of the time we chuck the wet rugs over the hay and to be honest they are normally dry in the morning.
I can see the benefits of the combos but as a personal preference i like to know that my horse is in a warm dry rug that isn't heavy due to being wet and covered in mud.
I also have different weight rugs for different temperatures. I'm not sure how the combos work as in if you buy a heavyweight would they be too warm in the stable? 
I have read peoples comments that the horse if outside can run/move around to keep warm but surely in a stable they are warm as they are out of the wind and rain...it's frosty on the ground in the field but i don't get frost in my stables bedding. The water tap freezes outside but his water bucket inside is still fluid. There might be some technical reason for his but know i feel warmer just by walking in to the stable block out of the elements.
I'm sure my hubby would love for me to be a one rug combo kinda girl but it would take allot to be weaned off the rug fetish!!!


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## Louby (27 August 2010)

alma said:



			Ive just had a rug reproofed for the winter and had to use it yesterday, and horse soaking wet this morning ! Wouldnt leave this on him to dry as he already has arthritis, I wouldnt like to be stuck in a soaking wet coat all day .  Takes days to dry a rug at the yard, usually end up takign it home and putting it in the airing cupboard.  Yeah, its really smelly in our house in the winter!
		
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Despite being in the dual purpose rug clan, Id never leave a rug on that had got completey wet through. Id like to think no one would.
To be honest this has never happened to any of my modern rugs.  The dual purpose ones do seem to be the dearer ones like FAL and Horseware though.  Never had a problem.


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## Seahorse (27 August 2010)

I'm another one that leaves a wet turnout rug on my horse overnight, he's 1/2 arab but a very warm horse even in the winter when fully clipped he wears a medium weight full neck weatherbeeter as anything heavier than this leaves him sweating even in the snow!
if it's been raining I can put my hand under his rug and he is toasty warm underneath, he is still toasty warm in the morning when it's been on him all night and the rug is totally dry. I normally then ride him and put the same rug on if he is going out again. 

I don't see the point in taking off a wet muddy rug that won't dry overnight then putting a cold wet rug on a horse and putting him back out again. Surely that will make him colder.

When I worked in a dressage yard we put wet turnout rugs in the boiler room of the house and they would be dry and warm in the morning.


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## hannah28 (27 August 2010)

i hate leaving wet rugs on !

turnout rugs are ment for the field, i dont agree with all the people saying i dont like putting a wet rug back on in the morning---you left a wet rug on all night---??? so y does it matter putting one back on 

personally i use stable rugs and have enough spare turnouts.


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## chestnut cob (27 August 2010)

hannah28 said:



			i hate leaving wet rugs on !

turnout rugs are ment for the field, i dont agree with all the people saying i dont like putting a wet rug back on in the morning---you left a wet rug on all night---??? so y does it matter putting one back on 

personally i use stable rugs and have enough spare turnouts.
		
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There is a difference between leaving a wet rug on when you bring the horse in, and putting a damp rug back on in the morning.  When your horse comes in from the field, the rug is wet on the outside and warm and dry on the inside, therefore all the horse feels is dry and warm (if your TO rug is wet inside then you need to change the people you use to wash and reproof them!).  The outside of the rug then dries with the horse's body heat.  Presumably you all leave your horses enough forage for the night so he will not get cold because of a wet rug - digesting the forage in his gut will keep him warm.

If you take the wet rug off, you replace it with a cold rug firstly.  You leave it to dry and chances are it will still be wet outside in the morning, and usually damp, clammy and cold inside.  When you put it back on, you are therefore putting a cold, damp rug on your horse.

The difference is that if you leave the wet rug *on* overnight, it is warm inside.  If you take it off and put back on in the morning, it will be horrible and damp inside.


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## guido16 (27 August 2010)

hannah28 said:



			i hate leaving wet rugs on !

turnout rugs are ment for the field, i dont agree with all the people saying i dont like putting a wet rug back on in the morning---you left a wet rug on all night---??? so y does it matter putting one back on 

personally i use stable rugs and have enough spare turnouts.
		
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I agree!!!

And you dont have to put a cold rug on your horse in the morning if you have a light under rug on.

Plus, as someone above said, I am also a rug addict. ALWAYS have a dry one to put on in the morning.

NO, I`m not made of money (far from it), just spend my money on rugs!! lol


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## Allover (27 August 2010)

The whole point of the "combo" rugs is THAT THEY DONT GET WET ON THE INSIDE, excess water runs off the rug and the breathable qualities of the rug dry it from the inside out, therefor the horse stays dry and its body heat dries the rug.

I always change my rugs from outdoor to indoor when they come in, this is not because i think i am being mean if i leave their outside rugs on its because i can, i have a heated tack room and a rug dryer and plenty of spare rugs. If i didnt have these facilities and spare rugs i would leave the outdoor one on untill it dried.


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