I am so cross, I don't care if the owner is mad at me !!!!

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mulledwhine

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I have been looking after a friends horses whilst she is on holiday.

On the same grass livery there is another beautiful horse, who is still rugged and sweating like mad.

I have had my suspicions that noone has been to see it in the few days I have been going so yesterday I put some water in her bone dry bucket and left in a different place.

Today sure enough bucket was in the place where I had left it and again it was bone dry, so again I filled it for her.

It is so sad as today she even trotted to the gate to welcome me. :(

Plus the gate is also tied up and was also as I had had left it, so I know noone has been :(

I feel so sorry for her, I would take the rug off but I feel that that really would be inferring.

What would you do?
 
Unless it was a SI rug or a fly rug, in this heat I would take it off - cruel to leave a rug on - it is 27 degrees in London. I am seriously considering clipping mine tonight as they are boiling with all their fluffy coats.
 
Take its rug off assuming you can put it in a secure locked room on the yard, and report your concern and findings to the yard owner.
 
Just what I was going to say.

If it is not a livery yard and just a rented field, and the horse is clearly suffering then yes, I would take the rug off (if horse isn't clipped) and leave a note on the gate saying what you had done and if she didn't see to her horse you would report her.
 
I would take its rug off.
I went to the yard this morning to do my horse and her and her field mate had already been turned out so I went out and whipped their rugs off.
I don't care what the owner says, both horses were nearly sweating at 8am this morning let alone in the midday heat!
 
Personally on a day like today if my boy had a rug on I'd be grateful for someone taking it off! Mind you I'm not the sort who'd leave him like that or who wouldn't visit him for days so this owner might not be so appreciative!
If you feel the horse isn't comfortable or happy then I would try to contact someone ie YM or owner and if not take the rug off & deal with the consequences afterwards - I'd politely explain that the horse was sweating & you tried to contact someone but you felt the horse wasn't comfortable so you hope it's ok but you took the rug off.
 
The guy who owns the grass livery is away himself, other wise he would have been my first port if call.

I don't want to appear a busy body as I am only baby sitting, but I was told that this horse is neurotic , and it is small wonder.

She has behaved beautifully for me whilst doing her water, and comes for scratches, amazing what 2 minutes if your time can achieve with some horses !!!!
 
If you can get hold of the owner I would try too, if I get a reply then great, explain situation politely by saying the horse is sweating in her rug and would they like you to remove it. Also her water bucket was empty so you've filled it up for them.

Doesn't mean that I condone this sort of horse 'ownership', it amazes me how many people are out there who want horses but can't be bothered to even give them the most basic care. I've just learnt that ranting at the owner often doesn't help the horse :-(
 
def take rug off. I would prefer to do that and have an irate owner than think of the poor horses suffering like that. Wonder if there is something nasty lurking under the rug if it has been on this long. With the winter coat coming through it must be very itchy.
Perhaps if they say the horse is neurotic the owner is too frightened to do anything herself?
 
It is not a fly sheet, just a light weight, I have no way of getting hold of the owner.

The horse is very fine, but even today when I was giving her a fuss she was soo hot, I guess my worry would be that it is on for a 'reason' but what it could be I cannot think , so tomorrow off it will come, and I hope I will have done the right thing
 
Are you visiting the yard twice a day or just once? Only reason being is im thinking you could take off in morn and put on at night and no doubt no one would even no!!
I have clipped my lad this morning he is fine skinned TB, he will have afly rug on tonight with just a top layer of waterproof material just so its not a massive shock but still its not going to make him hot!
 
Speaking as someone sat in shorts and t-shirts, and absolutely sweltering in this heat, that rug would be off asap! That poor horse, it will become dehydrated of it sweats too much. Take the rug off, and wait for a week until the owner can be bothered to go up there to see to it *sigh* Some people do not deserve horses!
 
Take rug off as long as you are prepared to put it back on again at night so it doesn't get cold/drop weight!

If it was me though apart from providing water for it I would probably leave alone!
 
I can only go once aday, as it is 15 miles away :( i may go in the morning tomorrow though and take it off and then go back to pop it back on.... My friend is back on Friday so she can rant at them, she is not backwards in coming forwards :D
 
I thinK I would just keep water topped up and leave rug on. Tbh, if it's a bit neurotic, you may have difficulties with said rug and could cause you problems. When you next see owner, mention it, as livery/field owner. :)
 
There is one in with my horse, rugged suddenly because the owner has gone away on holiday. It has gone naked through all the gales and pouring rain we had recently so why she has done this I don't know. I suspect the little ponies in the small paddock don't have any water either. Its is DIY only and the farm are probably meant to be keeping an eye, but they are not very knowledgeable about horses. Like the OP has said though, these poor neglected animals (owner only comes up a couple of times a week) crave attention because they get so little. I was being pestered by 3 including my own horse for scratching duty the other evening and I feel so sorry for them when I see how much attention I give my own horse in comparison (and I often feel I really only do the basics for her as she is retired). The ponies are unrideable and the horse hasn't been ridden in many years so why does she even keep them???
 
If I was the owner I'd be more mad if someone had come on a forum to tell the world about me and would prefer they'd just taken the rug off.

Not that I'm saying it's right to leave a horse in this heat with a rug on, I'd have whipped that rug off right away and thought no more about it, I don't see it as interfering just helping.
 
Can't see that it would come to any harm without a rug at night for the next couple of days if you can only get there once a day. It's going to be pretty warm overnight.
 
In fact thinking about this a bit more there might be an implied duty of care for you to take the rug off now you know about the horse and with how hot it is going to be.
 
Four leggs good!!!! how am I saying that it is ok? Should I just let her de hydrate ?????

I understand what you are saying!' but she is suffering... She is a trakenher SP sorry , soo beautiful and seems to want to please !!!' xxxx
 
I'd take it off, I've never had any come back from any owners in fact I've always been thanked, but then again I'd try and put it back on overnight or if the weather changes. Not always possible I know if I've gone to work etc.

I'd like the same to done to my horse if I wasn't round and he was baking, but no one has ever bothered:(
 
Hi Daisy - glad you posted this as have been in the same dilemma about my horse's field mate. Had his rug on today and yesterday and am sure nobody else has poo picked so suspect owner not been down! We have a water trough though so at least he can get a drink. Was thinking of removing the rug but he is 17hh and sometimes can be aggressive so am a little wary. Have text yard owner to make her aware..

Also, if you remove the rug, does that mean that you have to go and replace it if we suddenly encounter a chilly spell or there is a monsoon? :confused:
 
Of course, if the land-owner is away, it is always possible that the horse's owner has an unforseen problem and can't get to the horse for some reason.
If I were OP I'd take the rug off as well as giving water, otherwise the horse will be extremely uncomfortable in this heat and may well become ill.
 
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