Shires Horse Size Guide

Getting the right size rug for your horse is crucial to ensure your companion is comfortable and without any rubbing, irritation or sores. Plus, an ill-fitting rug is more likely to get damaged. Measuring your horse is the best way to ensure you get the right size the first time. 

Horse rugs are sized in feet and inches, with 3-inch increments. Use a soft measuring tape to take your measurements. If you don’t have a long enough tape, use a length of twine and measure it afterwards. 

1. Find someone to help you! It’s a two-person job. 

2. Measure horizontally from the centre of the chest to the end of the rump for UK sizing. Convert the measurement into feet and inches. 

3. Measure from the withers across the back to the top of the tail for European sizing.

4. If you already have a well-fitting rug, you could measure this by laying it flat and measuring from the centre of the chest to the end of the rug.

If your horse is in between sizes, it’s best to go for the bigger size than the smaller, unless your horse is especially petite or narrow-chested. 

Once you have chosen a size, ordered it and are ready to try it on your horse, ensure you put a clean sheet on your horse and try the rug over the top to keep it clean. This will prevent the rug from getting dirty in case it needs to be returned.

Getting the right size saddle pad is important for your horse’s comfort. If the pad is too short, it can be very uncomfortable for your companion, causing the saddle to rub and pressure them, which can cause sores and irritated skin. 

Generally, you want the length of your saddle pad to measure 3-4 inches longer than the saddle. There should be at least a 1-1 ½ inch clearance between the front and back of the saddle. 

When deciding on saddle pad length, consider which discipline you’ll use it for. Different disciplines call for different tacks, so ensure you have the correct saddle pad to fit your tack.

Fly masks help your horse feel comfortable while enjoying the sun in the fields. While turnout time is more common through the warm months, so are flies and insects. At best, flies can be irritating to horses and at worst, they can carry harmful, infection-causing bacteria that can be dangerous. A fly mask helps keep pesky bugs away from your horse’s face, preventing them from being bitten or irritated by insects and allowing them to enjoy their turnout time. 

There are a few measurements you can take to find the best size for your fly mask.

1. Length of nose flap: Measure from the top of the noseband to the end of your horse’s nose. If the fly mask is too long, it may flip up as your horse is grazing. 

2. Width of nose flap: Measure from the centre of the horse’s nose to the desired width, then double it.

3. Gullet: Measure from the gullet, up behind the ears and back to the starting point. 

4. Poll to noseband: Measure from the centre of the poll to the start of the noseband. 

5. Noseband: Measure around the head where the noseband would sit.