Well winter definitely seems on the way here in Ireland, and at this time of year people are always wondering what are the best horse rugs for winter? So we decided to go out and do some research to discover what makes the best horse rugs for winter?
Well winters in Ireland and the UK tend to be quite wet, so you will definitely require a rug that is warm and waterproof for when your horse is in the field. If your horse is living out all of the time, the best type of rug is heavy weight, outdoor rug with a full neck, something with over 300 grams of filling and if possible 1000 denier waterproof breathable outer shell. However, if your horse is only living out part of the time, you will need at least 2 rugs, a good middle weight Indoor rug for use in the stable, something with approximately 200 grams of filling with or without a neck, this depends on the horse. While for Outdoor use, stay with a good middle weight Outdoor Rug with a neck, staying with approximately 200 grams of filling with a least a 600 denier outer shell that is water proof and breathable. Here we are going to discuss just why you should rug your horse in winter, and what are the best horse rugs available, that you should be considering.
Why do you rug your horse in winter?
Well winters tend to get very cold in certain parts of the world, and they tend to be particularly cold, and wet in Ireland and the UK. While horses can fair pretty well in the cold, when conditions are cold and wet constantly, this can cause problems for their skin such as rain scald and also weight loss, through the horse shivering to keep warm. Listed below are some of the reasons that we rug our horses in winter;
- To Keep our horses warm and dry; it gets much colder in the winter months; rugging your horse will prevent them shivering due to intense cold and wet conditions, which would cause them to lose weight.
- Clipped Horses need to be rugged, to replace the warmth of the hair that has been removed.
- To prevent rain scald in very wet climates such as Ireland and the UK.
- To help maintain the horses body weight during the winter months, by keeping them warm and dry.
- To help to reduce your cost of winter feeding.
What Rug is best with which clip?
In autumn of each year, Horses start to become very woolly, as they develop their winter coats in preparation for the season ahead. If you are competing, hunting or you just intend to ride your horse over the winter, you will be starting to clip your horse. In the UK and Ireland this happens around September time. Once you begin clipping, you will usually need to re clip every 4 – 6 weeks throughout the winter.
The Clip that you decide to give your horse will depend on a number of things. The first thing to consider is how much you intend to ride your horse throughout the winter months. For example a rider who will be riding their horse every day and competitively, would require at least a blanket clip on their horse, but would probably be best opting for a full clip. For the riding club rider only doing light activities a trace clip may be sufficient. The other thing to note when clipping is whether you horse is to winter in or out. If he winters out, this will determine the clip you can use.
Whatever clip you go for will in turn determine the type of rug you will require to keep your horse warm and comfortable during the winter months.
What Rug is best with a Trace Clip?
If you have chosen a trace clip for your horse, the chances are that your horse will be in light work over the winter. If you are wintering the horse out completely, with a trace clip, you should definitely go with one of the choices below. (NB* I prefer a rug with an neck for any horse in work, and only use rugs without a neck on young horses or broodmares, that have not been clipped. )
- Wintering Out with a Trace Clip Outdoor Rug – A Good Middle Weight Rug with a Full Neck with filling of about 200 grams and Outer Water Proof breathable shell of about 600 Denier.
- Wintering Out with a Trace Clip (and a thin Skinned Horse) Outdoor Rug – A Good Heavy Weight Rug with a Neck, the filling over 300 grams and an outer waterproof breathable shell of 100 denier.
Tip* If you are wintering out it is probably a good idea to have a least 2 rugs, so that you have a back up, if one becomes too wet or perhaps becomes damaged in the field.
What Rug is Best with a Blanket Clip?
If you have chosen a blanket clip for your horse, the chances are you are planning to do a little bit more work with them. With a blanket clip if you are wintering out, you will definitely require a rug with a neck. Take your pick from one of the choices below;
- Wintering out with a Blanket Clip – Outdoor Rug – At the very least we recommend a good Middle Weight Outdoor Rug with a Neck, water proof and breathable.
- Wintering out, a thin skinned horse with a Blanket Clip – Outdoor Rug – A Good Heavy Weight Rug with a Full Neck, water proof and breathable.
- Wintering In with Turnout by Day – If your horse is only turned out during the day- A Good Middle Weight Water Proof, Breathable, Outdoor Turnout Rug with a full neck would be sufficient with a blanket clip. For the Indoor Rug, a Good Middle Weight Indoor Rug again with a neck. The full neck will help to prevent the horse having too much re-growth of hair on its neck prior to the next clip.
