Weight of turnout rugs

[NuttyMare]

For a thoroughbred with a medium trace clip in the winter, kept out 24/7. Would a m/w and h/w do it?

I've given up rambling around the questions :p

[Bebe]

Depends on the thoroughbred really, sorry.

Bebe has a low trace most winters and whilst she does spend a lot of the winter in a lightweight rug she does wear her mediumweight an awful lot between Dec & March, and her heavyweight gets some use. She's a warm sort of horse so I would imagine most TBs would need heavier rugs than she does.

[Moomin]

depends on if your horse is a hot horse or a cold horse - I mean by nature not by breeding! For example my horse is at first glance a study little rotund cob who shoulod be able to live out in the snow - she shivers if it drops below about 10 degrees and doesn't like getting wet!! If you don't rug her in the winter (as was my plan!) she looses weight alarmingly fast - so she spent last winter tucked up in heavyweight rugs. Conversely my friend's thoroughbred lives out quite happily in his field with minimal rugs in the winter - but their field is very sheltered which is another factor to consider.

I would say - start with a lightweight, perhaps one with a neck or half neck (that makes a big difference) and go from there.

[NuttyMare]

Thanks - the field he's in at the moment isnt very sheltered, but hes going to be moved to a fully sheltered one once the colt goes, I'll look at l/w prices now :p

[shirley]

Have you looked at the Fal rugs and perhaps more expensive type rugs they are designed to wicker away sweat from them and into the outer linings, so are better if kept out 24/7. Several people use Fal rugs on our yard and swear by them.
Looking at rugs does get confusing

[eventerbabe]

does really depend on the horse. my middleweight cob generally has a high trace and has to wear his heavyweight fals all winter with a neck hood on! Fals are the best rugs, and they last, unlike the cheap rugs. i try to buy only fals but they are so pricey i have to save up for them :rolleyes: think my viking (thats a heavyweight 350gram t/o with classic neck) cost me £160 and the goliath (420gram classic neck t/o) was over £200 :eek: but 5 years on they still look like new. the slumberdown ones are good, i have a heavyweight one with hood and all in all cost me about £80 and kept toby really warm.

[lizzy]

Adam is a lightweight cob, and he spent all last year from October to March in a heavyweight Rhino and a stable rug!!!!

Personally I thought that may have been too warm for him initially, I am a very new and inexperienced horse owner and I have now bought him a middleweight for the time from October until it gets very cold this year - we are in tropical Dorset mind!

[Jessey]

I would agree with all the above, My chap is arab x tb and has his neck, shoulders, head and belly clipped (a kind of high trace x blanket clip) and rarely even needs his M/W T/O and rarely has more than a fleece rug on at night when he's in as he just dosen't need it :D .

J x