Pedantic
Well-Known Member
I hate to see horse's which are native types rugged unneccassarily sweating there bits off.
Bonkers people up at my yard!!
- Thread starter Carrots&Mints
- Start date
AmyMay
Situation normal
Bright_Spark
Well-Known Member
Really? They're bonkers for rugging their horses in accordance to how their horses cope with the weather?
I rugged 'the ginger people' yesterday in 100g rugs, because they were freezing. Even Blossom was miserable so I relented and took her muzzle off so she could eat some hay to get warm. I find the wind & rain makes them colder than cold but dry days.
I rugged 'the ginger people' yesterday in 100g rugs, because they were freezing. Even Blossom was miserable so I relented and took her muzzle off so she could eat some hay to get warm. I find the wind & rain makes them colder than cold but dry days.
1Lucie
Well-Known Member
ha ha im a bonkers one! My boy has a medium weight with no fill neck on. For following reasons:
1. My boy lost a serious amount of weight last winter and im determined it wont happen again.
2. My boy is a bit of a wimp!
3. He has no shelter and is in a field open to the elements at the moment.
It has been very windy here and rained all day yesterday and majority of the day before.
1. My boy lost a serious amount of weight last winter and im determined it wont happen again.
2. My boy is a bit of a wimp!
3. He has no shelter and is in a field open to the elements at the moment.
It has been very windy here and rained all day yesterday and majority of the day before.
Littlelegs
Well-Known Member
Lw rugs have a light lining, no fill rainsheets don't. Also don't think cleaning (when needed) & proofing does anything but good. Been doing mine myself since back in the days of nzs. My mares newest turnouts are 5yrs old. Many 10yrs old, a couple 15yrs old. And two that must be one of the first made as alternatives to new zealands. Water pours off all of them, & certainly none leak, whatever the weather.
Spotsrock
Well-Known Member
Mine are rugged, I am bonkers!!
My coblet grew up in a ladies kitchen and is miserable if she gets chilly, she would hate being rugless if it went below about 15 degrees!
My TB has never lived out before and would have had a couple of stable rugs on in this cold in his previous life, neither needs a winter coat (or could grow one if I wanted!)
My 32 year old gets bad arthritis pains if she gets cold and wet, especially from the wind but stiffens up if I bring her in over night so want to leave out as long as possible.
I'd like the other 2 out as they have loads of grass, money is not raining out of my rear, I'm busy at work and appreciating not getting up half hour earlier to muck out just yet and other than being chilly, they don't need to come in so rugs it is. It is about 3 degrees at night here though
My coblet grew up in a ladies kitchen and is miserable if she gets chilly, she would hate being rugless if it went below about 15 degrees!
My TB has never lived out before and would have had a couple of stable rugs on in this cold in his previous life, neither needs a winter coat (or could grow one if I wanted!)
My 32 year old gets bad arthritis pains if she gets cold and wet, especially from the wind but stiffens up if I bring her in over night so want to leave out as long as possible.
I'd like the other 2 out as they have loads of grass, money is not raining out of my rear, I'm busy at work and appreciating not getting up half hour earlier to muck out just yet and other than being chilly, they don't need to come in so rugs it is. It is about 3 degrees at night here though
AFlapjack
Well-Known Member
My native pony has been turned out in a LW rug. Shoot me down!!
He is in at night (livery rules) and doesn't have any shelter in his field, hence the need for a rug.
People may call me bonkers, stupid, idiotic etc. but I always try to do what is best for my boy and always take his temp, weight, living conditions into account.
For what it's worth, if he had shelter in his field I wouldn't rug him at the moment.
He is in at night (livery rules) and doesn't have any shelter in his field, hence the need for a rug.
People may call me bonkers, stupid, idiotic etc. but I always try to do what is best for my boy and always take his temp, weight, living conditions into account.
For what it's worth, if he had shelter in his field I wouldn't rug him at the moment.
Buds_mum
Well-Known Member
Well i'm bonkers, my coblet is in a 200g no neck. Its been great, he's been out for 2 nights and now second day of continuous rain in it. This morning he was still warm and dry under it and out grazing. His unrugged field companions were huddled together next the hedge shivering, despite their owner having an entire tack room full of rugs?!
I rug mine when its cold and wet, why on earth not. As long as he is not too hot then I believe (and have been proved) that he will be happier having the rain kept off him.
It really is foul weather though, and so windy!!!
I rug mine when its cold and wet, why on earth not. As long as he is not too hot then I believe (and have been proved) that he will be happier having the rain kept off him.
It really is foul weather though, and so windy!!!
Honey08
Waffled a lot!
