by Admin on September 5, 2009
Here at horserugs.me.uk we appreciate that horse rugs can be an expensive part of your equestrian kit. For this reason we not only advice you to ensure that you have the right horse rug and a horse rug that fits your horse properly, but we always want to teach you how you can make your horse rug last longer.
Horse rugs are big pieces of kit and can be difficult to handle and clean. Although a summer horse turnout run may be light and small enough to fit in a washing machine in contrast a heavyweight winter horse turnout rug may be far too bulky.
Although many of us do wash out horse rugs think carefully before you do so as it reduces their working life. Some other things to bear in mind when it comes to the cleaning and maintenance of your horse rugs:
Always follow any instructions given by the manufacturer. A good starting place is the washing instructions label on the horse rug, check also their website. Do note that washing your horse rug could affect the horse rug’s waterproofing. Consider taking to a specialist cleaner if you don’t want to have to re-waterproof the horse rug yourself.
As with humans, some washing powder can cause allergic reactions in horses. You can purchase special horse friendly washing powder. In any event we’d recommend using non-biological powder.
Before you put a horse rug into a wash machine ensure that you have taken off excess hair and mud. You really don’t want this clogging up your washing machine or pipes.
Trying and ensure that any straps and metal fittings are removed before you put the horse rug in the machine. If you can’t remove the horse rug straps and fittings then try covering them with a tea-towel or old sock! This will stop the fittings against the side of the washing machine drum or getting caught.
Get someone to help you. A larger horse rug will be heavy when wet. Think about where to store the horse rug while it is drying. If you’re washing the rug at the end of the season do not put them away whilst they’re still wet. This could cause your horse rug to rot.
If you want more information on horse rugs and caring for your horse rugs then we recommend two books, Rugs and Rollers by Jane Holderness-Roddam and All About Rugs by Vanessa Britton, both of which are available in our book store.
by Admin on August 23, 2009
Horse stable rugs are used to keep your horse or pony warm whilst it is in its box. The horse stable rug is designed for indoor use and not for wearing whilst outside and so its purpose is to keep your horse warm, not to keep it dry. Horse stable rugs are not waterproof.
As with other horse rugs, stable horse rugs come in three different levels of warmth. A heavyweight horse stable rug will contain over 300 grams of filling, a middle weight stable rug between 150 grams and 300 grams whilst its lightweight variant will have up to 150 grams of filling.
A horse stable rug will come in a variety of colours and materials, but most will be designed from breathable materials allowing perspiration to wick away from the horse’s body. As with horse turnout rugs, horse exercise rugs and others, a “combo” horse stable rug will come with a neck cover already built in, whilst other stable horse rugs may have a neck cover that can be added or removed as and when needed.
The decision as to whether to use a lightweight stable rug, medium weight stable rug or heavyweight stable rug will depend not only on temperature but also on whether your horse has a tendency to feel the cold. A horse that has a short coat and is stabled during both the day and night is much more likely to feel the cold and need a warmer horse stable rug than a horse with a longer coat and is used to being turned out during the day. A general rule of thumb is that a heavier horse stable rug should be used at night when the temperature falls, with a lighter horse stable rug used during the day.
As with horse turnout rugs you may consider buying a lightweight horse stable rug and using a horse blanket, horse rug fleece or horse rug liner underneath the horse stable rug to provide extra warmth as and when needed.
You should ensure that your horse stable rug is fitted properly, particularly round the neck. If you buy to big a horse stable rug this may cause rubbing which can lead to balding and skin complaints for your horse; too tight and the horse stable rug may not leave enough room for movement which can cause distress to your horse.
Popular manufacturers of horse stable rugs include Masta, Rambo, Mark Todd and WeatherBeeta.
Here at horserugs.me.uk we are pleased to recommend the following books which tell you all you need to know about horse rugs.
