When it comes to horse care, particularly in high-pressure moments, the line between theory and reality can blur. Many of us are taught specific procedures labelled as 'best practice,' but lived experience often provides the most compelling reasons to adjust those methods.
One late night after a long day at competition, I returned home with two horses to unload, five to feed and rug, and three exhausted, irritable children in the car. While I understood that tying horses in an enclosed area is the ideal scenario for rugging, that night, like many before it, required some short cuts. The horses were familiar and trusted, so I fed them and started putting on their rugs as they ate.
All went smoothly—until I reached the last horse, a young stallion. Just as I draped the rug over him, one of the children began crying, which startled the stallion. He bolted. Fortunately, I had fastened the back leg straps first. After a buck and a kick, the rug flew off in one piece. Had I done up the chest strap first, the outcome could have been disastrous. The rug could have slipped and tangled around his legs, potentially causing injury or property damage.
This wasn’t the first time experience overruled theory.
Years earlier, I worked in racing stables where it was routine for stable hands to ride horses to the track with the front of their sheets or rugs done up, but the leg straps left undone. Despite the apparent convenience, I witnessed numerous frightening incidents. Horses would occasionally throw their riders and bolt back towards the stables. More than once, I saw them trip and tumble on the bitumen roads, their unsecured rugs slipping underfoot. The noise of horses slipping and sparking on the road in the early morning darkness is not easily forgotten. On one tragic occasion, a galloping horse collided with a car and suffered two broken legs, requiring euthanasia.
These experiences have deeply shaped my opinion on what constitutes ‘best practice’ in rugging. While some may argue for securing the chest strap first—especially in controlled environments—my practical experiences have taught me otherwise. Fastening the leg straps first and undoing them last has, time and again, proven to be the safer approach, especially when time is tight or the situation is unpredictable.
In the world of horses, where each individual and situation is different, rigidly adhering to textbook procedures may not always be the most effective or safest option. Safety should always come first, and adapting practices based on real-world experiences can be key.
Ultimately, experience is the greatest teacher. As horse owners and riders, it's important we remain open to learning and refining our techniques—not just from instruction, but from those challenging, unpredictable, and all-too-human moments.
Happy Riding,
Glenys 🙂
