Horse shivering!

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poiuytrewq

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No I didn’t bath him.

Went earlier to give hay to Ziggy and he was shivering!
He’s lived out since Feb this year and much of that winter really. The only rugs he had on all Summer are fly sheets so he’s not used to being wrapped up.
He’s really pretty over weight and has plenty of hay so can’t possibly be cold surely? It was dry, about 15 degrees I think, I poo picked in a T shirt.
I asked a friend to check earlier and haven’t heard anything so assume if she was worried she would have let me know. I’m going to pop back in a bit and will
Take a rug just incase but really really didn’t want to start rugging.
He’s a big strong healthy horse. I’m a bit thrown by it!
Unless it was the aftermath of the hunt being close yesterday although I felt he handled it impressively well for him!
 
Was he tucked up and miserable looking or just shivering?

Mine were all really cold to the touch this morning but appeared fine and warm in the recesses.
 
poiuytrewq said:
No I didn’t bath him.

Went earlier to give hay to Ziggy and he was shivering!
He’s lived out since Feb this year and much of that winter really. The only rugs he had on all Summer are fly sheets so he’s not used to being wrapped up.
He’s really pretty over weight and has plenty of hay so can’t possibly be cold surely? It was dry, about 15 degrees I think, I poo picked in a T shirt.
I asked a friend to check earlier and haven’t heard anything so assume if she was worried she would have let me know. I’m going to pop back in a bit and will
Take a rug just incase but really really didn’t want to start rugging.
He’s a big strong healthy horse. I’m a bit thrown by it!
Unless it was the aftermath of the hunt being close yesterday although I felt he handled it impressively well for him!
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Shivering - I’m excited / stressed? (probably bit of prancing about, head up)
or shivering - I am trying to warm up my skin because I am cold? (probably standing tucked up, head down)
It’s c. 8 degrees here atm, but blowing a horizontal gale / lashing rain, so there is significant wind chill for anything that’s got soaked - including me, fetching a new born calf in because the forecast is grisly for next 24 hours. Altho it is ‘warm enough’ for mum and son to stay out....
Has Ziggy got some sort of shelter belt? Trees, barn wall, he can get into the lee of?
I tend to geo locate the nearest on the BBC weather forecast, press again for more detail such as specific wind direction and their ‘feels like’ temperature, before deciding on rugs etc.
Consider age, type, condition, also that temperature has dropped 20 -25 degrees in one week - so horses which have been basking all summer are now experiencing a very rude raincheck!
 
Exasperated said:
Shivering - I’m excited / stressed? (probably bit of prancing about, head up)
or shivering - I am trying to warm up my skin because I am cold? (probably standing tucked up, head down)
It’s c. 8 degrees here atm, but blowing a horizontal gale / lashing rain, so there is significant wind chill for anything that’s got soaked - including me, fetching a new born calf in because the forecast is grisly for next 24 hours. Altho it is ‘warm enough’ for mum and son to stay out....
Has Ziggy got some sort of shelter belt? Trees, barn wall, he can get into the lee of?
I tend to geo locate the nearest on the BBC weather forecast, press again for more detail such as specific wind direction and their ‘feels like’ temperature, before deciding on rugs etc.
Consider age, type, condition, also that temperature has dropped 20 -25 degrees in one week - so horses which have been basking all summer are now experiencing a very rude raincheck!
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Neither! Perfectly totally normal in himself, he’s always a bit looky and ready but looked fine, felt fine, came over for his hay as per usual.

It was neither windy, cold or wet
There is a thick hedge one side and a wooden shelter which he happily stands in.
As above he is a healthy strong tough horse. It was very weird.
I’m just heading back there now.
 
Where I am the temperature has dropped suddenly and there has been pouring rain all afternoon. I've brought mine in for a few hours as none appear to be growing much of a winter coat as yet.

