Being told I'm cruel for not rugging up!

Ours are rugged up in a similar set up to the Sparkle Sister's gang. Because we're pumping gallons of food into the beggars, they aren't shivering that off! I think a lot of people can testify that last winter Smokes looked very poor, and we want to try and avoid that. Keeping horses warm is an easy way of preventing them wasting calories.

Even wen Reg is roughed off over winter he's kept rugged to the eyeballs. Pretty sure the proof is in the pudding- most people on here have happy and healthy horses regardless of their rugging practices. So perhaps it isn't so much what rugs but the level of thought and care that goes into maintaining their system? You see your horse every day, you make little decisions every day about feed and rugs according to what your horse looks/ acts like, and I reckon it's those which make the big difference.
 
Lolo said:
Ours are rugged up in a similar set up to the Sparkle Sister's gang. Because we're pumping gallons of food into the beggars, they aren't shivering that off! I think a lot of people can testify that last winter Smokes looked very poor, and we want to try and avoid that. Keeping horses warm is an easy way of preventing them wasting calories.

Even wen Reg is roughed off over winter he's kept rugged to the eyeballs. Pretty sure the proof is in the pudding- most people on here have happy and healthy horses regardless of their rugging practices. So perhaps it isn't so much what rugs but the level of thought and care that goes into maintaining their system? You see your horse every day, you make little decisions every day about feed and rugs according to what your horse looks/ acts like, and I reckon it's those which make the big difference.
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THIS. It's not just whether you rug or don't rug, but the whole management system - type of horse, age of horse, condition of horse, how much are they worked, how clipped out, how much forage/hard feed, how many rugs, the climate where you are (here in NE Scotland it is colder/windier/rainier in general than say the south of England, so we probably rug up more on average). So as long as your rugging regime fits in with everything else, and the horses are happy with that, then it shouldn;t be a problem.
 
Prince33Sp4rkle said:
And more manners, more class and more brain cells than the entire HHO I know your horse best management team, combined.....
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Must tell a couple of my vets they have no class and no manners.
They've both been known to have a rant along the lines of ' I wish these people would get the bloody rugs off.'

Unless the horse is in enough hard work to warrant a full clip or is old/sick, I've yet to meet a vet that says, 'ooh- stick a couple more rugs on the poor darling'.
 
horserider said:
Must tell a couple of my vets they have no class and no manners.
They've both been known to have a rant along the lines of ' I wish these people would get the bloody rugs off.'

Unless the horse is in enough hard work to warrant a full clip or is old/sick, I've yet to meet a vet that says, 'ooh- stick a couple more rugs on the poor darling'.
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but thats probably because the fully clipped horses in hard work are ALREADY wearing plenty of rugs ie an appropriate amount to keep them warm and stop them shivering calories off, so vet has no need to interfere......and again one horse in question DOES have a medical issue.

Vets would not be saying take rugs off horses that were happy healthy and not over hot under them so not sure how that is at all relative to this conversation and again neither you or your vet has seen the horses in question so really has no basis for saying they are incorrectly rugged.

thank you for your contribution all the same :)
 
WelshD said:
Perhaps we should start a thread called 'what are you wearing?' (strictly NON kinky...)

I for example am wearing a long sleeved T shirt where my colleague is in a jumper and overalls. Same environment, same heating (or lack thereof) etc..

I dont understand why people cant accept that other people are capable of managing their own horses[/QUOTE]


Your final, may I say most apposite comment should be printed on T shirts and marketed. We could do a survey on how many liveries turn up wearing it on its own and how many wear it on top of several other layers of clothing.

BTW I'm wearing elephant-ear jodhs, a hacking jacket, RNLI wellies and a tiara. (and no, I'm not expecting the plumber):cool:
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Fellewell said:
WelshD said:
Perhaps we should start a thread called 'what are you wearing?' (strictly NON kinky...)

I for example am wearing a long sleeved T shirt where my colleague is in a jumper and overalls. Same environment, same heating (or lack thereof) etc..

I dont understand why people cant accept that other people are capable of managing their own horses[/QUOTE]


Your final, may I say most apposite comment should be printed on T shirts and marketed. We could do a survey on how many liveries turn up wearing it on its own and how many wear it on top of several other layers of clothing.

BTW I'm wearing elephant-ear jodhs, a hacking jacket, RNLI wellies and a tiara. (and no, I'm not expecting the plumber):cool:
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Haha, I'm wearing a base layer, fleecy pajama top, hoody and jeans (and fluffy slippers). That's with the heating on! Brrrr.
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Having held a horse to be PTS when it's rug was set alight by a firework I don't rug mine until mid November.
They are unclipped, well fed & have plenty of shelter and live out 24/7.
 
