give me strength! :p

Dizzydancer

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Someone please tell me i don't need to rug just because its given rain all day- temp max 16 min 8 overnight but drier. tb in good condition and natural shelter.
I am not stupid if i turn up to find him shivering or cold ill rug. I need telling that its not required just because everyone else is!
 
I've got the guilts over this too, tb out without his rug in the rain for the last three days. It's NOT REQUIRED :) my non horsey sister was very reassuring when I was freaking about about this the other day and pointed out all the rugged up and lethargic looking horses we drove by in the rain. Deano hasn't melted yet and was happily head down and munching in the rain last I checked x
 
Horses don't melt! If in good condition and health no probs being old in rain unrugged it's not cold. I've been poo picking in the rain in my t shirt as it's too warm for my wet coat I'd rather be wet and so would my horses
 
I am in Scotland where it is colder, raining, AND my TB is out without a rug!

So far he hasn't dissolved into a pile of fairy dust.
 
Definitely not.. Only my Dutch Wb mare ever gets rugged and only when really cold and wet as her winter coat is rubbish..
 
As the temperatures are so high it's not really cold. If your horse is happy and still eating then no, don't rug (and try not to feel too guilty about it ;))

It's because we as humans project our ideas of us wanting to be being dry etc on to our horses.

Only rug if your horse is standing shivering and looking seriously unhappy (and then only put a lightweight shower sheet on).

It's when the cold wind kicks in, along with torrential rain that I consider putting a rug on mine.
 
My 23yr old conniex tb has a fine tb coat & is a real wimp when it comes to being cold at all. And she last wore a rug when we had those horrid spring storms & is perfectly warm & content.
 
Only reason mine wears a rug in this weather is to keep him clean 'cos we've a show tomorrow and he's a mud pig. Horses have perfectly servicable coats provided by nature, they do NOT need to wear clothes (unless you have removed by clipping). This is a ploy by rug advertisers aimed at fashion victim girlies who want to play dress-up with their horsies.
 
Ours are unrugged all year. Had a couple of comments in the autumn but stopped when ours were toasty all winter over the shivering heavy rugged horses with no winter coat. I'll rug oldies for a brief time when cold but in general I'll check the horses temp and history, not what everyone else is doing with their horses.
I've had far more issues with overheating horses on site than cold ones
 
Ours are unrugged all year. Had a couple of comments in the autumn but stopped when ours were toasty all winter over the shivering heavy rugged horses with no winter coat. I'll rug oldies for a brief time when cold but in general I'll check the horses temp and history, not what everyone else is doing with their horses.
I've had far more issues with overheating horses on site than cold ones
Yeah! A sensible person at last. Even in the two freak winters we had here (Ireland) in 2009 & 2010 when got down to -21C, mine only wore rugs when they were in the stable and unable to move about to keep warm. What's with all the dressy-up horses?
 
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