I don't like putting anything other than a rainsheet on or bringing them in at night until Nov 1st, but this weather is pretty exceptional for September, and my two were cold the other night, despite being in a field of lush grass and having a good line of mature trees to break the wind and provide shelter, so I have gone against the grain and brought them yesterday morning. Today they went out for two hours without rugs and again were shivering and happy to come in.. They don't have enough coat to stand up anyway at the moment, so can't get warm (and what coat they have is plastered to their skin anyway from the driving rain) Even the hillsheep and cattle are huddled and miserable!
I agree with whoever said this kind of weather is just the thing to lose condition on a horse at this time of year - mine have both dropped weight over the last two days - its quite noticeable. They were too fat, so its not a bad thing for them!
Each to their own - to have heavyweights on permanant in September isn't good, but to get through some pretty extreme weather, fair enough!
Amymay you need to give me lessons on posting short replies!
I agree with whoever said this kind of weather is just the thing to lose condition on a horse at this time of year - mine have both dropped weight over the last two days - its quite noticeable. They were too fat, so its not a bad thing for them!
Each to their own - to have heavyweights on permanant in September isn't good, but to get through some pretty extreme weather, fair enough!
Amymay you need to give me lessons on posting short replies!
applecart14
Well-Known Member
Its really weird but I notice that in the summer months and you get a very cold night and it goes down to 3 or 4 Celsius not one person would leave a rug on their horse overnight in the stable. Yet when its 3 or 4 Celsius and its winter the horses are so weighed down with rugs its impossible.
I put a fleecy type of rug on my horse the other night, one of those Horseware navy fleeces and it was 7c. When I went up at 7am the next morning I felt under the rug and his fur was cold (not cool) so I put him in a light weight quilted rug the next night.
I put a fleecy type of rug on my horse the other night, one of those Horseware navy fleeces and it was 7c. When I went up at 7am the next morning I felt under the rug and his fur was cold (not cool) so I put him in a light weight quilted rug the next night.
AmyMay
Situation normal
ClassicG&T
Well-Known Member
we have had 60mph winds and torrential rain, im off school as the town where my school is is blocked off! My 4 year old has had his full neck medium on since friday as dropping to 3 at night and just reaching 10 during the day
HBM1
Well-Known Member
have to agree, I can honestly say that I have never thought about how other liveries manage their horses. When at the yard I am too busy focussing on my own. I actually brought my horses in for two nights as the weather was the mix of all I loathe, driving rain, less than 8 degree temp and howling wind. I don't mind one or the other, but I won't leave them out in all of them together. I don't want to rug just yet as I want their coats to change more. They all seemed happy in their barn having a good nosy at all the goings on.
Clodagh
Well-Known Member
My youngster and his old fat companion are bare and my wussy thin showjumper is rugged, you can see his ribs and hips as it is without him shivering all that expensive food and hay off.
Horses for courses.
Oh and I agree with the old stud groom of the Beaufort who said 'Horses should never be naked in the stable, it ruins their coats' he would have meant blood horses and they always wore a summer sheet when stabled.
Horses for courses.
Oh and I agree with the old stud groom of the Beaufort who said 'Horses should never be naked in the stable, it ruins their coats' he would have meant blood horses and they always wore a summer sheet when stabled.
JennBags
HHOSS Wonder Woman
Absolutely - as always Amymay talks sense. Why can't some people understand that every horse is different? Some need to be rugged, some don't - and it's up to the owners as to how they are rugged. Unless it's causing the horse some distress, why can't people mind their own ruddy business?
hulloooo!!! I'm bonkers
Err, yeah, we already knew that
millikins
Well-Known Member
I have 3 natives and they couldn't cope yesterday in a well sheltered field and all in good condition. I felt really bad, brought them in midday, the Connie was standing, head down and shaking head to toe, the Eriskay looked O.K but was shivering when in and the Shettie X seemed alright but was cold the day before. All seemed fine after rugging and hay so hope no harm done.
eggs
Well-Known Member
In defence of the OP, she did say heavyweight rugs. I do think that it isn't cold enough (certainly where I am) to be in heavyweight rugs already
I was going to put rainsheets on mine on Sunday night but as the rain was so heavy I was concerned that they would leak so mine ended up in lightweight turnouts (I agree with the person who pointed out the difference between no fill rain sheets and lightweight rugs).
I was going to put rainsheets on mine on Sunday night but as the rain was so heavy I was concerned that they would leak so mine ended up in lightweight turnouts (I agree with the person who pointed out the difference between no fill rain sheets and lightweight rugs).
HBM1
Well-Known Member
it is also worth bearing in mind, this isn't winter so they do not have their thick winter coats to help them. Only two weeks ago it was baking hot, so this adverse weather is as much a shock to their system as ours.
AmyMay
Situation normal
Nope, no mention of Heavyweight in the original post.