My New Forest is still naked. She was rugged last winter (my first winter of having a pony post TB ownership) and she came out of winter far too fat, I'm assured she does have ribs but I am yet to find them.

To be honest she has good natural shelter and she survived feral in the forest for 6 years so she'll be fine. The only time I may consider a rug is if it's about 2-3c and raining as cold and wet is nasty, snow though although cold doesn't get her wet.

Have to say she has been happily grazing in the middle of the field in 9c and hammering rain!
 
s4sugar said:
Having held a horse to be PTS when it's rug was set alight by a firework I don't rug mine until mid November.
They are unclipped, well fed & have plenty of shelter and live out 24/7.
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That is really tragic, I'm sorry. However like PS says that is a freak accident, and if the horse had had no rug on it may still have had awful burns and been pts had it been hit by a firework.
 
I have seen other firework burns but on unrugged horse they have not spread. This one was engulfed with most of his back skin charred and did need to be rugged as he was well into his 30s so no way he could have recovered.
A tragic accident but as mine don't need rugs unless the weather gets cold, wet and windy with no opportunity for them to warm themselves the rugs stay off.

Much rugging appears to be for the owner's convenience and I can understand the wish to not have to deal with a wet horse if you want to ride after work. I don't understand why every horse seems to have a different rug for each day of the month and is more often over rugged than under rugged.
 
The last WB and TB horses I've bought, were multi rugged with previous owners but still looked underweight.
I clip, work them daily and feed a forage based diet with a small (balancer) feed. They don't wear more than a single m/w rug in the worst weather and yet keep their condition well.

Of course people must do what they feel is right, but I haven't found the need to heavily rug any horse that I've had yet.
 
My forester is the same except he has a bib and belly clip and not rugged yet. He was very fat and it has taken a long time to get his weight under control and I can now feel his ribs and he is almost nice and slim. Like others have said I think it depends on the breed and amount of fibre they have access to and how furry they are.

Dizzle said:
My New Forest is still naked. She was rugged last winter (my first winter of having a pony post TB ownership) and she came out of winter far too fat, I'm assured she does have ribs but I am yet to find them.

To be honest she has good natural shelter and she survived feral in the forest for 6 years so she'll be fine. The only time I may consider a rug is if it's about 2-3c and raining as cold and wet is nasty, snow though although cold doesn't get her wet.

Have to say she has been happily grazing in the middle of the field in 9c and hammering rain!
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I keep my lad at a large livery/hunting/riding school yard.

There's over 70 horses and ponies on the whole yard (all breeds, ages, work rate etc) - vast majority turned out over winter (albeit not all on grass, majority on haylege). Each has it's own requirements, there's super-doers (natives) who survive belly clipped over winter without rugs, good doers un-clipped and naked, fully clipped/hunting/comp horses who need extra rugs through lack of body fat, older ones who are clipped/unclipped, in regular work but poor doers and need help for warmth etc.

All in all soo many differing factors in their up-keep. Mine's in the poor doer camp, not yet clipped but in 100gm rug with LW over the top (currently 9/10 over night).

The whole rugging argument/discussion is getting old now - if your horse is happy sobeit, if anyone asks my opinion I give it. but at the end of the day it's up to the owner.

xxx
 
Prince33Sp4rkle said:
but thats probably because the fully clipped horses in hard work are ALREADY wearing plenty of rugs ie an appropriate amount to keep them warm and stop them shivering calories off, so vet has no need to interfere......and again one horse in question DOES have a medical issue.

Vets would not be saying take rugs off horses that were happy healthy and not over hot under them so not sure how that is at all relative to this conversation and again neither you or your vet has seen the horses in question so really has no basis for saying they are incorrectly rugged.

thank you for your contribution all the same :)
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LOL, thank you for thanking me for my contribution to the thread. Missed the bit where you were appointed chairman of the discussion.

I was under the impression the OP was talking about being thought cruel for not rugging, so I thought my 'contribution' was relevant.

I just loved your no class and manners remark. Classic :D
 
minimilton said:
I guess now, right when this thread is heated, would be a bad time to admit to often taking matters into my own hands in the past.

I used to go to a livery yard where there was a girl who rugged her horse all year. During the summer the horse would be out in the field sweating profusely. The rug was dark and heavy. The horse was miserable. The girl used to argue with everyone who mentioned it.
As soon as she went home I used to go down the field and take it off. I used to do the chest straps back up and dump it on the ground. The horse looked relieved. The owner arrives the next day to think the horse managed to get the rug off himself. She thought he was Houdini. The horse was happy. It was our little secret.
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Love it !!!
 
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