Am I over-rugging??

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sophiebailey

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Hi everyone -

My 21yr old welsh cob (has had belly & neck clipped off) is currently wearing his heavyweight turnout all day (no neck). In his MW, when I was bringing him in at night he was cold to touch underneath his rug and his ears weren't warm. In his heavyweight he's warm under the rug (but not hot and never sweaty) and his ears are warm-ish to the touch.

Do you think I am over rugging? I am aware with him being older he doesn't keep warm as easily so is having him in his heavyweight the right thing to be doing? He is quite a poor do-er and drops weight easily (have had to battle all summer with his weight due to lack of grass but I still think he's slightly underweight) We've got temperatures of 1-2degrees in the morning getting up to 8 degrees in the day .... advice please!

Also, what do I do when the really cold weather arrives (snow etc) if he's already in his HW? Do I put a stable rug/fleece underneath his HW for extra warmth??

Thanks so much x
 
If your horse isn't warm enough in a medium and therefore needs a heavy then that is what your horse needs. Don't look around at what other people are doing as your horse may have individual needs to theirs.

What is he like in the mornings? I generally put a heavier rug on at night and a lighter one during the day. But if your horse is warm enough then thats fine whichever way around you do it.

And just double rug him if he gets cold when the snow arrives. It was -20degrees overnight here last winter. I had my fully clipped out mare in a 405g turnout, a medium stable rug and a full neck fleece to keep her warm :)
 
I would also say too warm. Of course his ears will be cold to touch when he has been outside... =/ Horses are excellent at warming themselves up but quite rubbish at cooling themselves down....

Again though - your horse will tell you how warm he is. You could have done with rugging him up with less rugs though really so you could have resorted to the heavier ones when the weather becomes cold.. so now he may have to wear multiple rugs when it gets chilly. x
 
My 4 year old TB has a neck & belly clip at the mo and he's in his lightweight turnout all day (6/7 hours) with a full neck and in his medium weight stable rug at night with no neck.

Was a tad chilly this morning though so kept his fleece under his turnout rug ... but what is going on with the weather its nearly december and its still relatively mild ?!

SS x
 
It does sound as if you are over-rugging, and leaving yourself nowhere to go once the weather does get cold.

My 30 yr old TB has only just gone into his med weight full neck. And actually sweated in it yesterday but this was becuase he ran around like an eejit.

Maybe try a lighter rug with neck cover? It is very hard to tell as it does sound as though he wasn't warm enough.
 
Okay thanks guys, so is it feasable for me to put him back into his MW whilst he's turned out, (or would that be no good now he's had a week or so in his HW??) and then perhaps put a heavier stable rug on him at night to keep him warm whilst he's in??
 
Horses loose as much weight from being too hot as being too cold. It does sound like you could be overrugging, medium weight with neck is what I would be trying. As somebody else said, if a horse is cold they warm themselves up by moving, but they cant cool themselves down. I would be giving ad lib forage so that he can keep warm. You don't say what his routine is - is he out during the day? If so, does he have a field shelter he can go into if he is feeling chilly? That is an ideal place to put forage.
 
Where are you checking? You should check the base of the ears, and the 'armpits' behind the front legs. Tips of ears are no good, and other areas aren't a reliable indicator.

If the base of the ears are warm (not hot!) and the armpits are warm, then he's fine. Each horse is different - and don't forget horses are much happier and find it easier to regulate their temperature in cold dry conditions (like the frozen snowy nonsense we had last winter) than they can when it is cold and wet (when temps are often higher).

My fully clipped TBx lived out with only a MW rug last winter, even in the snow!
 
sb - put his medium weight back on him and see how he goes. Keep an eye on the weather, and keep an eye on how warm he is. One of my girls had a medium weight on for a few days a couple of weeks ago when it was a bit chillier, and while it has been a milder she's gone back to the light weight.

Same with what rug to put on him at night - put a medium weight on and see how warm he is.
 
It does sound like you are over rugging him BUT if he doesn't feel to hot in the HW and gets too cold in the MW you are doing the right thing.

