HHO Guide to Rugging Properly

My tip is to attend to rug repairs promptly. Even a very small snag in a turn out rug can allow a large patch of dampness underneath if it rains heavily. Small holes can be temporarily covered with a peice of duck tape (provided it is put on while the rug is dry) this will help keep the rug waterproof for a while until it can be repaired.
 
get the right size,i see many horses on my travels with a rug that is too long,hanging off the horses bum and straining at the withers :(
 
There is no law that states "once I put a rug on in October, the horse must wear a rug at all times until next summer" ;). Rug for weather conditions, not "season". If you get a sunny autumn or spring day (or a run of them) your horse will appreciate having their rug off, to roll and do a bit of self grooming.

Horses acclimatise to different climates :). TB mare, born in Ireland, became a southern woose living in Hampshire. When she moved to Scotland, she did find the winters (and summer :D) cold for the first year, but then gradually hardened up and grew a better coat... she is now quite happy unrugged in Spring and Autumn and winters out in a 300g for the absolute worst of the weather, and a 200g for everything else. They do get used to the climate, if we let them ;)

More horses become ill from being too hot than being too cold... a horse that is very warm if you feel under the rug may well be too hot. Horses left to their own devices prefer to be slightly cool, unless they're standing in full sunlight, skin and coat feel cool to the touch.

You would be surprised how well an unclipped horse can cope in extreme weather conditions provided they have a waterproof no-fill rug on. The key thing is to keep the horse dry and protected from the wind, then they regulate their own temperature well. And I'm not talking native ponies here, I'm talking two full TBs and a TBx ;)

Stopping a rug from leaking is sometimes not dependent on the rug :D Modern rugs work the same way as Goretex jackets for humans... they are effective provided the person/horse inside is warm, so that the movement of air and moisture is outwards through the jacket/rug (because they're breatheable). If the person/horse inside the jacket/rug becomes chilled, the movement of air/moisture reverses direction, regardless of how waterproof the rug actually is. So keep horse warm enough so that they can keep their breatheable rug working for them rather than against them, and you will find no water comes through rug :) (or indeed, Goretex jacket, speaking as someone who has had to walk around in a nasty wet Goretex because I forgot to wear a fleece under it on a very cold and rainy day ;)).
 
I watch the local forecast, if temp is very low and heavy rain forecast, I will pop a very light rug / rain-sheet, just to prevent shivering, but if there is shelter in the field and horse is native type, he won't need a rug under most conditions, except in winter, and if owner wants to ride regularly.
 
I would far rather see under-rugging than over-rugging... I find it really upsetting to see horses heavily rugged on a warm afternoon, as the owner has rugged for the chilly morning and gone to work, not allowing for the fact the day might warm up!

I think another important thing it to check how tightly you are doing up the necks on your rugs (if you have them). Once the horse puts its head down to graze, the straps can seem a lot tighter so you should allow for this.

My pet hate is people who genuinely think that they are spoiling their horses by piling rugs on them... I often wonder if the horse wouldn't be a lot happier being allowed to regulate its own temperature and to not be weighed down by layer after layer. Just because we like to be bundled up all nice and cosy on a chilly night, it doesn't mean our horses feel the same necessarily.
 
I love rugs, they can be very useful, BUT horses and ponies don't NEED them. If your horse or pony is wet to the skin and shivering, its probably because its not waterproof. This will likely be because you have bathed it or groomed regularly with a body brush, removing all the oils from its coat. If you groom only with a curry comb and occasionally a dandy brush and avoid bathing, your horse or pony will stay waterproof.
 
Sugar_and_Spice said:
I love rugs, they can be very useful, BUT horses and ponies don't NEED them. If your horse or pony is wet to the skin and shivering, its probably because its not waterproof. This will likely be because you have bathed it or groomed regularly with a body brush, removing all the oils from its coat. If you groom only with a curry comb and occasionally a dandy brush and avoid bathing, your horse or pony will stay waterproof.
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This can be a factor, but only part of the equation; I've often found horses and ponies that have gone unrugged all winter will struggle in the Spring when their summer coat is coming through and we have wet, cold, windy weather.

Like most things there can be no hard and fast rules, each horse is an individual and has differing needs, although obviously if you clip or overgroom/bath you need to replace what you have taken away from the horse.

