Do we mollycoddle our horses?

golddustsara

golddustsara

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 June 2007
Messages
2,746
Location
Hampshire
Visit site
As above... Inspired by the booting and rugging posts below I am happy to state that I don't rug at the sniff of rain - in fact P lives out 24/7 and in spring/summer with no rug at all... I only boot if jumping/doing strenous schooling as I think a few knocks are good for them so they learn not to fall over themselves. I ride in a simple cavesson with loose ring snaffle, no gadgets or fashionable grackle (or those hideous ear muff things I keep seeing at 2ft SJ)

Horses for courses here - I understand some horses may require a higher degree of care however, does Joe Blogg's horse really need to be wrapped in cotton wool?
 
I'm a hard mummy too! Out 24/7 with no rugs since March, although I did rug Ellie one night when I went down in the rain one evening and she was shivering.

Ridden in a simple cavesson with no noseband, no gadgets, no boots. I like simple!
 
I dont mollycoddle Merlin.... He lives out 24/7 and only has a rug in the winter...... he wears no boots unless doing XC and his only mollycoddling is that I put sun block on his pink schnozzle...... but then that is only fair, he didnt ask to have a silly burny nose
frown.gif
 
In general...yes I think so.
Me personally, I make sure my horses hooves are
picked out daily, I dont brush unless Im riding, she lives out all year round 24/7, she is rugged in the winter for my own benefit to keep her dry etc for riding, I ride with a martingale thats the only 'gadget' as such.
I try to make her live like a horse most of the time, although I talk to her as if shes a human, maybe I need more friends
grin.gif
grin.gif
 
I freely admit to mine being slightly molly coddled, but only a little bit!!! I do agree that some horses are hideously coveted like some precious piece of bone china and I dont like gadgets and gizmos used on horses for the sake of trend or fashion (or in the case of alot of gadgets at all). Yes is the answer to the question- way too much!
 
I do think a lot of horses are mollycoddled, and not treated like HORSES, but...

The better that my horse goes for me, the more I want to protect her. I have invested a lot of time and effort (and love, and money) in bringing my horse on, and I would be devastated if anything happened to her. I know I can't prevent everything, but I now boot her for all work *just in case*. I don't want her to be off games for a silly knock. A new horse was turned out in her field yesterday, so I found myself booting for turnout - never thought I'd do that, but as another horse ended up injured, I was glad I had done it.
crazy.gif


Different strokes for different folks I guess. Personally it doesn't bother me unless the horse's quality of life is affected (e.g. comp horses that are never given proper turnout- a step too far IMHO).
 
No they do not need to be wrapped in cotton wool but we also like to take the best possible care of them and ensure that they are happy in their domesticated lives.
My lad lives out and has a pure grass/hay diet, I ride him in a french link snaffle with no gadgets at all but I know him well now and how he is affected by different things. So I knew tonight as I drove home from work in the pouring rain that he would be unhappy out naked in what is a cool day for summer. When I got to the field he was cold at the base of his ears and slightly shivering so I have put him in his stable for 2 hours to dry off with hay and I will go back out later and put a rain sheet on him and he can go back out. That might be mollycoddling but he will be happier and calmer for being dryer and warmer overnight.
 
Yes without doubt, in my opinion some horses are rugged etc completely unnecessarily, i see young healthy horses on very warm days in full neck rugs! Drives me mad, i think too many are molly coddled and not treated as horses often enough.
They can often happily live out without all our mollycoddling
*steps down off soapbox*
grin.gif
 
finally
you are me basically
my horse lives out day and night all year round apart from night time in january and february when the fields get too wet to cope with having a horse on 24/7
 
I probably do molly coddle my horse by some people's standards but unfortunately she is not a native and drops weight at the slightest drop in temperature and therefor is rugged accordingly. However she does live out 24/7 for as long as the weather stays good, usually from the end of march to the end of october and then she still goes out for 10 hours a day.

I am still having to feed her 2 x a day and she is quite high maintenance but she's happy and healthy.
 
I think I do with mine, but I'm feeling so guilty as soon as I'm out for a day, something happens, sometimes I think the more you coddle them the more problems you have.
 
