Berry Rugs
Choosing the right cover for your horse can be confusing - there are so many choices, different prices, loads of different colours and fabrics, and a huge variety of styles. The team at Berry's Equestrian can help you make purchasing a rug simple.
View our selection of rugs here.
At Berry's we make our own top quality canvas rugs. We also stock Zilco, Chevalier, Flair, Horze and Weatherbeeta synthetic rugs.
Which really is the best rug for our NZ horses? This is an important question and one of the most frequently asked at Berry's Equestrian. It is easy to be overwhelmed and swayed by colour or style and not by practical considerations.
While there are many advantages to a synthetic rug such as being lightweight and easy to handle, offering a waterproof outer shell, sursingles, a range of inner fillings, generous shoulder gussets, , tail flaps, and exciting colours and combos, they do have the potential to overheat your horse. Many synthetic rugs are made for Northern Hemisphere winters which are a lot colder than NZ. At Berry's Equestrian, our in-house repair service has civen us the opportunity to evaluate many types of rug. A big concern for us are sweaty damp rugs that come in to be repaired. Evidence suggests horses are getting hot and sweaty during the day and staying this way right through into the evening. When the evening temperature drops, your horse can get chilled, which can in turn lead to health issues such as colds and skin conditions. Therefore if your horse or pony is being left covered all day, check that it isn't getting too hot. Most horses have good inbuilt central heating systems and generally would be healthier and happier if they are comfortable during the day and not so warm at night. Providing you choose wisely, the synthetic rug is a great rug for many horses especially those that need to be kept extremely warm e.g. old horses, clipped out horses, or breeds that grow very little coat in winter.
A great option to synthetic rugs is the traditional canvas horse rug. These have changed little over the years. Canvas is suitable for the majority of NZ horses, it's tough, warm and breathable and value for money too. Berry's have extensively researched many of their linings to find something suitable for every NZ horse and pony. For winter we recommend an 18 or 24 oz rip stop canvas. The choices of linings available are Supa Wool, 100% Wool, Polar Fleece of Thermal.
Our canvas rugs are a snug fit round the neck, and darted at the shoulder for freedom of movement. The design has two rear darts and a tail flap. We prefer to use leather leg straps and fittings and all rugs come with buckle attachments ready fo the neck cover.
A well fitting canvas rug can last many years, it should be waterproofed regularly and stored in a dry area when not in use, this will help prolong the rug's life and save you money in the end.
We are proud to produce a NZ made product, all our Berry horse covers are made in our workshop directly behind the showroom and you can even watch them being made.
Your horses welfare is our priority, we care about them as much as you do and want to help you make the right choice, so come and talk to the friendly team at Berry's Equestrian.