Specialty Horse Rugs

There are many different kinds of horse rugs. These are blankets that are designed to protect your horse from many things including insects and the elements. Which kind of blanket you need depends on many things; like size and weight of your horse but also where they sleep. The thinnest styles are ideal for warm climates, especially in humid regions of the world where mosquitos and other biting insects might be present. While you do not need a thick blanket to warm your steed, it is a good idea to keep them covered at night so they are safe from these insects.

Cooler horse rugs, in fact, do quite the opposite of turnout blankets. These are made specifically to keep your horse dry by keeping moisture from their coat, but are not necessarily intended to warm your horse up. What they do instead is to prevent your horse's coat from cooling when it is wet. Therefore, these blankets act more like towels and are used to help dry your horse after a long ride, particularly a wet one. If the horse has simply been running around in the field or prancing with other horses, you may also need to dry them off, like you would do for yourself at the end of your own workout.

Saddle horse rugs are special rugs that are used more like cushions. As the name implies, you would use them with a saddle, or rather, between the horse and the saddle, when you think you need a little extra cushion for your horse. This protects their skin from the tough characteristics of the saddle as well as reduces the possibility of blisters from the friction caused by the saddle against the horse's skin. This is extremely important because you can't ride a horse that is uncomfortable with something on his back.