Horse unrugged and clipped?

[Sambo]

I have a 3 year old chunky cob, who has recently put on a lot of weight. He has an Irish Cip, just belly, chest, half neck and all face left on.

He was clipped about 5/6 weeks ago, so it has started growing back, and the rest of his hair is typical cobs, very thick!

He is a rug wrecker - i keep sewing them up, and this morning half of his rug was missing! And i cant afford to keep buying them, and sewing them up daily is getting frustrating!

He is fed twice a day, has shelter under trees and behind fences too. He has ad lib hay and haylage hung in nets on the fence and under the trees.

Could he live out without a rug? His fur does feel cold on top when i leave him without one, but he isnt too cold on his skin where he was clipped, although he isnt particularly warm either..

 

[Rose Folly]

I don't think you're being fair to him. Either clip and rug him, or don't clip, don't rug. You've removed the overcoat that nature intended him to have - you should live with his rug-wrecking until winter's over now. You wouldn't relish being left outdoors in your underwear with 'trees and fences'.

 

[maisie2011]

My NF pony is clipped just like your cob and she is turned out during the day without a rug and she doesn't seem to suffer from the cold. I do rug her if the weather is foul and if it drops below 4-5 degrees at night.

As long as you are feeding plenty of hay so they are constantly digesting and creating warmth from within I would say your boy will be fine, especilly as the clip is growing back.

 

[kerilli]

unless there's a totally weatherproof shelter (with a roof and an area that's totally out of the wind) i agree with Rose Folly. i'd put him in a summerweight turnout if he's very fat, so no insulation but guaranteed to keep him dry...

 

[scrunchie]

My big girl (not clipped) is a rug trasher. Previously, I've got round this by putting two rugs on her - a good one underneath and a lightweight no-fill one she can wreck on the top. She looks a mess but at least she's warm.

I'm leaving her naked this year though . She resembles a woolly mammoth at the mo.

 

[NOISYGIRL]

I don't think you're being fair to him. Either clip and rug him, or don't clip, don't rug. You've removed the overcoat that nature intended him to have - you should live with his rug-wrecking until winter's over now. You wouldn't relish being left outdoors in your underwear with 'trees and fences'.

^^^ This

 

[LaurenBay]

I have a rug trasher too! she has a trace clip at the mo and is in a MW non necked TO. I took only some of her neck off and she is still warm to touch! She does have a neck though for the evening when it gets colder. I put a no fill rainsheet on top of her nice rug, so if she feels the need to keep ripping it, it's not the expenisve one shes hurting!

 

[Oliver12]

I'd personally leave him without a rug but keep an eye on him. As he's put a lot of weight on it won't do him any harm to shiver some off. My Irish Draught had a clip when I bought him many years ago. He wintered out without a rug and looked lovely come the spring. He's not been clipped since and I struggle to keep his weight down despite muzzles and strip grazing. I'm thinking of giving him a small clip after Christmas to encourage some weight loss.

 

[glenruby]

Yes. Should not be a problem. Perhaps have somewhere he can be brought in if it's lashing rain or you can put a rug on him in that situation. But no reason why he couldn't live out with reasonable shelter with only an Irish clip. I have done it with my halfbtedponies as a child - they never had suffered as a result!

 

[Dizzydancer]

Can i make a suggestion? Leave his rug on and put thin cheap one on top to get ripped. Take away adlib haylage. Just give hay and if he is in field ok his own only provide the correct amount for his ideal body weight. That should help him loose weight Although if you are taking rugs off i would leave him with the adlib to allow him to keep warm.
I personally wouldn't leave out with no roof shelter. Different if u can bring in at night or to dry off in worst weather.