Are we over rugging our horses?

I thought I was over rugging with one 380gm heavy weight with neck on but she seems just warm enough. She doesn't sweat and doesn't seem distressed at all so I assume she's fine. I think it's pretty cold here but I do feel the cold so I get OH to check and make sure she's not too hot or cold cos I'm biased.

I certainly don't want to put another rug on her just yet, and I'm not sure I'll need to at all this winter. Last winter she was fine in one hw with neck

ETA - she's 20 turning 21 in Feb arab with blanket clip
 
I have an arab that up until last week was in a rain sheet!

I had to put a lightly filled MW on him last night though as he is beginning to drop weight and stand shivering, so if he is cold rug goes on.

I do also wonder how these horses who are in heavyweights already will cope when it gets twice as cold and wet, or when it snows!
 
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cotton sheet, thermatex, wool blanket, LW full neck stable rug, normal neck HW stable rug, full neck stable rug.

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You put all that on one horse at once...?
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cotton sheet, thermatex, wool blanket, LW full neck stable rug, normal neck HW stable rug, full neck stable rug.

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You put all that on one horse at once...?
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Just what I was thinking
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But then again...I do have a native that doesnt wear a rug at all
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A lot of people do. I prefer to have mine just warm and never very warm as they get itchy and rub.

Stinky is clipped apart from legs and in a 100 during the day if in, 200 at night and 200 or 100 t/o - it is 13 degrees in essex at the moment.

Farra is blanket clipped but with bum left on - 100 at night, no fill t/o - if it goes below 8 will change to 200 rugs.

Never use neck covers and mine have natural inbuilt leg wraps.

Only horse I have put several rugs on was my OAP TBs and then only if it was below -3 and they would have a under rug and then a HW on top.

Each to their own - some horses are colder than others, but I have frequently seen some very unhappy horses at showing shows - a HW in spring on a very warm day when people were in t-shirts on a traditional is cruel - poor thing looked very uncomfortable standing in the sun.
 
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So never one to skirt controversy are we becoming a nation of over ruggers?

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I think first you need to define over rugging, is that putting on so many rugs that the horse is suffering or just more rugs than is necessary to keep the horse from losing condition?

I know for alot of people condition is not an issue, we, as a nation, feed good quality haylage and generally too much hard feed for what we ask of our horses. Therefore many horses in the UK could easily go without as many rugs and no lose weight...maybe cos they are getting fed too much?

On another note...are we becoming a nation of over clippers? When I first had a horse the only horse that were fully clipped where hunters and really top end competition horses. Eveyone else made do with trace and blanket clips, this was back when a NZ was a waterproof bit of canvas with a fleece lining, fully clipped horses where proper hunters who could cope with the cold and got hot bran mash for dinner anyway.

I'm not saying I'm innocent by any means, my mare is fully clipped and fully rugged. She's 23 and in moderate work, I clip out as it's easier to manage her coat but I could easily live with a trace clip...I choice not to. I do struggle with her weight as she's a stressy Arab, so she gets rugged so she won't lose even an ounze keeping herself warm. In saying that she has never once sweated under a rug, even in the middle of summer in blazing sun with a rain sheet on, she was the only dry horse in the field.
 
Hi. Interesting thread and I've learned a lot from the replies.

I can't comment if in general we rug to much cause I just don't know that many owners to know what they rug. But from my own point of view yes I rug but not necessarily for warmth. My pony has a medium weight rug (180grm) which I think its plenty. if there is any chance he's starts to lose condition i'd increase his feed rather than increase his rugging. Heat em from the inside out
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I can't speak for anyone else around the country but as a 40+ person I honestly believe wholeheartedly that climate change has well and truly kicked in and we have MUCH MUCH WETTER SUMMERS AND WINTERS. I've had ponies since I was 12 and I still live in the same area and do not remember these continuous deluges we are getting now. It literally hasn't stopped here for 2 weeks and the last 5 or 6 days the rain has been horizontal.

I realise nature has equipped equines for an outdoor life but I honestly don't think evolution has caught up with the changing climate. I absolutely agree that that it is milder but i don't think its the heat / cold which is an issue as much as the wet. Coats are now soaked to the skin whereas with snow for example they just don't get that horrible saturated way. Instead they coats remain comparatively dry and 'fluff up' - a sodden coat just can't do that.

Also I was lead to believe (could be wrong) that nature intended horses to move to keep warm but although a 6 acre field for my pony the ground is so saturated / poached that they are all tending just to stay stock still - I'm not explaining this well but they aren't moving around the area quickly enough to build up body heat. In the wild a herd would huddle together for warm and weather protection but few horses are in a field with enough mates to be of any use
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So basically I think if you live in an increasingly wet climate its absolutely justifiable to rug to keep them dry - to keep them warm / very warm / hot is a whole different matter.

ps - also meant to add i think its breed specific too. People talk about natural and wild and what horses would do in those conditions but lets not forget that the TB's originated in the middle east - not in soggy Scotland
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cotton sheet, thermatex, wool blanket, LW full neck stable rug, normal neck HW stable rug, full neck stable rug.

