How are people rugging?!

It's so hard to get it right! We stopped rugging ours a few years ago and it was the best move I ever made, saves all this worry as ours didn't need it. I am so grateful to have a set-up and horses which allows for it.

Have kept all the rugs of course and will happily rug if and when one needs it again, but I do not envy those of you trying to figure it out in this changeable weather. Hot sun and 17C+ in the day today and now dropping to 2C and a chill wind overnight. Argh!
 
Horsekaren said:
mine is naked every day, has been for the last week or so. I put a 50g on over night just because it has dropped below 4 and has been misty. Rug comes off at 6.30 when its still 1-2 degrees but he is happy to have it off. The last two days he has been a bit sweaty around his bum without a rug on so can only presume his coat alone is a bit warm in this heat (he still has his winter clip)

where i am right now it is 16 degrees, i cant father a horse that would NEED a rug in 16 degrees, no wind and bright sunshine, but i've never been around a chilly horse.
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You best never come to Australia :P It got down to *shock horror* 19 degrees C daytime temperature the other week and promptly 50% of the horses on my way to uni had their winter rugs on the whole day...

Mine live on a very windy hill (wind chill is pretty bad there as the wind comes straight from Antarctica), so get a canvas overnight if we have a front moving through. Other than that, light cotton rugs on during the day (or naked) and they love the sun :)
 
I don't think cold, dry, frosty weather is so much of an issue for healthy, unclipped horses. I only rug our younger horse in heavy rain and wind because she is quite lean. Here in northern Spain we have had -7 nights regularly. The horses are fine and we live on top of an exposed hill where the next highest point is in the USA. They are all unclipped and live out 27.7. At the moment they are sweating with daily temps into mid 20's. But I would rather them be slightly chilly for a couple hours early morning than too hot with a rug. It also help with weight control. One of my easy keepers could easily come out of winter on the obese side if she was rugged.
 
2 natives out unrugged 24/7 currently, both have an Irish clip. Felt a bit guilty yesterday when I woke up to a frost, but arrived at yard to find them happily grazing & didn't feel cold.
 
It’s a total pain. Both of mine are arthritic and fully clipped... so they’ve had 300g over night (was 1 degree this morning at 6am), then rugs off and out naked at 8:30. In an ideal world they would go out in mediums, which would come off at 11am, but unfortunately that can’t happen logistically, but both have been happy with the current arrangement.
 
My 100g rug is my go-to for odd weather like you're describing. It keeps the wind off with a decent amount of fill for the poor doers[/QUOTE]

Thank you! I shall go pout the 100g on today:) I am learning a lot from you guys.
 
Where I am we've been so lucky as it's not gone below 4C at night, with no frost or wind, so I've kept the rugs off (cob - who has gut issues which get worse when it's cold - and pony mare who is quite fine - but they are stabled every night). Into the weekend and next week looks like it's going to get colder so I might have some early starts to go get rugs off in the mornings.
Some of the other liveries have left rugs on and I'm having a hard time seeing this. The horses are sweating :(
 
I have two oldies and two native yaks. The younger ones have belly clips and are unrugged all year. I’m pleased I managed to clip them last week or they’d have been to sweaty this week. Of the older ones, one is now naked 24/7 and the wimp has a 200g overnight. She’s probably horrified when it comes off in the morning, but it’s only a couple of hours until it warms up and she has hay.

If I couldn’t get there twice I’d leave them all unrugged as it must be awful being hot when the sun is out.
 
My friend Leigh-Anne text last night to say when she was at the yard a lunch time yesterday Bonnie was extremely hot, she wasn't sure whether to take her rug off or not as she knows how much i hate people interfering with my horses. I told her when i replied to use her initiative in the future should she need to because i trust her judgement.

Bonnie was in a 100gsm yesterday and 200gsm last night. This morning i took off her 200gsm and left her naked, it was only 2'c this morning, but the sun was just starting to hit the field so it was about to start warming up.
 
Now the sun's warmer I'm just about to de-rug the partially clipped connemara. He's in a 50G at the moment and we're pretty high up so temps never get that warm but he does love a snooze in the sunshine.

Unfortunately the big guy who's a very pale fully clipped grey will be left with a standard neck 0G on. Only because him and mud are best friends!
 
Its suppose to be 16 degrees here today, bright sun and not much wind. All the non clipped, hairy horses are still in medium weights?! Can't imagine how hot they'll be. Mine was fully clipped out, inc his legs last week and I turned him out naked today. I can always chuck a rug on at dinner time if hes cold, but I doubt it will be. He'll be in at night in his medium weight as its been getting down to 2 degrees at night.
It does them good to have the sun on their backs :)
 
HollyWoozle said:
It's so hard to get it right! We stopped rugging ours a few years ago and it was the best move I ever made, saves all this worry as ours didn't need it. I am so grateful to have a set-up and horses which allows for it.

Have kept all the rugs of course and will happily rug if and when one needs it again, but I do not envy those of you trying to figure it out in this changeable weather. Hot sun and 17C+ in the day today and now dropping to 2C and a chill wind overnight. Argh!
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Do you not clip in winter? I only rug mine as they're clipped out or they'd be naked. But at least naked and not clipped they can regulate themselves, I really don't understand fluffy horses, in full winter coats in medium and heavy weights specially now!

