My first impression of this Bucas Freedom fly rug was that it appeared to be a good quality soft material, which draped nicely around my horse’s body. I tend to think of Bucas rugs as being top of the range, so while this rug had some of the quality elements I would expect from this brand, including Bucas’s clever double Velcro fastening and T-bar clip at the front, there were other aspects that surprised me.
(Image credit: creditUnknown)
The rug fitted my Irish sport horse well in the body, but the neck is on the short side for him, leaving a significant gap between the rug and his fly mask when grazing. The neck cover only has two fastenings, but this is sufficient.
(Image credit: creditUnknown)
The cross surcingles are robust and work well to keep the rug in position, but the rug doesn’t offer any belly protection.
(Image credit: creditUnknown)
The Bucas Freedom fly rug came with removable rear leg straps, but the clip fastenings were plastic, rather than metal, which surprised me. That said they are solid and do feel up to the task. The leg straps themselves are made of robust webbing and not as flexible as others that I’ve tested, such as the WeatherBeeta ComFiTec waterproof fly rug, although they have not rubbed my horse.
The fit of the rug around my horse’s hind quarters is good, and the tail flap is of a good size. I have noticed that the rug does have a tendency to suffer from static when being removed at times.
After around a month of frequent use, the rug has not rubbed and has remained in place when used both with rear leg straps and with just a single fillet string, providing a good level of protection from flies. However, the rug has suffered a tear on top of the hindquarters. It’s unclear whether this was caused by my horse catching the material on something while rolling or if it was caused by his turnout buddy playing in the field, but either way the material has appears to have less tear resistance than the Swish Nylon Fly Cool Rug that we are also testing.
(Image credit: creditUnknown)
The rug is available in a good range of sizes – from a dinky 3ft6in to 7ft – and three colours (silver, blue or pink).
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
Verdict
A quality fly rug that is ideally suited to horses with a shorter neck that do not need belly protection and are not hard on their rugs.
Carol Phillips is Horse & Hound’s website editor, who has ridden since childhood. She has a seven-year-old Irish Sport Horse who has put this rug to the test.
Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.
Carol is an experienced journalist and editor, who is also a passionate amateur rider and dedicated horse owner, having ridden since childhood. She has a particular interest in the emotional well-being and ethical training of horses, alongside veterinary matters, having garnered extensive first-hand experience of numerous equine health conditions through more than 30 years of horse ownership.
