Choosing the right horse cover weight / fill for winter horse rugs
The warmth of a cover is determined by the "fill". The fill is measured in grams per square meter. The higher the fill, the warmer the rug. Our rugs come in No Fill, 50g, 100g, 200g and 300g. Choosing the correct weight is critical to keep your horse comfortable through the cooler months.
A thermoneutral zone is the range where the body temperature can be maintained with little to no energy expenditure. Humans have a narrow range of 21 - 28 °C, but horses' thermoregulatory zone is 5 - 25°C. This means it’s important not to rug our horses based on how cold we are, as over rugging can cause serious health issues such as metabolic and thermoregulatory dysfunction.
Tips for choosing a weight for your winter horse rug
- If your horse is clipped, a heavier gram fill may be required.
- Horses can warm themselves up much better than they can cool themselves down when covered, so go for a lighter rug if you are unsure.
- Choose a rug that has easy on/off attachments so you're not standing around in the rain.
- Check your horse regularly to ensure that your horse is not overheating or too cold.
- Take into consideration the age of your horse and their ability to stay warm.
- A detachable neck rug allows you to add a neck rug if you need a little more warmth, or remove it if you need a little less.
- As a basic guideline, we recommend rugging your horse if temperatures drop below 5-10 degrees, but take the individual needs of your horse into account.
- Ensure your rug is waterproof; no rug at all is better than a wet one.
Here is a guide to choosing a winter horse rug. This is an indicative guide only and factors individual to each horse such as wind chill and your horses age and weight should always be taken into account. For more information, you can check out our article here.
