Measuring Your Horse For a Rug

Finding the right size rug for your horse is crucial to ensure he is comfortable and to avoid any rubbing or sores. Not to mention that an ill fitting rug is more likely to become damaged! Don't just guess, play it safe and read our handy guide to make sure you buy the best fitting rug for your horse.

Written by
Bethany , Marketing Assistant

Method:

1. It’s vital to measure your horse without a rug on. And it’s really a two man job! If you don’t have an extra long tape measure, use a length of baler twine instead and measure it afterwards.

2. Take the tape and put it in the centre of the horse’s chest (A)

3. Stretch it round the horse to the centre of his tail (B).

4. Deduct 4ins or 10cm from this measurement, then look at the sizing chart below to work out which is your horse’s nearest rug size.

This measurement should take into account the width of your horse — sometimes a very wide horse requires a bigger rug than is suggested just by its height. If your horse is between rug sizes then remember to take the time of year, age and horse’s work load into consideration.

Length (cm)	Rug Size (UK)	Size	Height (Hands)
100	3 ft 3	XS	<10
105	3 ft 6	XS	<10
115	3 ft 9	XS	<10
120	4 ft	S	10-10.2
130	4 ft 3	S	10.2-11
140	4 ft 6	S	11-11.2
145	4 ft 9	M	11.2-12.2
150	5 ft	M	12.2-13.2
160	5 ft 3	M	13.2-14
170	5 ft 6	L	14-14.2
175	5 ft 9	L	14.2-15.2
180	6 ft	L	15.2-16
190	6 ft 3	XL	16-16.2
200	6 ft 6	XL	16.2-16.3
205	6 ft 9	XL	16.3-17
210	7 ft	XXL	17-17.2
220	7 ft 3	XXL	17.2-18
230	7 ft 6	XXL	>18

Depending on your horse, you may also want to look out for key features which can give a better fit and increased comfort. Look out for these features in our extensive range of rugs: