Weatherbeeta Arion Combo Turnout Rugs

...one horse though), but the Weatherbeeta Arion Combo is a good one.


Firstly, why use a rug?
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Basically to keep the horse warm. Some horses and ponies are very hardy and don`t require them. However, depending on the breeding, a lot of horses do wear rugs in winter. Horses is regular work during winter are often clipped. The amount of hair removed depends on the work that they ...
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Weatherbeeta Arion Combo.
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The Weaterbeeta Arion Combo is an outdoor rug with an integral neck cover. I am reviewing the heavyweight version. It is available in two colours as shown in the pictures. It`s outer is made from tough 1260 material which is 100% waterproof and breathable. The filling is 300g polyfil, 180g in the neck, making the rug heavyweight and lovely ... more

The British weather has a lot to answer to. One minute it is like the middle of summer and the ground is rock hard and we really need rain. The next minute, it is like the middle of winter again. The rain has come and events have been cancelled for being too wet! I did put my rugs away, but they are out again now, partly due to the fact that after work on Thursday, my horse out without a rug, was too wet to ride. I haven`t gone back to the rug that I am reviewing though as it really is a winter rug, but my thoroghbred has a medium one on. I have so many rugs I don`t know what to do with them (almost, I have more than one horse though), but the Weatherbeeta Arion Combo is a good one.

Firstly, why use a rug?
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Basically to keep the horse warm. Some horses and ponies are very hardy and don`t require them. However, depending on the breeding, a lot of horses do wear rugs in winter. Horses is regular work during winter are often clipped. The amount of hair removed depends on the work that they are doing, it is to mimimise sweating. This obviously leaves them more exposed to the elements, especially those that are fully clipped. This is why a wide variety of rugs are offered. Of the outdoor rugs available, there are varying degrees of thickness, depending on what the horse needs. Some have neck covers included, offering even more protection.

Weatherbeeta Arion Combo.
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The Weaterbeeta Arion Combo is an outdoor rug with an integral neck cover. I am reviewing the heavyweight version. It is available in two colours as shown in the pictures. It`s outer is made from tough 1260 material which is 100% waterproof and breathable. The filling is 300g polyfil, 180g in the neck, making the rug heavyweight and lovely and warm, suitable for the horse during the coldest winter. The lining is apparently denier embossed nylon which helps prevent rubbing.

The rug has a special feature, there is a pocket of room at the chest, created by a dart, to help eliminate rubbing.

There are new elastic inserts on the surcingles to allow greater freedom of movement. The leg straps have a swivel clip for ease of use and they are also removable. Some people don`t like using legstraps (though I always do), so this is useful. There is a reflective Weather beeta badge (useful if bringing in in the dark). There is an ID label, handy if lots of horses in the yard have the same rug. The surcingle fastenings are stainless steel and they have a rubber ring around them to help prevent the coming undone. There is a large tail flap which apparently is very cleverly designed. When the horse has its back to the wind, it is suposed to `harvest the wind`. This actually means that it wraps itself around the tail, rather than blowing up.

Ease of Use.
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I find this rug very easy to use. It is easy to put on. The surcingles are easy to do up. I find the stainless steel surcingles do up without a problem, it is quick and simple. You would expect that from any rug I know, but it is not always that straightforward. I help bring a lot of horses in during the winter. It can be really frustrating undoing some of the rugs. Most are no problem, but when the clip has bent out of shape slightly, it can be a real pain to undo. The other problem with some surcingle fasteners is that they undo in the field. You can go out sometimes and see a surcingle hanging beneath a horses belly. It is not too much of a problem as it shouldn`t touch the floor, but it may be a problem if the horse lies down as it could stand on it. This is the idea of the rubber rings around the fastening. It does seem to prevent them from coming undone.

The rug is just as easy to remove and it dries quickly.

Advantages.
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This rug really is waterproof. Most rugs are though, you would expect them to be for use outdoors. It keeps the horse dry though. The neck cover being integral, means that the horses neck does not get wet. On rugs that have detachable neck covers, you often see the rain getting in where it joins the rug. This doesn`t happen with this rug. Also, with the design of the tail flap, it keeps more of the horses back end dry. This may sound obvious, but I have seen horses out with a rug without a tail flap, or with a small tail flap and they can still get quite wet around the tail. The tail flap blows up on some and this is designed not to.

I have not seen any rug rubs on my horse from using this rug. A rug that fits should not cause rug rubs, but you do still see horses with bald patches on the shoulders caused by their rug. Whether this is because of the `pocket of room` which is part of the design to prvent rubs, or whether it is just because the rug fits my horse well, I am not sure. Still, it is good to know that it is part of the design to try to eliminate rug rubs.

The neck cover helps to keep the mane flat and on the correct side, as long as you make sure when you put the rug on that it is lying flat.

The coat does appear quite shiney after having the rug on. I am not really sure why, most coats (darker ones) have a natural shine anyway and I supose the material helps. It also ensures that the coat is not exposed to any mud, which also makes a difference.

Disadvantages.
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None to me at all. This rug may be a bit too warm for horses that are not clipped. You select your rug accordingly though, you wouldn`t necessarily buy a heavyweight rug for a horse that is not going to be clipped.

The neck cover is not detachable. Again I don`t condsider this to be a disadvantage. To me, when the weather is warm enough to remove the neckcover, you would then move into a lighter rug anyway. The only slight disadvantage I find with neck covers that are not detachable is, they don`t go quite as far up the horses neck as the detachable ones. The difference is only very slight though and it means that ther is no gap where the neck cover attaches to the rug, so to me, it isn`t a disadvantage.

Cost Effective?
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The rug is around £99, but always shop around on the internet. I have seen in tonight for £89 and there are sales on rugs after winter, always a good time to buy them.

I think this is about the right price to pay for a rug.

You can get much more expensive rugs. These are good, but this one is just as good.

I have tried much cheaper rugs and whilst they seem good at the time, they don`t last as long, the quality is not as good.

Some horses are habitual rug wreckers. The expensive rugs (this one included) are designed to be stronger and last longer than the cheaper ones. Horses that do wreck their rugs will often do better in a more expensive one. The Weatherbeeta Arion has a tough outer and is designed to last. Howvever, SOME horses wreck even expensive rugs. If you have one of these, it is probably best that you buy cheaper rugs and change them each year.

I usually spend around the £100 mark for a good outdoor rug. Rugs around this price usually last me a few years. I have only has this for one winter, so I cannot vouch for the lastability. It does appear strong and robust though and I am confident that it will last me years.

Do I recommend?
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I highly recommend this rug for people with horses who are clipped during winter. My youngster who isn`t clipped has a thinner rug without a neck cover. It is excellent for the price, I don`t really see the point in paying any more, it is an expensive enough hobby. It offers excellent protection which I think is enought, without having to pay more. I think it is excellent value for money. 

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