how hot is too hot for fly rugs?

S

SonnysHumanSlave

Well-Known Member
Joined
31 December 2005
Messages
7,172
Location
Suffolk!
Visit site
Its going to be 24.C here tomorrow (well today - saturday!) My two are out with their fly rugs on, and I'm just a bit worried they are going to over heat in their fly rugs.

So what's more cruel having flys bite them (sweet itch sufferers) or them getting hot and sweaty.

There is shade from the sun most of the day from the trees

Just wondered what you thought on this.

Thanks
 
my horse doesn't really get too hot in her fly rug so i keep her in it if the flies are bad

if she was getting sweaty though i'd be more tempted to smother her head to toe in fly repellent!
 
My pony's fly rug actually keeps him cooler than not wearing one at all! Its just a cheap saxon one but as its white it seems to reflect the heat! He never had it off at all last summer.
 
I've never had a problem with my horse getting too hot in his fly rug. Flies drive him insane and he comes up in lumps if he gets bitten so being out without it is not an option when the flies are bad.
 
With my Black horse i find he is alot cooler with his fly rug on as, but ditto above my horses come in if it is too hot x
 
mine would get a bit sweaty with fly rug on or fly rug off so I dont worry about it plus its silver ;)

stabling depends on your stables. Our yard often ends up in full sun and they are wooden stables so he will just go in there and pant :rolleyes:
 
mines got sweetitch and it's a headache for me too! he gets too hot in snuggy hood, fly rug doesn't cover him so well and he still gets a little hot in it, he scratches himself when he's in the stable, i find myself going out to him numerous times a day ( he lives at home thankfully) to swop rugs, take them off, put them on etc - and checking to make sure he hasn't found anything to itch on!!
 
If your pair have sweet itch then there is no chioce. They only have to get bitten once to spend the rest of the summer in misery.

If they have shade they should be OK - make sure there is plenty of fresh water for them. Turn out at night may not be an option for you becuase the midges which cause sweet itch tend to be more active at dawn and dusk. You'll have to be up in the middle of the night to turn out and bring in only in full dark at the moment!
 
Oook..I live in South Africa, so it regularly gets hotter than 24C. Its about that here today too, but this is nearly winter weather :D

I think the fly rugs are the lesser of two evils. It shouldn't make them too hot..but if it concerns you that much, keep him in the stable, or..I dunno, use loads of fly spray? I never really used fly rugs on mine, but a fair few people at the yard did, and they wore them throughout summer where it was frequently hovering around the 36C mark.
 
Well teddi wore his fly rug all summer last year and wasn't bothered by it,

They have access to fresh water there is a spring in the field with a stream for them.
And they live out 24/7 as they rub like crazy when in the stables.

I agree it'll be the lesser of the two evils, its only because this yard owner keeps putting doubts in my mind.


Thanks.
 
Well my guy has his Rambo sweetitch hoody on and I know he does get hot and sweat in it but he has a stable in his field which he often takes himself into , I see this in the evening so he must know the midges get bad at dusk and I presume he does this at dawn as well.

But to my mind better he gets a bit hot than is driven batty by flys I think he would agree with me as well.
 
My TB gets so bothered by flies and gets lumps from being bitten so she has a fly rug and is also smothered in (homemade by me yeay!) fly spray. She's never been too hot, I think it keeps her cooler as it reflects the heat.

My pony hates fly rugs so he just has a mask, sun creme for his white nose (which still gets burnt!) and smothered in fly spray, but he's not that bothered by the flies really.
 
Ours are kept in an american barn style stable - it's like an oven! Trying to keep both out as much as possible as they just sweat stood in :(

Thinking I might start chucking his fly rug on, had left it worrying about him getting warm but like some people have pointed out - it should actually reflect some of the warmth! (light blue, shiny) so will see what he thinks. It annoys me he wont keep a fly mask on though as he gets really weepy eyes with the flies... silly horse.
 
Ive been wondering whats best to do as well. My bay TB gets bitten by midges but I put a white fly rug on him last year and he was absolutely dripping by evening. I think Ive compromised by wiping him over every morning with a dilute antiseptic wash, fly spraying everything and he wears a full face and ear veil. I pop the rug on in the evening as the midges are worse then and in the morning. His paddock does have plenty of shelter with a high hedge and trees and he does spend most of his time dozing in the shade.
 
Whispers...Our flies arent too bad at the moment but my horse is black and gets too hot in this heat so I have put his fly rug on. Hes fine in it, cooler underneath and only started to sweat yestersay once Id brought him in.
 
OMG sweet-itches are a nightmare aren't they; its not an option for mine to go out "naked" coz he gets sunburn without a rug on, so he's out at night and in during the day at the mo, which seems to suit him.

I think it would not be kind to put something out without a fly rug if they're gonna get bitten alive; far better to cover up even if they get a bit hot.
 
For sweet itch....rug on..no question. I'm sure my lad would rather be hot than itchy. He would be just as hot without it on a day like this...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top