YES, DEFINATELY! Wild horses have noone to look after/care for them, they put up with a lot, i'm not saying domesticated ones should put up with the same but some of the stuff people do for their horses is stupid. They don't NEED 500 different thick rugs on in winter if they arn't clipped, they will cope with one fine i'm sure, especially if they have a thick bed. There is other things of course but y'know what i'm saying.
 
Sometimes the thought is there to molleycoddle my boy but then I rewind a little bit, remembering he is a horse and I re-think what my actions are going to be and their consequences. Generally, I go on instinct. For my boy, living out 24/7/365 suits him. I know he HATES his stable but every single winter when it gets chilly I want to cosy him up in a nice warm stable - then my instinct tells me he is happy out and unless he displays signs of being unhappy he can stay out. I do lose sleep over him, if its sunny tomorrow will be get too hot, if it rains will he get cold, but he copes brilliantly, left to his own devices, with perhaps a little intervention from me, ie, in the hot weather I like him to go in a paddock with shade. My boy is wondefully natured, flies through his annual vet check and is adored by everyone who meets him. I am very lucky that my laid back attitude suits my very laid back boy.
 
Generally I think people do mollycoddle far too much - personally I prefer to do whatever suits my horse.

I used to work at a riding school. None of the ponies even owned rugs, and the horses had one stable rug and one turnout rug each, and no neck rugs! We had two options - rug on or rug off, and would chose which horses to rug/unrug each day depending on how warm they felt, and their condition.

Rugs generally came off on dry days, even in January. Ponies lived out rugless and nothing was clipped unless absolutely vital. There was a lot wrong with the yard I used to work on but this was one thing that they got absolutely spot on and the horses were so much better for it - I never saw a horse sweat up in its rug or shiver with cold over the entire winter, because they were treated a) as horses, and b) as individuals.

IMHO all these high neck/half neck/middleweight/ heavyweight/combo/underrug thingys just complicate things and make people far more likely to get it wrong. Plus they cause a lot of owner worry - the number of people who make a dash up to the yard at 9pm because they 'only' left their horse in a MW and worry it might have expired by morning!
ooo.gif


I do confess to using boots all round, for every activity, but then I do own a horse who brushes and overreaches and has a splint on every leg, so I think it would be cruel not to give her some protection.

Tack wise I firmly believe in using whatever works. If thats a snaffle and cavesson fine, but I'm not going to battle away with a strong horse in a snaffle if I could use a strong bit sympathetically and have better control. I'm afraid I put my safety first when it comes to bitting - I'm sure my horse would love to go show jumping in a snaffle, but I wouldn't!!
 
I am mean mummy too!!
grin.gif
Mine are naked for as long as possible every year and I rarely put on anything heavier than a mw as it is easier for horse to warm up than cool down. They are turned out as much as possible - 24/7 for as long as possible and are turned out every day through the winter. They get ad lib hay and all have a high fibre diet. As for boots - my coblet doesn't have any as she has natures own!! my wb does but only when having a hard schooling session or a big long hack (over an hour and a half). They both have plain bridles with KK ultra loose ring snaffle (wb) or a baucher (coblet).

My wb has come from a 'cotton wool' environment - ie stabled unless being ridden, lots of hard feed etc and has ulcers, windsucks and cribs. All of these things are getting better now and he is a more chilled boy as a result.
smile.gif
cool.gif
 
Yes. Given the choice mine would be like my friend's horses outside 24/7 with field shelter, no rugs and just additional hay in the winter. As it is, my set up is convenient to me and suits my two southern nancies who hate being out in the rain. As I expect them to work I believe they have the right to be made as comfortable as possible (tack, teeth etc) but I don't mollycoddle them. At the moment FB wears fetlock boots as he is still not 100% with his footing, but normally I wouldn't bother.
 
No, I don't molly coddle - but I do take very good care of my horse. That includes booting him up when I ride him, rugging him if he needs it and generally attending to his needs as I feel is needed.
 