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That must be a full time job dealing with that lot
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I'd also worry about my horse's freedom of movement under that many rugs.

Yes, I do think many of us tend to over rug, as it makes us feel better to have our precious horses warm and snug (and I include myself in that!) As long as the horse isn't unhappy or uncomfortable then I don't think its too much of a problem though.
 
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cotton sheet, thermatex, wool blanket, LW full neck stable rug, normal neck HW stable rug, full neck stable rug.

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You put all that on one horse at once...?
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seriously? I managed a 20 year old bad doer of a TB, and the most he had on was an under rug, fleece, and stable rug - and that was with snow on the groun, and a high trace clip!
Horses at our yard at the moment are sweating in their stables with a stable rug on!
 
<font color="blue"> It is fair to say that if you rug up your horses then their hair doesn't grow in a similar fashion to being in a hot climate </font>

Has that been proven - or is the coat simply flatter? I had read somewhere it is physically impossible to alter their furriness by rugging
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I do the 'hand inside the layers' test and add or remove as required. I do the minimum clip possible for their comfort during work and 'rest' and have never had anything which needed a full clip to do anything above look stylish. They wear the lightest weight stable rug under the lightest weight (lined, but un-filled) outdoor in their stable. If the hand under the rug detects a coolness and it is backed up by cool 'base of the ears', then I add a fleece.

I think over-rugging is widespread, like over-clipping.
 
I guess that one man's hot is another man's cold.

There will always be extremes and the horse will hopefully be read by the owner and rugged accordingly.

My guy is hunter clipped, half head and legs left on. This time last year he had a mw on day and night. My version of a mw is 200g. At the mo, he is in a fleece with a PE buster lite on top with neck on which is 70g and he is nice and warm. Not super toasty which i sometimes feel is too hot. I always err on cautious side and prefer him cooler rather than hotter.

Our stables are well insultated too.

Good thread Pidge!
 
I'd say so. I know of a girl who had her welshie in a HW in Sep/Oct?!?!!

Mine are only in MW's as they are up a mountain and exposed to the elements - and just to be mean they don't have a field shelter. It's their first year wintering out so I can't be too harsh on them!!
 
I had to cave this week and put my full TB with a high trace in a 300g HW this week.
Up til now she was in her 200g MW and I really didn't want to cave but she's a wimp and was coming in so cold.

Now she doesn't feel warm to the touch - just not cold. Lukewarm!

We are in Scotland and it's been quite cold, wet and windy this week
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She was the last horse on the yard to be rugged this Autumn though as she just didn't need it until I clipped.
 
I have recently started to think about having a pony again after a long break and yes I do think we have become a nation of over-ruggers

I used to show ponies and we used to rug up with several bed blankets and even used heat lamps to keep a coat short but apart from that there were four types of rugs:

Stable rug - quilted or jute
Canvas New Zealand rug
String vest sweat rug
day rug

The only time two rugs were worn at the same time was a sweat rug with a day rug to dry a horse off

No ones horses dropped dead of the cold - even the New Zealand rugs were very thinly lined! and there was one weight - take it or leave it

350g applied to bars of Dairy Milk not rugs

A hood was for your wax jacket not your horse

Dont get me wrong - the advances in light weight, breathable, wicking materials can only be good but I do think there is an element of moddy coddling these days
 
my little mare came from a racing yard just after last xmas - she'd been chucked out into the field naked - when i fetched her back she looked like a polar bear (but brown and horse shaped!) so this year i was expecting similar ridiculous coat, but no we're a bit less exposed here and about 4 weeks ago someone came to the yard saw her fine coat and commented that hers had 3 rugs on wasn't she cold with such a thin coat and out 24/7 with no rug?? nope she was fine


they've just come in and she's fully clipped apart from her legs with one mw rug with a neck and is very happy - the difference in her coat is amazing..............[runs off to find b4 and aft pics]
 
mine lives out 247 does have a shelter - she is hunter clipped and has her magnetic rug on under her turnout - she is in a med weight 250gm rug at mo and is toasty - she could actually have a slightly thinner one on but i have just got her to right weight and is fairly fit and not much fat so would rather have her warm enough than loosing weight. i think we do over rug - on my yard my friend has got hers in a hw stable rug with mega thick wool day rug under at night and hw rug again with wool rug under in day - and its not cold yet - god knows what she putting on when is cold.
 
QR - do people not rug their horses so they feel "just right"?

I know that's how I like to feel. It's horrible to be too cold but just as bad to be hot!

