Is it ok to rug a seven month old foal?

Alec Swan said:
My foals live out 24/7, and not one has ever worn a rug
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FWIW if I lived in Norfolk where the average rainfall is apparently 25 inches a year I wouldn't rug either. Unfortunately the further west and the higher up you go, the wetter the climate (for us last year it was 90 inches of rain) and that is pretty rough on babies (and adults, IME).

Cold and dry is great - this week our 6 month old foal has been out unrugged and loving it, but in persistent, torrential rain he has a rug (with no leg straps) and has been fine.
 
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My 6 month old Welsh sec a x freisian is rugged and has been in all but dry weather since birth. She was a July foal and it hasn't really stopped raining since she was born.
She lives out 24/7 but the field has almost no shelter whatsoever and is on dartmoor so gets pretty cold up there! She gets 2 feeds a day.
She's never had any issues with wearing it and is in an amigo foal rug.
In an ideal world she would have a shelter/stables to get into if she chose, but that's not possible for the moment. I would much rather rug her than her be freezing cold and soaking wet, then drop weight and not flourish.

Kim
 
I have bred irish draught crosses and more recently warmbloods for 35 years.

I have never yet rugged anything before it comes into work and is stabled at say 4 years of age. The risk of a bunch of youngsters playing with each others rugs is too great in my opinion.

The foals always winter in for their first winter and then have stayed out 24/7/52. However for the last two years I have changed and now bring everything into barns at night from Dec/Jan until end of March. Reasons? To protect the land. To keep the youngsters out of the wet and to allow their coats to dry out every day. To save my poor old legs heaving bales of hay across muddy wet fields!! Benefits? Healthier horses. Better handled youngsters. Probably better checked over youngsters. A much less tired owner!!

I fear once you start rugging the horse's natural coat will not develop as well. With youngsters I am not only worried about the horse I rug but the others in the group chewing and catching teeth in clips, buckles etc. However often you check them there is always a greater lenth of time that they are unseen and the accidents seem to happen the minute after you leave! Should a youngster get caught up it will inevitably panic more than a mature horse.
 
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