With all due respect

if there is one thing I have observed with my years on HHO it is an obvoius amount of (imo) needless pampering going on with many UK horses. Especially where the rugging and stabling is concerned. Not many HHO horses will ever experience a winter as brutal as mine do here in Wisconsin and you will hardly ever see a rug on mine or most others here. I Never see them shiver either. Mine are mostly out too with options to go in as they choose. They hardly ever choose to go in either.

Plenty of needless (imo) pampering goes on with horses here too don't get me wrong.



At the end of the day if you have the time, money and it makes you happy then by all means do it. Your horses are tougher than you think though and most of what you do is for your own peace, not thiers.


As long as it does no harm go for it if it makes you happy.



I strongly disagree with the amount of "box rest" for extended periods I see being spoken of on here. My horse would have to have lost a leg to have my vet advise that. Most horses prefer and are better off out to move around imo. Even when something may be wrong in many cases.


I am not a horse expert or a vet by any means. I just know what I have observed my whole life and sometimes you do a horse more good to just let it be a horse
 
No i dont feel i mollycoddle my horses at all.

I am a bit soft with jack because of his age as he does shiver if wet and cold, but prince no as he is as hard as nails.
 
[ QUOTE ]
No, I don't molly coddle - but I do take very good care of my horse. That includes booting him up when I ride him, rugging him if he needs it and generally attending to his needs as I feel is needed.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ditto that
smile.gif


My horses are out 24/7 and I can't remember when they last wore rugs, but when they do it's never more than one. However, they are booted whenever exercised, and have all their needs met.
smile.gif
 
I see that everyone says that they don't like to mollycoddle, but think others do mollcoddle. The problem here is what each of us considers mollycoddling. When someone says they don't mollycoddle, but have three rugs and stable a lot, to others this will be mollycodlling, to the others this is being mean, or not taking care of said horse.

It is all rather subjective.
 
[ QUOTE ]
No, I don't molly coddle - but I do take very good care of my horse. That includes booting him up when I ride him, rugging him if he needs it and generally attending to his needs as I feel is needed.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ditto this. Every horse is individual, some feel the cold, some dont. Some are hard to keep weight on, others aren't. We all live in different places and the weather/temperature varies greatly from place to place to its not fair to generalise.
Over the winter,however, i did notice quite a few posts on here complaining about feeding/rugging and tbh some seemed to be in a competition as to who uses rugs the least, feeds the least, keeps thier horse out in the worst weather etc.
crazy.gif
Live and let live for goodness sake!
tongue.gif
 
Mine lives out 24/7, unclipped, and no rug. He wore it 4 times this winter: once before a show, and three times because it was heavy icy rain and strong wind, and he was actually shivering. He doesn't get any hard feed at all; only grass (and free-choice hay in the field in winter) and some carrots. He's unshod, and never booted. If I'm schooling indoors, I'll put a hi-viz leg band on one hind leg, so that I can see it clearly in the mirror, but that's it. He travels naked, too.

He is ridden in a plain snaffle, but has two saddles, fancy pony!
tongue.gif


However, he's a tough, healthy, fairly young native pony cross, who will turn into a medium-sized whale just by looking at a blade of grass sideways. A different horse might require different treatment!

That being said, I think in general I would start with the simplest/least gear, and add items only as necessary. Often, I think people start with a lot of gear, and are then afraid to take items away---and that way, they never find out if it was necessary in the first place.
 
OMG YES YES YES AND ERM YES!

I hate to hear of horses being rugged at the first sign of rain, even when it is mild; although I do accept that that is each horse owner's choice.

I do believe some people treat horses like children and/or creatures that will dissolve in the rain/die of starvation if not fed 3 bucket feeds a day in August.

I do put boots on my horses when I ride, whatever activity we are doing, but do not see that as mollycoddling, just being responsible and careful.

Mine are not mollycoddled but they are loved and they do have boundaries. They look a picture of health... oooh and haven't even seen a turnout rug since March!
 
Bella does not possess a rug and if I can get away with it she won't either. She's a Section Dx so should be tough enough to deal with the weather as nature intended. As for boots etc I'll cross that bridge when we get to it as she's only 9 months old
cool.gif



Can I just say, before I get jumped on, if she should need a rug I would hotfoot it to the local tack shop and get her one
tongue.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top