Is keeping TBs out in all weathers unrugged cruel?

It is unfair to expect TBs to live out all year unrugged

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Quite a few polo ponies around us are TBs and virtually all are roughed off for the winter without rugs. I have one of each, one of my TBs is wintering out with a Full neck LW on and is still fat as a house and the other is in with a fleece, duvet and HW on. Though he is an elderly hunter and grows very little coat. Totally depends on the horse I think but personally (I must be a wimp) unless its native all mine have a rug on over the winter.
 
Depends on the horse....

Our remaining TB is a very very good do-er and looks like a ruddy bear in the winter. He grows a thick double coat to rival my shetland. We tried rugging him when we first got him but he hates them and just used to rip them off on anything he could find. We may stick something on him if we get prolonged periods of driving rain, but with cold and ice and snow he's as happy as a pig in poo.

Our three arabs grow coats like yaks too. They have got rugs on at the moment - one because he's 25 and a bit stiff round the edges, one because he's grey and if we want to have a hope of doing anything with him the rug is necessary, and the other because he's only a year old, its his first winter out and we don't know him very well yet. So one of those rugs is for welfare reasons, one is for personal convenience, and the other is a 'just in case'.
 
My nearly 5 yr old TB mare is out 24/7 and was unrugged til mid November. She is really fluffy but I have rugged now as they have no shelter. None of ours are being fed or hayed atm, they are out on a foggage field.
Also my TB is barefoot and has feet like granite :D my trimmer calls her the rasp killer!
 
Definitely depends on the horse

Cuffey is ISH, his body coat very fine like many TBs, dont ask him to be out without rug in this endless damp cold weather.

A local TB breeder (point-to-point and NH rider) used to winter his foals in but as yearlings, 2yos and 3yos they wintered out in a huge field with stone walls for shelter, access to hay 24/7 and a daily bucket feed.
No rugs in sight.
I imagine if anything could not cope they were taken inside but I never saw one looking poor.
 
glenruby said:
Have to admit I think you are barking too! And just had to point out that the TB is also a native breed and did not originate in hotter climates! I think it all depends on the individual horse. I've seen many Thorougjbreds live out I rugged just fine in just hay, others require hard feed and tugging to maintain weight. To say all TBs require rugging is foolish.
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The TBs genetic origin is Arabian.
 
Okay, then it seems that the majority are saying that it depends on the horse. That is fair enough. I do agree that there are exceptions. I have not met one yet though personally.
 
Wagtail said:
The TBs genetic origin is Arabian.
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A TB's genetic origin is a mix of Native/Draft and Arabian, the original warm blood that over time with breeding has become a fast moving horse with certain characteristics that have adapted it for speed. Low set neck, long sloping croup, longer legs. Several hundred years of selective breeding has developed them into what we have now.

Just look at the vast differences in the TB - there are those that look like whippets and then those that are heavyweight hunter types. I've had them with coats so fine they are like silk and others that grow a coat that would do a Shetland proud.
 
jesstinsel said:
Wagtail, you do know how cold it gets in deserts at night don't you?
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Yes, occasionally the night time temperature can drop to zero but never much further. However, we all know that it is not the cold that horses find difficult to deal with, it is the wet AND cold. Night time tempeatures dropped to -14 round here last year and there were blizzards and driving rain.
 
These guys say they're fine thanks! Mostly retired oldies, couple of youngsters, it was -25 during the day at points, and occasionally dumped a foot of snow overnight. It also reasonably regularly thawed, rained loads, then snowed again. All TBs, all unrugged. They had a shelter, not once in 3 months did I see any of them in it!

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It is strange, many horses will not use shelters. I think they feel unsafe. There are a couple of horses at our yard that won't go in, even if hungry and there's haylage inside. They like to stand next to it, or under the overhang though if it's cold, wet or windy.
 
Xmas In The Sun said:
A TB's genetic origin is a mix of Native/Draft and Arabian, the original warm blood that over time with breeding has become a fast moving horse with certain characteristics that have adapted it for speed. Low set neck, long sloping croup, longer legs. Several hundred years of selective breeding has developed them into what we have now.

Just look at the vast differences in the TB - there are those that look like whippets and then those that are heavyweight hunter types. I've had them with coats so fine they are like silk and others that grow a coat that would do a Shetland proud.
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This exactly ^^
 
Depends on the animal of course but as long as they have plenty of weight on them then i don't see why not.

My view is that horses are a lot better at regulating their own temperature than us (and by us, i mean they regulate their own temperature better than we regulate their temperature by rugging) lol

rambleramble :D
 
Think I'd have to say it depends on the horse, however I personally couldn't leave any horse without rugs out now. Having said that, my two are always the last on the yard to go into anything warmer than a raincoat and I'm quick to take them back off if the weather warms up again.

