Can you leave a turnout rug on in the stable?

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HaffiesRock

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Its a musing really as I keep my pony out 24/7 unrugged as hes hardy, so have no clue about stabling or rugging.

All of the horses bar mine and another are in at night, all wearing their turnout rugs. Now my guess would be its so its easier for whoever goes up to turn out.

Just wondered who else does it? One horse has trouble with weight loss (another story) but the last 3 nights shes been brought in and put in the stable, but her rug hasn't been taken off at all. I checked her on Thursday last week (rug off and groom as owner was away) but I doubt its been taken off since then, so how can weight be monitored?

So what do you all do? What SHOULD you do? Comment sense would say a different rug for the stable, if not for comfort?

Thanks all
 
sometimes turnouts are left on in the stable, as the horse's bodyheat will dry them out. They still need removing and checking daily though.
 
i generally leave mine in t/o rugs over night and he is stabled. personally i think it is better as it cant be nice for on a frosty morning your pony be stripped naked and have a ice cold rug put on!
 
I personally like to see that mine are unrugged groomed and checked for weight / skin issues etc with a separate stable rug. I would have been unhappy when I was a livery customer to find a wet rug on my horse. I'm lucky enough to have mine at home and call the shots. Some do leave them on the horses to dry it seems to be a new habit based on their views about modern rugs but I really don't like to see that and think it's sloppy.

If you do go down this route then think carefully if you are using a haynet as its easy to get caught on them and more so with turnout than stable rugs in my experience.
 
Back in the 60s/70s outdoor rugs were always taken off and stable rugs put on. This was because the outdoor rugs were not breathable, were incredibly heavy and they weren't particularly waterproof. They often took all night and sometimes the next day to dry. With the technological breakthroughs in material and rug designs, turnouts don't need to be taken off in the stable anymore. They are just as suitable for indoors as outdoors because they are lightweight, breathable and comfortable for the horse. Obviously no responsible owner would leave them on all winter and not check the condition of their horses underneath lol.
 
Mine both wear their turnouts indoors. If they are wet they dry so much quicker with the horse's body heat.

I always unrug, groom and rerug every evening.
 
well i occasionally did this until my horses neck cover caught on his haynet and he was stuck there for goodness knows how long! wont do it now no matter what . also it is usually much colder at night than in the daytime so i put a higher tog rug on at night:)
 
Always. Weather quite extreme here in winter (ridge of a valley, gets all the weather), so horses would get wet/cold in stable rugs. Haynet not an issue as feed hay from the floor.
 
Most modern turnouts are dual purpose - all of mine are

I leave on in the stable but I always remove rugs at least once a day to ride/groom anyway.

Old fashioned New Zealands were unsuitable for the stable, but the composition of modern rugs are the same - its just the outers of turnouts are higher denier and waterproof but otherwise they are both breathable and so there is no need to change.

Not removing rungs to groom/re-adjust/check condition is poor stable management but it makes no difference whether the same rug is reapplied or a different one put on!
 
At my last yard I left my horse in his turnout for two reasons - firstly the roof leaked, and secondly it would cost me £3 a day to have someone change it over for me.

Now I am at a lovely yard with leak-free stables :D, and have invested in stable rugs. As I am on part livery, it ensures that he is checked over on the days I don't go up to see him. It also doesn't cost me any extra now to have his rug changed :D.
 
If someone else is bringing my horse in for me then he wears his turnout rug overnight, also if I bring him in and his rug is wet I leave it on him to dry out as there is no space to do this at the yard. I do prefer to change his rug though, and if he has spent all night in his turnout rug I always take it off and re-position it in the morning so that I can check on him and that he is comfortable.
 
Yup, mine do both jobs. Just brought everyone in. I am "cooking" feeds while enjoying a cup of tea. I will then go out to feed and give brush overs.

I used to have stables and turnouts for everyone, but it's much simpler this way and nobody is suffering. I put liners on at night depending on clipping and weather.

Terri
 
If you can't, then I've been doing everything wrong for the last 15 years! They do get their rugs taken off and checked over every night though. (unless I'm in a massive hurry:o) My old boy didn't even own a stable rug (and only had a turnout after the age of 20) my current one does, but only wears it when we go to camp and he's in all the time! Apart from anything else, turnouts are slightly better at keeping wee-stains off greys I find as they don't allow it to seep through.
 