Can't imagine what it feels like sweating in something you can't get off :oops:
 
I actually can’t stand the judgemental rugging posts. Horses are not all the same, like humans some feel the cold more than others. My fully clipped, lean Connemara is currently out in 100g, it was 3 degrees this morning. I’ll pop down at lunch time and take it off because I’m working from home, but equally he wasn’t too warm when he came in with the rug on yesterday despite the temperatures. My last horse would have been out naked. Each to their own.
 
My boy is fully clipped and out 24/7 at the moment- med weight rug at night - daytime just a fly rug on to keep him clean for riding - as he is grey :-(

i did feel a bit bad at 0630 this morning stripping off his warm rug, but he was fine in just fly sheet and some hay.
 
Mines fully clipped & still properly bald but it's been - 1 overnight here then 16 in the day! So he's been in a 220g with vest & no neck overnight then going out first thing in a lightweight turnout until the frost goes, then the yard owners taken it off as it's warmed up.
 
Rugged overnight and out naked in the mornings, OK she might be chilli for an hour or two but then she's comfy for the rest of the day. It won't hurt her to be cool for a bit as she's already gaining weight as the grass comes through.
 
Aimeetess said:
Do you not clip in winter? I only rug mine as they're clipped out or they'd be naked. But at least naked and not clipped they can regulate themselves, I really don't understand fluffy horses, in full winter coats in medium and heavy weights specially now!

Can't imagine what it feels like sweating in something you can't get off :oops:
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We don't clip. Ours are not currently in work and when they are/have been it is generally light hacking and haven't required clipping. Can stay with the horse and not put them out until dry if needed but they have always managed fine even if they've got a bit of a sweat on. Completely understand that clipped horses need different management. :)
 
Frosty, still weather isn't a problem for horses. They don't feel the cold like humans, they just boost their own temperature, which takes energy of course which is why they would loose weight in the winter if not fed extra. Only the ill, old start to feel the cold, plus the occasional complete whimp of course.

What makes them miserable is driving cold rain, but even so when I had a couple of ponies with a field shelter the only time they volunteered to use the field shelter was in the summer to keep out of the flies, in the winter they didn't care what the weather was just stayed out - but they did have some good high hedges, a holly tree to get underneath and it was sandy soil.
 
ycbm said:
Frost? It was ten degrees up here on a hilltop at nine this morning.

Mine are both thin skinned and naked, but it's been 17 up here today. Crazy weather.
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OH was just saying that it was 10 degrees here yesterday morning but their was frost on the ground when he got to work.

Glad their is at least one perk of living on a hill!! I guess we get the morning sun first.
 
Mine are going out naked. One is clipped though very slowly growing out. The temp was 0 at 7am this morning, they were perky as they went out.
 
Ours are fully clipped and all naked during the day at the moment and seem to be loving having the sun on their backs. My grey is filthy but happy 😂

A livery of ours has both theirs out in full neck rugs, they are so hot poor things.
 
The two old gits are in 100g overnight. They get turned out by my friend at 5.30-6 still rugged as it's pretty cold at that time of day. I pop up at 8.15 ish and remove the rugs on my way to work. We can't leave them in until then as M won't wee in his stable. He's desperate by 6am. His owner also needs to do his stable for me to get him in later on and she can't get there any later as she starts work at 8. They come in at 6.30-7 and get brushed off and rugged again. We're lucky we can manage this between us. The pony is naked 24/7 and has been for a week or so. He's only trace clipped and too fat so it won't hurt him to be a bit cold. He's also not grey!
 
Mine's trace clipped (last clip in December) and out naked most of the time - unless it gets to below zero or it's very rainy/windy with the cold. He has a fleece or a stable rug for when he's in at night and it's 0-5C, and he's been perfectly fine all winter like that. He has plenty of hay when he's in and while most of the other liveries are itching to stick a rug on him, I honestly believe that he is happier cooler than warmer. I have a cheery, warm horse each morning, firm poos in the bed & hay left in the nets when he's in and an earnest request to stop for scratches/attention rather than carrying on with poo-picking when he's out.
 
mine were perfect temp wise when OH got them in at 2.30pm yesterday, just warm to touch under rugs and not sweating or itchy.

stood in 180gm until about 8.30pm when i swapped to 300g and were again perfect temp at 11pm when i did late checks and again at 6.30am this morning.

so gone out in the same today :) 200g no necks.

mine would be cold naked, but my friend has all hers out naked atm incl her competing mare and they are warm and happy and look a million dollars. its what they are used to and whether they feel the cold, same as people :)
 
I never normally respond to these "rugging" posts as I don't rug!
but ...
This odd weather is just as much a problem for those horses and ponies who live out un-rugged so have grown thick winter coats to survive proper winters. Having not rugged for about 10 years I am considering giving my two native ponies, who live out 24/7 on an exposed hill, something more than the bib clip they sport now and being prepared to rug in case the snow comes back again (which I am sure it will!)
I never thought I would be saying that!
 
My 25 year old mare is out naked and in a 100g without a neck at night but she does come in at night and seems to be perfectly happy and very full of herself. She does feel the cold and is normally shovering if it looks like it might even think about rain! She could do with shifting the last few kgs so she can use some of that if she gets chilly at night! She has a blanket clip which is growing out.
If I need to up the rugs if it gets colder I will. Just see what this weird and wonderful weather brings us!
 
I think my main concern is my main horse who has been very unwell on and off since last summer and dropped huge amounts of weight. He’s a worrier and hates being hot or cold. He is blanket clipped but growing out. He is in at night in a 200g and it was the whipping that off and putting him out that worried me!
He’s been in a 100g which I’ve taken off now and that has worked. I’m not here the next few days (during the day) but will see how he go’s
 
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