Effects of over rugging?

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Dumbo

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As title.
I've heard over rugging can be just as bad as under rugging so what are the effects or problems caused by it?
I've just been to see my unclipped tb who I keep on part livery. He had his stable heavyweight under his turnout heavyweight and completely soaked from sweat :(
He got a brush down and I put his lightweight stable rug on.
 
That is crazy! My mare who is on box rest and very hairy has a l/w stable rug on if temperatures get well below freezing and only because she can't move around to get warm. Our other mare who had hunter clip on Sun is in a M/W. She only gets H/W on if it goes well below freezing. She comes out in hives if she is too warm!
I would be very annoyed if someone over rugged my horses!
 
Depends on each horse really and peoples personal opinions. Having worked on a showing yard I do over rug my horse who has a blanket clip, currently wearing two middleweight (ish - probs more a heavy and middle) rugs with necks, and in the day a heavy weight t/o with neck and lightish stable rug underneath. He also suffers from a bit of arthritis so keeping him warmer keeps the circulation better throughout so he isn't as stiff. He never sweats and always feels nice and toasty - yes he is a native pony :rolleyes:
 
Mine is clipped down neck, around shoulders and under belly, so all the back hair is left on.
He has been the entire winter in a rainsheet with a neck cover outside and a lightweight stable rug at night.
I put on an under-rug for one day before Christmas when there was a frost all day.

He has a lost a bit of weight, but looks better for it. He is a good-doer and has lots of grass to eat during the day and more or less ad lib hay at night.

Nothing will happen to a horse that is over-rugged, other than they will feel uncomfortable and some might start trying to rip the rugs off.
 
Heat rash, which is itchy and uncomfortable. If they're too hot they can stop eating, and also get quite dehydrated...

That number/ weight of rugs is quite something though, no wonder he was hot!
 
Well, it's hardly cold outdoors here in Avon at the moment... 12 degrees most of the day. Infact none of ours have had rugs on since that cold spell. Even the partly clipped ones.

This country is crackers when it comes to rugging horses.
 
Op, you really need to get that horse off that yard. Did you get anywhere with your search for livery? Take your Hw stable rugs home? Return them when the temp drops again?
 
Lolo said:
Heat rash, which is itchy and uncomfortable. If they're too hot they can stop eating, and also get quite dehydrated...
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Oh no :( He wasn't eating his hay come to think of it, just standing there. :( Usually you can't pull him away from a haynet! Hopefully he's more comfortable now.


BillieBlitzen said:
Op, you really need to get that horse off that yard. Did you get anywhere with your search for livery? Take your Hw stable rugs home? Return them when the temp drops again?
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Went to sort an agreement with one on sunday but she started coming out with all these high figures so we thought it was too much for a quite untidy yard which is 20 minutes away. BUT, going to look at one tomorrow that is only 4 minutes away, straight down the road from my house! Never knew it existed! It sounds like it has great facilities so I'm really excited but trying not to get my hopes too high!
Good idea about taking the HW stable rug home, I'll do that :)
 
timiton said:
Oh no :( He wasn't eating his hay come to think of it, just standing there. :( Usually you can't pull him away from a haynet! Hopefully he's more comfortable now.




Went to sort an agreement with one on sunday but she started coming out with all these high figures so we thought it was too much for a quite untidy yard which is 20 minutes away. BUT, going to look at one tomorrow that is only 4 minutes away, straight down the road from my house! Never knew it existed! It sounds like it has great facilities so I'm really excited but trying not to get my hopes too high!
Good idea about taking the HW stable rug home, I'll do that :)
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I hope this yard is suitable for you :), your current YO is clearly incompetent! Let us know how you get on!
 
How awful for you and the horse :( i cant understand people having to put 2/3 rugs on - it happens at my yard the reponse is normally "oh so and so has thin skin...she/he gets chilly!" Hope this yard is better suited you op, best of luck :)
 
Im sincerely hoping this is a troll post but just in case.......

Do you know the weights of both hw's your horse was wearing ? And what is the temp where you are? Is it windy, has the sun been out etc?


Excerpt from a good article below!

Homeostasis is the ability of warm-blooded animals to maintain their internal environment within tight physiological limits despite changes in the external environment. However, these external fluctuations must not be too severe, otherwise homeostasis cannot be maintained and ill health, even death, will result. An obvious example is extreme heat or cold; both will cause death unless the animal is protected or removed from that environment. The maintenance of homeostasis can be assisted by correct care and management techniques (e.g., by providing protection from the elements), but animals must not be handled/housed/managed in such a way that the natural mechanisms used to maintain homeostasis are disrupted. Inability to lose body heat due to overrugging is a prime example.

