Rein Supreme combo equestrian rugs have been made with extra length in the neck. This is an intentional design feature so that when the horse has its head down grazing the top of the neck is not exposed to the sun.

You will also often see sizing for items such as hoods, boots, bridles etc refereed to Pony, Cob or Full sizing. As a guide, the following is commonly referred to as the industry standard sizing relationship:

Rug SizeItem Size

3’3 to 4’3Mini

4’6 – 4’9Extra Small Pony

5’0 – 5’3Pony

5’6 – 6’0Cob

6’3 – 6’9Full

6’9 – 7’0XL Full

Common mistakes that effect sizing decisions:

• Don’t rely on your existing brands size label – measure the rug to find its true size as many manufacturers’ rugs are not true to size.

• Some necklines on certain brands are often very deep cut (or poorly designed!) and this has the effect of making the rug a much bigger fit compared to better fitting brands in the same size.

• Winter or lined/padded horse rugs are often a tighter fit, when compared to normal summer rip stop rugs or sheets. This is due to the fact that the padding takes up additional space. Also keep in mind, that if you use a summer sheet, wool, fleece or similar rug under your winter rug to create layers – it adds padding, with the potential to create a tighter fit. If your horse is normally borderline between sizes in a normal summer rug, this may mean the difference between going up/down a size. Our rugs offer generous adjustments which can overcome these issues in most cases.

• Young horses often have underdeveloped chests, which can make them a challenge to rug. Often a dart in the shoulder line can take up the slack and be taken out when the horse fills out.

Rug fitting

A good fitting rug will be more comfortable for the horse. A comfortable horse is less likely to rub, roll, scratch, bite etc and this will ultimately help in extending the life of the rug and prevent potential injury to the horse.

The following information is offered to assist you in achieving the best fit between your horse and the rug:

• Rugs should sit forward and in front of the wither. This is a common fault of many rugs in that they have an oversized neck line and cannot be adjusted to sit above the wither.

• The chest buckles should be fastened in the same adjustment position.

• The rug should sit firmly around the neckline and chest.

• Don’t over tighten the leg straps. They need to be loose enough to prevent chaffing, but not so loose to risk the horses leg or other objects getting snagged on the strap

• Surcingles should be adjusted so that they are firm but not tight. A good rule to follow here is that you should be able to fit your hand between the straps and the horse.

• The seam at the attachment of the tail flap should be aligned with the top of the tail. If it is down on the tail the rug is either too big or your chest buckles are not adjusted properly. If the seam is on the horses rump the rug is too small or again the chest buckles are adjusted incorrectly.

A good fitting horse rug will reduce the likely hood of your horse developing rub marks which commonly occur on the chest and shoulders. This is one of our priorities when designing our rugs. We believe our design and fastening systems enable our rugs to be properly fitted to most horses and that excessive pressure on the chest and shoulder regions is kept to an absolute minimum. High and appropriately positioned gussets in conjunction with properly adjusted surcingles are essential to achieving this. Anti-rub linings are included in all our rugs to further minimize chance of rub marks.

We have incorporated many features in our Rein Supreme horse rugs to assist in getting the best fit for your horse and prevent rub marks or other issues. However there are some practices that you as the owner should consider as well. When worn for extended periods rugs should be checked and adjusted regularly. If the horse is in a situation where this does not happen it may be advisable to use a padded bib as well.