Types of horse rug

With so many rugs on the market this is a short low-down on all the different types.

Anti-Sweat Rugs
An anti-sweat rug is a cotton mesh rug, rather like a string vest, that is used to prevent chills on sweating horses as they cool down after exercise. The size of mesh on anti-sweat rugs can vary and those with very fine mesh can also help to prevent irritation from flies. Anti-sweat rugs are usually only fastened at the front, although a surcingle may be used over the rug to hold it more firmly in place.

Cooler rugs
Cooler rugs are breathable rugs that are used to prevent chills on sweating horses as they cool down after exercise. They are designed to wick moisture away from the horse's coat to the rug where it evaporates so that the horse cools down gradually. Cooler rugs can be placed under a turnout rug or stable rug to help a horse dry off after exercise on cold days and can also be used as an under blanket or rug for extra warmth in the winter. A fleece rug can also be used as a substitute for a cooler rug.

Exercise rugs
An exercise sheet or rug extends from the front of the saddle to the rear of the horse and is used to keep the horse warm and/or dry whilst being ridden. Some are placed under the saddle, whilst others have a cut out area and velcro fastening at the front so that the can be placed over the saddle.

Fleece rugs
Fleece rugs are breathable and warm and can be used as a light stable rug, a travel rug, an under rug or as a substitute for a cooler rug.

Fly Sheets / Fly Rugs

A fly sheet or fly rug is a lightweight fine mesh rug that offers protection to horses at grass from flies and insects during the summer. Fly rugs most often have a belly flap that is fastened to both sides of the rug so as to give protection to the belly. Many fly sheets available also include neck covers either as part of the fly sheet or as a separate product that can be attached to the rug. Some also have matching fly masks or bonnets for complete protection. In addition to offering protection from flies during the summer a fly rug can also help to prevent sunburn on horses with sensitive pale skin, help to keep the coat free from dust and dirt, and help to prevent bleaching of the coat from the sun.

New Zealand rug
The New Zealand rug is designed to keep the horse warm and dry when out in the field during winter. It is a traditional waterproof turnout rug made from canvas or waxed cotton and often green in colour. However, unlike modern turnout rugs the New Zealand rug is heavy and bulky and so can result in rub marks, or even sores, on the chest, shoulders and withers of the horse. Some New Zealand rugs are lined or have padded fleece areas designed to prevent sores occurring on pressure points or alternatively a shoulder liner can be worn underneath the New Zealand rug to prevent rubbing occurring. In any case the New Zealand rug should not be too tight round the neck and chest area.

To ensure that the New Zealand rug gives adequate protection against the weather the rug should be sufficiently long that none of the horse's belly is visible. Some New Zealand rugs have pleats in the shoulders that allow for more freedom of movement and some also have optional attachments such as neck covers to give extra protection from the winter elements. New Zealand rugs normally have a good overlap at the front with front fastening straps providing maximum protection against the elements for the horse.

The rug is held in place by a surcingle and/or hind leg straps. Hind leg straps help to keep the rug from slipping to one side after the horse has rolled and should be fastened by passing one strap between the hind legs and fastening it to the back of the rug on the same side. The second strap is then passed between the legs, through the first strap, and fastened to the same side to which it is attached. This way the leg straps are linked between the hind legs. The leg straps should be adjusted to allow a hand's width to be placed comfortably between the back of the horse's leg and the strap. If the leg straps are too tight they can cause rubbing, and if too loose the horse may get its hooves caught in the straps when lying down.

New Zealand rugs need to be re-proofed once or twice each winter to ensure they remain waterproof and it is best to have two rugs so that they can be used alternately when one is drying or being reproofed.

Rug Liners
Anti-rub liners, shoulder liners or anti-rub vests are designed to worn underneath a rug to provide protection from friction rubbing from the rug. These are made from thin, stretch material and cover the chest, shoulder and withers that are areas prone to friction sores from rug wear. There are also Liners made from quilted material designed to be worn underneath a rug to provide extra warmth and these are often known as under blankets or under rugs.

Stable rug
The stable rug is designed to keep the horse warm whilst stabled and is not waterproof as it is not designed for outside use. The majority of stable rugs are made from padded or quilted synthetic material and are available in different thicknesses/weights of filling that offer varying degrees of warmth to the horse. Lightweight stable rugs usually have up to 150 grams of filling, mediumweight stable rugs 150 grams to 300 grams of filling and heavyweight stable rugs have more than 300 grams of filling. Stable rugs are breathable, allowing perspiration to evapourate, and are available in a variety of colours. Some stable rugs have pleats in the shoulders that allow for more freedom of movement. Combo stable rugs have an integrated neck cover whilst other stable rugs may have a removal neck cover.

