Are two medium weight rugs okay?

Kokopelli

Kokopelli

Well-Known Member
Joined
12 July 2010
Messages
7,170
Location
Gloucester
Visit site
Having had Andy for only a week we are not 100% sure if we are keeping him as I haven't had a chance to hack him out yet so we haven't gone and bought him a heavyweight rug.

He isn't clipped but his winter coat is very thin, being what we think is anglo arab. So are 2 medium weight rugs okay? The one on top is bigger so they both fit well, I'm just worried about him getting cold as its reaching about -5 at night.

What rugs are your horses wearing?
 
Aslong as he feels nice and toasty will be fine :D the tbx mare I am looking after is unclipped and has a medium weight with a neck and then a big (almost heavy) rug on top :) its different for every horse you just have to go by what you can feel :)
 
He doesn't want to feel 'toasty' or hot! A horse is too hot if he feels that warm. Check base of ears, if not cool then the horse is rugged enough.
If he needs the extra rug then I'm sure two medium weights will do him no harm at all.
Must admit that my blanket clipped mare is snug at night in just a medium weight stable. I keep wanting to put more on as it really feels cold - but at 9pm last night and 6am this morning (must be the coldest times!) she was perfectly comfortable and warm enough.
 
Two rugs will be fine. As long as they are secure and don't slip or bind there is no problem - my lad was wearing 3 rugs last night!

Disagree with glosgirl though - although I expect it is a matter of interpretation. A horse's body temperature is higher than a human's. Especially a human with cold hands. When you put your hands under his rug you do need him to feel warm. Partly becuase he is warmer than you are anyway and partly because your hands will be cold! Feeling the base of the ear is a good indication of general warmth but if your hands are cold and he feels the same temperature as your hands he is not likely to be warm enough.
 
I think aslong as they dont get uncomfortable or sweat up or feel cold their wont be a problem its a bit trial and error till you get to know the horse !!
 
Shay said:
Two rugs will be fine. As long as they are secure and don't slip or bind there is no problem - my lad was wearing 3 rugs last night!

Disagree with glosgirl though - although I expect it is a matter of interpretation. A horse's body temperature is higher than a human's. Especially a human with cold hands. When you put your hands under his rug you do need him to feel warm. Partly becuase he is warmer than you are anyway and partly because your hands will be cold! Feeling the base of the ear is a good indication of general warmth but if your hands are cold and he feels the same temperature as your hands he is not likely to be warm enough.
Click to expand...

Agree with the hand temp thing - I do always make sure my hands are reasnobly warm otherwise like you say anything will feel warm! I just think it is very easy to over rug, esp when we are cold and hate to think of our horses being chilly too!
 
Cheers everyone, he feels just right base of ears etc. At night he has a thermatex with a mw stable rug on top.

They seem to fit okay and don't know if this is true but two lighter rugs better then one really heavy one as the air trapped causes another layer of warmth :)

Ohh and were going to ride after lunch and the camera is coming so I can get the pictures to you that I have promised :D
 
I always use MW turnout rugs on my horses, we layer them up. We find it far more practical than buying heavyweights, which we find are not versitile at all.
You can whip them on and off depending on the weather, and no need to spend £££ for a HW that you can only use every now and again.
 
Kokopelli said:
.

They seem to fit okay and don't know if this is true but two lighter rugs better then one really heavy one as the air trapped causes another layer of warmth :)
Click to expand...

thhis is true, you also have 2 lining layers and 2 outer layers rather than one so its more layers again. Just watch out for 'breathability' issues, keep an eye out for any.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top