When I first had my cob he lived out that first winter without any rugs and was absolutely fine, he was only a yearling and obviously not clipped or ridden, had natural shelter under trees and plenty of hay and grass. I couldn't do it now though, mostly because I don't like to think of them getting wet and then cold. They're rugged now because I can't bear the guilt of thinking of them suffering, when in reality I actually doubt they would care if it were normal for them to be without!

Think that made some sense... maybe?
 
this is an interesting topic and one thats been on my mind at the moment. there's a group of polo ponies, all tbs thrown out in a field near me on about 5 acres (theres 6 of them) there's a footpath through the field so i see them up close, they've been out there 24/7 since the season ended in september, the field is covered and i mean covered in poo - no one picks up. Only a few are growing thick coats and one is a very thin skinned silky coated animal who isnt the type to grow a decent coat and looks thoroughly sorry for themselves.
they have minimal hay from what ive seen and i do see them every day. have seen them with hay twice this winter so far and that was a slice each. None are rugged which is fair enough if they had adequate forage, which they dont.

they have natural shelter in the form of trees but no shelter or somewhere to get out of the rain. The owners live in another village.
i did mention this to a friend who knows the owner and mentioned that i thought they were losing weight and i was thoroughly rebuked!! ...'Oh xxx are from a HUGELY knowledgeable horse family i cant believe his horses are thin!'

well im sorry for sticking my nose in but they are. They're on my mind a lot, i feel terribly sorry for them.

i dont think i approve of polo pony managment they way a lot of them just seem to throw them out once the UK season's over and forget about them. :(
 
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Assuming it grows a decent coat and isn't losing condition (or clipped!) why would you rug any horse, regardless of breed. I'd equally rug any horse of any origin if it failed to grow a decent coat - native, TB, whatever :rolleyes:
 
Wagtail said:
I can understand not rugging natives, and I agree that ideally horses should have 24/7 all year round turnout (preferably with shelter), but really, do we have the right to do this to breeds that originated in hotter climates such as TBs and arabs? Personally I think it is wrong to breed fine skinned animals but yet expect them to rough it with the natives. What do others think?

*Free pop corn with this thread*
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Remember, it gets very cold at night in the desert
 
Wagtail said:
Yes, occasionally the night time temperature can drop to zero but never much further. However, we all know that it is not the cold that horses find difficult to deal with, it is the wet AND cold. Night time tempeatures dropped to -14 round here last year and there were blizzards and driving rain.
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Often it drops to -5 and the rain is why we provide shelter for our horses in this country. So frankly not sure your argument about Arabian descent holds water

I too have reached the conclusion you are barking. Nearly every broodmare in Newmarket is out naked, all the youngstock are too. Multiple people on here have told you about their own TBs and even posted pictures and you have failed to acknowledge a single one of them. The only posts you seem to notice are the few that agree with you. I am going to bow out now or I am going to end up saying something I'll regret about what nonsense you spout.
 
Spring Feather said:
Why limit it to TB studs in Newmarket; think globally lol! Most TB studs everywhere in the world have broodmares and foals living naked all year round :)
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I've only worked and lived near Newmarket and unlike some I don't like to present my suspicions as fact so will only pass comment on things I know to be true! ;)
 
PooJay said:
.

My view is that horses are a lot better at regulating their own temperature than us (and by us, i mean they regulate their own temperature better than we regulate their temperature by rugging) lol

rambleramble :D
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^^^
Absolutely!
I have a well bred KWPN. He does NOT turn into a yak and has not been rugged for the past 4 winters. He did struggle during his 1st winter and I felt guilty for my informed decision on not rugging.
He is now blooming, even in this horrendous weather!
 
Wagtail said:
The TBs genetic origin is Arabian.
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Yes a bit but not all of it!!!!

There were only two bloody arabians ever involved... one was Godolphin and the other I can't remember...

Don't be so naive.

The arab was crossed with finer native draught horses centuries ago to improve the "native breed" - it was discovered that the cross improved in speed! Brilliant!!

The tb, is however, neither an arab nor is it a native anymore. It's just an ugly running machine that is nowadays cheap to buy (after it's racing days are over) and expensive to keep because people are really quite ignorant and pretentious about what this amazing beast can really do.

It would survive quite well without humans if we all died suddenly of an horrendous virus.
 
Spring Feather said:
Me too. I'm well travelled :)
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Fantastic. As you're a nice sensible person SF, if you tell me it is so in many places I am prone to believe you :)

I can't imagine going round and rugging up all the TB youngstock in the world. Doubt they'd like it that much! I think you'd have a lot of destroyed rugs very quickly!
 
marydoll said:
Tally ho, "an ugly running machine ", heres the carbolic, wash your mouth out please for that sweeping comment :D
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No marydoll. I'm being honest and I don't need to apologise. I appreciate them for what they are and respect them however, my opinion should it bother you, should be ignored.
 
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