For those of you that won't be rugging this winter

debsey1

debsey1

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I won't be clipping or rugging my cob this winter. How do you cope with yours when they start looking like a woolly mammoth in terms of dirt and poo stains? Do you limit the amount of times you groom in order for them to keep their coat?

This will be my first winter with him and he is still carrying excess weight (not too much, but enough) so my thoughts are to go rug less. He seems very happy out with his rugged up friends but comes in sooo dirty.

How do others cope?

Also, my other concern is sweating out on a hack, then having to wait while this dries before turning out again

Any tips anyone?
 
My winter routine for my living-out, usually-unrugged good-doing hacking horse:

Clip lower half of neck and front of chest to minimise sweating when being worked.

if dried mud, knock it off with a rubber/plastic curry comb from saddle/bridle/girth area before riding. Only knock it off all over if going to an organised event.

Poostains, if dry, just run a dandy brush through them if under saddle area, before saddling. If wet, sponge them off before saddling so the numnah doesn't get poo-stained.

Scissor the tail to just below hock level so it doesn't collect too much mud.

Pick the feet out regularly and spray with sheeprot spray if the frogs smell thrushy.

On return from hack, he wants to roll so I unsaddle and he rolls. If he's sweaty-wet, I then sponge down the sweatiest bits (saddle/girth/ears, elbows and between the hindlegs) so that he's clean. And then he'll go and roll again I'll be happy knowing he's now only muddy, not muddy and sweaty.
 
mine live out unrugged over winter and i do similar to suechoccy, but without any clipping. I pay attention to making sure the bridle and saddle areas are clean before i tack up but the rest of it is really just brush the big clumps of and leave the rest alone:eek::D So i look like i'm riding a bogmonster but we're hacking not entering a beauty show;) I have an old bath towel for drying off washed off sweat patches, one thing i don't wash is legs!! even through the worst weather when they're caked in mud i've not had one with mud fever, i check regularly and even though the hair is muddy the skin is clean and dry;)
 
I've only ever had one horse completely roughed off and unrugged over winter.

Never groomed her, as she needed the oils in her coat, but checked her over daily obviously, to ensure all was well etc.

Just seen you are not roughing off. If you intend to work the horse, I would recommend a low clip - and LW rug to keep the rain off.
 
amymay said:
I've only ever had one horse completely roughed off and unrugged over winter.

Never groomed her, as she needed the oils in her coat, but checked her over daily obviously, to ensure all was well etc.

Just seen you are not roughing off. If you intend to work the horse, I would recommend a low clip - and LW rug to keep the rain off.
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I'll only be riding at weekends during winter months so I don't know whether it's worth doing a clip. What did they do years ago before clipping was the norm?
 
Depends on how much work you want to do with him over the winter, how hot a horse he is, and how thick his coat grows.


If he grows a really thick coat, it will insulate him more effectively than a rug and he'll use less energy in keeping warm, unless you plan on heavily rugging from tail to ears,you may find it harder to keep his weight down.


On milder winter days, he may be too warm, unclipped. If work makes him sweat a lot, it will take some time to dry off and could catch a chill as the moisture is coming from his skin which is different from being wet from the rain, as his skin may well be dry under the hair.

If sweating a lot, he'll lose condition due to water and electrolyte loss. Rehydration is sometimes a problem in winter when horses are more reluctant to drink adequately when the water is freezing

.
If he's wet and muddy when you want to ride, it'll take more time to clean off the saddle and girth area, so in practice you may ride/exercise less.

Many horses in work are fine left unclipped, particularly if not too hairy, but its worth bearing in mind the pro's and con's.
 
Ibblebibble said:
one thing i don't wash is legs!! even through the worst weather when they're caked in mud i've not had one with mud fever, i check regularly and even though the hair is muddy the skin is clean and dry;)
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Ah yes. Mudfever avoidal! I sponge legs off gently on surface with sponge and cold water only if they're filthy and wet, but generally I try not to touch them at all, esp below the knee and hock. I don't bathe, warm-water or brush the legs at all through winter for 2 reasons:

(1) warm water opens the pores
(2) brushes/curry combs scratch the skin

either way, leading to nice openings for mudfever to get in.

Sudocrem any cuts or grazes too.
 
There's more to it than I had previously though. He is my first horse, (although I am not new to general livestock) and have always had a no-nonsense attitude. Right from the start he has been easy to care for apart from a couple of weight issues which is under control - hence, leaving him rug-less, and his feet are good only needing 1 trim since February.

