For people that "don't rug"

[maya2008]

The Shetland gets a LW and a trace clip so she doesn’t sweat buckets or end up wet and soggy for weeks on end (she rolls but her coat is too thick and it just never dries).

PSSM girl similarly needs the rain keeping off her.

New Forest ponies - their coats keep them dry and warm no matter what. In deep snow they can be toasty and dry, so no, no rugs at all!

TB - depends on how happy she has been (I kid you not!). The year she was pining for her deceased friend she hardly grew a coat. This year she is super fluffy and hasn’t complained of being cold yet. When she was in work she didn’t grow a coat either, but retirement = super fluffy Thoroughbred! She gets one if looking cold and miserable or if dropping weight.

 

[Nudibranch]

The one who doesn't work is rugged. The other is. Better clipped and rugged and not getting sweaty while working. If it's really cold while riding she gets an exercise rug. They don't suddenly freeze when you take the rug off for riding!
Both came out of winter last year on the heavier side of what I'd like. That was on no hay at all (plenty of grazing).
The unrugged one gets a no fill if she starts shivering, i.e. it's cold and wet and windy. The myth about flattening the coats is just that. No fill, she stops shivering.

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

Mine is turned out, unclipped from 8am to 3pm each day unrugged. Even with no shelter he's never going to get wet or cold enough to need a rug.

He only gets a 200g stable rug when the temperature is below minus 5. It's a nice big, solidly built barn and he's in the middle. I'll monitor more closely this winter as he's been on a diet but so far so good.

After attempting to shampoo his legs for dermatitis I can confirm his fluffy winter coat is very waterproof.

 

[Kaycee]

Mine are unrugged, regardless of the temperature (unless they are elderly or otherwise compromised) They heat themselves internally with access to forage at all times, and access to field shelters too. Horses cope extremely well in minus temperatures, providing they have forage and it's not windy/wet (in which case they must have a decent shelter or a rug) The other year ours were out in minus 11 and I was the only one who was struggling....as I trudged acrross the snow with hay and water!

 

[ponynutz]

It really depends. Tend to rug the older one even though she's never clipped because she's a tad skinny and getting on a bit, so appreciates the extra help to stay warm. The little connie though is only ever clipped after she's been clipped, but I tend to heavily rug at that point and if it's below zero she has a fleece and her heavy rug on too

 

[Cocorules]

Mine are not rugged. I had a wobble two years ago about not rugging when it went down to minus 7. I am in the South so that is rare.

I didn't rug then and all was well. The reason I still didn't was because I thought that they may well be warmer without their thick as a yak coats being flattened and because I didn't have super warm rugs for them just 220s.

They have field shelters and use them year round. They can therefore get out of driving wind and rain.

 

[Annagain]

This a really useful thread for me as A is retired and unrugged for the first time ever with me. I'm trying to keep him naked and it's so far so good despite him looking the creature from the black lagoon. We're in S. Wales near the coast so it's pretty mild and I'm amazed how much coat he's grown, I can lose my hand in it. My only concern is when we have a lot of rain (which we get frequently, I'm amazed we haven't had significant rain yet this winter) as he's been found shivering in the past when he's got wet usually in Summer as he's always been rugged in winter. He has a very dense coat even in summer and once it gets soaked through to the skin it really holds water and makes him cold. I'm hoping the winter coat is so dense it won't get as far as the skin. Does anybody find that a horse can get shivery in the summer when he gets wet but not in winter? He's a great big heffalump at the moment - I've never known him with a tummy before - so a bit of shivering probably won't hurt him. He's in overnight so has an opportunity to dry off.

 

[milliepops]

Does anybody find that a horse can get shivery in the summer when he gets wet but not in winter?

yes, my gang are like this, a proper dose of rain on a cooler day when they have fine coats definitely makes mine feel a bit sorry for themselves. but in the winter, although they look like drowned rats, I usually find if I part the hair they are dry at the skin level. I rarely groom the outdoor ones so they are really greasy and their coats do a brilliant job.

