Does my horse need an exercise rug?
Exercise rugs are excellent at keeping your horse warm during ridden or in hand work. They ensure that your horse's back and hindquarters are protected from the elements and that the muscles do not get too cold.
Muscles have to work much harder in cold weather to complete the same task that they can do easily in mild weather. To minimise the chances of causing damage or soreness, you could use an exercise rug and take a little longer to warm up. This is because enzymes work better and oxygen is more efficiently transported at higher temperatures. This is even more important for clipped horses as they do not have their hair for natural insulation.
Precipitation can very quickly cause your horse to get cold, especially in low temperatures so we would recommend using a Waterproof Exercise Rug if the forecast shows rain or snow for the time you are planning to ride.
Our waterproof exercise rugs also feature reflective strips both sides which makes them an ideal rug to use for roadwork. These strips with reflect car headlights and be very visible even in low light. This could help vehicles see you and your horse sooner and give them more chance to pass slowly and safely.
Our rugs come with a fillet string to make sure that the rug down not lift or flap in the wind. The shape has been designed so that it fits around the saddle which makes it easy to put on or remove with the rider in the saddle. It can also be worn under or over the saddle flaps.
We recommend assessing each horse as an individual as to whether it would benefit from an exercise rug, take into account the outside temperature, their coat and how warm they get during exercise usually.
If you would like to browse or buy one of our rugs:
Thank you @gemeventing& @darcytheish for the photos.