For those who rug natives

4leggedfurries

4leggedfurries

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Yes I know we're few and far between and most people would throw their arms up in dispare, but want to know what rugs you have for yours. I have an exmoor and a shetland who i left up until a few weeks ago, when the weather turned pants, naked. They have fluffed up better this year than they did last year and are currently in rain sheets. However the shetland tends to feel the cold and was thinking of getting him a med-light rug as its no fun dealing with him when he's being stroppy.
 
A native in a rug, with a winter coat?!
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Doug only wears a rain sheet if its raining and im going to ride. I dont like riding him soaking wet, but if im not riding then he goes out naked whatever the weather
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I have a selection for the Highland, Weatherbeta, Shires - never really had a problem finding rugs to fit natives - and no I don't feel bad, if left hairy and unrugged for the winter she will get rain scald
 
I have always had natives and always rugged them in the winter!
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mainly as I do not have time to mess around waiting for them to dry or have a couple of hours to spend grooming them as them seem to like a good mud bath!!!! but i dont over rug them.
if your pony feels the cold whether hes a native or not, there is nothing wrong with putting a m/w on him. my haffy will have a m/w when it gets a lil colder as i have come down to him shivering and my welsh d as he is very grumpy if he gets cold!
 
The highland is in a LW when it rains.....he is hairy, but smooth if you know what I mean.....and although he looks very chunky his ribs are easily felt under the hair....he's a bit of a poof and would prefer to be in munching hay when its rubbish weather....but as I am cruel they go out all day every day.

He did have the remnants of rain scald when we got him, so I think if he's prone to it, not fat and miserable when wet.....wheres the crime in a rug?
 
My sisters Fell is always rugged in the winter, except this year when she has a foal, as of the end of the year when baby is weaned.
She is already feeling the cold though.
Sis has mainly Rambos for her, the only rug she has found that doesn't really fit is the amigo
 
4 of my 5 ponies are natives. My mini shetland is like a little furball on legs but she sulks when it is raining so she has got a masta foal turnout rug
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it's the lightweight one with no filling, she has it on if the weather is very wet.
 
so shoot me, but my shetland is currently out, in a LW with a HW combo on top!!!! his *job* is travelling companion and the first year we didnt rug him, but he was SO woolly he got incredibly hot on the lorry (naked) and got a chill drying off no matter what we did (thermatex,thatching,hand walking, turning out etc).
so now he gets well rugged to keep his coat down,doesnt get too hot on the lorry and is happy as larry!

weatherbeeta are too tight on his shoulders, cuddly ponies,rhino pony, requisite pony rugs and derby house own brand fit him well.
 
Interesting, I've never heard, or considered sticking a rug on a shetland, I reckon the weather down here in Kent is considerably better than up in the Shetland Isles. Funnily enough my sister (who's a total softy) suggested putting a rug on her and I just laughed it off, so interesting to hear that some peeps do it.

I also have a New Forest and Welsh Cob, both of whom are ridden. I have literally just put their rugs on for the first time this morning. Two reasons, I cannot stand the mud any more. You know what it's like when they live out all year, reduced hours rushing around trying to ride and being faced with a total bog monster! I think their rugs are around 220g fill, if I had rainsheets I would use those, but I don't and am skint at the mo
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Secondly, I've been waiting for the temperature to drop a bit, 15, 16 degrees was far too warm, but according to the MET office it's dropping to around 10-11 degrees now. Misty (New Forest) could technically do the whole winter unrugged as she has a monster winter coat. Saf (Welsh Cob) has a much thinner, flatter coat.

Penny, 24 year old Welsh A is really a tough ol' bird bless her, good winter coat and wears an approx 200g Amigo which will probably go on at the weekend.
 
Our section B gets rugged, he's at home with the parents at the moment and has been in a no fill rambo rain sheet through to a medium weight dependant on what the weather has been doing, days like today he goes out naked (or so I am told!). He is getting on a bit in years though and doesn't hold his weight as much any more and wants to come in when its gets wet. Last year the most he wore was his rhino all in one h/w and that was during the really cold snap we had where it got down to -10 at night for a good few weeks, and I dont think ever got above 0 during the day.

Then my appaloosa x NF is naked! She has more of a NF coat methinks....
 
I put a cheapo 2nd hand Shire rug on my NF when the forecast is really, really bad, but I suspect it's more to make me feel better than it is for her benefit. I won't buy her a better rug because she spends a lot of time squeezing into hedgerows and her rugs take a battering.

I've never rugged the Shetland, even if she looks utterly miserable, because our (south coast) grazing is too lush for Shetlands and she'll put on weight even through the winter if I'm not careful.
 
Oh yep, forgot to add, NF and Welsh Cob both have bib clips. Now worrying that they will rub themselves raw on their rugs as its the first time they've been clipped and I know those rugs cause rub marks by the end of winter - vests required methinks.
 