My way of thinking was to 'let what nature intended' by letting him grow his woolly coat but now I'm thinking is it going to cause problems with him sweating like mad during a 2 hour hack out at weekends? Obviously, I don't want him to catch a chill especially if it's a frosty/icy day. I think I am going to have to purchase a wicking/cooler rug until he drys, then turn out
 
Will he sweat? If you've not kept him through a winter, you can try and see how he goes. My hairy beastie, as long as we take it steady, doesn't get sweaty at all, my only problem is finding the longer girth from last year so I can get the saddle on over the extra padding!!
 
Don't have any un-rugged at the mo in work but used to before my big horse got a bit older and needed a rain sheet. If I was riding, I would use a plastic curry to scrub off the mud on the saddle/girth area only and make sure there was no mud under the bridle. Wouldn't do a full brush unless we were going somewhere nice and needed to be presentable. :)

When we got back from the ride, he never used to get particularly sweaty but I would sponge off the sweaty areas and he would promptly roll as soon as he went back in the field.

Have an unridden youngster who wears no rugs as he is a native and a total rug wrecker so he just gets left in the nuddy, he has the odd bit of work done but the same thing applies, except he isn't worked hard enough to sweat so he just gets plonked back in the field. :)
 
I do the same thing really with mine, just pay attention to grooming where tack goes. We use pig oil( i think thats what is was called) on legs in the winter as just helps to prevent mud fever.

I ride mine 3-4 times a week and have never clipped her. Just sponge the sweaty bits and turn her out. :)
 
I have always had natives and rarely put a rug on unless it is wet, windy and cold. They are invariably warmer than my hands even when they are covered in snow ;) .

Perhaps if its your first winter you could try leaving him fully hairy and rugless and see how he goes, see how sweaty he gets depending on the exercise level he does.

I do this every year and if we get to the point where Taz is getting too sweaty or the weather warms up a little in the spring before they start shedding ....... then I bib clip (still dont rug really as I would rather they can fluff up when needed and flatten hair as they warm up) . Due to my work pattern I can't always get up in mornings to take off rugs appropriately :rolleyes:

Like others I just brush out or towel dry if needed any dirty bits in the saddle / girth area and dont touch the legs as nowt seems to get past the feathers :) ( well might brush out any surface mud but that it all) and have never had any issues... but obviously that needs individual monitoring ;))

on hacks we quite often do 2 hours or so and as long as we dont go mad cantering around ( fat chance as we dont have many places to canter :rolleyes:) she does not get very sweaty so we just have a rub down with a towel any place she has sweated a little. It would have to be pretty serious sweating to affect the electrolyte balance and if my horse were doing that I suppose theres two choices, less fast work or clip and rug ....... and I am not up for the second :D :D :D :D
 
TBH, I wouldn't clip to start with if you're not sure. If this winter turns out like the last two, you won't be able to ride for much of it anyway! I made the mistake of clipping mine, then couldn't ride for one month due to the snow and ice :rolleyes:

If you get to a bit in winter where you are riding alot and you want a clip, then you can do a neck and belly clip, and he may be ok turned out on most days with no rug if thats what you want to do. Generally I think if horses are able to move, eat and shelter they generally look after themselves :)
 
A cool sweaty horse should be fine turned out, they will roll and plaster themselves in mud providing plenty of insulation. A hot sweaty horse is best walked until cool before turning out.

As for muddy ponies before riding, if it is really plastered and wet then you can sponge it off the saddle area, if you use a suitable numnah that is wicking it will be fine; dry mud can be brushed off. I tend to spend time only grooming the areas tack goes in winter if living out unrugged.

This is what we did years ago with unrugged ponies and none suffered any ailment through it.:)
 
Hello! I'm not rugging my pony either. Apart from being naturally lazy myself, someone else brings him in for me so I don't want to make her life complicated :) He gets very hairy so I don't think it'll do him too much harm. If I'm riding, I just get rid of the worst of the mud in the saddle area etc. before I tack him up. I'm lucky that he doesn't sweat up too much - and we don't do a lot of fast work anyhow - so I just rub him dry and throw him back out.
 
Personally, if I were you then I woulnd't bother clipping unless you really feel the need and, a healthy horse who holds weight well and has a decent coat should not require a rug. We never used to clip ours years ago and i used to do hunter trials on my pony back then. My mum's welsh cob was never clipped either. Ok, it's a bit of a pain grooming wise but, unless you're going to an event then who cares if your horse is a bit muddy when you take him out?

If you're concerned about him getting a chill if he gets too sweaty and you then turn him out then i would just advise walking the last mile or so of your hack so he can cool down naturally and, when you untack try and brush any of the dried sweat if you can. However, I honestly don't think a hardy horse will really give a hoot and will just get down in the mud again and roll anyway whether it's still sweaty or not. None of ours seemed to suffer one little bit.
 
