My horse, Haakon, is 27 now and is retired. He prefers living out 24/7.
Last winter he lost weight and when it was nasty weather, I rugged him. He managed pretty well with this but the last time he obviously lay down and then, while getting up again, got his back legs through the wrong bit of the crossed belly bands. I think he stood for a long time with the straps being very tight around his back legs. This is the not the first time.
I released the straps and prayed that he had not hurt himself (luckily not) and am now wondering what to do as winter is fast approaching. His lightweight rain sheet has fillet strings on each leg and crossed belly straps (the problem). The wind here makes it impossible for a rug to stay on without these straps. I was always taught they should not be done up tightly but not obviously waving about loosely.
I want a new totally waterproof lightweight no fill rug that has some clever mechanism (that I don't know about yet) for old horses who are determined to put their legs through the straps. I wouldn't have minded if they had broken (preferred not to rip the rug, though) but they didn't. Is there anything out there that we could use?
All suggestions gratefully received.
Failing that, I will stable him with a friend when the weather is vile which he will hate and resent.
Last winter he lost weight and when it was nasty weather, I rugged him. He managed pretty well with this but the last time he obviously lay down and then, while getting up again, got his back legs through the wrong bit of the crossed belly bands. I think he stood for a long time with the straps being very tight around his back legs. This is the not the first time.
I released the straps and prayed that he had not hurt himself (luckily not) and am now wondering what to do as winter is fast approaching. His lightweight rain sheet has fillet strings on each leg and crossed belly straps (the problem). The wind here makes it impossible for a rug to stay on without these straps. I was always taught they should not be done up tightly but not obviously waving about loosely.
I want a new totally waterproof lightweight no fill rug that has some clever mechanism (that I don't know about yet) for old horses who are determined to put their legs through the straps. I wouldn't have minded if they had broken (preferred not to rip the rug, though) but they didn't. Is there anything out there that we could use?
All suggestions gratefully received.
Failing that, I will stable him with a friend when the weather is vile which he will hate and resent.