Autumn rugging - aargh!

[bonnysmum]

Changeable weather, yard 45 minutes away with a different climate (I live 300m above sea level). Tonight I took the plunge and put a rainsheet on with a 100g liner because Storm Agnes is on the way tomorrow afternoon (supposedly) and I can't get to the yard then. Now the risk of the storm hitting where we are seems to have receded and they're forecasting sun and 15 degrees tomorrow morning and I'm panicking and thinking I'm going to have to go to take the rug off in the morning. My mare's a native breed and grows a good thick winter coat and doesn't need to put any weight on, so ideally I'd just leave her naked the whole time and not have to worry about it. BUT she gets stiff & sore if she gets cold and her field doesn't have much natural shelter (and she lives out 24/7).

Just posting the detail as an illustration of the endless obsession that will be me from now until next spring. Paranoid does not begin to describe it ever since she started getting sore last year. How do others juggle this, especially at this time of year before their winter coats have properly come in?

 

[meleeka]

I just use a 50g, it’s enough to make a difference, but not thick enough to make them too warm when the sun comes out. I also think about how many hours they will be the ‘wrong’ temperature.

 

[shortstuff99]

I feel your pain, one of mine doesn't grow a winter coat and if she gets rained on/ cold she ties up.

My whole life appears to be always making wrong rug choices

 

[bonnysmum]

I just use a 50g, it’s enough to make a difference, but not thick enough to make them too warm when the sun comes out. I also think about how many hours they will be the ‘wrong’ temperature.

Yeah, good answer, I need a 50g liner but don't have one yet!

 

[Barton Bounty]

As long as she has an outer sheet to keep the most off she will be fine im sure…

 

[bonnysmum]

As long as she has an outer sheet to keep the most off she will be fine im sure…

Yeah but then I also worry that if I don't rug her enough then I'll make her colder than she would have been otherwise (flattening the hairs, heavy rain seeping through the rainsheet etc.) I really am the world's worst worrier at this time of year! And the worst of it is I would much rather take the natural route and leave her to it with her winter coat, and I'd definitely do that if it wasn't for her joint/muscle issues. :-(

 

[Barton Bounty]

Yeah but then I also worry that if I don't rug her enough then I'll make her colder than she would have been otherwise (flattening the hairs, heavy rain seeping through the rainsheet etc.) I really am the world's worst worrier at this time of year! And the worst of it is I would much rather take the natural route and leave her to it with her winter coat, and I'd definitely do that if it wasn't for her joint/muscle issues. :-(

Depends what temperature your expecting there then? Ours has been barmy up here

 

[bonnysmum]

Depends what temperature your expecting there then? Ours has been barmy up here

Oh right now? That was just a general statement. I'm not worried about making her cold now, just worrying she'll be too hot since I stupidly put the liner on but it's a 70 mile round trip to go and correct the situation

 

[FlyingCircus]

I do think horses need atleast 2 checks a day, in part to avoid some of this. Hard to cover 24 hrs with one decision.

 

[bonnysmum]

I do think horses need atleast 2 checks a day, in part to avoid some of this. Hard to cover 24 hrs with one decision.

Absolutely and also completely impossible with the yard so far away. Obviously I can ask others to check but it's an imposition and this is exactly why I posted. I can't be the only one with this dilemma!

 

[moorhillhorses]

It’s the hardest time of the year to decide what rugs.

 

[Carrottom]

I go with a 50g, if possible in light colour. Where mine are there is usually a breeze and they have shade if the sun is out for long.

 

[meesha]

I would get a fully waterproof no fill (or 50g if she is really cold), modern ones don't flatten their coats like old rugs used to and as long as you keep her dry and a bit of the wind off you should be fine.

Rugging is a pita this time of year, esp with rubbish forecasts that get it drastically wrong !!

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

A good choice is to have a fly rug on underneath a no fill, it offers a bit of a layer for at night then someone can just whip it off in the morning if need be.

