Am I right to hold off rugging for a little while longer?

[pennyturner]

I only rug the two oldies.

They've been out all year, and once the rugs go on, they won't come off until March. This time of year I always get twitchy, as it feels so cold, but I suspect I'm more bothered by the dry frosty weather than they are... they're good and fluffy, and have had the benefit of good autumn grass.

Anyone else waiting until it's raining and miserable before they rug?

 

[claireandnadia]

I've not had a rug on Molly during the day yet, last night I did feel a bit bad as it dropped to -3 so she had a thin waffle rug on in her box.

I only rug the two oldies.

They've been out all year, and once the rugs go on, they won't come off until March. This time of year I always get twitchy, as it feels so cold, but I suspect I'm more bothered by the dry frosty weather than they are... they're good and fluffy, and have had the benefit of good autumn grass.

Anyone else waiting until it's raining and miserable before they rug?

 

[ihatework]

Definitely hold off - this weather is no bother, dry and cold is good!
It’s the cold and very wet that gets them.

 

[SEL]

I stuck one on my big hairy boy last night - much to his displeasure! And then on facebook a post from last year popped up with him hairy and happy in a much worse frost than the one we had last night.

I changed yards in the summer and everything except for mine is rugged, so I think I'm getting a bit over sensitive.

I will chuck something on if it looks like being very wet and cold because there isn't really any shelter in his paddock, but again I think that's more for my sanity than his warmth. He's also getting pretty arthritic now so I can feel the vibes off other people when he's stiff in the morning and his nasty mum hasn't put any PJs on him. I need to toughen up!

 

[Wagtail]

This is the coldest I remember it being here in November. It is like the coldest days we have in winter and there is a sharp wind too. Ours have their heavyweights on now. Three of them are unclipped and they're not at all too warm.

 

[SpringArising]

Definitely hold off - this weather is no bother, dry and cold is good!
It’s the cold and very wet that gets them.

Yep, this. If mine wasn't clipped he'd still be unrugged.

 

[TGM]

Agree with IHW, most healthy, unclipped horses cope well with dry cold if they have plenty of forage - unlike humans, horses can digest fibre, and the fibre digestion process generates a lot of heat internally. So if the horses look happy and well I would leave them unrugged for now. The temperature can fluctuate a lot over 24 hours and the horse's natural coat is much better equipped to adjust to changes in temperature than a rug is. Obviously monitor them carefully and be prepared to rug if they need it.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Agree with IHW, most healthy, unclipped horses cope well with dry cold if they have plenty of forage - unlike humans, horses can digest fibre, and the fibre digestion process generates a lot of heat internally. So if the horses look happy and well I would leave them unrugged for now. The temperature can fluctuate a lot over 24 hours and the horse's natural coat is much better equipped to adjust to changes in temperature than a rug is. Obviously monitor them carefully and be prepared to rug if they need it.

Totally this ^
My unrugged ones are doing just fine

Having had 'memories' pop up on faceche, I see that a few yrs ago it was minus 5 in the daytime & tanks refreezing quickly etc, also v hard frost over several end of other Novembers, much colder than at present. Mine were all fine out with no rugs BUT when it was forecast wet, I popped rugs on as wet & cold are not good for them especially the oldies.

 

[MagicMelon]

It so depends on your horse I guess, if you have a woosy horse or one that doesnt feel the cold. Mine today are all rugged with MW or HW full neck turnouts (all unclipped, a veteran luso x TB, an anglo arab Irish job and a Dartmoor) but then we live on top of a hill and its chucking it down with horizontal snow today and absolutely baltic. They're planted to the spot in the yard round their hay bale so not moving much to keep warm themselves. I do feel a bit silly rugging the dartmoor but she's actually the woosiest of all 3 of mine and shivers very easily!

 

[Cahill]

OP-why will they not come off until march?
surely if we have a mild spell (10-12 deg in january for example,not unheard of) you would remove them?
nothing like a good ol` roll rugless on a nice day and prob good for the skin too.

 

[DD]

been asking myself this question all today. to rug or not to rug a native x tb? I am going to hold off for now its cold but dry and the weather is expected to get a bit milder at weekend and for next week when I think he'd be too warm rugged. so I am giving him ad lib hay and putting some in his field shelter to encourage him to use it instead of putting a rug on.

 

[Apercrumbie]

I stuck one on my big hairy boy last night - much to his displeasure! And then on facebook a post from last year popped up with him hairy and happy in a much worse frost than the one we had last night.

I changed yards in the summer and everything except for mine is rugged, so I think I'm getting a bit over sensitive.

I will chuck something on if it looks like being very wet and cold because there isn't really any shelter in his paddock, but again I think that's more for my sanity than his warmth. He's also getting pretty arthritic now so I can feel the vibes off other people when he's stiff in the morning and his nasty mum hasn't put any PJs on him. I need to toughen up!

It's tricky when good doers with good coats get arthritic. I found myself rugging my old boy more as he got older to help avoid him getting too stiff in the mornings, but equally I couldn't overrug him as he'd get fat and fed up. You just have to go with what your horse is telling you and your gut feeling.