PandorasJar
Well-Known Member
Most of ours have all got theirs. Were getting winter coats during the week of baking hot
Obviously they know the English weather well
eggs
Well-Known Member
Amymay you are correct - I read full winter rugs to mean heavyweights
Brightbay
Well-Known Member
Er, gosh, I must be doing something very wrong then, as my horse lives out in his no-fill Shires rainsheet all winter. Dry. Even when we have a hurricane.
And as far as rainsheets making horses colder, I would like to see the evidence for this? He had his rainsheet on towards the end of last week on a rainy night, and in the early hours, we had a frost and temperatures down to freezing. When I took the sheet off him to ride at 7.30am, his coat was completely fluffed up underneath it...
Maybe look at the horse and how he or she is coping, rather than following a set of rules? Manufacturers like you to buy rugs. They like you to buy more than one kind of rug... so they market "rain sheets", "summer sheets", "40g rugs", "60g rugs", "180g rugs", "200g rugs", combi rugs, full neck rugs, half neck rugs... Do we need one of everything? Most likely not. I do have a 200g rug for my boy - never had to use it yet. In the winter, if it rains, he wears a rainsheet. If it's not raining, he doesn't. If it's -17, I enjoy seeing how effective his full coat actually is, and I also love watching a coating of snow sit on top of it, without melting. Better insulation than any manufactured rug.
If this doesn't describe your horse, find the rug that suits them, but don't fall for the "this rug can only be used in the exact set of circumstances we describe" marketing speak
alfiesmum
Well-Known Member
oh dear what am i then? i have brought mine in today!
they usually live out with access to their stables but its miserable so i tucked them up this morning with hay and extra bedding
2 x yearlings no rug, foal no rug , mare medium weight
they usually live out with access to their stables but its miserable so i tucked them up this morning with hay and extra bedding
2 x yearlings no rug, foal no rug , mare medium weight
MagicMo
Well-Known Member
I must be half crazy then. Heavy rain and cold biting wind so...
Shetland no rug.
Wussy warmblood heavyweight with full neck.
Both perfectly happy and not too warm or cold - easy, just depends on the individual horses
Shetland no rug.
Wussy warmblood heavyweight with full neck.
Both perfectly happy and not too warm or cold - easy, just depends on the individual horses
Goldenstar
Well-Known Member
I guarantee you would not think it bonkers to rug horses here today it's blowing a gale and rain is horizontal
A friends yard has three feet of water flooding it and she had to put the horses in the lorry and abandon the place at midnight she drove the lorry out with water up to the bumper.
A friends yard has three feet of water flooding it and she had to put the horses in the lorry and abandon the place at midnight she drove the lorry out with water up to the bumper.
mcnaughty
Well-Known Member
OP, depends what you mean by a "full winter rug" - It is pretty cold for this time of year and my mare has not grown much of a coat yet so she is out during the day with a no-fill and in at night with a waffle rug. Don't think that is excessive at all.
As for rugging in the stable - I always do this as they are not walking round to keep warm.
As for rugging in the stable - I always do this as they are not walking round to keep warm.
applecart14
Well-Known Member
The only weather horses don't tolerate well is driving rain - ie wind driving rain horizontally into horses which presumably drives water into their layers of coat. Normal strong wind or rain doesn't hurt them. More like an owner frightener, like a ditch is a rider frightener! lol
Honey08
Waffled a lot!
It was driving rain!
Thankfully its back to normal today, so horses will be going out again tonight again.
(Normal as in light rain not flooding!)
Thankfully its back to normal today, so horses will be going out again tonight again.
(Normal as in light rain not flooding!)
Luci07
Well-Known Member
You can't generalise about rugs. My rain sheet did not stand upto the biblical rain we had on Sunday and my poor lad was soaked and pretty hacked off when I brought him in at lunchtime. Yet in the morning, with the temperature and with an unclipped horse it was fine! Our yard is also in top of a steep hill and is considerably colder than down at the bottom!
putasocinit
Well-Known Member
I judge the weather by how I feel, if it is cold enough for me to put a thick jacket on then the cob gets his medium waterproof on, if it is cool enough for me to just put a light jacket on then the cob get his light sheet on and so on.
I do leave whatever rug he had on in the box, as he is not moving about, when hay is finished he does not have access to graze and get warm by generating heat from eating.
"Once it had snowed and it was really warm out (I just had a light jacket on)with the sun shining so I put him out with just a light sheet on to have a mad run around, but when he came in I put his heavy back on. Bear in mind he is not clipped but also doesnt have a thick needs to be clipped coat which is great."
I do leave whatever rug he had on in the box, as he is not moving about, when hay is finished he does not have access to graze and get warm by generating heat from eating.
"Once it had snowed and it was really warm out (I just had a light jacket on)with the sun shining so I put him out with just a light sheet on to have a mad run around, but when he came in I put his heavy back on. Bear in mind he is not clipped but also doesnt have a thick needs to be clipped coat which is great."