Get instruction
This page explains what governing bodies, standards bodies and veterinary bodies publish. It is not a substitute for instruction from a qualified coach or riding school, and it does not replace medical or veterinary advice.
Rugs
World Horse Welfare names three main kinds of rug in its rugging guidance: stable rugs, turnout rugs and fly rugs. The page shows a last-updated date written in a way that could mean 7 March 2026 or 3 July 2026.
A Horse & Hound guide, which we saw only in a search summary, also names coolers, used after exercise or bathing, and liners, worn under a main rug, and says turnout rug weight is described by the fill in grams and the toughness of the outer fabric by its denier. We could not open the guide, so those descriptions are unconfirmed.
World Horse Welfare on over-rugging
World Horse Welfare states that over-rugging can harm a horse's health and welfare. It says horses regulate their body temperature well between about 5 and 25 degrees C, and that outside that range shelter or shade should be part of how the horse is managed.
It lists the factors it says owners should weigh in deciding whether a horse needs a rug:
- the horse's fat score;
- the weather and the "feels like" temperature, and rain;
- the forage available;
- shelter, and freedom to move around;
- health conditions, such as poor teeth or laminitis;
- the natural coat, and whether the horse is clipped;
- whether it has been rugged before, and its age.
That list is World Horse Welfare's framework, not a decision for any particular horse. Weight, laminitis and other health questions linked to rugging are veterinary matters, and a vet must be consulted about an individual horse. The horse health page names conditions as veterinary bodies describe them.
Care kit in the FEI rules
The FEI rulebooks mention several pieces of horse care equipment, mostly to say where they may be used. These are read as reproduced in Equestrian Australia's 2026 rulebooks, because the FEI's own site refused our requests.
| Item | FEI rule (2026) |
|---|---|
| Fly shields, nose covers, saddle covers | Permitted in eventing training areas, with running and Irish martingales, bit guards, boots and bandages (Eventing Rules) |
| Ear hoods | Allowed in the eventing dressage test if the ears move freely and the eyes are not covered, and not attached to the noseband; the rule notes they may give noise reduction (Eventing Rules) |
| Nose nets | Allowed in the eventing dressage test (Eventing Rules) |
| Fly masks covering the eyes | Prohibited, with blinkers, in jumping competition (Jumping Rules Annex VIII 2.1) |
| Plastic eye shields ("glasses or sunglasses for horses") | Prohibited when mounted or exercising, including lunging; allowed in stable and grazing areas (Jumping and Eventing Rules) |
| Tongue straps | Prohibited (Jumping Rules Annex VIII 2.2(f)); tongue guards are governed by Veterinary Regulations Art. 1044.5 |
| Side reins, running reins, chambons | Single direct side reins, running reins and chambons permitted only while lunging with one lunge line (Eventing Rules Annex O 1.3.1) |
Why there is no grooming kit list here
We looked for a list of grooming equipment published by a governing body, welfare body or veterinary body and did not find one. The only lists we found were shops' product listings, and this site does not use shops as a source for facts, so we do not reproduce them. Grooming, rugging and every other part of handling a horse are learned in person, from a qualified coach or riding school, and questions about a particular horse's health go to a vet.
Sources
- World Horse Welfare, rugging horses: when does your horse need a rug?
- Horse & Hound, different types of horse rugs (seen in search summary only)
- Equestrian Australia, Eventing Rules 1 January 2026 (reproducing the FEI Eventing Rules, 27th edition)
- Equestrian Australia, National Jumping Rules 2026 (reproducing the FEI Jumping Rules)