Horse Tack Blankets, Rugs and Accessories

Wednesday, September 8th, 2010 at 8:59 pm

Horse Wear, Common Classes Of Clothing & Accessories

Maybe you are new to owning a horse, or maybe you just want to get new clothing or accessories for your horse, there is nothing to worry about. If you need to learn about what types of each horse wear to get, then all you need to do is read! Once you have read about them, you will know exactly what to get.

The most common horse clothing purchased is horse rugs , horse bridles, and horse saddles. Of course, there are a lot more to buy, but these are a few of the main pieces. There are different types of each of these, which means you should read about what each one is used for before getting them, because you may end up with the wrong one!

A horse rug is a material which is fastened to the horse to benefit either the horse or the rider, some may benefit the horse by preventing things, or to keep it warm, but some may be to benefit the rider, or both at the same time. The main types of horse rugs are anti-sweat, fly, stable, and turnout rugs.

After a horse has been running, it may need help cease the chills, which is the whole purpose of an anti-sweat rug. A secondary use of the anti-sweat rug is to stop irritation of flies, but that is mostly handled with the fly rug. The anti-sweat rug is made with (range of thicknesses available) cotton mesh. As just mentioned, the fly rug is the primary rug used to stop irritation of flies, and other insects. It is made by fine mesh, is lightweight and as well as its primary use, can also protect the horse from anything like sun burns, or prevent the horse getting dirty, etc. When the horse is just in the stable(s), or indoors, a stable rug is usually necessary. A stable rug keeps the horse either, or both, warm or clean. It is made by quilted synthetic material, but is not water proof. When your horse is just roaming the fields, mainly in the winder, a turnout rug is usually put on the horse. The turnout rug will keep the horse clean and warm, and it is light in weight so the horse will not get tired too easily. The only main concern with the turnout rub is that, usually, it is very easily ripped which means if the horse is roaming around and encountering sharp objects, the rug may rip.

A horse bridle is tack, made of leather straps, which holds in place the metal bit in the horses mouth and the reins on the horse, for the rider to control it. There are two main types of horse bridles. The two types are English bridles, and Western bridles.

An English bridle is a more dapper design, and is usually used for show-off competitions, or show events, etc. A western bridle is the bridle that would be used for a more general use, for field or stable use, but this is up to the rider. Depending on which bridle you have, there can be many accessories to add on to the bridle tack.

A horse saddle is the main part of the tack; the part where the rider sits on, and which supports the rider. There are many different saddles, but which type you use depends on your horse and what you are getting the saddler for. For example, if you were to get a saddle for training your horse on jumps, or for taking part of a competition involving jumps then you may want to use the all-purpose English saddle.

There are many different saddles to choose from, for different horses, different events, or for different rider-preferences. If you own a horse with a wide-back then you may need a treeless saddle, or if you want to assure comfort for your horse you could choose the Australian stock saddle. Also, the reining saddle was made for a lighter saddle, and for a rider-preference saddle, you may want a dressage saddle if you need a deep-seat. If you want your horse to perform better, you may choose to get a saddle that was designed for the event you are taking part of. For a jump event, you may go with the all-purpose English saddle, but for a racing event, inevitably you would want a racing saddle. If you do not want a saddle for any events, and you just want a general saddle, maybe for taking your horse for a walk, you may choose to get a Western saddle!

If you are new to having a horse, or you have had a horse for a while but never really thought about clothing or accessories, then you are right in reading about it because there are a variety of different horse wear to choose from, and to fit your preferences too.

by Peter Higgin
About the Author:

If you are interested in horses, chances are you’re familiar with most of the horse wear that is needed to make your horse look well-dressed. You can also find a wide range of riding wear for yourself.