Mine do. Always take off and check them anyway but easier in winter as such an early start and also stable leaks! As for neck covers I tend to take these off if not very cold and they could just as easily get caught up wearing stable rug with neck anyway.
 
Now that turnouts are breathable, I don't understand why you'd take off a nice warm rug only to put a cold (and unless you've got a heated rug room!) damp one on so the horse has to expend energy heating up the air pockets again. I think people don't really understand that rugs work by having a structure which traps air, so if the air (rug) is cold, the horse uses body heat to warm it up. So you end up spending more on feed/forage to ensure the horse maintains condition because the horse expends more energy on heating rugs up. I also think it must be a bit miserable for the horse (again unless you have a heated rug room!) to have a nice warm rug taken off and a cold one put on at precisely the point at which their movement is restricted (by being stabled) so they have even less opportunity to move about and heat it up.

If I had a heated rug room maybe I'd feel differently. As it is, I don't own any stable rugs at all.
 
Mine have their rugs removed and checked over, allowed to have a good scratch etc provided it's not too cold and then generally replaced for the night but all my rugs are dual purpose and fit really well without rubbing. I wouldn't do it otherwise.
 
At this time of year when they only need one rug on, I leave the turnout rugs on them 24/7. Ofcourse they come off for riding and if the arent ebing ridden, I whip them off every couple of days for a groom of the bits I cant see with the rug on.

Come winter I suspect that I may have to add extra rugs so will need to swap rugs every morning and evening. :( I dont like taking warm rugs off and putting cold rugs on. Am toying with the idea of putting a light weight turn out over the top of another to get the layering I need... hmmm....
 
My pony stays in her turnout rug when brought in/turned out, almost every night i will take it off to give her a brush, the only reason we leave turnout on is because we don't have time in a morning to change the rug as she is a very impatient pony when it comes to turning out on a morning and will not stand still to let you change it :mad: :)
 
I leave turnout rugs on overnight - the only stable rugs I own are used as under-rugs when it gets v cold. My turnout rugs would never dry otherwise and as long as they are warm enough I don't see the issue.
 
When you have 10 to turn out it's amazing how long it can take to change every rug from T/O to Stable and back again, it's simply too time consuming, so generally, they are left in the T/Os! They all have stable rugs, and when a horse comes back from hunting/competing they go in indoor rugs, also if theyre hunting the next morning we change them at night(dont know why mind, just one of them things!)
As most have said, they dry quicker on too, so long as the outdoor rug hasnt leaked I dont see the problem.
They are ridden everyday so always see any weight changes, skin issues etc and I really dont think it's necessary to remove a rug to check a horses weight EVERY day anyway!
 
[QUOTE
They are ridden everyday so always see any weight changes, skin issues etc and I really dont think it's necessary to remove a rug to check a horses weight EVERY day anyway![/QUOTE]

I agree, it is easier to spot a change in weight if you aren't looking at the horse every day as subtle changes are hard to spot. I do think though that you need to check the rug isn't causing any rubs regularly though.

Like most of the other posters have said, once my horses go into turnout rugs I don't put stable rugs on at night for the same reasons: rug dries better if left on the horse, why take a warm rug off and put a cold one on, saves time with nine horses coming in at night.
 
I change to stable rugs at night but have a thin liner that stays on underneath each rug. I don't like the idea of him with a heavy and wet rug on all night. I usually find my TO has dried by morning too :)
 
Mine doesn't come in very often but if she does then she has a turnout on - however I use liners so she never has a cold rug on as the liner stays on and a dry turnout goes back on top
 
No problem in doing it but I tend not to for two reasons.

1) My horse is incredibly dirty in the stable and gets whatever rug he is wearing encrusted in poo and soaked in wee. Stable rugs are easy to wash, I never wash turnouts as I think they are less waterproof after and just brush dry mud off.

2) I adjust rugs depending on the temperature, stable is an indoor barn and with all the horses in at night and the outer door shut gets warm whereas the fields are windy and exposed.
 
Ours keep t/o on overnight as yo does turnout in the morning and won't change rugs.
He came in last night very wet, I undid the buckles, checked him over, made sure he was still dry underneath the rug, did up buckles and left him ready to go out this morning.
 
Im another one who leaves turnout rugs on in the stable, stable rugs are only used as liners if its cold.
If your horse gets dirty in the stable a T/O rug repels stable mess better and doesnt absorb it like a stable rug.
In the summer when showing we use Amigo lightweights for the same reason.
 
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