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I put a cheapo 2nd hand Shire rug on my NF when the forecast is really, really bad, but I suspect it's more to make me feel better than it is for her benefit. I won't buy her a better rug because she spends a lot of time squeezing into hedgerows and her rugs take a battering.

I've never rugged the Shetland, even if she looks utterly miserable, because our (south coast) grazing is too lush for Shetlands and she'll put on weight even through the winter if I'm not careful.

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Our grazing is the same, 6 acres between 3 1/2 ponies (well a diddy shetland), electric fenced off. I have my 'winter section' which is about half the field I've been saving, but because it's been so warm the grass hasn't stopped growing. Currently they're all in a smallish fenced off area, a lot of mud and getting irritable during feed / hay times because theres not much to eat. If I put them in the winter paddock they'll all burst! If they have their winter paddock they have to pay for it in a drop in weather - harsh mother I know!
 
my little man has a bad parrot mouth, so actually for a shetty isnt a great doer in the colder months.yes he gets round in summer but if im not careful in winter he loses too much, so rugging means i dont have to shovel hard feed down him either.
 
When the weather turned really bad this week, had to rug all 7 of ours. Mostly hairy Dales, but as we are 1000ft up think the wind and rain was getting to them
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so see no problem with rugging a shetland and exmoor!

The two clipped ones are in MW Masta rugs, the others are in a mixture of 170g Masta and 200g Amigos. Wouldn't put anything heavier on them and once the weather improves (she says hopefully) they will lose the rugs. Clipped ones will only get heavier rugs if weather really gets bad and only if I buy another one
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All my mini's are now rugged.
35 yr old obviously would feel the cold (in a med weight already)
20 yr old gets rain scauld, so is also rugged.
Little stig is weather dictating. He needs a coat on if the weather is vile, as I cant afford for him to drop weight.
 
Rug my welsh D...when I first got him I did not rug thinking he would not need it...even though when I picked him up the winter before he was in two rugs from his previous owner...I should have taken the hint! He is a complete wuss when it comes to the cold and wet and I spent a terrible winter with him that year as he was difficult to control, ride and would spend most of the day pacing up and down the field until it was ploughed in knee deep mud...he was so unhappy and I did not know why.
Come Oct the next year and the drop on temp, he changed again from happy to awful and I tried a rug on him. The difference overnight was remarkable...my happy boy came back and we spent a happy winter together doing everything we had done in the summer. The same happens every Oct..at some point the temp drops and becomes autumnal and so does his personality...the rug goes on and all is well again.
I joke not...the change in him is so dramatic it is like he has been swapped for another horse....so yes. he has his medium weight on and will have all winter...especially at the moment as he lost loads of weight on box rest and is somewhat ribby.
 
Know a lady with a NF.
He has a rain sheet on to keep worst of mud and wet off.Pony is warm enough
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If your shetland is a good weight and feeling the cold,cant see any reason not to try a LW turnout.
 
Both shetties HAVE rugs but at the moment neither is feeling the cold so they don't wear them.

The saddlecraft pony rugs fit shetties well, as do Rhino and IV horse rugs.

Lightweights, in my experience, leak, so i'd get something with a little filling, just 100g or something. But be warned, shetties overheat really easily, and you'll have to keep a very close eye on them.
 
Seems that we're all of similar opinion
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My shetland is 5 years old, and a nightmare to keep weight off of. My Welsh A has had laminitis a number of times, but is 24 and seems to find it easier to stay trim. I'm kinda relying on the winter to get the Shetland to lose weight!

Great story from Pottamus - My Welsh Cob seems to have quite a flat coat compared to the others, the hairs are just longer but it sits flat against her body. I've noticed in the past her standing in the field looking tucked up and miserable. A friend of mine thinks that if she's cold she'll just grow a thicker coat (as she's a cob), but I've owned her for 7 years and her winter coat is always the same. NF on the other hand currently resembles a polar bear!
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My NF is rugged but he is clipped - if he was not clipped he would not be rugged as he gets very hairy (hence the need for clipping).
 
Both my connemaras are wearing rugs at the moment, neither is clipped! To be honest they are happier and cleaner as they tend to stay out in all weathers even though they have free access to stables. If I don't rug them they roll in such wet mud that I could never get them clean enough to ride them. I do check they are not too hot and they never are, they seem much happier. My shetland is not rugged but she spent a few weeks at Liphook Hospital last year with colic and when she came out they told me to rug her and I must say she looked so cute in her bright red turnout but this year she is naked and very happy!
 
All mine still out & rugged including the two mini shets who each have a W,Beeta foal rug which has a tiny bit of fill so that they do stay dry but aren't cooking !!
 
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