Sunday 13 May 2012

Horse Blankets: The Old Way Or The New

By Heather Toms


Modern pony owners have a tendency to wrap up their horses in rugs, like they are mummies. They try hard at keeping their horses clean and dry, with a winter coat that is manageable. They do all this even if some of it may not be all that comfy for the horses. Each of these horse owners may reject that he's overdoing anything with their horses, but the actuality talks a different language.

The technically advanced horse rugs used presently are a far cry from the minimalistic, easy horse blankets of tradition. But you shouldn't dismiss traditional rugs out of hand. They've got their own distinct benefits. Simply to point at one example: that near legendary racing icon, the Newmarket wool rug, offers significantly more warmth than most of the cheaper rugs in the market.

You can get a great deal of benefit out of wool rugs with jute lining, which are styled traditionally. They allow air to circulate freely because of the permeable structure of the jute lining, and thus are eminently acceptable for drying out horses after running or exercise sessions in wet conditions. A number of these rugs also come with straps of quality leather, which brings up the crucial question: "Is it better to spend more and get a product that lasts a considerable time or is it better to spend less and get a product that has limited life'? You may answer this question in line with your own slant. It is a question which has significance when you're out shopping for rugs for your horses.

The kind of advanced pony rugs available in the market presently does offer great benefits. These rugs maintain a near-perfect layer of warmth between the horse's skin and the rug. The question does arise, however: is it so urgent that an artificial system of body heat preservation be substituted for the natural (and essentially very effective) inbuilt heat preservation capabilities of strong native horses? You may be guilty of overkill if you are burdening this sort of horse with an overload of modern horse rugs or blankets!

There is the other extreme, of course: the sensitive thoroughbred horse who starts quivering each time the sun goes behind some clouds. There is no doubt that for such horses your high-technology rug may serve miles better than the traditional variety. I have stated earlier in this article that the heat retention qualities of the traditional variety are very real and effective, but there is no doubting that some of the new stuff can be very thin and still have much superior insulation properties. Clearly these are good for warming your horse while not having to swaddle him in a thick layer of rugs.

Whether to make use of the traditional stuff or the modern ones is an issue of how you appraise the features of each of your horses. You manage to work out the positives and negatives of traditional vs modern stuff. Obviously, your budget is also going to play a role. While you could be enticed by the pull of the modern versions, you may be able to save money by using the traditional version for those of your horses that are of the hardy native type. The fabric utilized in the better traditional versions is mostly of the very best quality and longevity. You may want some of the modern micro-climate versions for the more dainty of the horses in your stable. You would like each pony to be very comfy, but you don't need any of them sweating in extreme winter!




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