Tips for choosing a winter turnout rug

When it gets colder outside, you want to make sure your horse is warm enough and protected. But every horse is different, and a different turnout rug will be needed depending on a number of factors. For this reason, we understand that it can be tricky to choose the best winter turnout rug.

Rugging a horse is something we get asked about a lot, but unfortunately there isn’t a simple answer. There is lots to choosing the right rug for your type of horse, from the local weather conditions to your horse’s age, breed and whether they’re clipped or not.

It’s also likely that if you bought a turnout rug last December, you could need a different turnout rug for this December as temperatures and weather conditions can vary year on year.

In this blog, we’ll give you a rundown of our top tips and the most important aspects to help you decide the best rug for your horse. We’ll look at the different types of weather, as well as different horses and their needs.

Why Use A Horse Rug?

Many owners rug their horse for a number of reasons, from protecting them against bites and insects in the summer to keeping them warm and sheltered in the winter. They are also useful for keeping a horse clean after they’ve been groomed.

Not all horses will need rugs, especially when it’s warmer, but it depends on the individual horse and its needs.

Clipped Or Unclipped?

One of the first things you should consider is whether your horse is clipped or not, as this will determine how easily they can feel the cold.

Clipped horses or ponies will need a turnout rug to replace the warmth of their natural coat during the winter. So if your horse or pony is clipped, watch out for temperatures just above or below zero as they will need a heavyweight turnout rug.

We recommend getting either a combo or a standard rug with a detachable neck. This 400g heavyweight combo rug in particular is perfect for times like these.

For those with horses who aren’t clipped but will experience similar temperatures of just or above zero, they will still need to be protected. For this, we would recommend choosing a middleweight combo or standard rug with or without a detachable neck.

However, if it’s mild where you are, especially during the autumn and spring, clipped horses should be more than adequately protected in a middleweight. Whereas unclipped or hardier types should be fine in a 50g-100g weight rug.

Towards the end of the season when the weather starts to stabilise, we would recommend that clipped horses and more sensitive breeds drop down to a lightweight rug. It will only need some fill, eg 100g in a combo or a standard rug with or without a neck. Unclipped types should be fine by now to go without a rug.

The Weather

One of the main aspects that will impact your decision on the type of turnout rug is the weather and temperature in your local area.

This is what makes it so difficult to recommend the best type of horse rug, as things like whether you live in an exposed or sheltered area will have a major impact.

It’s also important to think about whether your horse or pony lives out in the elements 24/7 or not.

Ultimately, the colder your area, the heavier the rug you should get.

Avoid Over-Rugging

You might be worried about under-rugging your horse, but you should also be careful about over-rugging.

If you dress your horse in a rug that’s too heavy for the weather, this can be just as bad as not rugging your horse at all.

To avoid this, monitor the weather forecast and carefully keep an eye on the temperature.

Shetland Ponies

Some people think that Shetland ponies don’t need a turnout rug, but as the owner, you’re the best person to make the decision. From our experience, however, if your Shetland is unclipped it might not feel the cold, but it will need protection from the wet and windy conditions.

We discovered this when we found our elderly Shetland soaked through and shivering one winter’s day. For this, we recommend 50g-100g lightweight horse rugs – this is just to protect them without providing much warmth.

If your Shetland is working and clipped, it will need a rug to protect it from the cold, but the weight will ultimately depend on the weather and living conditions. As previously mentioned, the owner is the best person to make the decision as they know their Shetland best.

Prepare For The Cold

No one wants their horse to feel uncomfortable, so hopefully this guide has helped you understand the best type of turnout rug for your horse during the cold season. Order yours for comfort now.