Heavyweight rug already?!

OP I would love to know how you can tell the weight of the rug just by looking at the horse!? Seriously mine are identical bar a small label.
 
I got the heavyweight rug out today and am wearing it myself at the moment. Might have to put the heating on later too.
 
Spring Feather said:
Lol! Two things on HHO which can provide much entertainment are rugging and riding without hats :D

PS. I live in Canada where we get -40c winters for months and months on end. The heaviest rugs I own are M/Ws.
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SF when I went to Canada about 7 years ago in the winter we visited a trekking yard to go on a woodland ride in the snow (which was beautiful btw) and none of the horses were rugged and it must have been -25/30! They all had these fantastic fluffy coats and were provided with ad lib alfalfa to eat and they looked so happy and content with a layer of snow on their back!
 
NellRosk said:
SF when I went to Canada about 7 years ago in the winter we visited a trekking yard to go on a woodland ride in the snow (which was beautiful btw) and none of the horses were rugged and it must have been -25/30! They all had these fantastic fluffy coats and were provided with ad lib alfalfa to eat and they looked so happy and content with a layer of snow on their back!
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Funny isn't it how we seem to have an abundance of horses who 'shiver' in temps of 15 degrees etc over here without a hw on, yet they don't appear to exist in countries which get really cold.
 
Horses in Canada have been brought up and raised in cold environments- it has been bred into them. If you imported a French showjumper for example, and stuck it in a field without a rug at -35 I'm pretty sure you would have a cold horse....
Plus, most horses in Canada are not clipped and a large majority of Europeans horses are...
 
My horse has a pretty thin coat. It's been a really hot summer and I washed him at the end of last week (to try to counteract his sweet itch), so he hasnt got much in the way of natural oils built up yet. The weather turned on Saturday and it was the first day of torrential rain and wind, with the horses stood out without shelter. When I brought him in at four he was shivering so much he could barely eat. When I came home from work at lunch time the weather was bad again - sheeting rain and wind, so I dried him and put a medium weight on for the remaining two hours. It was whipped off at bedtime and he's naked in his stable on a straw bed. He won't have one on tomorrow unless the conditions are the same, and the moment the sun comes out it gets removed. I can't bear over rugging and would rather he got cold than over heat, but can't see the point of him clearly miserable for a few hours when I can make him comfortable. It does help to have him at home, so that he can be checked on through the day, rather than just seeing him once or twice a day
 
NellRosk said:
SF when I went to Canada about 7 years ago in the winter we visited a trekking yard to go on a woodland ride in the snow (which was beautiful btw) and none of the horses were rugged and it must have been -25/30! They all had these fantastic fluffy coats and were provided with ad lib alfalfa to eat and they looked so happy and content with a layer of snow on their back!
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I'd say the vast majority of horses over here are not rugged during the winter. So long as the snow doesn't melt on their backs, it provides insulation; trouble is during the days the sun still gets hot so if the horses are going out of the wind then the snow will melt and then they are wet horses when they go back out into the (extreme) freezing wind. That's the main reason I rug mine :)

Moomin1 said:
Funny isn't it how we seem to have an abundance of horses who 'shiver' in temps of 15 degrees etc over here without a hw on, yet they don't appear to exist in countries which get really cold.
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It is fascinating I have to say. I do understand that people do what they've always done if they have never experienced a different way of doing things. When you move to somewhere with such extreme weather as I have, it's only then that you really get a handle on perspectives. Having said all that, I use the same rugs here as I used in the UK. I never owned a H/W rug in the UK either.
 
Moomin1 said:
Funny isn't it how we seem to have an abundance of horses who 'shiver' in temps of 15 degrees etc over here without a hw on, yet they don't appear to exist in countries which get really cold.
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probably due to the existence of rugs for foals and other babies. This is one thing I can't get my head round why would a foal need a rug unless it was born late into a cold wet autumn or winter and even then if it had access to a shelter or barn I cannot see the point. I have always found youngstock to thrive better in just a wooly coat when I have had visiting weanlings wearing rugs they have usually been cold and lost weight rapidly. Against mine on a hillside with exactly the same management. I can and usually do persuade the owner to remove the rug over time
 
NinjaPony said:
Horses in Canada have been brought up and raised in cold environments- it has been bred into them. If you imported a French showjumper for example, and stuck it in a field without a rug at -35 I'm pretty sure you would have a cold horse....
Plus, most horses in Canada are not clipped and a large majority of Europeans horses are...
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There is no problem rugging a clipped horse. There's no problem rugging any horse provided it actually requires it, and to the level it requires it. But whacking duvets under MW's whilst unclipped, in current temperatures (and I don't care what excuse anyone gives, or how much they will say the horse isn't uncomfortable) is ludicrous to the extreme. The argument that horses in Canada have been brought up and raised in cold environments is a moot point - because the majority of horses here have been bred and raised in this country, in these temperatures, therefore they are accustomed to these temperatures (as the horses in Canada are accustomed to their temperatures) should not require a duvet under a mw at this time of year whilst unclipped and healthy in all other respects. In fact, in all the unhealthy/emaciated/skeletal horses I have come across (and that's many) I don't think any of them would require anywhere near that level of rugging.
 
