Horses may be rugged for a multitude of reasons. Making sure that the rug fits the horse correctly and is secured properly is just as important as what type of rug is being put on a horse for a particular reason.
When placing a rug on a horse; it is good to get into a routine so that no buckles or straps are missed – this can commonly occur with rugs that have back leg straps, front chest buckles, belly straps and something to do up across the base of the neck as well! One recommended order of doing up the rug is:
- Hind leg straps
- Chest straps
- Belly straps
- Neck Rug
Placement of the Rug and First Steps
When placing a rug on the horse, it is better to place it too far forward over the horses wither and slide it back into place, than to have to drag it forward into place. Doing so pulls the rug against the grain of the horse’s coat and can cause discomfort and potentially a chill.
The idea of doing up the back leg straps first, once the rug has been placed over the horse’s back, is theoretically to ensure that if the horse were to take fright and move off quickly, the rug would slide back and drop to the ground. Doing up the front first and then having a horse panic and get loose can easily result in the equine tripping over the rug, putting a hoof through the rug or ripping it and even damaging himself.
The leg straps should be done up with the clips facing toward the horse and should cross over each other before doing up. It is possible that if the clips face outward, a horse that is rubbing against a fence or mesh of a stall could cause the clip to catch and attach to the mesh, leaving the horse caught until help arrives or providing an opportunity for a horse to panic and potentially hurt himself and damage the rug.
Once the back straps are done up, the chest strap or straps that come together around the front of the horse can be done up. Following this, if there are any belly straps, these should be done up, crossing over from back to front with one strap, and front to back with the other.
Securing the Neck Attachment of a Combo Rug
Many rugs also have an attached neck rug. These too can have straps, buckles or Velcro that will need to be secured. It is important when doing this last step that the horse is given enough room to lower its head to graze, so the straps shouldn’t be done up too tight.
When removing the rug, this can be done in the reverse order. This would involve undoing the neck straps, the belly straps, followed by the chest straps and finally the leg straps. Whatever order is followed by the horse handler, being consistent can assist in keeping a routine for habitual equines as well as minimising chances of missing a buckle or strap.
Source:
- The Manual of Stable Management Book 4: Saddlery, British Horse Society, Greenhouse Publications, 1989. ISBN 0 86436 192 0.
Chris Thomas - C. Thomas has studied and worked with horses since 2001. She teaches horse studies part time and is undertaking an Equine Science ...
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