Many horse owners know it - autumn and winter are the main cover seasons, and some horses get problems with chafing during this time. The solution - a chest protector for horses. This is because heavy winter rugs with fleece lining in particular can cause hair breakage or even pressure points in the horse's chest, sweet itch rugs, can also cause chafing at the withers or other areas.
Finding the right horse rug is not easy in any case. When you finally find the right rug after a long search, you feel relieved. But even well-fitting rugs can have weak points in everyday situations. Especially during the coat change period, the horse's coat reacts sensitively to even the smallest kind of friction - this can lead to bald spots in the chest area and on the horse's shoulder. Unpleasant pressure marks and hair loss can also occur at the horse's withers. If this is the case with your horse, a chafe guard for horses is a good idea.
There are various types of protectors. Usually, a chafe guard for horses is made of a tight-fitting, stretchy and smooth material with high breathability. These are made of friction-free polyester or lightweight Lycra fabric and are sometimes lined with cosy synthetic fur. The fabric is usually very thin and lies directly against the body, so they do not create any friction themselves.
Classic models, such as the shoulder guards from Horze or LeMieux, are simply pulled over the head to the withers and over the shoulder of your horse. In the area of the girth, the shoulder protector is securely closed with a strong Velcro fastener or buckle. Sensitive pressure points such as the horse's shoulder and withers are thus optimally protected.
The breast protector for horses with fur from Kentucky Horsewear is particularly elegant. The Winter BIB is ideal for protecting your horse's chest. It consists of two separate layers and is simply placed over the breast closure of your rug. For the optimum comfort factor, the inside of the Winter BIB is lined with synthetic rabbit fur, which offers the best comfort and reduces pressure on the chest. For use on warmer days there is the Summer BIB from Kentucky. A new addition to the Kentucky chafe protection range is the chest guard with sheepskin for horses. All models from Kentucky Horsewear can also be used as withers protection.
There are different opinions on this issue. One thing is for sure, if your horse rug does not fit at all, no chest protector will help. In such cases, you must always put your horse's welfare first. Buying a new, properly fitted rug is the only solution. For rugs that fit well but still lead to hair breakage and small chafe marks under certain circumstances or during coat changes, a chest protector and shoulder protector can be a remedy. This is the case, for example, with horses that walk with a rug in the horse walker and do not wear special horse walker rugs, they tend to have chafing marks in the shoulder area. Grey and chestnut horses are particularly susceptible to this.
If hair chafing occurs, you should therefore be honest with yourself and first check whether the blanket really fits your horse. The chest guard can be a solution, but sometimes only a new rug will help. And of course you can find them here. In addition to the classics such as rain rugs, cooler rugs, medium & heavyweight turnout rugs, stable rugs & liners or fly rugs, we also offer a variety of special styles. If you have a horse that suffers from the notorious sweet itch, then you should definitely take a look at our sweet itch rugs. Or if you just want to pamper your horse a little, then take a look at our magentic & massage rugs. As a pony owner, you will also find a wide variety of different pony rugs.
