The Uses of Horse Rugs

For all occasions, whether out in the pasture or in the stable for the night, there is the appropriate horse rug. safety stirrups From stable rugs to travel rugs, horse rugs covers the full range of coverings for your animal. Protecting your horse from pests, cold weather and harsh sunlight is always a must.

While grazing, flies are a constant annoyance for horses. Fly rugs are designed to prevent them from swarming a horse. Covering horses in pasture, fly rugs are made of lightweight fine mesh. They offer horses protection from flies while they graze in the pasture. Fly rugs cover the entire torso of the horse, but the covering the belly completely is especially important. double bridle In addition to protecting horses from pests, fly rugs can protect their sensitive skin from sunburn, can keep excessive dust and debris off, and can prevent the bleaching of their coat in the sun.

To keep the horse clean and dry while outside, turnout rugs are used. They also keep the horse warm in the wintertime. Turnout rugs are made of synthetic waterproof material of varying thickness. Rugs designed for summer use have no padding while winter rugs have up to 300g of lining. They should not fit too tightly, but they should cover the entire belly of the horse. Turnout rugs chafe the horse’s chest, shoulders and withers less.

Stable rugs offer something similar. Meant solely for indoor use, stable rugs come with many of the same features as turnout rugs. Made from padded or quilted material of different thicknesses, these rugs are not waterproof. Stable rugs let perspiration evaporate because they are breathable.

Whatever the weather conditions, equestrian rugs come in different varieties to suit all needs. double bridle With every type of rug good for a specific purpose, whether for indoor or outdoor use, stable rugs, travel rugs, turnout rugs and fly rugs are all useful. No matter the weather or stable conditions, it is important to keep your horse comfortable. A part of horse ownership is a good understanding of all types and uses for equestrian rugs.

Different Types of English Saddles

For those new to riding, the wide variety of saddle types available in both English and western riding can be a bit confusing. First you’ll want to consider the type of riding that you’ll be doing and which types of events you might like to participate in. For many English equestrians the English saddle type is going to be an essential component to the tack and while there is some overlap in saddle usage there are essential elements each saddle must have. Once you understand why certain features are available on different style of English saddles you can easily see why they are more suited to one type of riding or another.

The jumping saddle (also known as a forward seat or hunt seat saddle) is designed to postion the rider forward for balance in going over jumps. Without this type of saddle adjusting balance would be extremely difficult for the rider as the horse’s body changes positions very dramatically through the jumping motion. The kneepad and thigh roll on the jumping saddle is more developed than the type seen on that in a all purpose English saddle or a endurance type of saddle where the rider is going to be more stationary with regards to position on the horse. Jumping saddles are reinforced and moderately supportive of the rider as well as providing a cushion and padding for the horse.

A very versatile saddle type of a variety of English events from hunt seat to moderate jumping is the English close contact saddle. These saddles have a very flat overall seat and cantle but they do have the slightly forward flaps and stirrup bars to allow the rider to keep the knees slightly bend for posting and jumping. Unlike the jumping saddle the close contact saddle is more like the endurance saddle with very little in the way of thigh roll or kneepad, providing more movement for the rider and an ability to stay in close contact with the horse’s body.

The dressage saddle has been specifically designed for the art of dressage and will have long, straight flaps and less forward strirup bars that positions the rider deep in the saddles with the legs hanging below them. The kneepads and thick rolls are low on the saddle and the seat tends to be deeper than that of a more all-purpose saddle. Dressage saddles can be used for any type of groundwork but are not designed for jumping or hunt type events.