How to Properly Maintain a Horse Rug to Extend Its Lifespan

Your horse needs a rug for many reasons, including protection from weather conditions, maintaining hygiene, protection from pesky insects, and keeping the horse warm, especially during winter. But proper maintenance is crucial if you want the weatherbeeta turnout rugs to serve you more.

Here are tips to help you properly care for and maintain your horse rug.

Cleaning a horse rug

Sweat, dirt, and other debris can build up on your horse’s rug or on horses saddle, reducing its effectiveness and perhaps irritating your horse’s skin. Clean your horse rug regularly according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Use a bristles brush to remove any dry dirt or dust from the horse’s rugs, and then give them a thorough cleaning with a hose pipe. Using a clean brush, vigorously scrub your horse rug in hot water with a solution of horse rug wash. Make sure to concentrate on any visibly dirty areas. Once this is finished, use clean water to rinse it off. If you want to prolong the life of your horse rug, you can repeat the procedure using a conditioner.

You should avoid hot water as much as possible when washing your weatherbeeta turnout rugs, as it can damage the fabric and even cause it to shrink. Instead, use cold or lukewarm water.

Drying your horse rug

Like any clothing item, a horse’s rug that is damp should be hung to dry in a dry, well-ventilated area. To prevent mold growth and stitch rot, rugs must be completely dry and allowed to air out before being stored. Leaving your rug on your horse may be one of the fastest methods to dry it. This won’t hurt your horse and will keep the heat they have produced if the ground is dry underneath.

Storing your horse rug

Proper storage of the horse rug or horse saddle is equally essential. Even though rugs can take up a lot of space when not in use, you must still store them in a room where they will stay clean and dry. The last thing you want is to discover that your horse rug is damp and moldy when your horse needs to wear it.

You may reuse the original bag when it comes to storing your horse rug since most manufacturers package their rugs in strong, zip-up bags. Just ensure you fold the rug properly to make it fit back. You may also store your horse rug in a rug storage bag mostly sold online.

It’s worth noting that you should only pack your rug away when it is completely dry. If damp, it will get molds, stitching will rot, and the metal fastenings will corrode too. This will significantly damage the rug and render it unusable.

Doing repairs

Inspect your horse rug regularly for rips, tears, or loose stitching. If you notice any damage, fix it promptly to prevent it from getting worse and costly to fix. Most horse rugs usually come equipped with repair kits or patches to fix minor damages.