It doesn’t matter what time of year it is — every equestrian faces the same daily dilemma:

“Which rug should I put on today?”

Morning or night, rain or shine, warm or windy… every pony is different and every day throws a new twist on the same question. This time of year is especially challenging when we seem to get all four seasons in one day.

Here’s how I manage rug choices for my three very different ponies — and why there’s no such thing as a perfect answer.

Suzie – The Sensitive Bay With EMS

Suzie is bay, so she hides the dirt well, but she’s sensitive to flies and suffers from allergies, especially when the fields are being cut. This year she’s been slower to shed her winter coat, so if it’s warm and breezy (and the flies aren’t too bad), she goes out naked to enjoy the sun and have a good roll.

Most of the time she wears either:

• a combo fly rug, or

• the hybrid combo fly rug when rain is forecast.

Because of her EMS and the Invokana, keeping enough weight on her is a fine balance. At night she’s usually un-rugged — she overheats easily in the stable and can get sweaty, so less is more. Even in winter she wore lighter rugs than the year before.

Boris – The Hardy Welsh × Shetland Who Attracts Every Fly

Boris is hardy and currently very overweight, but being grey means the flies absolutely love him. The Mombasa fly rug is perfect for him — lightweight mesh sides with a waterproof topline that keeps him dry without overheating.

He’s very wide, so the generous neck design fits him well. He also gets itchy, so he has an all‑weather fly rug for bad fly days, but like Suzie, he goes out naked when the flies ease off.

Lux – The Sensitive Queen With Sarcoid History

Lux suffers the most. She had the winter off to treat sarcoids under and around her girth, and although they’re mostly healed, flies still try to irritate them.

She must wear:

• a combo fly rug with a belly flap,

• either hybrid or conventional,

• depending on the weather.

Her biggest issue is static. Standard fly rugs zap her no matter what I try — folding, lifting, touching metal first… nothing stops it. Fly spray helps sometimes, but we’ve just invested in a new anti‑static fly rug, and I’m really hoping it solves the problem.

She’s warm‑blooded, so she gets hot in the stable, but with her sensitive skin she still needs a fine mesh rug at night. And of course, she always gets a good scratch before bed — essential bonding time.

The Truth: You’ll Always Second‑Guess Your Rug Choice

Whatever the weather, I always think I’ve chosen the wrong rug… and then the weather changes again and somehow it all works out — well, most of the time.

Winter brings its own chaos:

• What weight do they need?

• Neck or no neck?

• One layer or two?

• Will they overheat?

• Will they get cold?

It never gets easier.

But with modern hybrid fly rugs and lightweight stable rugs that layer easily, it’s a lot simpler than it used to be.

Who remembers the old jute stable rugs and heavy New Zealand turnouts…