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Apollo is my horse of a lifetime. I was gifted him from a hunt yard when he became in need of a quieter life after a tendon injury. This giant and sometimes pushy chestnut of indeterminate breeding (but most likely Irish Draught) was delivered to my home in 2010, and so began a love affair that thankfully has lasted way beyond the two years I thought it would.
I doubted if I could keep him sound. But I did and I led my daughters on their ponies from him, picked them up from school on him, visited the local pub for a Coke on him, and went miles and miles with my husband, friends and family on their horses.
This then, is the story of Apollo, the tester of the Swish Equestrian 200g Detachable Neck Turnout Rug and it is important to know this about him because one of the reasons I think I have kept him sound for so many years (apart from not riding him that fast very often) is his 24/7 turnout.
Last year I kept him outside without a rug despite his advancing years (25-plus) because he had a shed for shelter and it worked really well for weight management (he went into the spring a lot lighter than he had been in the summer).
However, this year the outside of his shed became a quagmire and so it had to be roped off, and when the Swish rug arrived for testing it was like manna from heaven and impeccable timing.
Video
Watch the rug in action in our video below:
First impressions
My first impressions were that the mulberry colour was pretty bright, but actually it has turned out to be a positive because I can spot Apollo all the way from my house, which is a long way.
You could say that he stands out from the crowd (even if, as a rather manly chap, he may think that the burgundy or the navy would be more him).
The reflective strips are something else, too. Having had to cross his field one night wearing a head torch I could see him a mile away thanks to those dazzlingly bright strips — a fantastic safety addition, especially for owners who have to walk their horse down a road to a field.
The ultimate tester
Apollo is probably the ultimate rug tester because he has some of the worst conformation I’ve ever seen in a horse, being somewhat lopsided — and yes he has been checked by healthcare professionals.
This means that in the 15 years I’ve had him no rug has ever sat straight on him for very long, especially after a roll and a shake. I was therefore pleasantly surprised that the ‘slip’ with the Swish, while regular, was very minor, and with just a light pull on the near side the rug would obligingly sit centrally again.
Freedom of movement
Additionally, it offers great freedom at the front, and the manufacturer says: “It is designed to sit higher on the neck/shoulders to prevent the rug from slipping back and rubbing.”
I can certainly confirm that all these claims are true and I have had no slip back or rubbing. In fact, being a lover of 24/7 turnout (me as well as Apollo), he braved Storm Darragh, Storm Eowyn and Storm Herminia in it (has there ever been a stormier January?).
Apollo looked perfectly serene the day after the former as though nothing untoward had even happened, although nearby roofs lost tiles and trees crashed to the ground.
Fitting and filling
The 200g of filling is the perfect weight for Apollo, while he hasn’t ripped the 1,200 denier outer yet, despite two months of wear and plenty of brambles in the hedges that surround his field.
He has always fitted into 7ft rugs, and this one is no different. In fact, I would say that it’s more generously sized than some brands, but this doesn’t mean the need to size down.
Detachable neck cover
The detachable neck is wonderfully spacious and fits a treat, and it’s also a godsend. I’m not a fan of rugs that don’t offer a detachable option, because there will always be days when a neck simply isn’t required but a rug is.
I have broken the odd nail, though, separating the Velcro pieces on the rug itself in order to attach one from the neck cover. This isn’t a criticism, as without this extraordinary ‘stickability’ I guess the cover may not stay so robustly in place whatever the horse does.
Easy-access size label
It may only be a small point, but there’s a size label on the outside at the front that is super-easy to access. Having owned several horses over the years, and when struggling to remember sizes for reordering in the autumn (always, as I inevitably fail to write names on storage bags), one of my pet hates is ferreting around and having to take the entire rug out of its bag, turn it over and around and then inside out before that minuscule size label can be located.
Value for money
I could go on and on about the plus points of this rug, but even online reviews have a word count that needs sticking to. Oh, but there is one more thing to mention — price point.
Actually, £105.99 is excellent value for a class product that has served a bolshy Irish Draught who loves to roll incredibly well so far.
Key information
Full name: Swish Equestrian 200g Detachable Neck Turnout Rug
Colour options: Burgundy, orange, navy, violet, red and mulberry.
Also available with 100g weight filling.
Size options: 4ft 3in – 7ft 6in
RRP £105.99
View the full Swish Equestrian medium turnout range