NinjaPony said:
Horses in Canada have been brought up and raised in cold environments- it has been bred into them. If you imported a French showjumper for example, and stuck it in a field without a rug at -35 I'm pretty sure you would have a cold horse....
Plus, most horses in Canada are not clipped and a large majority of Europeans horses are...
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Really? I'm guessing you've never been to Canada ...
 
There are lots of differences between certainly NE US and the UK that I've found. 1) NE US has many fewer people clipping and those that do (the serious competition yards) quite often have heaters in the barns or they rug just as much as we do. 2) There is much more land for horses to run around in to keep warm. 3) Having lived in NE US and the UK I can seriously say that yes dry cold is seriously nasty it doesn't chill one down to their core in the same way as wet cold does. I've found myself using the same winter clothing I used in the US in the UK because I've needed it, one also seems to take longer to warm up in the UK. This isn't to say I approve of over-rugging, (my two are out tonight fully clipped (albeit 3 weeks ago) in LW's on a chilly hill) but having been camping two nights ago I can positively say it's freezing at night. :)
 
windand rain said:
probably due to the existence of rugs for foals and other babies. This is one thing I can't get my head round why would a foal need a rug unless it was born late into a cold wet autumn or winter and even then if it had access to a shelter or barn I cannot see the point. I have always found youngstock to thrive better in just a wooly coat when I have had visiting weanlings wearing rugs they have usually been cold and lost weight rapidly. Against mine on a hillside with exactly the same management. I can and usually do persuade the owner to remove the rug over time
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Yes I agree with this completely. I think the main problem stems from people over rugging/rugging youngsters needlessly from the outset.
 
My yearling is naked -metaphorically- and is getting so fluffy! i'm only rugging when the weather is horrifically bad because at the moment where i am one day its warm the next its freezing so I don't see the point. Plus i want my girl to have a good coat on her going into the winter. Having heavyweights on now is just crazy to me but each to their own :)
 
Spring Feather said:
Really? I'm guessing you've never been to Canada ...
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No, but I think my point of adaptation still stands. My horses are used to a UK climate, and if it ever dropped below minus 10 here then they would both need a fair amount of rugging to cope with the temperature change. A horse used to regular harsh winters would, I imagine, be better equipped to cope with very cold temperatures. I'm sure some people do clip, but from what I've seen and heard, it isn't as common as clipping is over here. I could be wrong of course... I'd like to point out that neither of mine, even the fully clipped one, are in duvets or heavyweights, or even medium weights during the day at the moment. But I don't really think comparing to a very different climate with regards to rugging makes much sense if I'm honest....
 
Rocky01 said:
There are lots of differences between certainly NE US and the UK that I've found. 1) NE US has many fewer people clipping and those that do (the serious competition yards) quite often have heaters in the barns or they rug just as much as we do. 2) There is much more land for horses to run around in to keep warm. 3) Having lived in NE US and the UK I can seriously say that yes dry cold is seriously nasty it doesn't chill one down to their core in the same way as wet cold does. I've found myself using the same winter clothing I used in the US in the UK because I've needed it, one also seems to take longer to warm up in the UK. This isn't to say I approve of over-rugging, (my two are out tonight fully clipped (albeit 3 weeks ago) in LW's on a chilly hill) but having been camping two nights ago I can positively say it's freezing at night. :)
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This is what I was trying to say, and probably failing...
 
NinjaPony said:
No, but I think my point of adaptation still stands. My horses are used to a UK climate, and if it ever dropped below minus 10 here then they would both need a fair amount of rugging to cope with the temperature change. A horse used to regular harsh winters would, I imagine, be better equipped to cope with very cold temperatures. I'm sure some people do clip, but from what I've seen and heard, it isn't as common as clipping is over here. I could be wrong of course...
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I own a number of European imported horses. I brought one with me. Loads of friends of mine have European imports. They all adapt and survive just fine. Loads of people clip their horses; it's really not as unusual as you have been led to believe. I don't clip; I have no need to as none of our horses compete in the winter.

I'm not sure what you mean by "My horses are used to a UK climate, and if it ever dropped below minus 10 here then they would both need a fair amount of rugging to cope with the temperature change"?
 
My 3 year old has never ben rugged and he was fine today in the wind and rain. My arab mare though was shivering and so she was dried off and put in a rain sheet. By rugging we take away their ability to self regulate their temperature and have to rug accordingly.
 