 

[pennyturner]

OP-why will they not come off until march?
surely if we have a mild spell (10-12 deg in january for example,not unheard of) you would remove them?
nothing like a good ol` roll rugless on a nice day and prob good for the skin too.

Purely because of my work schedule. When the sun's out, I'll be in an office 70 miles away, and by the time I get home, it'll be dark and cold again. I'd love let them have rugless days. Sometimes later in the spring, they're up at the house, and the kids can unrug them before school, and get them back on again after... easier as they'll be eating hay in a smaller paddock (after the grass has run out), not wandering at will in 12 acres of boggy meadow!

 

[Landcruiser]

My old guy isn't rugged yet, and I'm probably not going to bother at all this year. He'll stand out in vile wet weather and it's easy to see the rain running off in rivulets, but if you part his hair he's warm and dry under the top layer. He has a stable he can go into if he wants, but he almost never does.

My clipped riding horse is rugged with a lightweight with a tiny bit of fill, but it comes off when it can, on these sunny days.I suspect he's got enough blubber to manage without altogether tbh!

 

[pennyturner]

The arthritis thing is interesting. My oldest is 30+ (too old to be reliably passported when the regs came in). He seems better cold and moving, than warm and standing still.

 

[Antw23uk]

If my mare wasnt clipped she would be out naked. My ISH gelding isnt clipped but he is in a lightweight. He is a hot horse but a bit of a wimp and feels the cold. She is hard as nails and also a hot horse ... you cant win, you just have to do what you think is right. From what you describe .. nope, I wouldnt be rugging yet if i were you.

It's unlikely mine will go in anything heavier than a light weight all winter (he says now, lol)

 

[criso]

I've got a retired 15 yo tb who is overweight at the moment and has up to now been naked. He's out during the day and in at night. He's got a good coat for a tb but nothing compared to a native. However I do really need him to drop weight though as he's retired due to a shoulder injury and it doesn't help if he's carrying extra weight plus I can't have him go into spring at his current weight as when the grass comes through he's go from overweight to obese. Up to now he's been fine and not shown any signs of cold but maybe a rain sheet for really heavy rain in case of rain scald.

However I gather it's turned cold and I'm out of the country on business, I've left in to the ym, there's a lw turnout and a 100g stable rug if she needs it. Plus as my clipped not so good doer will probably be moved onto a hw turnout, that leaves a mw free if needed.

 

[Goldenstar]

If their natives not clipped and not working will they ever need a rug ?
Today looking out the window at a full on blizzard my living outside horse has two heavyweight outside rugs on one ontop of the other he’s hunter clipped .
You can’t generaise fields differ the weather differs and horses differ .
But putting rugs on 24/7 for months is not good practise so if that’s the crack I would leave them unrugged .
I have the rugs off out side horses everyday they are brushed we give them a good airing then rug them up again the only time I would miss that is if it where raining and I had no where to get them inside .
In wet weather the rugs are swopped for dry ones once a day .

 

[Annagain]

M was clipped on Sunday (blanket) and lost his rug somewhere in the field on Tuesday (still haven't been there in daylight to look for it yet). When I saw him, I expected him to be freezing, but when I felt him he wasn't that bad at all. I'm sure if they've got a decent coat, they'll be fine. Cold dry weather isn't what bothers them.

 

[Chuffy99]

I read with interest the article on horses being chillier with a lightweight turnout on than nothing as it made them unable to fluff up and keep warm, made a lot of sense to me and a different article that said feeling their ears was unreliable since when I’ve been feeling lots of ears and have come to the conclusion that some horses ears are always cool. Don’t think there was any scientific research behind either article

 

[Seville]

Its impossible to generalise on the rugging question. Horses are all different, as someone said, premises differ, exposure to weather etc. If a horse is cold, rug it! Doesn't matter what month it is, its welfare is more important than whether Fred smith or Elsie Jones is rugging theirs.
My Spanish horses feels the cold like nobody's business and he is rugged accordingly. My retired TB is a bit tougher but he's 23, so I don't leave him to shiver either. Both of mine are out during the day and in at night. We are incredibly exposed, and the North wind has been relentless for days.

 

[Achinghips]

I haven't rugged for two years. Best thing I ever did! Now the horses grow their own most luxurious coats. The hot boy still has to get a bib and belly clip though and his arthritis is so improved without the rug as he seems to move more to keep warm. I put round bales in the field and they just help fire their own furnaces. In driving rain and wind, they will find shelter on the yard or go in if they wish.

 

[paddi22]

I only rug the clipped ones in work now. My others, if they keep a good weight, stay unrugged. I used to rug them all once the weather turned, but I stopped doing that the last few years and they all cope fine. You can tell by the condition of them if they need the rugging.

 

[JJS]

Have to admit, I feel like a bad horse mum today. Spent all day in bed feeling horrendously ill, to the point where I had to ring my dad and ask him to do the four of them for me. Knowing that the one thing he's never mastered is rugging, I asked him to just do a head count, put hay out, and make sure the old boy got his tablet. It's only gone and snowed now! Because the weather has been dry but chilly up to this point, I'd left both of my girls and T naked, whilst S is in a mediumweight. I'm not too worried about him, but we have no real shelter in our fields so I am feeling quite bad about the others. At least they're not clipped!