I must not rug the two year old, I must not rug the two year old, I must not rug the

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R2R

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Or should I?

He might get cold :( Despite massive cold and a good enough covering.

He is rising three :( and has lots of trees to hide under etc.

But should I rug him?
 
What type is he? Is he overly hairy? Does he feel warm? Hows his condition?

All things to consider! But really is he looks happy enough and is getting enough hay etc I don't see why you should!
 
He is a bit of a mix... by Utah Van Erpekom (Whittaker SJ stallion) but out of a welsh D mare :) So I dont know whether to pander to his posh side or his hairy pony side!!!

He is fluffy and well fed enough but makes me feel cold being naked!
 
My 2 year old is naked but daughters 19 month old is rugged :)

Each one is different. My youngster has a lovely thick coat whereas daughters youngster isn't as well covered so got rugged
 
Oh dear I must be really soft. I've rugged both my NF yearlings. One in a no fill and the other in 100g. But I've seen one of them shaking and hunched when it's been cold and raining and they had no rug on and that's turned me into a worrier!
 
My little pony is still naked and will remain so. She's got a shelter and plenty of other shelter from trees. The shelter's nice and warm- bag of shavings and rubber matting. She's fat and gets some hay- other than that she's au naturelle. I don't feel too bad because last year I over rugged her which was a huge mistake and not one which I'm doing again this year.
 
My 2 year old is naked and I was thinking the same thing! She did all last year living out with shelter and no rug, she is a TB x ID.
However as it is this cold already I'm wondering if I should put a rug on, even just a LW? Hmm
 
If you're going to put a rug on, put a decent one on. A real LW or a no fill will just make them colder as the lack of fill will let the rug sit heavy on their back (and damp-it's like wearing a mac) and then since they can't use their own coat (which is designed for weather..) they will have very little insulation.
I would rather see youngsters unrugged mainly as I think it helps to get them building the ability to grow a coat (totally imo, not proven etc.) as otherwise they may not grow a proper coat again as they are regulating their body to the 'rug' temperature and not the real temperature.
There is something seriously wrong if a native youngster (or even the vast majority of normal healthy youngstes) cannot winter out without a rug...
 
I know we want to know they're all nice and toastie warm HOWEVER.... Horses wouldn't have reached the 21st century if they couldn't live out without a rug... Studs winter a lot of their youngstock naked!!

There might be a line - ie. bizzard, but still at all other times it's probably best to let them be horses and be less dependant on humans to put a nice coat on them!!! :D

Mary King winter's her horses without rugs!!

Tis personal preference at the end of the day though!
 
Don't do it!
Our 4yo cob, 3yo standardbred, two 3yo warmbloods, and the older standardbreds - all out 24/7 at the moment and not rugged.

They'll be brought in soon because the ground's getting too wet but won't be rugged this winter at all (they weren't last year either).

... maybe we're just cruel though :p
 
I m sure he’ll be fine.
Both my 2yr olds are unrugged. I have a welsh & a very wimpy sb x (the latter I often have to talk myself out of rugging)
Their field is on a hill & quite open but they have a large field shelter with adlib hay.
However when its blowing a gale & sleeting are they tucked up inside digging into their hay? …. Nope my intelligent beasts are in the middle of the field grazing, whilst the 2 well rugged natives next door stand shivering under a tree! :rolleyes:
 
totally sympathise with you - i have an ID X Arab and currently pandering to his 'posh side' lol only just though he has been naked up until the last couple of weeks.

it is not an easy decisison to make!
 
Oh no, well I am soft then cos I have ruggerd my 18mth old! I knew I probably didn't need to but I felt MEAN and I am sure he looks at the two oldies he's out with and wonders why they've got big rugs on and he hasn't.....! Lol. I know I shouldn't have caved but I did. He just has one of those Amigos with fill in. I was concerned about the whole flattening his coat thing but he does feel toastie underneath.

I do try take it off in the daytime when i can though.
 
