The leaves are turning red, there’s barely a fly in sight, and your hands are buried deep in your pockets. It is fall! This means that you can bring out your winter coat again, and your horse will also be creating a winter coat of his own. Are you at a loss with all available coats, rugs and blankets? Read this blog and you’ll be all set for winter.
Clipping or not?
Whether you decide to clip your horse or not. It will determine which rugs you need to get to keep your horse warm and comfortable. If your horse makes a thick winter coat, and you want to keep riding regularly, you can decide to clip him. Then all that hair won’t bother him when he’s hard at work and sweating away. You can get clippers
here.
Which clipping pattern you choose, depends on your horses’s coat and his training schedule. This in turn determines which rug he should wear. If you only clip his neck and belly, he won’t need a heavier rug than if he had his complete coat. Doing a hunter or full body clip? Then he’s be wearing padded rugs through the winter.
Rain rugs
Unpadded or fleece lined rugs are often called
rain rugs. As the name implies, they will protect your horse against rain, but not keep him warm. A horse will be comfortable in his own winter coat up to -5 degrees Celsius, so an unclipped horse does not need a rug to keep warm. If you want to ride him though, it will keep him dry and cleaner if he’s turned out in a paddock or pasture a lot.
Winter rugs
Padded rugs are called
winter rugs. The filling can vary from 100gsm up to 450gsm (gsm means grams per square meter, and is typically simply written as grams). This number tells you how thick and warm a rug is. You can put a 100 to 200 gsm rug on an unclipped, or partially clipped horse to keep his winter coat from growing very thick. Older or thin horses can also be kept under a rug to prevent them from dropping a lot of weight. A fully clipped horse will thank you for a rug that’s at least 300gsm.
Keep in mind that these are just recommendations. A horse that’s standing still may never get sweaty from the rug he’s wearing. On a sunny winter day, an unclipped horse can go without a rug, and a clipped horse may wear a lighter rug. Is it very draughty? Maybe put a heavier rug on.
Stable rugs
Stable rugs are generally similar to winter rugs. But there’s a very big difference: they’re not waterproof. This of course make them unsuitable to turn out a horse with if it’s raining. The big advantage is that they are a lot more breathable and generally have a better fit.
Under rugs and necks
Under rugs are available in various weights and perfect to vary with the weight of your rug. If a clipped horse wears a 100g winter rug and a 150g under rug, you can leave out the under rug on a sunny day, or replace it by a heavier rug when it’s an especially cold day. This is the same for
neck pieces. There’s also complete sets available, this way you’ve got everything covered in one go.
Exercise sheets
Exercise sheets are very important when warming up a clipped horse. This way you can gently warm up and loosen the muscles without a big temperature shock. When cooling down, they’re also useful for clipped horses to gently cool them down and absorb any sweat.
Good to know
Is your horse a real rug shredder, or does he have naughty friends? Then it’s advised to look for a strong rug. The thickness of the fabric is determined by its “denier”, the amount of threads in the fabric. The higher the number, the stronger the fabric. If it’s 600D or higher, it’s generally a strong rug.
The fit determines how well the rug will stay in its place. The length is good when it covers the horse’s withers and the tail flap starts at the tail dock. Is the rug too tight at the chest? Don’t size up! This will cause the rug to pull behind the withers. Instead, choose a rug that’s well adjustable at the chest, or maybe even one that has a special fit with a wide chest.