clipped cob wont wear a rug

curio

curio

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 August 2009
Messages
398
Visit site
hi my clipped cob comes in at night I only clippped him 2 days ago as he was blowing and sweating after a mile of walking
now when he comes in at night he will not wear a rug, 1st night i left him in a thermatex and within an hour (watching him on the camera) he was going mad, rolling, pawing, running up the wall, so i went out he didnt feel too warm but his skin had gone very pink, off came the rug and he settled and was happy
2nd night i put a cotton sheet on and within 2hrs he was doing the same

so is there anything else i can leae on, is it possible he is getting friction from the rugs or just too hot?
he wears a mw in the winter when clipped.
any advice appreciated
thanks
 
Leave him naked at night I doubt if he's feeling cold anyway. Our traddy cob is clipped out (except mane and feather) because he sweats and is too hot even in his summer coat. He is stabled overnight. He sometimes has a summer sheet or fly rug on overnight as he is very sensitive to the flies now that he has less coat and this makes him restless in his stable. During the day he has a flyrug on to protect his white bits from sunburn and to keep the flies away. Could he have got a bit sunburnt and feel itchy under a rug? Try sponging down with a mint wash after exercise as this removes sweaty deposits and leaves the coat clean and shiny.
 
I agree completly with scrat.

I'm a novice really and my sportshorse mare tells me what rug she'll have on:rolleyes:.

I tried putting a light sheet on her for 2 nasty wet nights as she is out a few of the other horses had them on. She refused point blank to leave the yard in it? I thought she wanted a night in so duely brought her in and removed the rug. After 2 days of mucking out in May, I walked the moo as sweet as you like out to the field rugless on night 3 without any objection from her at all!

They know better than we give them credit I think:D
 
It sounds to me, from your description of the way he settled, as though he is trying to tell you that he is too hot in a rug. There really isn't much point in taking his coat off because it is making him too hot and then replacing it with something else. I realise that he was sweating during exercise but it doesn't sound like hard work. Horses (with one or two exceptions) don't like to be hot, after all they are designed to live out in snow, ice, wind etc in their winter coats. It always akes e cringe when I read on here, or in magazine articles, about 'toastie' horses. Feel the base of his ears and the inside of his elbow, unless he is really cold, leave him rugless.
 
My cob is clipped out year round - every 5 to 6 weeks normally. I am very careful about what I put him him because if he gets cold his coat will grow quicker and I'll have to have him clipped more often.

However I would not rug him just now. I do live in the SE and it maybe that it is a lot cooler where you are. But unless it is down to single figures at night I won't rug. Letting them get too hot is - not to put too finer point on it - cruel. Most horses are designed to warm themselves up far better than they cool themselves down.

Don't worry that he won't wear a rug. he will when he's cold enough.
 
I agree with the above-he's obviously too hot & uncomfortable in it even with a clip ;) My clipped cob doesnt get rugged at night until it gets really cold at night.
 
I really don't understand why you are rugging him at all. leave him naked, he will be fine.
 
He'll be fine, dont worry. My cob is clipped all year around and he's out naked 24/7 now. Cobs usually (not always) are more hardy than say a TB or a warmblood (suspect I will get shot down in flames now ....) and you really wont do him any harm.
 
TheoryX1 said:
He'll be fine, dont worry. My cob is clipped all year around and he's out naked 24/7 now. Cobs usually (not always) are more hardy than say a TB or a warmblood (suspect I will get shot down in flames now ....) and you really wont do him any harm.
Click to expand...

I also find my cob is a tone more hardy than a tb i used to own and he wasnt old or anything but dropped weight like mad if not rugged up, even through summer (unless it was a heatwave) :)

And as for rugs I prefer the type with the shiny slippery lining, they might not irritate your cob as much and i find when my cob is clipped in winter and has the stable rug on for 20 hours a day it tends not to slip back and pull on the chest area, just seems more comfy.
 
thank you thats made me feel better
I clipped him 2 days ago as hes a bit fat and was becoming exercise intolerant ie 1 mile walking dripping with sweat, high respiration and almost expiring with the abdominal muscles, and taking ages for his breathing to come back to normal

This horse before the heat could trot for 5 miles solid with a victoria carriage, without blowing at all. and he needs fittening up a bit more for the weddings and proms coming up
Drove him yeasterday (clipped evening before) and he was back to normal trot work there and breathing returned to normal within 3 minutes not 10
rode him today for 2 hours in an all paces and was very energetic, forward going and even tried to buck in canter numerous times which hes never done before (I ve had him since he was 6 months old now 14yrs)
So Iam beginning to feel that i have done the right thing clipping everything off except his head (he wont tolerate it) as it seems like ive got my happy forward going horse back not a fed up cant be botherd kick along cob.
This is the first time ive clipped in summer and it seems strange to but his coat was so thick, i filled a full trug with it.

I will get him a mint wash as hes a bit itchy and give him a bath with it.

which rugs have a slippery lining please as hes terrible to fit rugs to due to being croup high and most tend to rub his hips so i will get one for the winter
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top