My TB is the biggest wimp going but so far this winter I am finding he is too hot rather the too cold (makes a change ;) ) I have the advantage of being able to check him last thing at night so if he is too warm (he has actually been sweating in a HW Stable without a neck) I can whip it off and put a lighter one on. He is hunter clipped although it has grown out slightly.
 
no.

my TB is admittedly fully clipped and in hard work, but is wearing a full neck LW, thermatex and full neck HW day and night (in at night).
he also has a snuggy hood on when out, and leg wraps at night.


if he's warm but not boiling hot or sweaty id say he's about right. add neck covers if you can as that will make a real diff, and when it gets REALLY cold, add layers, another HW or a stable rug underneath etc.
 
okay thank you for the advice everyone I really appreciate it, I'll put his medium weight back on tomorrow morning and see how he feels tomorrow night. I do check the base of the ears (and put my hands under the rug to feel the temp of his body but have never checked the armpits so will start doing this now)

He's out every morning at 8 and in every night at 5. He's never feels cold in the mornings when I turn him out (our stables are completley enclosed so there's no wind/draught) it's just at night when I bring him in that he feels cold in his MW. But as you've recommended i'll try him in it tomorrow as i'm very conscious that the minus degree weather will come and i'll have nowhere to go with the rugs!

It's been quite mild until around last saturday, when the weather has dropped quite cold and we've had a bit of frost these past few mornings.

Again, thanks so much for the advice xx
 
Each horse is different, and I would recommend you do what you think is best for your horse regardless of what others are doing on your yard.

My 23yrd old is currently in a MW turnout without neck, and then a MW stable rug with a fleece underneath at night. There are some on my yard that have no rugs on, and some that have triple layers on already.

Give him plenty of hay/forage, which keeps them warm as they digest it. Also, when you say he is cold to the touch, how long do you keep your hand on him for? I was told to put your hand on and count to five, if your hand has warmed up then your horse is ok, and if it doesnt warm up much, then your horse is cold. I know that sounds silly, but i was advised that touching the ears doesnt really help, as that is an extremity that is bound to get cold even if the rest of him is quite warm.

I hope that helps a little!
 
A heavyweight already does sound excessive to me.

Does he have constant access to good forage in the field? That's the key to keeping a horse warm.
 
Its up to you

My mare isnt clipped and in an indoor barn she has her heavy weight with neck on all day and at night a heavy weight with neck and a hood on.

This rugging suits her where as other horses would sweat and be too hot.

If you feel this is right for your horse then who is to question it
 
I've never counted how long I hold my hand there for but i'll start counting to five! :)

And they're not fed hay/haylage during the day but our fields are very green at the moment so there's plenty of grass for him. He has 12lb of hay each night (plus whatever straw he hoovers from his bed lol)
 
3Beasties said:
It does sound like you are over rugging him BUT if he doesn't feel to hot in the HW and gets too cold in the MW you are doing the right thing.

My TB is the biggest wimp going but so far this winter I am finding he is too hot rather the too cold (makes a change ;) ) I have the advantage of being able to check him last thing at night so if he is too warm (he has actually been sweating in a HW Stable without a neck) I can whip it off and put a lighter one on. He is hunter clipped although it has grown out slightly.
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My tb is exactly the same at the moment, always on the hot side! He's in a lw at night now the temp's dropped but was in either a fleece or naked up until now!
 
I would keep him as he is, if he was cold in his MW rug before then he will be again. You have said yourself that he feels fine in the HW- why change it??
It doesn't matter what other people think, do what you think is best for your horse. I don't think a HW is excessive.
 
SpottedCat said:
Where are you checking? You should check the base of the ears, and the 'armpits' behind the front legs. Tips of ears are no good, and other areas aren't a reliable indicator.

If the base of the ears are warm (not hot!) and the armpits are warm, then he's fine. Each horse is different - and don't forget horses are much happier and find it easier to regulate their temperature in cold dry conditions (like the frozen snowy nonsense we had last winter) than they can when it is cold and wet (when temps are often higher).

My fully clipped TBx lived out with only a MW rug last winter, even in the snow!
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That's where I check - base of ears and armpits :)

My mare is fully clipped apart from a half head and legs and she has a 100g on. This morning she was cool so I may put her 170g on. She won't be in her medium weight(250g) for a while if the weather stays like this.
 