Sweating is the mechanism by which horses and many other animals remove heat from the body. If sweating is prevented from occurring by, for example, an impervious rug, the animal will overheat and develop heat stress. In other words, the horse effectively begins to cook in its own juices because homeostasis cannot be maintained and then the body systems will start to malfunction and break down.


http://optimail.com.au/berrime/rugs.htm

It is also damaging long term to their ability to thermoregulate......
 
BillieBlitzen said:
I hope this yard is suitable for you :), your current YO is clearly incompetent! Let us know how you get on!
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She is, yet they think they know everything! They've had horses years and me being still in college and having my first horse they think I know nothing, when I've proved them wrong several times :p
Vet and farrier are coming out tomorrow so he'll be vaccinated, long toes trimmed and hopefully get heels supported. Also got my fingers crossed yard goes well.. could be a very good day! :)
 
Wow
4fvgdaq_th.gif
2 heavy weight rugs on an un-clipped horse. Never heard of that, that's 450g x 2 eeeeek!!

My mare has been clipped 3 times this winter, everything off apart from half a head and legs and she's only ever been in a medium weight =250g.
 
TigerTail said:
Im sincerely hoping this is a troll post but just in case.......

Do you know the weights of both hw's your horse was wearing ? And what is the temp where you are? Is it windy, has the sun been out etc?
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Not a troll.. sorry! :o
I know the turnout is 360g and guessing the stable HW is roughly the same.
No wind but slightly raining, temp is 9 degrees.
Thanks for that eye opening extract!

Coblover63 said:
Overheated horses can colic. If they're too hot in a rug, they can't do anything about it. .
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Ahh my worst nightmare! Thank goodness I checked and cooled him off. I won't see him for a week though as of tomorrow so I am definitely taking HW stable home.
 
I think it depends on the horse. 2 x hw in this weather sounds ridiculous though on an unclipped horse.

I have 2 horses. One retired 12 months ago and is experiencing his first winter unclipped. He is ID x and hairy is an understatement. He has the coat of a shetland pony. He is a wimp and shivers as soon as it rains so he is in a rain sheet in the day, nothing at night at the moment and wears a light weight 100g stable rug when it drops to freezing.

The other is a ISH x TB and has been difficult to keep weight on. I've found myself thinking i'm over rugging only to find her quite cold to the touch a couple hours later. Think i've worked it out a bit better now. She is currently wearing a full neck and body snuggy fleece and a 250 / 300 g stable & turnout. She was wearing and will be again, the full neck and body fleece with her 450g premier equine when it drops below freezing again. She has a blanket clip.
 
My fully clipped boy is in a fleece and heavyweight combo in stable. In field has heavyweight and 180 g on as very rainy and windy. Yesterday when all horse standing at hedge or gate looking miserable he was grazing and wouldn't come when I shouted him yet everyone else was begging me to let them in:D
Little nf bib clip has a 180 g rug
Youngster who lives out is in a lightweight as he gets itchy if in worse.
 
Perhaps rug according to conditions, and length of time since last clip? also factor in type of horse / its condition? Must be some rocket science going on here? Of the three I clipped out in early Nov - some have lots of rugs, some have hardly any - I wore a Tee shirt to work today....if it is cold tomorrow, I may wear a cardie as well......
 
Some people wear a t-shirt when its freezing cold, others wear jackets in mid-summer. Same with horses.

I recently looked around a racing yard the day before yesterday. All their horses seem to being doing well at the moment and are looking well. They are all fully clipped. All of them wore a fleece/cooler/sweat rug with a medium to heavy weight normal neck stable rug on top. Obviously these are TB's too. Not one of the horses, out of 30 looked cold or uncomfortable.
I often find horses roll a lot when hot increasing the risk of colic or getting cast.
 
Out of all of mine one of them is fully clipped with one HW stable rug on. He was in two but getting really hot and scabby skin, so took one off and he's much better. He's def a hot horse and over heats very quickly. I have another mare who feels the cold badly, she's in three mw stable rugs. All the others are just in a lightweight stable rug with turnout on top, or a HW turnout.
 
I really cant believe you would leave your horse for a whole week in the sole care of this y/o!!!

I dislike layering rugs anyway, some people describe putting upwards of 800g of rugs on some horses, if they truly truly get that cold then maybe move out of the artic circle.... Oh no wait your in mild muggy britian which rarely sees minus temps anyway!

