Do you rug your horses when it rains?

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TequilaMist

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As title really when it starts to rain do you put a lightweight rug on or leave them naked afterall it is summer
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this is an interesting question id also like the answer to

just started raining here * or more of a sunshower* this is the first time ive had rain since having daphi and didnt know what to do... so i brought her in! she has rugs for outside... but i felt sorry on her
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plus she was waiting by the gate so i brought her str8 in!

i will in future however rug her just in case it rains.
 
mine just gets a waterproof rain sheet, no filling in it
if it rains and im not there because of school he gets brought in as soon as i can get there, thermatex on till he drys off and then rain sheet on and back out
x
 
Tara is looking very well - some might say a bit *too* well
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at the moment so I will not be rugging her unless weather gets much worse.

I don't think a bit of rain will make much difference if overall temperature is still ok.


(although If I am going somewhere the next day I might put a fullneck lightweight on as she is grey after all
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Well I have tonight, but thats purely because pickle has a lesson early tommorow morning and I want him clean otherwise its a pain in the ass! generally he is kept rugless as he is a hardy boy.
 
Was just thinking as its raining here as well and know some folk that will have run up to yard and rugged their horses cos of rain.Am itching to do that myself tbh but think to myself to get a grip they are horses .
If torrential driving rain no question they will be either rugged up or even brought in if really bad.
And remember from when a kid if it rained it rained no rugs etc ever unless snow
 
They are horses!!! They can survive rain outside!!! I never rug in summer even in a downpour. When I was a child virtually nothing wore a rug all year round unless it was kept as a hunter. We molycoddle them too much and worry about them too much. If I put any rug on my mare at the moment she would sweat which IMO is much worse. Even my TBs don't get rugged in summer. When my TB had a tumour on his side he wasn't rugged all year as it rubbed it and he was fine! Fine use a rug to keep them clean if you are going to a show but any normal horse can cope with rain.
 
Ours aren't rugged in the summer when it rains. There's lots of natural shelter in their field though. If they were in an area with no protection then I'd probably stick a rainsheet on them.
 
wanted to add that mine is only kept dry as possible because their field is very exposed with no natural shelter just fields and fields and well more fields either side so is usually very windy and gets quite cold

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I think they only need rugs put on if its windy & cold too. I once had to put a rug on a shivering TB on 21st June, but rain when its warm is fine. After a winter in rugs I'm sure they'd rather not wear any.
Imagine if farmers ran out & put rugs on all their cows when it rained!
 
It depends - if it's torrential before I've put them out I'll put a lightweight turnout on but generally I don't - they've been out today with nothing on and it's totally pouring down - they could do to lose a few pounds though so I'm hoping it'll help!
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Kate x
 
I went out about half an hour ago to put summer sheets on them, they were all quite happy to stand around while i faffed with their rugs.. came to put Inka's on and she was having none of it.. trotted off everytime i went near her (she is normally the most nosey of the bunch) its only slightly raining so she can get damp.. im not chasing her on soggy grass!
 
If there's a chill wind then yes, I'll rug Little Lad 'cos he's a wimp and starts shivering. He's also pone to lammi as well though and has put on a bit of weight, so unless it gets really chilly I won't this weekend. The others are all fine without - I'd rug if I wnted to rid eht next day though and was going to be tight on time.
 
The 23yo is if the rain is constant, but not for a shower. Same with the yearling - there is no shelter from rain or sun in the summer paddock and yearling seems to feel the rain- but they are only lightweight sheets.
 
As my mare is older and heavy rain is predicted i have popped her rain sheet with no filling on as she feels the cold now. Years ago, when younger she was never rugged all year round.
If its warm with a few light showers i would leave her unrugged as long as she was not going to get cold
 
I so have to laugh - sorry! Being in my late 50's and originally from the UK I remember that -

Once upon a time the only time a horse wore a rug outside was in the winter - when the good old New Zealand rug got dusted off and put on - and hard to believe - it didn't have a neck rug. Even then not every horse did - most were naked and came to no harm.

Don't stress if the weather changes - Your horses will not melt if they get wet - if they feel cold they will have a run around to warm up.
 
If the weather forecast predicts rain, mine wear LW Turnout rugs. I turned them all out in their LW rugs earlier and it's raining now so I'm glad I did! I would feel guilty if I had left them naked!
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Im sitting here really worried because my two are out without turnouts on (but have fly rugs on ... which is worse when they get wet). It was a glorious hot day when I left the yard at 4.30pm but now looks torrential. I cant go to the yard as my kids asleep in bed and husband is out! Arrrrggh poor wet boys
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Especially the TB x who will look like a hat rack tomorrow if hes got cold and wet
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Nope. Don't possess one single solitary rug
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Bella has natural shelter on all four sides of her field and is out with about 7 or 8 other youngsters so I'm sure they will hoon about if they get a bit chilly.

That said its not raining here
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