A Guide to Horse Rug Measuring.

Measuring -Which size horse rug should I buy?

Horses come in all different shapes. Our rugs are based on standard Australian sizing, which measures the rug along the bottom edge of the rug, from the front edge of the rug at the chest fittings to the back edge of the rug. (With Gusset Closed)

Horse Rugs are sized at 3 inch (75mm) intervals. To get an approximate sizing, measure in a straight line from the center of the horses chest, around the shoulder, along the side of the barrel and belly and around the rear to the point just around the rump. (Or where you expect the rug to finish). Its a good idea to measure both sides more than once! This measurement can be used as a guide for your rug. Unfortunately horses don't all come in the same dimensions, so your horse maybe either side of the below sizing depending on your horse's characteristics. It can be a difficult decision to go up a size or down a size if you don't have other rugs to compare. If you have any questions please feel free to ask us.

Our rugs are true to size - so if a rug is advertised as a 6'3", it will measure 6'3" (190.5cm) from lower section of the rug, measured from between the chest buckles along the length of the rug, to the rear edge of the rug. (with gusset closed). See Image Below. The only exception to this is for our 1200 Denier synthetic waterproof turnout rugs and combos. Turnouts allow to have the rug overlap at the chest to provide extra insulation and waterproofing - as such turnouts will generally measure 5 to 6cm longer along the bottom edge to cater for chest overlap.

Our rugs are very consistent in sizing to other leading manufactures in the market place. If you have an existing rug that fits your horse - its always a good idea to measure your existing rug. Measure along the bottom edge of the rug, gusset closed, from between the chest straps to the rear edge of the rug.

# The above table is to be used as a guide only - each horse is different and your horses weight, chest size, age and other characteristics need to be considered.

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 usually considered the industry standard:

Caribu Sizing & Design

Other Sizing Issues

Because we use standard Australian sizing for our rugs, it makes it much easier for sizing and comparison. We also understand that while horse rug sizes are standard - horses aren't! They come in all shapes and sizes. Our rugs are designed to fit the major majority of horses, the majority of the time. Like people, there will always be horses that have shapes that don't confirm to the norm, and often a custom made rug is the best option. If you do have a fitting issue its usually due to having the wrong size rug for your horse rather than an issue with the fit of the rug itself.

Some things that effect sizing decisions:

• Many of the imported rugs (including some big name brands) used to make rugs especially for the Australian market and sizing. However in recent years they now manufacture one rug for distribution in all markets - Europe, UK, US and Australia. (Often based on European designs) Each region measures their rugs differently (ie: Europe measure from wither to tail along the top edge of the rug). Unfortunately the sizing's don't slot in neatly with Australian sizing - so its not unusual to have one of these rugs that can be out by almost a whole sizing - ie: a rug labeled as a 6'0, but when you measure them they can be closer to 6'3 or even 5'9.
  
  
• Necklines are often very deep cut (or poorly designed!) on the cheaper imported rugs 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 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 or similar under your winter rug to create layers - this is more padding again and creates a tighter fit again. Like wise an unlined rain sheet may be a looser fit. This may mean the difference between going up/down a size.
  
  
• 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.

Avoid damage to your rug or horse:

• Having your horse in a rug a size to small, resulting in excessive pressure on chest buckles and the wither area and/or
• Having your horse in rug that is to large, resulting in a rug that slips easily on your horse and/or
• Having Leg straps fitted to loosely , and the horses rug slips, usually allowing the horse to either step thru the leg strap or catch their hoof on the strap - which results in the strap being pulled off.
• Loose Belly Surcingles, which allows the horse to get his legs caught in a strap when running or rolling.
• Any of the above issues are exaggerated when your horses rolls or canters.

Rub Marks:

A good fit will reduce the likely hood of your horse developing rub marks from pressure points from a rug. We design our rugs in such away to insure that pressure on the chest and shoulders is kept to a minimum. We also incorporate anti-rub linings in our rugs. Keep in mind that some rugs are heavier than others (like Fly mesh or Turnout Rugs) and these will apply more weight to pressure points. Rub Marks are caused from a combination of :

• Incorrect sized rugs that are to loose or to tight for the horse in question,
• Late January to early March horses grow out there summer coat with a thicker winter coat, during this time a horse coat is more susceptible to rub.
• Wearing rugs for extended periods (ie: over winter) will eventually have an impact on pressure points and bibs are advisable
• Some horses have fine coats and are more susceptible to rubbing and may need a bib under heavier rugs to provide an extra layer of padding.
• Some horses have features which do make them more susceptible.