A question for those who keep their horses unrugged.

Good call haffy. I wouldn't bother unless horse is actually feeling cooler, why on earth people think it's okay to rug up to sweating point because it makes them feel better is beyond me, and a yo ought to know it's not necessary!
All ours from tbs to cobs are unrugged and still happy atm. They will be rugged if necessary but is very rare.
As to rain scald, rugging up and sweating is just as likely to cause it, bring them out of it is the only thing to do really. Very few of ours have suffered this though and usually mild enough that vet says to ignore and monitor.
 
But your lovely haffy is designed to be in Austria where it's cold and snowy..... My lot have all been naked over the years yes ok they are now all rugged but only Cos 2 are clipped out , one is 21 and the other don't ask I was nice and did rug him.....
 
My two Sec D girlies are out unrugged. I felt a bit sorruy for them the other day so went to check them, and they were stood in a howling gale and pouring rain, heads down in the very centre of the field filling their faces. The only concession they made to the weather was to turn their bums to face the wind.
 
I have three mini shets and two Dartmoor Hill Ponies. None are rugged, I tried it once and they sweated and were obviously unhappy. We are in the east Midland too and the weather is dreadful today. The ponies look wet. Very wet. But they have access to a field shelter and to stables that are bedded down and piled high with hay....yet they choose to stay out in a partially flooded paddock. If I put my fingers through their thick coats to the skin it always feels toasty warm. They are all a tad fat. Perhaps more than a tad fat and I don't think they need rugging.
 
Nature provides many horses with all the warmth and waterproofing they need, obviously different breeds have different coats and consitutions. I too have been criticised for not rugging.

I have seven horses and all of them have differing types of winter coat and all of them need differing types of protection from the weather.

The very elderly Welsh A grows a long and thick coat but does not have a layer of down underneath the long coat. She is fine in just cold weather without a rug but as soon as she is soaked she is cold as the rain gets through onto her skin.

The french sport horse and the little german mare are cold at anything less than 10 degrees and do not do rain, their winter coat is like silk.

The yearling shire x is an interesting one, he has a long but quite fine winter coat and the rain goes straight through it. I thought with his breeding he would be a yak but he is not, he sensibly stays in the barn when it rains. The other yearling is RID x Irish Cob and is a yak. She has several layers of coat as does her mother, another irish cob. No matter how long they are out in the wet the rain does not penetrate the coat and when it was frosty they both had a crisp frosty blanket with the tips of their coat frozen and their undercoats keeping them toasty warm. It would be ridiculous to rug them when nature is providing something much better.

The last horse is clyde x RID and if left unclipped would resemble a bison. Even fully clipped she only needs a medium weight rug to keep her very warm.
 
My 3 year old is the only one not wearing a rug where she is kept- she's got a coat that would make a yak proud and if that's not good enough, she puts an inch thick mud pack on :rolleyes:
 
At my yard we have massive variances on what each horse wears but this year all do have something on. The case is different as the grass liveries that are working are partially clipped so need something to replace it. The youngster is rugged this year though they were hoping not to as he seems to lack good waterproofing and the very elderly mare is finally wearing one this year as is not wintering out as well as she has done previously. If yours looks well, holds his weight then I would not bother. It takes my YO an hour each morning and evening just to feed and check grass liveries rugs!
 
It is very difficult as so many people make you feed guilty for not rugging.
I've had gasps and splutters from people for not rugging my trace clipped highland. I've been told, she's clipped she should be stabled. These remarks have come from experienced horse owners, instructors, other liveries and yard owners.

I smile and nod but do think do I or don't I, then I look at my pony and look at other horses. Sometimes other horses are all huddled together with their heavyweight rugs on and mine is in the middle of the field stuffing her face.

IF it is very windy and raining, I will then put a rug on. (She spin in tight circles and that's my cue to put her MW rug on). She had it on maybe, 5 nights last year. I dragged my rug up the field on one horrible pitch-black night, lashing down with rain, got to the field and said pony was munching her hay, not fazed and she was toasty warm so i dragged rug away again, mumbling under my breath. The next day, I was told "last night was wild and your ponies were cold". Nope, my ponies were toasty thanks, even my woose of a new forest, that doesn't take much to make her shiver.

Stick to your guns and watch him. Does he look cold? Does he feel cold? Does he look miserable? If not, then don't rug.
 
Thanks everyone.

He was still there this morning (not in the field he should have been in, but that's a different story!) He hasn't melted, dissolved or washed away :D xx
 
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