Horses are individuals just like people. I can be outside all day in a tshirt still but my sister wears 2 coats, ha ha.

Anyway my Welsh cob, fully clipped and works 6 times per week, was in his Rambo Jumbo stable rug with mark Todd under rug and leg wraps. And he was perfect temp this morning!
 
I was always taught that feeling the horses skin doesn't give much of an indication of how warm they are. Think about it, if they are insulated well enough they should feel normal, not warm, to touch as the heat is being kept within the body. If they feel warm then they are losing heat from their insides due to being too hot....

If that makes sense!
 
IMO, over rugging is worse than leaving a horse a little bit on the chilly side. Especially if you are away from the yard all day and not able to change rugs if the weather changes. Imagine how miserable it would be to be stuck wearing too many clothes all day and not able to take a layer off. Much worse than being a little chilly I'd say.

And, if you're already resorting to a heavyweight now, what are you going to do if it gets to -15 again this winter.

I'd go for the lighter weight rug and add in a neck cover, and make sure he's got plenty of forage. Hay(lage) is the best way to keep a horse warm, fermentation in the caecum and colon generates lots of heat.
 
horses for courses as they say!

if he felt cold in the mw then you are right to put his hw on.

my yearling is only in a 180g, while my 44yr old is in her heavyweight fullneck. this is because she was feeling the cold in her mw! i have a super hw waiting for her for when it gets colder.

my other mare has a blanket clip and is in her starting hw, with her super heavy waiting for colder weather.
 
lauraandjack said:
IMO, over rugging is worse than leaving a horse a little bit on the chilly side. Especially if you are away from the yard all day and not able to change rugs if the weather changes. Imagine how miserable it would be to be stuck wearing too many clothes all day and not able to take a layer off. Much worse than being a little chilly I'd say.

And, if you're already resorting to a heavyweight now, what are you going to do if it gets to -15 again this winter.

I'd go for the lighter weight rug and add in a neck cover, and make sure he's got plenty of forage. Hay(lage) is the best way to keep a horse warm, fermentation in the caecum and colon generates lots of heat.
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THIS!!!

The horse shouldnt feel warm to your touch, that means he is too hot. He's got no way of cooling himself down hes tied into big rugs when its not even wet+windy+minus temps. He is more likely to lose weight this way through sweating which you may not see, than through being slightly cold - which he wouldnt be outside as he can move around and keep himself warm!

Dont forget temps inside a stable are COLDER than they are outside as the air is still and trapped between cold concrete. :)
 
I think alot of people over pamper their horses, i don't think there's many horses that NEED to be wearing heavy rugs or even multiple rugs just yet, particularly during the day- at night when they're stood in it's a bit different. There's no reason a healthy horse shouldn't be able to warm itself up sufficiently. I cringe at the sight of horses wearing more than 2 rugs at a time, even in the worst of the winter! I think it's easy to forget they are infact horses!
Mine is living out in a medium weight without a neck, he's chaser clipped. If anything he was slightly on the warm side today. I certainly won't be getting HWs out for a while yet!
 
I'm another one that thinks a heavyweight rug in this mild weather is not likely to be needed. I don't like seeing horses loaded up with rug on top of rug.

That said, if you put too many rugs on and the horse is too hot you generally get sweat patches or they drink more. I think that you would know if he was too warm.. Also he may be starting to feel his age..
 
Another point that nobody has made is that one 'middleweight' is often heavier than some 'heavyweights'!! I have a masta 220g (middleweight) high neck rug that is massively too warm just now but I also have a derbyhouse 350g (heavyweight) full neck that isn't too warm at all!! This is on the same horse!!!
 
Gypsys got a blanket clip and he's in a medium (I think, deffo not heavy though) turn out and wears it at night too where he has the run of his stable and the yard. He would survive in a light weight I guess but it's getting down to 2 degrees at night and although he's a cob he is rather naked :D
 
My horse has a med weight plus hw combo on tonight! She will be just warm enough. In the day she is wearing a hw combo.
She is fully clipped 7yo trakehner. When it gets colder she'll have layers.
I don't think it matters what other people do or say. My horse is happy, healthy and the right temp. That's all that matters!
 
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