Does my horse really need warmer clothes than me?

Caol Ila

Caol Ila

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I just got myself a huge, warm belay jacket for mountaineering purposes. Basically something to throw over whatever layers I have on when stopped on a mountain for any length of time. It has 200g of synthetic insulation and a weather resistant lining to keep the snow and wind out. It's one of the warmest (and heaviest) synthetic belay jackets you can get. You would get a warmer, down one for something like the Himalaya, but it should be more than cozy enough for Scottish winter.

I'm thinking about getting a new turnout rug for my horse because I have Derby House ones and I think they suck. The YO thinks I need a heaver one than the 100g one she's using at the moment. I'm looking at the Premier Equine medium and heavy ones and all I can think is, what on earth does my horse need 200g or even 350g of insulation for?

The horse is big and pretty well designed by mama nature to stay warm.

The horse is unclipped. She doesn't get a huge winter coat -- it's very fine, and silky, but it still means she has a built-in base layer and a mid layer.

The horse will not be spending hours not moving, tied firmly onto a rock on a very small belay ledge or the top of a mountain at 3000ft, getting blasted by wind, snow, and pummeled by spindrift. At least I hope not.

The horse will definitely not end up benighted in the above conditions.

The horse's turnout field is not at 3000ft and she spends about seven hours per day in it. That would be a short winter day out in the Scottish mountains.

So.... given that my horse is not very likely to take up winter mountaineering and even if she did, she'd stay warmer than me because she's a horse, isn't a 200+g turnout rug a bit over the top?
 
You need whatever rug will keep the horse warm, my lad (who is in at night) has a chaser clip and is only wearing a rainsheet/thin fleece and is nice and warm. It's getting below freezing where we are at night.
 
If you aren't clipping her then a 200g will probably be enough.

Mine wore a 300g last year and was unclipped but she doesn't hold condition so needs all the help she can get! That was plenty warm enough even in the snow, and our field is on the side of a hill in the peak district with only a dry stone wall for shelter.

At the end of the day the only guide that matters is your horse's actual temperature. If she feels cold I'll stick a thicker rug on, if she's warm I'll put a lighter one on or remove a neck or something. Same as when I'm hiking, if I get too warm I'll vent my coat or remove my hat or even remove a layer.

But also remember that your horse's rug leaves quite a lot exposed unlike when you are out in your mountain gear with only your face open to the elements. So they will be loosing heat through their exposed parts, whereas you will wear gloves, hat, scarf etc.
 
Love this post!!

Even hunter clipped, my mare only has a rug heavier than 200g for one or two of the very coldest days or nights a year. Anything more than that and she is uncomfortably warm and poor soul comes out in heat bumps.

Horse + hay - (wind + rain) = comfy temp horse working as designed lol!!

P.S. your coat sounds amazing!!
 
Hilarious!

I was just reading another thread about rugging before and marvelling that now a bib clipped native needs a 200g rug with a neck whereas a fully clipped hunter would go out in a canvas rug with a blanket lining and be fine.
It's my personal belief that over rugging through winter is one of the contributing factors in the rise of EMS, cushings, laminitis and the like. Of course they need something if they are clipped but I do think people get carried away.
 
At last, the voice of reason.

I think it highly unlikely that your horse will be losing much significant heat through the bits whoch are not covered by the rug. Thge best way to tell if a horse is warm enough, is to put your hand on the SKIN behind the horse's elbow. I do wish more people would realise that horses, unless clipped, have their own winter coats, even if like yours OP, they need a bit of help at some times.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
At last, the voice of reason.

I think it highly unlikely that your horse will be losing much significant heat through the bits whoch are not covered by the rug. Thge best way to tell if a horse is warm enough, is to put your hand on the SKIN behind the horse's elbow. I do wish more people would realise that horses, unless clipped, have their own winter coats, even if like yours OP, they need a bit of help at some times.
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That is exactly how I check mine.
 
Stuff that! Ive sat in my horses stables with 2 x 350gram rugs wrapped around me and my son when my horse colic'd and we were still cold so by your logic, you are going to freeze to death on a mountain!! :D
 
Im finding that "mediumweight" rugs are getting heavier. Have been looking for a new 200gm rug, click on a "mediumweight" and it says mediumweight 280g fill. WTF? My boys heavy rug is 320 so why is a medium 280???
 
I have often thought exactly this. When I am in a t shirt and fleece, or lightweight jacket it is utterly ludicrous for horse to be in anything really let alone a MW or similar.
 
Back in the US, we survived Colorado and Massachusetts winters with just a rain sheet. Here in Britain I've had to get the 100g insulated thing because of assorted YOs who can't possibly turn her out with just a sheet on. It doesn't seem to bother her, so I got one to keep everyone happy.