It's not hard to check if they are too hot or too cold!!
 
i live in the highest village in Scotland the weather is wild here all year round.
our summer temp is 14c on a good day . we had snow last week , our temp tonight just now is + 1
for 5 months of the year we are at below freezing ,from -1 to -15
there is no way i could rug my horses and molly coddle them when the temp is above +2 .
i dont think its healthy for them.
i find it incredible that folk use so many rugs on there horses when the temp is so high.
 
Same old story some do some don't. I do think Pidge is generally and exception he rarely seems to feel the cold. Beacon does, so did Samson, Jake a full TB was always warm. Micah is average so far but haven't had him long enough to be sure yet. I know he was very cold the other day in just a light weight so I put an under rug on and today was fine. he now has a medium weight which he may have on tomorrow depending on temperature
 
I think we do over rug - it can't be comfy having so many straps if you have three rugs on. I think possibly it is a few people who are over rugging rather than the majority as rug manufacturers are not upping the gr of the rugs they are producing if they thought there was a big market for 500g + rugs they would be making them.

I think it is rain and wind that makes them cold and reported temperatures do not often take into consideration the wind chill factor of high winds combined within persistant heavy rain.

My pony is blanket clipped and in a MW no neck of 280g he lives out 24/7 he was in a MW 150g but I noticed his ears were very cold when it was rainy and windy so I have put the warmer rug on. I do have a 200g a friend gave me but it had been on another horse so I did not really want to use that without it being cleaned first.

Someone at my yard actually said a pony with such a severe clip should not be living out at all and quite a few yards in the area do not allow clipped ponies to live out and there was me worrying he would be too hot!. I don't think some people realise that a good rug can be as warm if not warmer than his fur!

I do have a HW but don't think I will use it unless it goes down to -12 again as by the time Jan/Feb comes his fur will have grown back quite a bit.
 
Ours all have rainsheets on, except for one with a bib clip who has a 40g FAL rug on and one who has a blanket clip and has a 200g FAL on.

I definitely try to under rug not over rug.
 
Before I moved I would have had hysterics at the thought of your temperatures Christi. I think nothing now of leaving horses unrugged or just with a MW in similar temps, not at the moment mind, it is 10C here today and raining.
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ps Christi, is it your village where they filmed 'Hope Springs' ? I went and had a nosey out of curiosity.
 
QR: I cannot read this whole thread as the rugging issue always makes me really cross!

YES, horses are VERY overrugged in this country, it is ridiculous. Those that are already in HW TO rugs (and bear in mind it is around 8 - 10 degrees during the day ATM), what on earth will you put on when the proper cold weather comes? If it was spring and we had these temps, everything would be out in a rain sheet or LW!

As for me, mine is clipped, in a big open barn, and is in a thinnish MW TO at night and is plenty warm enough. He is out in a rain sheet during the day.
 
Over rugging is as cruel as a horse being cold.... I hate to see horses with layers upon layers on.

It always makes me chuckle when people think keeping a horse really hot will stop him growing a thick coat, it makes absolutely no difference, just flattens coat down and keeps it looking nicer.
 
QR

Yes, I believe many horses are over rugged. Not all, and they vary in their needs, but they are healthier a little cold than hot.

It may be getting wetter these days, but it is also milder, so whilst they may need LW to stay dry, they do not also need HW or layers for warmth.
each to his own though.
 
Well my horse isnt even clipped yet and she's in a heavy weight stable rug at night - purely because she was cold in anything lighter! I just think it varies from horse to horse - some would be sweltering in the rugs I put on Elz, but that isnt to say I am wrong for rugging her up to ensure she is comfortable. She feels the cold ridiculously easily, always has done.

Horses for courses, I say! I dont think there are any right or wrong answers - surely everyone here (over rugging or not) is only trying to do right by their horse...
 
QR horses don't feel the cold in the same way as we do, the food they eat generates warmth. How would you feel wearing 6 coats and not being able to remove any?

over clipping and over rugging is a bit of a bugbear of mine. I hate it when people clip for their own convenience rather than for the horse's benefit. It's cruel IMO
 
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over clipping and over rugging is a bit of a bugbear of mine. I hate it when people clip for their own convenience rather than for the horse's benefit. It's cruel IMO

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I couldn't have put it better myself!
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Speaking a few years ago to an older Irish vet he was convinced that the majority of people over rug their horses.
Also has been said, rugging does not stop them growing their coat, just flattens it so they do not look so fluffy. Also only way to check if a horse is cold is to feel the BASE of their ears, under elbow, etc and NOT to put your hand under the rugs to feel their coat.

In the days when we only had canvas New Zealand rugs my Highland pony was unclipped and unrugged and would often have an inch of so of snow on his back was was still tosty as his coat insulated him.

Horses know much better who to be horses then we do!
 
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