Are you a trend follower ???

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Gentle_Warrior

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There seems to be a trend for fly rugs. Any one posts a problem about flies and the natural response if 'buy it a rug'. Am I the only one that like to see naked horses in the summer. Surely the horses love it too, the one season they are not all dolled up ???

Just wondering is all, please don't shoot me down.

Mine lives out 24/7 and stays naked in the summer with no fly rug on, yes the flies bother him a little but that is what they use their tails for and for faces their forelocks and the same with their mane.

Discuss !!!! LOL
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Ours love their fly rugs. The few liveries that dont have fly rugs stand around looking very fed up and ask to come in early whilst the ones nicely covered up in their rugs and masks graze happily most of the day.
 
well, I bought both mine fly sheets last summer as they both lived out 24/7 ( were still waiting for the stables to be finished) and both were very thin skined, the flys drove them crazy, they had their rugs on from about 6 in the morning to about 10 at night, and then were naked for the night time, the look of relief on Hector's face when I put his rug on was enough reason to continue using them
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This summer I have the stables, and I will bring them in out of the flies and heat in the day time, and turn them out naked at night
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Well to be honest my whole yard is fairly out of the trendy ways! lol. Not one person has a fly rug in the summer its naked horses all the way. No one owns a pessoa! No one has draw reins or anything like that, the strongest bit in the tack room is a pelham (which belongs to a livery) until I got pickle who came with a waterford bit no one had seen one before.

YO was amazed when they first saw safety stirrups 6 months ago lol. You name a gadget and can almost guarantee we dont have it lol!
 
i never used to use a fly rug until one year when i had got back from burghley my horse was absolutely covered in fly bites and i mean covered.
makes them so much more comfortable IMO and my mare will not let you anywhere with flyspray and tbh i dont know if it does any good anyway!
 
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I too like to see horses naked in the summer, unless they have a reaction to flies.
Its how nature intended.

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Agree, it is totally different if they allergic !!!
 
To be honest I wouldnt judge anyone that did have one, because I have no idea about them due to basically living in a yard thats at least 10 years behind lol
 
No I'm definitely not a trend-follower, never have been I'm afraid.

You think you have flies over there? Take a trip to over here LOL!! We have flies, mosquitoes and millions of other flying bugs like you wouldn't believe.....and no I don't cover any of my horses up although I do use fly sprays. They deal with this life - it's part of being a horse.
 
You are lucky your horse copes well with flies, my current horse does too and it makes life SO much easier!

However I have had a horse who didn't cope well (he didn't have sweetitch but he came up in lumps all lover every day) so he had a fly rug on.

Not convinced that the 'trend follower' comment was altogether warranted, I very much doubt people on here put fly rugs for any other reason than they think their horse would be more comfortable.

In a perfect world of course we ALL love to see horses au naturel in the summer but sometimes we have to make tough decisions based on what the horse will be most comfortable.
 
my boy has a fly mask as he has a really measly forelock (curse of the warmblood) as flies used to live on his eyes, but other than that I left him naked - rugs do tend to rub and horses do love being naked whenever possible - but i'd rather a rug than a really p!ssed off horsey from fly bites - plus some horses are allergic to fly bites.
 
Mine is without a fly rug for the fact that she is perfectly happy with a mask and some strong Phaser spray on her. She isn't bothered at all by flies or midges (ok she is a little itchy on her mane and tail but I stick some midge repellent on and it's getting better). My friend's horse ran out of fly spray a few weeks ago and every time I put her out in her fly rug only she was very bothered by the flies. She was more bothered with only a mask on though, and now with a mask, rug and spray she's quite happy. I think it depends on the horse and the environment as to whether I would use a rug or not. My horse would boil in any sort of rug at the mo as she's still shedding loads of winter fluff, but I know that some of my friend's horses would be very distressed in the field without a fly rug. All of us put fly masks on though, TBH I think if I had to chose one thing to put on it would be a mask.
So no, I am not a 'fly rug trend follower' (although agree with lzt that it is less of a trend and more out of consideration for the horse's welfare and comfort).
 
I knew the title would get interest, only reason for it - just wondered who else left their horses rug free where possible in summer

Did not mean to be rude. Just asking !!!! I must admit would rather a happy horse than a ratty one.

The reason I ask is that my lad gets sore withers from rugs and I can never weight to be rug free for him. but saying that I am VERY lucky in that he does not seem too bothered by them, although I will not hold my breadth !!!

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You obviously ont get bot flies round you. They drive them mental and they couldnt care less if you spray a tonne of flyspray on!!
 
there is marsh land round the fields, must admit to useing fly masks, which I put on sunday, as his face was covered, but apart from tail swishing none of them tend to bother toooooo much !

I know I'm lucky. Hope I have not upset anyone, did not mean to if I did.
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Actually Boss's reply has made me think - we don't get bot flies but what we do get is a plague of crab flies. No fly rug or mask can protect against them once they're on the horse as they burrow through the fur underneath everything, make the horse absolutely crazy with itching, and won't come off unless you hook them off with your fingernails and risk them burrowing up your fingers! *shudders* I certainly wouldn't like my horse out with a fly rug on and twenty crab flies up underneath it all!
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Shadow wears a fly rug I'm afraid, not because I'm a 'trend follower' (I don't think they look very trendy anyway!
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) but because she gets really bothered by the flies and comes in covered in bites otherwise. Our other pony doesn't wear one though because she doesn't seem to attract the flies as much. They both get fly sprayed though.
 
our pony has a fly rug this year as last year she developed sweetitch, she does sweat a bit under it at the mo as she still has lots of winter coat. the horse just has a mask which you have to bribe him with a carrot to get it on him!
 
I use a fly rug as Gen is terribly affected by the flies and is also allergic to flyspray. In the height of summer he comes in during the day (also gets sunburn if not careful) and goes out during the night - then he can go rugless so long as I can get him in before the dawn midges come out (so thats mon to sat cos I need a lie-in on a sunday lol).
 
my mare is allergic to flybites, not hugely but enough that if she got a bite in girth or saddle area she would be unable to be ridden for a few days.
hence she has a fly rug and i expect it used!

TBH i think the horses with the rugs on look happier and cooler in summer than those without.
 
I have three horses - and I'd like them naked, but one gets so badly bitten by flies etc that she turns lumpy (and miserable)...so fly rug solves the problem.
I think everyone does what's best for their horse....you can't assume that what's best for yours will work for theirs.
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I prefer my horse to be naked but when she first starts to stay out on a night she will have one on for a while. Simply beause she gets bitten to pieces and gets irritated by them. Once she has acclimatised a bit the rug will come off.
 
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