Most horses in my CO barn were naked in even the worst snow. But mine only grows the base layer and mid layer of the winter coat, the soft silky hair, but has never grown the oily, coarse waterproof shell. So I've always had to provide that, but then she's fine.
 
lcharles said:
Stuff that! Ive sat in my horses stables with 2 x 350gram rugs wrapped around me and my son when my horse colic'd and we were still cold so by your logic, you are going to freeze to death on a mountain!! :D
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Horses and humans have different ways of dealing with temperature regulation so it is a pretty unfair comparison really.
 
lcharles said:
Stuff that! Ive sat in my horses stables with 2 x 350gram rugs wrapped around me and my son when my horse colic'd and we were still cold so by your logic, you are going to freeze to death on a mountain!! :D
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Nah, you'd freeze to death if you dragged two 350g jackets up the mountain because you'd have gotten so sweaty hauling them up there. :D
 
This is one of the best blanketing posts I've ever seen!

I've gotta be honest, my jumping mare couldn't wear a rug outside in a field for a long time. She went in full flight panic mode. It wasn't an issue in a stable or a small turnout. No fear. But as she wasn't in competition she was Unclipped and out in all weathers. At night she'd come in and get her rug. Ok so she goes away for training livery with a so called pro. She gets fully clipped. I told him in no uncertain terms was she to be out with her rug on. But yet I still wanted her to have turnout. So in that really cold winter I supervised 2 turnouts daily with no rug. She not once shook or got sick or no atrocities happened. I finally figured out what had been freaking her out, the fillet strap. Never had leg straps nor would she. Now she's out in her med or light depending as she gets clipped on Friday. But when recovering from a stone bruise and only turnout in the arena she was out sans rug. My husband kept saying, she's gonna get sick without a rug you know. Not a bother on her. So really she has taught me more about blanketing. My clipped ones go out in a med with no liners. At night standing in they will get a liner if it's cold. But really the only time they may be cold is in dire weather. I agree some older horses need more probably. I will also admit that I have rugs on in the field before clipping because I absolutely can't deal with 7 muddy horses that need a half an hour each sorting all the mud. An hour sorts all of them with rugs.

Terri
 
Great thread :D

I love the sound of your jacket. Personally, I have a heartfelt plea out to the manufacturers of Goretex jackets - all I want, and surely it's not too much to ask - is for the jackets to be 4 inches longer! I am so tired of being dry from the tops of my thighs up, but with a freezing cold wet section between bottom of jacket and my knees :D

I am lucky in that horse lives out and nobody has any input into my clothing choices for him :D Today, he is naked. If rain seems likely, the nofill sheet goes back on.

Your comparison is good, but as someone else pointed out, horses and people generate heat differently - the horse with a hind gut full of burbling forage has built in central heating, as well as being covered all over in a dense coat. Their feet have a special bloodflow swapover function, to deal with standing on ice and snow.

Us wimpy hairless apes are far more dependent on additional outer layers, plus regular intake of Kendal Mint Cake, to keep us warm ;)
 
This is so true!! My horse is unclipped, and not rugged at all - thats what her winter coat is for!
I 'like' the premier equine page on facebook, and someone recently posted a photo on there of their horse with the PE 450g rug + 2 other heavyweights on! Mental, that poor horse.
 
samlf said:
This is so true!! My horse is unclipped, and not rugged at all - thats what her winter coat is for!
I 'like' the premier equine page on facebook, and someone recently posted a photo on there of their horse with the PE 450g rug + 2 other heavyweights on! Mental, that poor horse.
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Pony squishing with rugs?? Not really a good advert for PE - ' look you will still need extra rugs anyway...'

My TB needs extra warmth or he will shiver off all his weight. My WB needs minimal rugging so I rug them each according to what they need.

Agree about rug weights took ages to find a new 100g rug this year - ime that is a lightweight, but could only find 170 - 200g ones - that to me is a medium surely?
 
I may have to tell every other person on my yard whose horses are rugged with a few of them up to medium weights already (not clipped, live out, and do practically no work) about that argument!

I'm always the last to put my 2 in rugs. Last year they weren't in rain sheets till end of December and probably wore them no more than a week in total last year. I bought my little one two new medium weights and I think he wore one once...not worth the money!

Unless your horse is in competition, sweats buckets and/or is in a reasonable level of work, medical or struggles with weight, leave the dam horses coat alone! My little one resembles a pom ball. Within a cold week he doubled in size with hair and the cob despite being arthritic thrives being naked. Just a sheet he usually gets hot. Once the temperature drops AND it's very wet through the night, then they get a helping hand staying dry if the tree/bush shelter isn't enough (unless I buy a proper field shelter:rolleyes:)
 
Renvers said:
Pony squishing with rugs?? Not really a good advert for PE - ' look you will still need extra rugs anyway...'

My TB needs extra warmth or he will shiver off all his weight. My WB needs minimal rugging so I rug them each according to what they need.

Agree about rug weights took ages to find a new 100g rug this year - ime that is a lightweight, but could only find 170 - 200g ones - that to me is a medium surely?
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No it's not a good advert for PE at all, and what's worse is a little while ago someone else posted a photo of their ponies in the snow with PE rugs on. 2 rugged larger ponies and one unrugged little shetland, clearly comfortable and holding good weight and PE's comment was that they are now going to have a range so 'the little one wont miss out'. I know they have a job to do and to market their product, but I find it uncomfortable.

I also agree RE the 100g rug, I was looking for one for when horse is clipped and could only find 2 makes that made them with one sold out!
 
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