SusieT said:
If you're going to put a rug on, put a decent one on. A real LW or a no fill will just make them colder as the lack of fill will let the rug sit heavy on their back (and damp-it's like wearing a mac) and then since they can't use their own coat (which is designed for weather..) they will have very little insulation.
I would rather see youngsters unrugged mainly as I think it helps to get them building the ability to grow a coat (totally imo, not proven etc.) as otherwise they may not grow a proper coat again as they are regulating their body to the 'rug' temperature and not the real temperature.
There is something seriously wrong if a native youngster (or even the vast majority of normal healthy youngstes) cannot winter out without a rug...
Click to expand...

I agree with this, I am resisting temptation (and peer pressure) to rug my 7 month WB colt who is stabled at night!

I don't agree with rugging for the sake of it and lots of horses at my yard are overugged in my opinion - and those are the ones that are stood miserable and grumpy in their stables - but as long as the owners feel better :rolleyes:
 
We leave our native youngster unrugged in all conditions other than when it rains for hours on end combined with cold wind. He lives out 24/7 with lots of natural shelter, is well covered and has a very thick coat. On freezing cold nights but where it is relatively still like now he is absolutely fine. Please don't think it is easy though, I do frequently wibble about this a lot!
 
Don't do it!!!

So long as he has a good coat, is warm and happy, enough food to eat and shelter...he will be absolutely fine :)

We currently have 4 very happy well bred Thoroughbreds out naked...and they are not even a year old! They have a shelter and constant supply of hay, they are warm to the touch and are very fluffy for TB's!

They won't feel cold being naked like we would :)
 
He'll be fine unrugged. The problem is, when you start rugging, you tend to keep rugging for the rest of winter!. Then it's that same dilemma you end up asking yourself every day: which rug to put on the horse today?, which weight?, standard neck or combo?

......or simply,no rug at all!. Much easier!.

If the horse is out all the time without a rug, it's body has the oppurtunity to acclimatise steadily to the changes in temperature and will eat more and move more to keep warm and then snooze in the mid-day sun when their bellies are full (well maybe not so much in the case of my old pony, she is a bottomless pit!!)

That way, the horse can deal with it's own temperature without the rug confusing the matter!.

Heat comes from within, keep that belly full of forage and you will have a happy chappie!
 
OMG, I almost posted this very thread myself! I have resisted rugging Nemo, as he always feels warm, especially under his lovely thick mane. However, with the risk of snow last night, I caved in. This morning I found him too warm, so took it off, giving both him and myself a strong electric shock and now wonder if I'll ever get near him with a rug again! (sorry, I actually did write a post about this....)
 
I'd leave unrugged and play it by ear. Whether to rug depends so much on the individual horse, the level of shelter and forage available in the paddock and ultimately whether the horse is actually looking and feeling cold.

I do rug mine confident they won't get rainscald or be miserable half frozen to death when it's wet and blowing an icy wind. My filly's rugged and happy. Her field companion (last year) was unrugged and left tucked up and shivering day after day after day. She would run up and down the fence when someone arrived deperately begging to be brought in. No one can tell me that horse was happy left un-rugged outside. In the same field mine would be rugged up nearby, contentedly munching hay. Hmmm..... not exactly rocket science which was the happier horse.

And before anyone posts to say "shivering is natures way of keeping them warm." Sure, but it doesn't mean it's pleasant for the horse. You try it and see how happy you'd be left shivering in the cold for hours on end.

Basically, shivering = uncomfortably cold.

That said, I've visited TB studs in the past where all the youngstock are wintered out unrugged - and they were fluffy coated and happy as Larry munching away at great piles of hay in fields that had been thickly covered in snow for weeks.

Only rug if you have to.... but do rug if you should. Leaving a horse shivering with cold is not humane IMO.
 
I rug my babies if its cold and wet, or properly wet! Today was cold but sunny and dry so they were naked! They do still wear rugs inside at night when its this cold though (although 1 2yo doesnt as shes a right piggy and still a bit portly!)

I know that people say you shouldnt rug babies but imo when they are adults they will be clipped and working through the winters (hopefully) so leaving them out in the cold and wet unrugged for the first 4 years of their lives isnt really necessary!!
 
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