UK Horse Rugs - Do It Yourself Horse Rug Repair

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A Simple Guide to Repairing Horse Rugs

There are many professional services out there offering to clean, repair and re-proof horse rugs and many offer a great service for those without the time and/or facilities to do it themselves. However, it is possible to repair and re-proof your own horse rugs and it can be a cost-effective solution for those on a tight budget.

In the first instance, the key is to ensure that you buy good quality rugs because these will always be longer lasting than cheap imports and will always be worth repairing. My own Rambo turnout rug lasted eight years despite heavy use and being pulled about by a Welsh Section 'D' each and every day throughout the winter. Every year I had to have the neck flap stitched back on and any number of tears repaired!

The first step will be to clean the horse rug and allow it to dry. The basis of the repair will then be to sew a waterproof patch over the tear. Begin by placing the rug on a flat surface and cutting the repair patches to size. It is always worth sewing the ends of the tear to ensure that it does not run further before pinning the patch over the torn section and then sewing it into place.

When sewing a patch on a horse rug in this way, please remember to start from the inside of the rug so that the knots are on the inside. These knots can be quite bulky and keeping them on the inside will prevent them being caught on branches and/or barbed wire or even pulled at by other horses. Once the repair patch has been stitched into place you will need to glue the stitching and leave it to dry out. The glue also helps to ensure that the stitching does not become caught on branches and pulled out. Needless to say, trim any of the excess repair patch material away.

It is possible to buy horse rug repair kits that come with all of the bits you will need to complete a satisfactory repair of your horse rugs. However, in addition to the repair patch, you will need some strong thread (ordinary cotton will not suffice!), a large needle, some pins, glue and/or re-proofer and, of course, some scissors.

It is important also to re-proof your horse rug to ensure that it remains waterproof during the worst downpour. Again, ensure that your rug is clean and dry before beginning but, essentially, it is a simple matter of ensuring that the entire rug is coated in re-proofer, which is then allowed to dry.

One final tip. If a horse rug really cannot be repaired, don't throw it away! You can cut it up for patches to repair other rugs and also re-use the straps, clips and other bits!

We hope that you have found this simple guide to repairing horse rugs useful and you will find below a selection of horse rug repair kits and also re-proofer available for sale right now on eBay. We hope you find the video below useful too. Good luck!