 

[Annagain]

I'm trying not to brush A. I give him a good check over a couple of times a week - running my fingers through his coat to check for rain scold and scabs but otherwise turn a blind eye. It's hard when he looks like this though. This isn't even the worst state he's been in. I hate seeing him like this but he's so pleased with himself!

 

[windand rain]

Strange how a slight change in circumstances makes you review how you deal with things. My horses have almost always lived out unrugged from ex racers to welsh A but now they are on an exposed windy hill the ponies are rugged in persistant rain/ sleet/snow to keep them dry more than warm obviously not no fill but fairly light weight. At one time when rugs were on they were on for the whole season now they are only on when the weather is unsuitable. Kitten wore a rug last year for the flooding weather but not had one on yet. Might try one this year to shift her coat sooner once the nights get a bit lighter. Rowan is rugged as she is fully clipped and on a diet. Hazel is a cold horse now she is getting very old.

 

[milliepops]

I'm trying not to brush A. I give him a good check over a couple of times a week - running my fingers through his coat to check for rain scold and scabs but otherwise turn a blind eye. It's hard when he looks like this though. This isn't even the worst state he's been in. I hate seeing him like this but he's so pleased with himself!

you need brown horses

 

[milliepops]

plus, when they have to stand out naked in a proper downpour, they do get washed clean

 

[Annagain]

you need brown horses

I tried! After 14 months of "no greys" I looked at one grey, because I probably wouldn't want him enough to get over the grey thing. Yes that is mud plastered UNDER his rug.

 

[Not_so_brave_anymore]

My unclipped pony has the loveliest field now in terms of a hedge line with big trees dotted through it, a stone wall facing another direction, and a brand new actual field shelter. This morning she was lying down, right in the middle of the field, in the rain, in the deepest patch of mud she could find. It's taking all my strength not to march out there, plonk a rug on her and/or shut her in the field shelter so she can be "more comfortable"!

So in conclusion, 4 degrees, persistent rain, and what my weather app describes as a "moderate breeze" is apparently a tropical holiday for this one.

 

[PapaverFollis]

Thank you for all the responses. I know we do "should I rug" threads to death! But I was definitely looking to see if there was a minimum temperature for dry, calm weather. That seems to be about minus 20 so I think MrT is safe from rugging for the time being. Unless it's raining and windy and cold. He did live on the Shetland Isles for a bit though so I think he can probably cope!

 

[chaps89]

Depends on how much shelter is available and how much they have to eat.
Mine don't have any shelter and not much in he way of food so will likely have 50g on tonight as persistent rain/sleet and feeling like 0.
If it was just 0 like it has the last few nights they would be naked.
It usually wet + either cold or windy that I rug in, i find the thick coats get waterlogged then the cold sets in.
Eta - 1 is completely fluffy, the other grows a decent coat but has a trace/irish clip. Both are tubsters!

 

[Tarragon]

I keep my two Exmoor ponies out all year and let them grow their thick winter coats. I bib clip one of them as his coat is normally far too much for him and he gets hot. They have access to their stables and give them hay in the stables when it is needed so they can get some respite.
Once, during a hard winter blizzard, the snow was so bad I had to walk the two miles to the stables as the road was blocked by drifting snow and I found both ponies, with their backs to the weather by a wall, about 10 yards from their open stables. The older pony was fine, but the younger pony was shivering. I wasn't sure what to do. I thought that if I shut them in their stables and perhaps dried them off the old fashioned way by thatching under rugs, I may find I end up with ponies shut in stables by drifting snow, or being unable to get back to them. I didn't want to put rugs on their wet coats as I think that it can even make them feel colder. In the end, I left a pile of hay where they had chosen to be and left them to it, as the forecast was that the blizzard was only going to last another 12 hours and they would be better off fending for themselves with access to their stables and hay if they wanted it and to the whole field.
I think if you are not going to rug, then make sure you let them develop all their natural defences and leave them to it.

