How to Fit your Horse with a Turnout Rug

It is important to ensure that your turnout rug
fits correctly and all fittings are done up
properly. A poorly fitting rug can cause a host
of issues, from the rug slipping and causing
pressure points or rubs, to the horse's legs
becoming tangled in surcingles or leg straps.
This can be extremely dangerous for the horse
and is likely to cause damage to the rug.

If you are purchasing your rug, the measurement
for a turnout rug is taken from the centre of the
horse's chest, in a straight line along the
horse's side to a point level with the top of
the horse's tail. Turnout rugs are sold based on
measurements in feet and inches, which increase
in 3" increments. So you will need to convert
the length measurement into feet and inches in
order to purchase a rug of the correct size.

When purchasing a rug bear in mind the build of
your horse; if he is chunky, he will need a
deeper rug, whereas a finer horse will require a
more neatly cut rug.

The front of the rug should sit approximately
3" ahead of the withers, and never on the
withers, as this sensitive area will be unable
to withstand a heavy rug putting pressure on it.
Remember that turnout rugs will weigh even more
once wet or muddy.

Ideally the chest straps should be done up on
approximately the middle hole, allowing the
fabric beneath the straps to overlap and hence
ensuring that the whole chest is covered.
However this may vary depending on your horse's
size and shape.

The rug should sit snuggly around the chest;
you should be able to comfortably fit a hands
width between the front of the rug and the
horse's chest. This allows the horse room for
movement and prevents chafing or drooping often
seen in rugs which are too small or too large.
These common problems can reduce warmth and
protection, and can also put pressure on the
horse's withers.

The shoulder dart or gusset should sit at the
point of the horse's shoulder and the side of
the rug should wrap around the horse's stomach.
If the rug hangs down too low at the stomach; it
is too deep, whilst if the horse's stomach is
exposed; it is too short.

Attach the cross surcingles by passing them
under the horse's belly. As the name suggests,
they need to be crossed. This means that the
more forward surcingle needs to be attached to
the more rear attachment on the left hand side
of the horse. The opposite is true of the more
rear surcingle, which needs to be done up to the
front of the rug. There should be a hand's width
of space between the straps and the horse's
belly. This will ensure that they do not cause
discomfort to the horse, nor will they risk
getting caught up in the horse's legs.

To attach the leg straps, pass the left-hand
leg strap between the horse's legs and clip it
onto the d-ring on the left hand side. Then take
the opposite, right-hand leg strap and thread
this through the left-hand leg strap and around
the horse's offside leg before clipping it to
the right-hand side d-ring. As with the cross
surcingles, there should be a hand's width
between the leg straps and the horse's thighs,
again to prevent discomfort or potential danger.

If the turnout rug features a filet string,
ensure that you pull the horse's tail over it,
so that the filet string sits below the tail,
helping to keep the rug in place.

The tail flap of the turnout rug should begin
at the top of the horse's tail. If the rug
extends beyond the horse's tail then it is too
long and could pull backwards uncomfortably on
the horse's withers. If the rug finishes before
the horse's tail, it is too short and will not
offer full protection to the horse.

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For a wide range of turnout horse rugs available
in all sizes and at great prices, please visit
http://www.EquestrianClearance.com

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