I have no problem with sensible rugging, but hate to see either overrugged or cold miserable horses.
 
Great thread! As someone who currently just puts on whatever rug pony's owner tells me to, deciding for myself when I finally get my own seems like a bit of a nightmare!

What are peoples opinions regarding the whole standard/half/full neck array out there??

xx
 
Horses should not feel 'toasty' under their rugs. If they do, they're probably too hot.

Feeding fibre is the best way to keep horses warm, rather than piling on the rugs.

Buy good quality rugs, the best that you can afford; cheap ones never last and will leak.
 
I think its important to remember that a horse is better off a bit too cold than a bit too warm as they are good at warming themselves up but rubbish at cooling down. No fill rugs can prevent a horse from sticking their coat up and warming themselves up- this means they can be a bit useless and make the horse colder than they'd be with no rug at all. One important thing NOT to do- is judge how many rugs your needs by judging how cold you are!
 
Keep any ripped unrepairable rugs somewhere safe and clean so you can use them to patch up any small tears in your good rugs. Keep a tube of stormseal glue handy.

Rug repair kit = old rug, gaffer tape, talcum powder and stormseal glue.

Gaffer tape the inside of the tear to hold it in place. Make a patch from the old rug, and stick it on with stormseal. Apply stormseal round the edges of the patch very thickly and use pegs or stones to keep in place. Dry overnight and then dust with talc so it's not sticky. Put the left-over glue in the fridge so it doesn't go off.
 
noblesteed said:
Keep any ripped unrepairable rugs somewhere safe and clean so you can use them to patch up any small tears in your good rugs. Keep a tube of stormseal glue handy.

Rug repair kit = old rug, gaffer tape, talcum powder and stormseal glue.

Gaffer tape the inside of the tear to hold it in place. Make a patch from the old rug, and stick it on with stormseal. Apply stormseal round the edges of the patch very thickly and use pegs or stones to keep in place. Dry overnight and then dust with talc so it's not sticky. Put the left-over glue in the fridge so it doesn't go off.
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Excellent tips there. Thankyou very much have saved this for future reference.
 
Don't go out and waste money on heavyweight rugs as soon as you buy your horse. I wasted lots of money on 2 heavyweights which I have never needed. Wait and see whether you ACTUALLY need one.

Um also always have 2 serviceable turnout rugs so one can dry while the other is on the horse.
 
HaylStorm said:
Great thread! As someone who currently just puts on whatever rug pony's owner tells me to, deciding for myself when I finally get my own seems like a bit of a nightmare!

What are peoples opinions regarding the whole standard/half/full neck array out there??

xx
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This greatly depends on personal preference and what kind of soil you have. Unfortunately I'm on clay so in winter if I don't have them in full necks they will be covered in a thick layer of clay that is impossible to get off. I would rather spend more time riding than grooming if I'm in a rush so I have full necks to keep them clean. I also find that my old boy (who is a wussy tbx) is much happier in winter with a neck as it keeps him that bit warmer and drier. With my young Welshie it is simply that I would like him a bit cleaner.

I would also say that don't assume all natives are fine without rugs. Although my Welshie is fairly tough he can and does get very cold so I have to rug him up in winter. Obviously he isn't in heavyweights all year round. I get a few comments from people but I know my horse and I know that he is happier with a rug.
 
Store clean, dry rugs in sealed plastic containers when not in use to protect from damp, mice - and spiders! :eek: Nothing worse than digging out a rug only to find it shredded and/or webbed up beyond use...
 
Pearlsasinger said:
The only other thing is to note the weather forecast - if the temperature is set to rise while you are at work remember that it is better for the horse to be a bit chilly for a couple of hours i the early morning than for it to be sweltering in the afternoon.
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This. It angers me when I get to the yard after uni (4pm) and there are horses sweating under their rugs. Owners say 'Oh, well it was FREEZING this morning when I put them out/checked them'.
Yeah, that was at 6am!
 
My rule when buying a rug is never to buy one that's less than 1200 denier. I know its the strength of the rug material and it probably shouldnt effect its waterproofness but I've never found a rug with less denier which didnt leak!
 
Useful thread. I have had aggro because I dont start rugging in October and keep rugging. I rug according to the weather, seems to have worked well so far!
 
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