 

[SEL]

I'll use your benchmark of minus 14 wind chill, SEL. That sounds sensible. ?

I may have chucked a rug on him today In my defence he snoozes in the muddiest part of the field and it is rapidly turning to bog. I know full well it will be under his rug by tonight but I'm staying optimistic

 

[AutumnDays]

I really don't know what I'm doing at the moment... Coblet is apron clipped and out with no rug on... for the most part! She is a little bit tubby, so the idea was for her to use some reserves to stay warm, but living on the very West Coast of Wales, it's usually a cold strong wind with horizontal rain, so I give in and put a 0g on to keep that off her, even though there is a good hedgeline and manmade windbreak, but don't really like her being rugged, so take it off... my mind is as changeable as the weather! Maybe I should leave her naked and just bring her in at night to dry off ?

 

[SpotsandBays]

My 2YR is the only one rugged at the moment. He’s warmblood type and he’s not filled out much yet (foal on stilts I call him) and shivers when it rains, so he has a 50g just to keep the rain off of his back, but I do take this off during the day if it’s Sunny/dry. The others are naked still. Including my 30yr old pony! (She’s the best weight she’s been in years, almost a hint of a cresty neck too and at that age coming into winter she’s allowed to be a little porky in my eyes!). I agree with others though, mine are fine with the cold as long as it’s not wet too.

 

[AutumnDays]

Just brought her in as it's bouncing down with sleet and a nasty bitey wind here. She was soaking under her rug as she's been bog snorkelling from what I can work out! So waffle rug for tonight, then I think out naked in the day, and in the waffle to dry at night perhaps? I hate it when my demons play up and turn me into this indecisive wreck ?

 

[ycbm]

you need brown horses

She's got one ?

 

[Chinchilla]

plus, when they have to stand out naked in a proper downpour, they do get washed clean

Can confirm this is true! After a proper spring downpour my fewspot is so white and soft, I absolutely love it ?

 

[windand rain]

Had to rug the young highland livery today she was shivering cannot believe it thought she might be ill but all vitals normal eating and toileting normally so must have been cold. It was 3 and raining but she lived out all her life mostly on conservation grazing so should have been as tough as old boots

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

My Shetlands don't wesr rugs, except for Rains as he has sweetitch and will use any excuse to take his mane out all year round. The Welsh Cob refuses to wear a rug - even a light cotton sheet to keep him clean to travel in. His record stands at 48 hours keeping a rug on, vaguely intact and 10mins to take one off and wreck it. GrayMo has a 450g on because I work with seriously, massively over rugged racehorses and he needed a new rug do I bought him a super heavyweight just because ?

The dartmoor however is rugged. He is the most pathetic pony I have ever met ??? he has been in a middleweight standard neck rug for the last month and a half but with the sprinkling of snow today I changed it to his heavyweight full neck rug because otherwise he will shiver and complain and pretend he is dying ?

 

[laura_nash]

My two cobs don't wear rugs in the winter (unclipped and not ridden in winter), I might bring them into the barn if its wet and windy for days in a row. They do have the odd rainsheet popped on in summer to keep them clean for riding or if they get cold in strong wind and rain (which happens more in summer when they aren't hairy as yaks).

The only times my cob has worn a proper thick rug since we moved here 5 years ago was the two times he's been properly ill / injured. When he badly injured his hoof and was very lame and sick he got very cold even with access to the barn and in close to full winter coat and needed his full neck duvet thickness rug dug out of storage to get him comfortable.

 

[Quigleyandme]

My two RID babies aren’t rugged but have access to their stables throughout the day. I‘ve stopped giving them hay during the day unless the weather is particularly vile (rain + wind + cold) because they are both looking rather too well but they have a generous amount of good quality hay overnight.

 

[Annagain]

She's got one ?

She's got 2!