Confused! - help needed! (rugs/clip/stabling...again!!)

Horsey_Gal

Well-Known Member
Joined
12 April 2007
Messages
640
Visit site
My cob has ripped all hers so i cant rely on last years. She's going to get clipped - another question- she's going to get ridden (by sharer) about 3-4 times a week - what clip would you give her? and going by that, that rugs would you buy? LW, MW, HW? What makes are reasonable? would you stable her at night? Sorry for lots of questions!
 
id go on ebay and get your rugs if you are strapped for cash,depending on your horse im sure a mw would be fine as she is a cob !
does your sharer not help towards her cost if so then im sure your able to buy a rug for her ?

god im a single mum who works 20 hours a week,my horse and child never go without ive brought him 3 brand new rugs already and i only got him in july !!!
 
i know but ive seen most of your posts and there all money oriented and i was getting bored with them !!!

as i said im sure a mw would be fine,its trial and error you have to see how warm she feels in one,i just put my hand in under his rug and see how he feels
 
[ QUOTE ]
H_G, in one breath you have had horses for years, and then in the next you are asking the most basic and fundamental questions - you worry me a bit.

[/ QUOTE ]

just what i was thinking earlier but you said it for me,im wondering why she is asking these basic equine questions that people who have had horses for years should know !!! baaaa
smile.gif
 
It all depends on the individual horse.

As far as what sort of clip...

Remember why we clip... to help he horse, not because it looks good. So, the rule of thumb is take off as little as you can get away with. If you start off by taking the neck and undercarriage out, you can always up the clip to a low trace later if the horse is still sweating an taking ages to dry. If you rush in with the clipprs and take off too much, you can't put it back and you will be trapped in a world of exercise sheets and intensive rugging for months and all for no good reason.

As far as rugs go, this depends upon what your turnout is like and how much natural shelter is about. If your field is on top of an exposed hill with no shelter your requirements will be different from if your field was in a woded valley.

Also, when do you trun the horse out? The early mornings and evenings are colder than mid day.

As a starting point I would buy...

A rain sheet/LW turnout. Handy for keeping the horse clean and dry.

2 MW turnouuts with detatchable neck cover. You can also use the MW turnout as a stable rug in the depths of winter. Idealy you need 2 incase one gets broken or soaking wet.

2 or 3 fleeces. Very handy as coolers, under rugs or layerd up as stable rugs. If your stable is open to the elements you might also like a stable rug.

As far as which rug to put on, remember that the horse is not human, just because you are feeling cold doesn't mean the horse is. Horses aclimatise themselvs to the cold very well and most don't spend time in centraly heated houses! Feel the base of the ears to judge the horses temperature.

Keep an eye on the weather forcast, wind and rain is far more chilling than the actual air temperature. It is the wind/rain chill factor that is the problem
 
You clip a horse because based on the amount of riding she is getting. If she is starting to sweat up a lot and it takes her a good while to 'dry off' and she might get a chill.

So first question:

Has your horse sweated up much at the end of each ride? If yes, how much (you'll need a clip of some sort, again the least possible and totally dependant no how much sweat you're dealing with)

Echo previous poster, take off as little as possible.

If no sweat or very little sweat, then no clip is needed. Your horse will (already should have) started growing a big woolly coat especially for the winter to keep warm.

Cobs especially grow nice thick coats and I would only rug a cob if she was clipped.

Otherwise she should (once health is fine) be grand. Enough food (grass/hay) and being able to move/walk/trot/canter/etc around outside should keep her warm, with some outside shelter (like trees,ditches, roof type thing etc).

Once she is either clipped (only IF needed) with rug, or unclipped without rug, if she's happy out 24/7 I would leave her out 24/7.

Horses were never designed to live in stables, so if you have the 24/7 option and it suits your horse go for it.
 
Depends how hard shes going to be riden, if your sharer is likely to just plod around then id say a chaser clip would be fine with a mid-weight rug on for now and a HW in the depths of winter. But if shes going to be doing a lot of fast work/jumping then id say maybe a high trace or possibley even a blanket clip, but again id still be going by the same rugging guide with maybe a fleece on underneath too in the depths of winter!
 
[ QUOTE ]
H_G, in one breath you have had horses for years, and then in the next you are asking the most basic and fundamental questions - you worry me a bit.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not being funny but i have had horses for 13 years and still wonder what rugs to put on. I dont think its very fair that your being a bit mean when all she wants is a bit of advise!!!
 
Only clip if the horse is getting very sweaty, then play it by ear, a neck and belly clip may be enough if your cob is only ridden 3/4 times a week and doesn't do any fast work or intensive schooling.
Personally I'd get a dual purpose medium and heavy weight rug that is a turnout but doubles up as a stable rug if your cob needs to come in (many horses pefer to live out providing there is natural shelter and enough forage) and a lightweight tunrout and possibly a fleece.
Don't go for anything with less than a 1200 ripstop outer if your horse is a rug wrecker.
 
"i know but ive seen most of your posts and there all money oriented and i was getting bored with them !!!"

blimey, if you're that bored, pass the time learning some grammar and spelling. That was a bit snipey, wasn't it? I've had horses for donkeys years, and been a professional groom, and I'm still fascinated by other people's ideas as to what rugs belong where. I'm so old I still believe native ponies can live out all year round with no rugs at all, and that probably earns me a place on Rolf Harris's Most Wanted Criminals list
tongue.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
My cob has ripped all hers so i cant rely on last years. She's going to get clipped - another question- she's going to get ridden (by sharer) about 3-4 times a week - what clip would you give her? and going by that, that rugs would you buy? LW, MW, HW? What makes are reasonable? would you stable her at night? Sorry for lots of questions!

[/ QUOTE ]

you just said today in your other thread that you dont have any rideable horses, hnce the need for auction horse/'your' mare back.

do you actually know the difference between truth and fiction?

Or just pounds and pence.
confused.gif
 
No great loss, like was said in the long post the other day, people take the time to read posts and try and help, you change your story with every new post.

like you have HERE!
blush.gif
confused.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
THIS MARE IS TOO SMALL FOR ME!!! SHE'S ONLY 14.3/15HH - I NEED SOMETHING A LOT BIGGER!!!! - that answer your question??

[/ QUOTE ]

Er no, why do you have her then if you cant afford rugs for her , cant afford your field rent, and you want something to ride?...but cant afford more horses?
confused.gif




ETS: oh actually let me guess, you keep this one because of sentiental reasons...yet left your 'beloved' mare at your dads yard for a year without seeing her, or attempting to get her back...
smirk.gif
 
You dont know the full story with my dad and myself so you can't criticise .... but yet go ahead if it makes you feel any better.
I can afford my field rent (he helped me out when i had an enormous vets bill and i mean enormous plus i had a big household bill!!) and i can afford my horses. Yes, i wanted a cheap rug as she keeps ripping them all! Can't see anything wrong with that at all!
 
[ QUOTE ]


blimey, if you're that bored, pass the time learning some grammar and spelling.

[/ QUOTE ]

what ?? yes Ive also had horse for years and I'm interested in different ideas but this particular poster keeps coming out with different stories and I'm just bored with reading it,as for my spelling and grammar
tongue.gif
 
Top