Its such a difficult time of year to rug, quite hot sometimes in the middle of the day still, but can be below freezing in places (we live in a frost pocket ) so I'd rather under rug than overrug.
Over rugging for the night time temps and then not removing or changing rug during the day would definitely be a welfare issue there pinkyboots....
Fiona
I cant seem to quote, but I'd imagine hes done his research before making such statements YCBM
I think the ones that soak up the heat from the sun are block or brick as opposed to stone.
The stuff about stone stables versus wood is absolute rubbish. Horses do not radiate heat to the nearest available solid surface. They radiate heat into the air that surrounds them. The amount of heat that they lose is dependant on the air temperature, not the temperature of the walls.
In addition, in winter, daylight temperatures (especially if it's sunny) will heat up stone walls, which then release that heat when the temperature drops at night, meaning that the air in stone stables is often noticeably warmer than the air in wooden stables, which lose their heat much quicker because an inch or two of wood is much less insulating than 8 inches of concrete block.
For the same reason, the greater insulation of stone walls, the heat of the horse inside the stable is better retained, and unless you have big draughts or a very high ceiling, a stone stable will be warmer than a wooden one in very cold weather.
Interesting article but I suspect won't make anyone change their minds! I rug far less than most people on my yard, though still more than strictly necessary. But in my experience there is absolutely no telling people that a full neck thick rug on a warm Autumn day is unnecessary. They probably think I am cruel for under-rugging!
Interesting article but I suspect won't make anyone change their minds! I rug far less than most people on my yard, though still more than strictly necessary. But in my experience there is absolutely no telling people that a full neck thick rug on a warm Autumn day is unnecessary. They probably think I am cruel for under-rugging!
Nope, stone does it too, I have stone. My stables are noticeably cooler in summer and warmer in winter than wood stables. The thicker the stone/block/brick the longer it takes to warm up and slower it is to cool down.
His explanation is pure nonsense.
Nope, stone does it too, I have stone. My stables are noticeably cooler in summer and warmer in winter than wood stables. The thicker the stone/block/brick the longer it takes to warm up and slower it is to cool down.
His explanation is pure nonsense.
Perhaps you need to lead by example! What is the point of rugging more than strictly necessary? You risk, at best, making your horse uncomfortable and possibly risk skin problems.