 

[Birker2020]

Changeable weather, yard 45 minutes away with a different climate (I live 300m above sea level). Tonight I took the plunge and put a rainsheet on with a 100g liner because Storm Agnes is on the way tomorrow afternoon (supposedly) and I can't get to the yard then. Now the risk of the storm hitting where we are seems to have receded and they're forecasting sun and 15 degrees tomorrow morning and I'm panicking and thinking I'm going to have to go to take the rug off in the morning. My mare's a native breed and grows a good thick winter coat and doesn't need to put any weight on, so ideally I'd just leave her naked the whole time and not have to worry about it. BUT she gets stiff & sore if she gets cold and her field doesn't have much natural shelter (and she lives out 24/7).

Just posting the detail as an illustration of the endless obsession that will be me from now until next spring. Paranoid does not begin to describe it ever since she started getting sore last year. How do others juggle this, especially at this time of year before their winter coats have properly come in?

Whilst I miss having my own horse to take care of I don't miss obsessing about what rug to put on and when.

 

[Widgeon]

A good choice is to have a fly rug on underneath a no fill, it offers a bit of a layer for at night then someone can just whip it off in the morning if need be.

We do this, waterproof topped fly rug then a no fill or 50g chucked on top. I buddy up with the livery next to my field and we will both rug or de-rug each other's horses depending on the weather (we're often there at different times of day). It's working very well. Our weather is bizarre at the moment; very warm air temperatures and hot in the sun, but then temperatures plummet when the wind and rain appear (usually at times other than those predicted by the forecasters).

I wouldn't want to be working in weather forecasting!

 

[SEL]

Try having one with PSSM!!

The 50g is my friend although the Rambo summer series with the liner is worth looking at for a lot of horses who just need a bit of protection.

 

[bonnysmum]

Try having one with PSSM!!

The 50g is my friend although the Rambo summer series with the liner is worth looking at for a lot of horses who just need a bit of protection.

Just now I'm not so certain that I don't... need to talk to the vet as I've been reading up on it and she has a lot of the symptoms

 

[Peglo]

Oh rugging…. I’m constantly thinking about it too and to make matters worse I have a new one I’ve not had through winter yet. She doesn’t have much coat but doesn’t like to be too warm either. She only gets a 100g on just now. I see to them twice a day but even yesterday the forecast was for sun so I nearly took rugs off but by afternoon it was wind and heavy rain. They definitely needed rugs on and I was at work so couldn’t have done anything about it but fortunately chickened out taking them off.

 

[expanding_horizon]

It is rarely going below 10 degrees at night in SE, and my horse is a good weight with some coat. He has adlib haylage in the field. I havent put any rugs on this autumn yet. I tend to wait until it is a bit colder.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I am loving my Rambo summer series for this!
I’ve even used the liner which I never thought I would. Some mornings have seemed a bit chilly but the evenings not so so I figure the mesh sides will keep him from over heating but then first thing his backs warm from the liner.

 

[MissTyc]

This is the time of year I don't clip and leave them naked. Here it's just warm enough that they're not getting cold when sweated up (but my gosh, they are sweating up now!) but they're warm under their natural coats at night. I live weekend to weekend at this time of year. Every weekend I plan to clip and rug but try to get away with one more weekend. Even my boy who is clipped all year round is now fully natural just so I don't (yet) have to make rugging decisions.

 

[Bobthecob15]

I never usually bother and tend to go from 0g rainsheet to 100g when its colder...but have bought a 50g rug for this reason this year!

 

[Annagain]

I think it depends on the horse (obviously) but keeping the wind and rain off is often enough to keep them warm at this time of year. They don't have a huge amount of coat to flatten (compared to mid winter).

 

[IrishMilo]

David Marlin's done some good research on this: https://drdavidmarlin.com/rugging-now-we-add-in-a-heat-pad-under-the-rug/

 

[expanding_horizon]

David Marlin's done some good research on this: https://drdavidmarlin.com/rugging-now-we-add-in-a-heat-pad-under-the-rug/

He's shown that rugs help stop horses losing heat!?!