Fitting Instructions for Rugs with Neck Covers

To achieve the perfect fit it is best to take the trouble to make the following checks before using the rug.

1. Put the rug on the horse and fasten belts.
The crossover surcingles should be evenly adjusted so that you can easily slip the flat of your hand between the belly and the belt. Too loose, and the belts may become unfastened when the horse rolls.

2. With the neck cover turned back make sure that the horse has plenty of room around the neck line and the point of the shoulder.

3. Now check the length of the rug — the end of the rug should finish just past the end of the horse’s quarters so that the horse is completely covered.

4. Put the neck cover gently up the neck — remember, if your horse has never worn a neck cover before, it may take him a while to get used to it, so be careful not to startle him.

5. When the horse is relaxed fasten the front fittings, these should fit without the elastic being stretched at all.

6. Now you need to check that there is sufficient room for the horse to move and graze without straining any part of the rug.

7. Adjust the fillet string and tie securely with sufficient room to allow the hind legs to extend when galloping.

8. With the horse on a lead take him for a walk and pick of grass. This will allow the rug to settle into position so that you can finally assure yourself that you have a perfect fit.

9. Check that you can slip your hand up the front of the neck to make sure that he is not straining on the neck fittings when he is grazing and that the rug has not pulled forward at the quarters exposing his bottom.


  • If the neck is straining and the rug is pulling forward you will need a larger size.

  • If the rug is long enough in the body but the neck is straining you should consider the following solutions:

If you feel the horse needs more room around the neck and shoulders you may need an extra deep neck size which is available in the Viking and Goliath ranges.
Extra deep necks have an extra 3” each side at the front to give an extra 6” across the chest. Therefore an extra deep neck size will also measure an extra 3” in the overall length, for example: a 6’6” regular neck rug will measure 6’6” along the bottom and a 6’6” extra deep neck will measure 6’9” along the bottom.