Hope he's OK. If it's not a sudden weather change, I'd take his temp in case it's a virus, a fever can also cause shivering.
 
poiuytrewq said:
Neither! Perfectly totally normal in himself, he’s always a bit looky and ready but looked fine, felt fine, came over for his hay as per usual.

It was neither windy, cold or wet
There is a thick hedge one side and a wooden shelter which he happily stands in.
As above he is a healthy strong tough horse. It was very weird.
I’m just heading back there now.
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Perhaps something else has wound him up a bit, context of yesterday’s excitement? Check his pulse? Look at membranes? Doesn’t sound very ill!
However, imminent forecast is miserable, so if you have a 50g turnout to sling on for peace of mind, probably wouldn’t go amiss, without committing to rug-regime.
 
poiuytrewq said:
Nope just shivering.
I really had high hopes for him growing a mammoth coat and being a proper live outer this year!
Maybe he has other ideas.
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That might well be it - acute temperature drop, very significant and sudden change in weather, yet he’s not caught up with either his coat or his expectations! If his usual readings are normal, a lightweight turnout until this storm’s passed wouldn’t hurt.
 
For me, a horse shivering is cold, and needs more rugs/a heavier rug than they currently have. And often a heavier rug than had they not crossed to the point of shivering in the first place. 24hrs later they might want less rug weight, towards the normal of what they'd normally have, especially if the weather has blown through by then, but right now they need to warm up quickly.

I wouldn't get too caught up in the whys or wherefores - he and his body are expressing how they feel right now, and that's the most important thing to take into account.

If he usually wouldn't worry in this sort of weather, I too would be concerned that he might be ill, or be recovering from stress, or it's just too much of a culture shock to recent weather, especially as he's highly unlikely to have grown much if any of his winter coat yet.

ETA: Ah, slightly cross-posted there. But I would strongly consider more than a lightweight rug for the next few hours and overnight if he is shivering already.
 
Orangina said:
Definitely not colic or pain of some sort?
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Well this was my worry but he seems otherwise completely fine. Resp rate is normal, temp normal (I did check because this is odd for him)
It was rainy when I got there but I’ve scraped him off and put a LW on as it was all I had. Figured it will at least keep the wind out, not that it’s even particularly windy.
Will admit defeat I think and sort out rugs properly for him.
It is weird though. He should be fine in this but yes of course it’s been a sudden warm to this.
 
SEL said:
I shook spiders out of 50g rugs this evening for all 3. The microcob might not have her winter coat but she does have blubber so I dithered about her but she was grumpy after getting soaked the other night. It's also windy so pretty chilly.

We seem to have gone from heatwave to winter overnight
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Yes, this is a very significant contrast, bit like stepping off the plane from a lovely, warm foreign holiday and shivering uncontrollably in what one would usually consider unremarkable British weather....
 
poiuytrewq said:
Nope just shivering.
I really had high hopes for him growing a mammoth coat and being a proper live outer this year!
Maybe he has other ideas.
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It's probably just too soon. We are keeping a close eye on ours because they haven't yet grown the big thick winter coats that we know they can grow but we could be in for 24 hours of wind and rain.
Last year when we were on holiday in September we got a message from the friend who was looking after our horses to say that they were shivering in similar weather.
We just advised giving extra hay in the shelter because we didn't want her to have to organise rugs. They were fine but later in the year they coped better because their coats had grown in.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
It's probably just too soon. We are keeping a close eye on ours because they haven't yet grown the big thick winter coats that we know they can grow but we could be in for 24 hours of wind and rain.
Last year when we were on holiday in September we got a message from the friend who was looking after our horses to say that they were shivering in similar weather.
We just advised giving extra hay in the shelter because we didn't want her to have to organise rugs. They were fine but later in the year they coped better because their coats had grown in.
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That gives a bit of hope!


He was ok this morning although acting like a complete and utter mad man, switching to a better rug was hard work! It was dry when I was there but very windy and so lots of tearing round so he should be keeping warm and burning some of the fat hopefully! :rolleyes: I do wish he would just chill out!
 
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