New to Horse Ownership? Rugging Doesn't Have to Be Confusing.
Most new horse owners are told conflicting things about rugging. Here's what actually matters — explained simply — plus a free app that works it out for you every day.
New to Horse Ownership? Rugging Doesn't Have to Be Confusing.
Most new horse owners are told conflicting things about rugging. Here's what actually matters — explained simply — plus a free app that works it out for you every day.
🐴 New Horse Setup — 3 mins
Add your horse
Name, breed, age, size
Set their location
GPS or suburb — exact weather
Clip type & coat stage
Unclipped, trace, hunter, full
Get tonight's plan
Morning · Day · Evening · Overnight
✨ Tonight's Recommendation
200g Turnout
Overnight low 8°C · Clear · Unclipped Warmblood
The Simple Truth About Horse Rugging
Horses are incredibly good at regulating their own temperature — up to a point. The job of a rug is to fill the gap between what a horse can handle naturally and what the conditions actually are.
The key number to know is your horse's Lower Critical Temperature (LCT). This is the temperature below which they start burning extra energy just to stay warm. For most unclipped horses this is somewhere between 0–10°C depending on breed. For clipped horses it's much higher.
Everything else — rug weight, waterproofing, neck covers — flows from understanding that one idea.
Native Pony
Shetland, Haflinger, Welsh
Warmblood / Sport horse
Hanoverian, Dutch WB, Irish
Thoroughbred / Arabian
Feel the cold soonest
Any clipped horse
Clip type determines how much
The 5 Questions Every New Horse Owner Should Ask
What is the temperature tonight — and what will it be at 3am?
Not the daytime high — the overnight low is what matters for rugging.
Is rain or wind forecast?
Both make horses feel significantly colder. Wind can drop the effective temperature by 3–5°C.
Is my horse clipped?
A clipped horse needs significantly more insulation — often 6–8°C worth.
What breed is my horse?
Thoroughbreds and Arabians feel the cold much earlier than native breeds or Warmbloods.
What shelter does my horse have?
Fully stabled horses usually need one rug step lighter than paddocked horses.
Rugged Up answers all 5 — automatically
Just set up your horse profile once and the app handles the calculation every day.
The 4 Rugging Mistakes New Owners Make
Rugging because it feels cold to you
Horses tolerate cold much better than humans, especially native breeds. Your comfort level is not their LCT.
Using the city forecast
Your property and the nearest city can vary by 3–5°C overnight. Get your property's actual conditions.
Leaving a heavy rug on all day
Horses overheat in too-heavy rugs as it warms up. This affects their coat and wellbeing.
No waterproof rug for wet weather
A wet horse loses heat dramatically faster than a dry one. Waterproofing is non-negotiable in rain.
What Rugs You Actually Need (Starter Kit)
You don't need 10 rugs. You need the right 3–4.
Light waterproof sheet
0g–100g
Cool wet days, dust cover, UV shield in summer
Mid-weight turnout
200g, waterproof
Your most-used rug — autumn and spring nights
Heavy turnout
300g–400g, waterproof
Coldest nights and clipped horses in winter
Stable rug (optional)
Cotton or fleece
Indoors or after washing
Rugged Up tells you exactly which of these to use — tonight
No need to guess which rug from your wardrobe is right. The app matches the recommendation to what you already own.
Take the Guesswork Out — Completely
Rugged Up was built for exactly this situation. Tell it about your horse — breed, age, clip type, where they live — and it tells you what rug to use. Every single day. Free forever for one horse.