I don't intend to rug either - mine is a young native so is growing a good hairy coat and although is obvs not hacking out, he is doing groundwork and a bit of walking out, progressing to acclimatising to bits of tack etc most days, depending on the weather etc...so like others on this thread I will knock off any dried mud that will be underneath anything he might be 'wearing' tack-wise, check his coat/skin health-wise and condition-wise and leave it at that.
Last winter, throughout all of that snow, I had a sec a youngster that lived out and I never once caught him either cold or even really wet - he had such an efficient coat he just seemed to be able to stay warm and dry underneath it. Wished I could say the same!!! ;)
 
debsey1 said:
What did they do years ago before clipping was the norm?
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You're talking about work horses here - who were managed very differently, and by people who had the time to take care of a horse with a heavy winter coat, and the time it took to cool them off after work and dry them properly without the horse catching a chill.

It's a nightmare having an unclipped horse in work - and quite frankly with today's brilliant rugs there really is no need.

But also, imagine how uncomfortable your horse will be working in his full winter woolies. It's always a good idea to take some off to help them, and doing this and popping a LW rug on will not compromise your effort to get the weight off.
 
I just got my new boy a couple of months ago and he has never had a rug on his whole life apparently, he is already a bit wooly now but he is a hairy cob so will see how he goes! He is also a bit overweight and got really sweaty when I rode him last - got back lady out today in prep for his new saddle to be fitted so only had a quick ride out with a borrowed saddle - so all new to me too and he came with nothing so having to get all his bits and pieces a bit at a time :(
My little welshie will have a light rug on when it gets a bit chillier but she does well in the winter, doesnt drop much weight but she does get a good coat on her and when its really cold, she'll have a middleweight rug on but they are both out 24/7/365!
I'm also just waiting for my pig oil to arrive for Big Man's hairy feet!!!

:)
 
Its lovely to read so many replies on this topic. My yard seems to be a place where they are all fully clipped, rugged to the eyeballs and only ridden twice a week. I have a 6yr old Haffie, who hates rugs (trashed three in as many days last year - then fractured his cannon bone and had 3 month box rest). This year he will not be clipped, turned out as much as allowed (YO permitting) and ridden as much as my girls want to ride. I will just have to ignore all the other owners who turn their noses up at the sight of a pony going as nature intended! Also, the endless washing of legs brings on mud fever (no-one dries them afterwards) and leads to an ice rink across the yard!
 
All mine are natives and left unrugged where possible. I sometimes clip the chest off in the spring but their coats are so thick that a rug would just make them itchy. One of them who never grows a good coat has a lightweight rug when it is wet. They also have a field shelter and come in overnight if it is really grotty . If the kids want to ride then I just bring them in to dry off for a bit. We pretty much just use a plastic curry comb to knock the mud out of their coat where the tack goes unless they are going somewhere but I never wash legs off
 
If you're leaving a natural coat this winter, some mention putting on LW rugs...

The trouble with this is that the rug will flatten the coat so it loses it's natural insulating properties and the horse will be colder than it would be totally naked.

If you must rug, make sure you rug to replace lost insulation - i.e. a thick one!

If your horse sweats, wash off afterwards and don't clip as you will then have to rug up anyway especially the vulnerable chest area...

If you have a stable, dry off in there or in a shelter first.

It's tricky working a natural horse in cold winters without artificial compensation i.e clipping & rugs but with consideration, it is possible!
 
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I keep mine unrugged and in work,and as many others have said,its fine if you don't mind looking a bit wild and if you hack according to the weather conditions. If its cold,wet and windy try to avoid fast work to keep sweating to a minimum............Thats if you really want to ride when its cold,wet and windy!
I used to work at a yard with 40 competition horses that lived out unclipped and unrugged and they were stunningly healthy atheletes.
 
I don't rug my youngsters/lactating mares as think it too dangerous (don't do very much handling). Last winter was very cold and they was one day when -23 at night but only up to -10 at heat of day:eek::eek::eek: They were pretty miserable that day (got a call from neighbour) but apart from that were fine. The trick is not to groom too much and feed adlib forage.
 
I never clip or rug mine because I find I don't ride enough in the winter to make it worth while. So I do get a sweaty pony (he's a native with a thick coat) when I do ride.
To avoid problems with him being hot when turned out, I always get off and walk the last half mile home, girth loose etc. That way the sweat has usually dried up a bit by the time we get back, so I just brush it off with a rubber brush and turn him out. And I don't groom much, just take off the mud where the tack goes.
 
Thanks very much for all of your advice

After reading all replies the way forward is:

Keep him rug-less

Keep him unclipped

keep to walk last mile on hack to cool down, then wash off any sweat & towel dry before turn-out.

Keep lower legs as they are (unwashed) which I do anyway.

Thank you all :)
 
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