NinjaPony said:
No, but I think my point of adaptation still stands. My horses are used to a UK climate, and if it ever dropped below minus 10 here then they would both need a fair amount of rugging to cope with the temperature change. A horse used to regular harsh winters would, I imagine, be better equipped to cope with very cold temperatures. I'm sure some people do clip, but from what I've seen and heard, it isn't as common as clipping is over here. I could be wrong of course... I'd like to point out that neither of mine, even the fully clipped one, are in duvets or heavyweights, or even medium weights during the day at the moment. But I don't really think comparing to a very different climate with regards to rugging makes much sense if I'm honest....
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But nobody is talking about temps below -10 in this country. We are talking about temps that are currently in this country, and people rugging excessively for those temps. Of course every horse is different and will need different rugging but there's got to be a level of common sense and some people fall well short of that. It's all relative with regards the horses in Canada - doesn't matter what the temp - they seem to cope fine with little intervention, yet so many horses here don't.
 
Spring Feather said:
What are the temps in the UK at the moment out of interest?
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Ranging from about 5 degrees at night to 17 degrees in day, across the country. Where I am it's been about 17 during the day and around 12 at night, poss more. I've stood out in a t shirt in the evening still. It's slightly chilly but not cold.
 
went from 18 yesterday to 8 today daytime temperature here last night was close to the same as the cloud cover kept the temperature up the night before was clear and the temp dropped close to freezing but was dry so no need in my view to rug, today I did as the rain, wind and low ambient temp meant a wind chill closer to 3 or 4 degrees. So definitely not cold enough to rug in heavy weight certainly not until today for the coldest of horse. Perhaps the temperature varies more in a short space of time here than it does in intrinsically cold weather countries I don't know if that is the case or not
 
Moomin1 said:
Funny isn't it how we seem to have an abundance of horses who 'shiver' in temps of 15 degrees etc over here without a hw on, yet they don't appear to exist in countries which get really cold.
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Because mine's fully clipped. SF is talking about horses who have their natural coat.
 
I'm in north Wales and it's 11 degrees C at the moment and it's predicted to get down to about 6 degrees overnight.

ETA - It was very sunny and warm earlier today, once the rain stopped. The afternoon was lovely.
 
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Moomin1 said:
Ranging from about 5 degrees at night to 17 degrees in day, across the country. Where I am it's been about 17 during the day and around 12 at night, poss more. I've stood out in a t shirt in the evening still. It's slightly chilly but not cold.
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Okkaaaay, so maybe it's different for others...who then rug accordingly. I have a little 'weather station' on my gate. I reset it each day and it shows current temp and highest/lowest temp of a 24 hour period - yesterday the highest temp was 12 and at this point she was in a stable, naked. Lowest point was 4 and at this point she was out in a m/w. Lowest point of the night before was 2.

So SF it seems there are variances in climate ranging from 17 to 1.
 
Moomin1 said:
Ranging from about 5 degrees at night to 17 degrees in day, across the country. Where I am it's been about 17 during the day and around 12 at night, poss more. I've stood out in a t shirt in the evening still. It's slightly chilly but not cold.
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It was 2 at ours at 8.00 a.m. Sunday morning and we had frost . . . I'm guessing it got lower than that during the night.

P
 
Moomin1 said:
Ranging from about 5 degrees at night to 17 degrees in day, across the country. Where I am it's been about 17 during the day and around 12 at night, poss more. I've stood out in a t shirt in the evening still. It's slightly chilly but not cold.
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Ah that's exactly the same temperatures are we're getting at the moment. It's quarter to 3 atm and it's 17c outside and going down to 10c tonight but we have had a number of nights where it's gone down to 4c. It's been damp and rainy for days now ugh! My horses all start getting rugged when it hits -8 to -10c. The very old ones (aged 26 - 37 yrs old) are rugged once it hits about -5c.
 
Spring Feather said:
Ah that's exactly the same temperatures are we're getting at the moment. It's quarter to 3 atm and it's 17c outside and going down to 10c tonight but we have had a number of nights where it's gone down to 4c. It's been damp and rainy for days now ugh! My horses all start getting rugged when it hits -8 to -10c. The very old ones (aged 26 - 37 yrs old) are rugged once it hits about -5c.
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Unclipped SF? I'd say that was fairly relative then if people are rugging a fully and freshly clipped horse at 7-1 degrees and you are rugging an unclipped at -8.
 
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Pony isn't clipped yet but overnight he is wearing a 70g rug with neck mainly to keep him dry and clean as he has no shelter in his field and no grass (he is getting hay but blows away in wind or he scoffs it in a couple of hours) he has been in all day and is in tonight for a break. No I wouldn't be putting a heavy weight on him, not even a medium but I know someone last year who put a fleece, heavy insulator, medium turnout and a heavy turnout on top on her horse. Worked out about 1500grams! Crazy!
 
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