I am luck. My cob is a warm horse, he is currently in standard neck 150g to. It's at least 9 degrees, given ambient weather (ie no strong winds, torrential rain, blizzards) he will stay in this untill it gets bitterly cold again. He is always, warmish to the touch, otherwise he has a hw combo, however he has worn this for less than a week so far.

I love rugs. Own A LOT. However common sense dictates my horse doesn't need them.
Where are other people's common sense?!
 
I refuse to put more than 1 rug and 1 under rug on my horses they have all weights
4 0 z
7 0 z
12 0 z
14 0 z

some of my liveries are on 3 layers a fleece under rug and stable , they have 3 fillet strings and all these rugs slip back as the horse wear them in and out (owners request). Then nz on top so 3 - 4 layers:(:confused::rolleyes:



A lot of people think the more rugs you put on the better, where actually you are putting weight on not heat.

A good turnout or stable rug of appropriate weight with an under rug normally suffices.

Over rugging causes.



  • Sores due to weight pressure on venerable areas like the withers
  • poor circulation
  • sweating
  • itching
  • irritable horse

Back in the 80's a lot would but 4 -5 thin stable rugs. I still see this and its a pet hate as you put your hand between the 2nd and 3rd rug and its stone cold as it is between the upper rugs. Putting 2 stable rugs is a waste of time as the stable rug is designed not to allow heat to escape but putting an under rug on as well as the rug will make horse warmer
 
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Horses are more able to cope with cold than heat. It takes more energy for them to get rid of excess heat than it does to stay warm. Therefore, if you over rug your horse it will lose weight. Which goes some way to explaining why some people complain that no matter how many rugs they put on their horse to keep it warm, it still loses weight in winter. The horse is simply too warm and using up energy stores to get rid of the heat.
 
Hippona said:
Aaaaaagh.......horses should NOT be warm and toasty under a rug.....that's too hot. They're not people......
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I agree - I have to bite my lip when people tell me how 'toasty' their horses feel under their 3 rugs - luke warm is good, toasty is too warm.


Blurr said:
Horses are more able to cope with cold than heat. It takes more energy for them to get rid of excess heat than it does to stay warm. Therefore, if you over rug your horse it will lose weight. Which goes some way to explaining why some people complain that no matter how many rugs they put on their horse to keep it warm, it still loses weight in winter. The horse is simply too warm and using up energy stores to get rid of the heat.
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Totally agree with this.
My horses only wear one rug (appropriate to the weather conditions) at a time, I hate layering rugs - it must be so uncomfortable for the horse. I always watch the weather forecast so I know if I need to move up or down a weight of rug. The weather did catch me out a few weeks ago - the day was milder than I thought and I over-rugged my TB. She broke a fence panel rubbing her neck, trying to get her rug off.
 
Hippona said:
Aaaaaagh.......horses should NOT be warm and toasty under a rug.....that's too hot. They're not people......
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Totally agree. Mine are all unrugged and fine (including tb!) They are checked frequently and if ever too cool (normally when wind gets involved with rain - never snow) they'll get a rug if necessary. Though only two have needed last year, none this. I am more than happy to rug a horse more frequently if I get one which needs it (regardless of breed - worst for needing rugging that I've ever known was a native!) I'd feel far guiltier over a horse sweating than shivering before changing rugs. I'd rug if stabled or clipped though as taken away lots of ways to warm up - doubt I'd ever feel the need for 2 x HWs though!

However I am guilty of saying that they're all toasty when I don't mean that at all. Comes from defending the fact they're unrugged and walking people to feel a toasty armpit/ear etc which is simply a nice temp. I'd be worrying if body was toasty like so many slightly over rugged (when you feel the heat radiating out, not just warm when sliding hand under coat). It was quite interesting a couple of springs ago when the rugged horses were all shivering (but sweating under rug) in rain and wind. Mine were out naked and stood out grazing without worry (bar oldies who rugged to cut out wind and dry off a little). Had many requests to up rugs until I pointed out that they needed less if anything and the sweat was probably actually making them shiver more.
 
Sigh, since I work with horses and at the moment our unclipped unrugged TBs are all sweating just stood in their stables it beggars belief what some people think is cold. At the livery yard I was called cruel because when I roughed off my Connie for a few months, I took his rugs off completely! Yes he got muddy, but he lost some weight that he needed to shift, he was already on the bare minimum of feed so clearly the problem was that he was not using enough energy to keep warm. The other liveries winge that their horses are all fat or that they are sweating or that their manes have fallen out, which IMO is because they are hot, since it falls out in clumps. There is a massive obsession to over rug these days.
 
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