Why buying a cheap turnout rug is not always cost effective.
Horse rugs come in all shapes, sizes and quality. Buying a cheap one can end up costing you more money in the long run.
A turnout rug needs a tough outer shell, able to withstand not just what the Winter weather throws at us, but also hazards in the field ranging from other horses’ teeth, barbed wire, trees and bushes.
Look out for a high Denier rating. The higher the better quality.
Rugs come in different deniers, denoted with a D rating. Denier is a unit of measurement that is used to determine the fiber thickness of individual threads or filaments used in the creation of textiles and fabrics. Fabrics with a high denier count tend to be thick, sturdy, and durable.
A rug labelled as 600D will have 600 yarns to each thread used, a 1200D will have 1200 yarns to each thread used. A 1200D rug will be a much better hard wearing rug than a 600D. This is why denier is such a useful measure when you’re choosing a rug, a 1200D will be much more durable and prolong the life of your rug.
Ripstop outers are a must!
If you have a ‘serial rug wrecker’ you need to look for a rug made using ripstop fabrics!
Ripstop fabrics use a special reinforcing technique that makes them resistant to tearing and ripping. During weaving, (thick) reinforcement threads are interwoven at regular intervals in a crosshatch pattern.
Advantages of ripstop are the favourable strength-to-weight ratio and that small tears can not easily spread.
This shows a rug not made using ripstop fabric and illustrates how a tear can easily render your rug irreparable.
Our medium weight turnout rugs are made from super durable 1200D ripstop, waterproof and breathable outer fabrics.
Tried and Tested.
We have spent over a year developing our rugs to ensure a good fit and excellent performance.
We have horses out there wearing our rugs already who have given them a good testing, all are performing well.
This is Solero, our chief ‘rug wrecker’ and tester. He is a 17hh Trakehner Warm Blood and wears a size 6ft 9″ Porter Haken Turnout Rug. He has been wearing his rug all last Winter and it remains in fantastic condition.
Don’t be swayed to purchase cheap rugs, longer term you may end up having to purchase two or three against just one of better quality.