Anyone's horses shivering last night?

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merliebug

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So I made the brave decision to rough my horse off this winter - after a LOT of deliberation - to see if he would come right after years of on/off lamenesses (mainly navicular). Having thought it all through, and thinking that I'd barely ever seen my boy cold, I figured he'd tough it out. He's in a field with lots of retired horses and wintered-out polo ponies, none of whom (even the oldies) wear rugs. The YO/ farmer isn't keen on rugs either. I thought I'd see how he got on with growing a coat, etc, and go from there - but of course would rug as soon as he showed any signs of discomfort or weight loss...

...Of course I then got to the yard yesterday (I go daily) to bring in and feed, and bless him - he's standing on the hill shivering himself silly! He got even worse when he came in as it's a new place to him and he got himself worried, and he could barely stand upright! :-( Of course I dried him off and put a rug back on him to go back out in, but Mr Farmer-man wasn't too happy, and I just said that if this is how he (horse) is going to react to being cold and wet there's no way I'm leaving him without. Would you have all done the same?
And how many of yours were cold and shivering?

I spent the whole night worrying myself sick!
 
lol, yes my 2 great big lumps of horses one ID and one ISH both came in to their stables and had to have sheets on as they were cold! Mine are usually out 24/7 in summer if I can and then in over night in winter. Yesterday was horrible and they were desperate to come in.
 
Magic lives out all year round and I'd never seen her cold (she does wear a mw rug in winter). A few weeks ago there was heavy rain so I put a lw rug on her. The next day I found her really shivering - I had to put 2 fleeces on her to warm her up. The rug had soaked right through and made her more cold. So now I have a dilemma as to whether she is better off without one.
BTW she was fine yesterday without one.
 
Mines alright... because I'm already rugging at night! Honestly, its mid August and I'm already rugging. It's just not funny! :mad:
 
It was cold and wet here yesterday, my TB had a medium weight on and my cob a lightweight.
I dont care what people say i do whats best for my horses.
And today it's hot again and fly rugs, gotta love the british summer :D
 
It's funny that you should post this - I caught my horse shivering yesterday evening for the first time since I've had her (late 2009)!

She lives out all year round, rugged through winter, and always has access to open stables as shelter. She decided to stand out in the rain yesterday and her whole body was really shaking. For a moment I considered putting a lightweight rug on her overnight but then I realised that was probably silly in August and she was wet anyway. I just gave her lots of hay to munch instead and checked the weather (it wasn't going to get any colder and had stopped raining) and she was fine.

Today she is as bright as a button and the sun is shining!
 
Rug if you feel you need to,your horse and your choice.

I would say he probably felt cold because it was a suddun drop in tempreture last night. At 9pm it was still quite warm here,by 11pm it felt like winter :o It is more then likely just the sudden change that made your horse so cold and he will still cope well with winter given the chance :)
 
jacksmum said:
It was cold and wet here yesterday, my TB had a medium weight on and my cob a lightweight.
I dont care what people say i do whats best for my horses.
And today it's hot again and fly rugs, gotta love the british summer :D
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Thank you! This is my theory too - I'm all for trying things, and yes, if he was better without a rug I would leave him to it and not mollycoddle. But I will only do what's best for him, and as he was such a shivering wreck there is no way I would have left him. I'm glad others are rugging too. I think the farmer has just realised that both myself and my horse are softies and that i won't leave him with a wet rug on for days; he has a big enough wardrobe to always be dry!
 
HollyWoozle said:
It's funny that you should post this - I caught my horse shivering yesterday evening for the first time since I've had her (late 2009)!

She lives out all year round, rugged through winter, and always has access to open stables as shelter. She decided to stand out in the rain yesterday and her whole body was really shaking. For a moment I considered putting a lightweight rug on her overnight but then I realised that was probably silly in August and she was wet anyway. I just gave her lots of hay to munch instead and checked the weather (it wasn't going to get any colder and had stopped raining) and she was fine.

Today she is as bright as a button and the sun is shining!
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This makes me feel better!!!!
 
WOW- if you are rugging now you must have some serious rug wardrobe to be able to keep em warm come January!

My share horse's owners and I are mean- he could do with losing a few pounds..... keep him cold, and if hes that cold he can blumming well run round a bit!
 
lexiedhb said:
WOW- if you are rugging now you must have some serious rug wardrobe to be able to keep em warm come January!

My share horse's owners and I are mean- he could do with losing a few pounds..... keep him cold, and if hes that cold he can blumming well run round a bit!
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Haha, it's only a very thin sheet just to keep him dry. In fact I have no problem when it's cold and not raining, because their coats do their job - it's just when they're wet. I have vowed just to have a heavyweight with no neck, but by then he might have grown a hefty coat and it will do more harm than good... Have to see how he goes, not looking brilliantly hopeful right now though!
 
merliebug said:
He's in a field with lots of retired horses and wintered-out polo ponies, none of whom (even the oldies) wear rugs. The YO/ farmer isn't keen on rugs either.
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Excuse me if I sound rude, but what's it got to do with your YO/farmer whether or not your horse wears a rug?

