Bib clip - do I then need to rug?

ownedbyaconnie

ownedbyaconnie

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So until now I have let my connemara go through winter unclipped and unrugged as I only tend to ride at the weekends during winter thanks to work and until now she's schooled with a hollow back and head up in the air so never really got that sweaty.

Fast forward to now and she's getting very sweaty as her schooling is improving and I'm jumping more and asking more technical questions, and with working from home I will probably ride more during winter than I usually do.

I'm thinking of doing a tiny bib clip just to take the underneath of her neck off, her chest and go back to the girth line as this is where she's getting sweaty the most.

My question is, will I then need to rug? My initial thoughts were I'd pop a fleece on overnight when it gets below 5 as her stable is sheltered from wind. Then a 100g turnout (or just a rain sheet? Do 50g turnouts exist?!) when it gets below 5 also. She has a 5 acre paddock to run around to keep her warm (but there's not loads of grass) and there's hedges along 2 sides so depending on wind direction she should have some shelter from wind.

I'm so used to not even checking the weather and not rugging I'm now overthinking! Which is precisely why I like not clipping ;).

She's 12, fit, healthy and grows a decent coat.
 
Unless she is a really poor doer then you shouldn't need to rug. Last winter my two had chaser clips and were out at night completely naked unless it was heavy rain and high winds and then they only had raincoats on. Absolutely no grass on their field and neither of them looked thin. They are now both fully clipped and DP is still only in a 100gm rug while B is in the 200gm because he isn’t carrying much weight this winter and doesn’t need to lose any more.

There is a really good chart which shows which rug weights to use with which clips both inside and out. Will try to find it and post a picture or alternatively have a look at David Marlins advice on how horses regulate their temperatures. It’s very interesting and educational.
 
I’d leave naked unless they’re skinny.
Most of them are happier unrugged and you can always pop one on later if you think its necessary or they’re dropping too much weight.
 
You really don’t need to specifically rug for a bib clip and more than you do naked.

So for me, rugging the horse would be dependant on body condition, horse warmth, weather - irrespective of the clip
 
A bib clip is specifically designed so you don't need to rug. You can also do a low trace clip or a low chaser clip and leave unrugged providing your horse holds condition unrugged normally.

If you you want a lightweight turn out rug premier equine do a 40g fill that is properly waterproof and has a good tough outer.
 
I've just given my Sec. D mare a bib clip, and leave her out unrugged... the rest of her is still very mammoth like, and when I tried her in a lined zero fill for 24hrs she felt kind of clammy, so I've left her naked as she seems more comfortable
 
On the advice of an independent nutritionals I've just low chaser clipped my unbroken 3.5 year old to try and get some weight off him. Def not rugging - he is water proof and fat
 
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