yard, stable & paddock
Horses enjoy turnout time, whatever the weather. A good quality, correctly fitted turnout rug makes all the difference to comfort
Caring for rugs
Emma Hutchinson from The Larches Rug Wash in Brampton, Cumbria, offers practical advice ...
Autumn is a time when many horse owners will be starting to think about rugging their horses, either because they are living out without sufficient shelter, or because they have been clipped and need to be kept warm in the stable – and both warm and dry when turned out.
Hopefully then your rugs are clean and ready for your horse to wear, not still in a corner of the tack room having collected dust all summer! Good rugs are an expensive piece of kit so it pays to look after them properly and doing so means they will last much longer. It’s always nicer for the horse to start the winter season with a nice clean rug.
I have been washing horse rugs for 11 years now, but I remember as a child every summer cleaning my ponies’ rugs by hand in a bin and hanging them on the fence to dry. Whether you wash your rugs at home or send them away to be professionally cleaned, do remember that it is important the right detergent is used.
Equine Page 36
Stable rugs and fleeces should be washed in a non biological detergent so as not to aggravate your horse’s skin. Extra care must be taken when washing turnout rugs, as you need to use something that will not affect the waterproofing on the rug. Here at The Larches Rug Wash all turnout rugs are washed and then if needed, re- proofed using Nikwax products. Nikwax is recommended by many of the leading rug manufacturers and Nikwax rug wash and rug proof can also be used to wash your rugs yourself at home.
Lots of people worry about sending their rugs to a professional rug wash company for fear that the rug will lose its waterproof properties or shrink. At The Larches Rug Wash the rugs are washed in an industrial washing machine specially designed for washing horse rugs. Once washed they are hung in a temperature controlled drying room which means we can offer a ‘no shrinkage’ guarantee! Once dry, they are checked for any repairs then packaged into bags.
Turnout rugs in particular are at risk of becoming damaged by horses playing with their field mates or by the horse browsing in hedges! Some repairs can be done at home to make the rug serviceable until you can get it to a professional. Even when beyond sensible repair, never throw away your old rugs, as the fittings can be cut off and used again. It’s always handy to have some spare leg straps. Gaffer tape is a good way of temporarily repairing holes in
rugs and bailing twine can be used to tie loose fittings.
Finally, making sure that his rugs fit your horse correctly will hopefully lessen the chance of them being damaged. Something that is also important is making sure you use the correct rug for the season, as, for example, a 600 denier lightweight turnout is not made to withstand heavy persistent rain.
Clipped and turned out in a good quality, clean and well-fitting turnout rug
www.theequinesite.co.uk
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