Tip 2# If you have a thin skinned horse, you can use a rug liner with the top rug in the stable, to keep them warmer. It can often provide more warmth to layer the rugs, in this way, than to opt for just one heavy weight rug.
What is the best Rug with a Full Clip?
If you have given your horse a full clip, you will obviously be having them in full work over the winter and this clip will help you to minimise heavy sweating. Here are the suggestions we have if your horse has a full clip.
- When Turning Out with a Full Clip – We recommend that you always go for the Good Outdoor Heavy Weight water proof breathable rug with a full neck. I have personally had many a thin skinned Thoroughbred, and I live in a very cold spot on the top of a hill. On the colder days or wet days I would normally use a second turnout rug, such as a good middle weight without the neck piece, underneath the top rug. I have found that this keeps a fit, thin skinned horse snug during a particularly cold spot.
- When Stabled with a Full Clip – We recommend a good heavy weight stable rug with a neck is usually sufficient most of the time. For a particularly cold spot, consider using a rug liner>> with fully clipped or thin skinned horses, as they can get a bit chilly even with the heavy weight rug.
Our Top 5 Rugs For Winter.
Below we share our top 5 Rugs, we have 3 Outdoor Rugs and 2 Indoor Rugs. We have chosen a favourite budget rug in both categories, so that you can still buy quality for your horse not matter what your budget.
#1 Choice for Outdoor Rug – Horseware Rambo Plus Heavy Turnout Rug; this really is a top class rug, and like all quality products it’s prices is a little high. However, Horseware rugs are really brilliant pieces of equipment, and although the initial outlay is expensive, they are rugs that are designed with horses in mind, and you get what you pay for, as these rugs are built to last.
The outer shell of this rug comes with 1000 denier of Ballistic Nylon. This type of nylon was originally designed by DuPont during World War 2 to protect aircraft and personnel from Shrapnel! This offers your horse a rug with maximum durability when they get up to mischief in the paddock, this outer layer is also waterproof and breathable helping to keep your horse comfortable and dry.
This rug has 400grams of thermobonded fibre fill, to give your horse maximum warmth and heat retention. While the inner layer next to the Skin, is anti-bacterial and anti-static.
2nd Choice For Outdoor Rug – Gallop Heavyweight Turnout Trojan Rug. This is a super rug, and it is our top Budget Buy. I bought 3 of these last year, just to use on some of my store horses. I didn’t expect too much as they were very reasonably priced, but I figured they would act as a spare. However when I got them home and tried them on I was so impressed with the fit, and with all the back straps and surcingles adjusted correctly, they really didn’t budge, they stayed put on all of the stores. They also performed very well, with the an other shell of 600 denier of water proof, breathable fabric, and 350 grams of filling, my horses were warm and dry all winter. These rugs are the type and at the price, that I will keep a couple of new ones in the tack room, as spares. Top rating from us for a budget heavy weight turnout rug.
3rd Choice For Outdoor Rug- Horseware Amigo Mio Medium Weight Turnout Rug. This is good middle weight rug with a standard neck. I am very fond of the Amigo Turnout Range and have used many of them over the years. They Last and Last, and when washed and repaired, are like new. This rug comes with a standard neck, has a 600 denier, rip stop, waterproof, breathable, outer layer with 200 grams of filling.
4th Choice Indoor/Stable Rug; Rhinegold Full Neck Dakota Stable Rug; This is a super quilted stable rug, good heavyweight with 300 grams of filling and 600 denier breathable outer later. It comes with a full neck and makes a great choice for the fully clipped horse. It has leg straps and cross surcingles and the tail guard provides a little extra warmth for the clipped horse. This one is well priced and not too expensive, which is always important if you are buying for more than one horse.
5th Choice Indoor/Stable Rug; John Whitaker Thomas Stable Rug, this is a super little rug, well priced. It is nice and deep, and has 250 grams of filling and come with a cross surcingle. What I like about this rug, is during a cold spot with your fully clipped horse, you could use it as an under rug with something like the Rhinegold Full Neck Dakota Above. I usually find, that when my horse is fully clipped I like to keep them quite warm, to minimize hair re-growth. I usually prefer to layer the rugs in the stable, again this is a personal choice.
We hope our Winter Rug guide for horses helps you in your choice of rugs for your horse this winter.