To be quite honest if your horse needs one, he needs one and I wouldn't let anybody dictate to me about what my horse should or shouldn't have!

However in answer to your post, I make sure my horses have light weight turnouts on in weather like we had yesterday because yes, my mare most definitely feels the cold and shivers.
 
lexiedhb said:
My share horse's owners and I are mean- he could do with losing a few pounds..... keep him cold, and if hes that cold he can blumming well run round a bit!
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This is me! My horse could always do with losing a few pounds so he won't be rugged until either I clip him or I need him to be dry to ride (ie, if he's always wet when I want to ride).
 
TicTac said:
Excuse me if I sound rude, but what's it got to do with your YO/farmer whether or not your horse wears a rug?

To be quite honest if your horse needs one, he needs one and I wouldn't let anybody dictate to me about what my horse should or shouldn't have!

.
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Yes, I completely agree. The farmer is a really nice guy, and by all accounts is amazing with the horses, but he prefers the more natural approach! Even still, he must realise that they're all individuals and whilst some thrive without rugs, others just need that bit of extra protection. Most farmers do tend to see livestock as livestock, and I suppose they're right in that you never see a cow with a rug on... but then again it's our fault our horses are so soft, which means it's our responsibility to make sure they're happy and warm!
 
I was delighted it was cold, my horse is FAT since our accident and I can't find anyone to ride her (it's been 5 months now of grass guzzling and no work!). She is under vets advise to shiver it off!

However that said if she wasn't so big I would certainly have put a lightweight turnout on her last night :)
 
Ours had lightweights on in the day as it was chucking it down here with a cold breeze too, then rugs off at night as it had stopped raining - both happy and no shivers! If it is wet and windy then they get something to keep the rain off, otherwise they manage very well even down to pretty chilly temperatures.
You've just got to do right by your horse, ignore what others who know everything say - he's your horse!
 
Yep my delicate flower of a 17.3 decided she was FREEZING! Stood by the gate shivering waiting to come in. My gelding wasn't bothered though(both WBs with thin sensitive skin) I think shes just a drama queen
 
Yep! mine were, but I was a cruel Mummy and said they had to stay out....I did put rugs on them however!
Wished I'd given in though and brought them in as one has now lost a shoe and over-reached..... obviously tearing around trying to warm up judging by the churned up field that greeted me this morning!!
 
rugged last night just a thin summer sheet. I wanted to know if it was gonna rub anywhere and if she was gonna do anything silly in a stable with a rug and no surcingles....


Rug was in two pieces this morning thank god it was only £3.50 on ebay :D
 
A Tb on my Yard was shivering like crazy, so I put my own little hothouse orchid in her nice warm stable as she was pathetic and miserable at the gate. BLOODY Tb's!!
 
The sudden change in temperature here was quite something plus all that rain. We didn't rug our horses they were all fine. But I'm not surprised that it made many horses cold, talk about from one extreme to the other.
 
I thought mine would be the only one but bless they all came in shivering and were doing rain dance's

I threw his fleece on rubbed him a bit but didn't leave the rug on overnight I took it off just as I left cos it would've been awful wearing a cold wet fleece after he'd warmed up, but I think I shall have to start popping a thin cooler on at night though on the chillier nights we get.
Tonight is warm again... honestly this weather is to pot :(

Roll on autumn / winter when we know what to rug

I don't have all of his rugs yet either, still waiting to get hold of them, if I don't get them soon I shall have to go and buy one for him.
 
Both my TBs were fine although they both had rainsheets on - but come 7am this morning, they were taken off. However they have not disintegrated from the cold. The mare rolled in so much mud, she created her own special mud pack of a rug!
 
Put a rain sheet on last night as our boy out on nights. Groom bought him in/fed etc this morning and when daughter got there at lunchtime noticed his rug was missing.Asked groom who said no he didnt have a rug on this morning but there was one down by the field gate. Found said rug and yes it was his- worn only twice before and now caked in mud and completely ripped off neck and tail piece. Perhaps he was trying to tell us something? Lol.
 
Mine weren't but they are both Cob x's. Also, they didn't get wet as well as I brought them in yesterday afternoon whilst we had a lot of heavy rain and then put them back out again afterwards. I tend to only rug mine atm if it is going to be wet AND cold as this is when horses tend to feel it most. If your horse was shivering though, of course it's perfectly acceptable to put a rug on him regardless of what the farmer says - he is your horse after all!
 
All of ours stayed in on Thursday night (they are usually out at night) - most had summer sheets on, my delicate little flower wore his thermatex ;).

They are all wearing lightweights or fly rugs at night now (yes, in August!).

P
 
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