For horses that are stabled during both night and day a warmer rug is often needed at night when the temperature drops than during the day. A heavier stable rug (night rug) and lighter weight stable rug (day rug) may be used, or an under blanket or under rug may be used under the stable rug to provide extra warmth during the colder night and then removed leaving just the stable rug during the day. Stable rugs are usually held in place by cross surcingles that are passed from the front of one side, under the belly and fastened towards the rear on the other side and another that is passed from the rear, under the belly and fastened at the front. This is accompanied by a fillet string attaching both sides of the rug at the rear over which the tail is pulled through.

The stable rug should not be too tight round the neck or chest area and the sides should be sufficiently long that none of the horse's belly is visible. Under blankets or liners can also be used underneath the stable rug to provide extra warmth to the horse. A fleece rug can also be used as a light stable rug or as an under blanket/rug under a stable rug.

Summer Sheet
A summer sheet is a light cotton horse rug that offers protection against dust and flies during the summer. They are often used as a light stable rug or travel rug in the summer.

Travel rug
A travel rug is a light blanket type horse rug that offers protection against dust and flies whilst travelling. Often a summer sheet, fleece rug or cooler rug is used as a travel rug.

Turnout rug

The turnout rug is designed to keep the horse clean and dry when out in the field, and also warm during the winter. Turnout rugs are made from waterproof synthetic material and are available in different colours and thicknesses/weights of filling that offer varying degrees of warmth to the horse. Lightweight summer turnout rugs may have no filling, whilst lightweight winter turnout rugs usually have up to 150 grams of filling, mediumweight turnout rugs 150 grams to 300 grams of filling and heavyweight turnout rugs rugs have more than 300 grams of filling.

There are also under blankets and under rugs available to be used with turnout rugs to provide extra warmth. Under blankets and under rugs are often cheaper to buy than heavyweight turnout rugs and so it is usually more economical to buy a lightweight turnout rug for the milder winter months and an under blanket or under rug that can be placed underneath for the colder winter months than to buy a mediumweight or heavyweight turnout rug in addition to a lightweight turnout rug. Turnout rugs are more lightweight than the traditional New Zealand rug and so less prone to rubbing on the shoulders, chest and withers of the horse. However, the turnout rug should not be too tight round the neck and chest area.

To ensure that the turnout rug gives maximum protection against the weather the rug should be sufficiently long that none of the horse's belly is visible and the front should have a good overlap. Some turnout rugs have pleats in the shoulders that allow for more freedom of movement. Combo turnout rugs have an integrated neck cover, whilst others may have separate neck covers that can be attached or removed as required. In the past, the synthetic material of turnout rugs has been more prone to tearing on small branches, barbed wire, etc than traditional New Zealand rugs but now many modern turnout rugs are made of "ripstop" material designed to be less prone to tearing.

Turnout rugs are usually held in place by cross surcingles that are passed from the front of one side, under the belly and fastened towards the rear on the other side and another that is passed from the rear, under the belly and fastened at the front. Most turnout rugs have hind leg straps and these are fastened by passing one strap between the hind legs and fastening it to the back on the same side. The second strap is then passed between the legs, through the first strap, and fastened to the back of the same side. This way the leg straps are linked between the hind legs. The leg straps should be adjusted to allow a hand's width to be placed comfortably between the back of the horse's leg and the strap. If the leg straps are too tight they can cause rubbing, and if too loose the horse may get its hooves caught in the straps when lying down.

Some turnout rugs lack legs straps and instead have a fillet string attached to both sides of the turnout rug at the rear over which the tail is pulled through. However a fillet string does not help to prevent the rug from slipping if the horse rolls in the way that hind legs straps do. Turnout rugs are breathable and so allow perspiration to evaporate and unlike New Zealand rugs, turnout rugs do not normally need to be reproofed in order to retain their waterproof qualities.

Under blankets
Under blankets and under rugs are used under a rug to provide extra warmth and protection from friction rubbing from the rug. A traditional under blanket for the stabled horse is the Witney Blanket that is a pure wool blanket usually golden yellow with black and red stripes. The under blanket is placed over the horse's back and neck with the front corners turned up and placed on the horse's withers. The stable rug is then placed over the under blanket and the part of the blanket lying on the horse's neck is then be turned back so that it lies over the stable rug and along the top of the horse's back. A roller is then placed over the stable rug and under blanket just behind the horse's withers to hold it in place. This prevents the under blanket from slipping backwards underneath the stable rug.

Modern under blankets resemble lightweight stable rugs and are also known as under rugs. Different under blankets are designed to be worn with stable rugs, turnout rugs or New Zealand rugs. Many under blankets designed for use under stable rugs include a neck cover that can be used to provide warmth to the neck or folded back over the stable rug in a similar way to the traditional Witney Blanket.

*An interesting article from horsetalk website.