Layering rugs??

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TequilaMist

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Do you think layering multiple rugs permanently can cause damage to a horse in any way.
Not getting at anyone just a genuine query.Horse on yard has 4 rugs on outdoors and indoors but if you look at her it doesn't look comfy and she sort of sags-probably like I do if carrying a lot of stuff.So just made me wonder if all that extra 'clothing' causes problems
 
I wont put more than two rugs on at a time and they both fit well and are the same 'make' so have the same shape and one is a proper under rug. I think it's horrible what some people put on their horses and the pressure points that multiple rugs pilled on can cause
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I have to admit that Monty has developed a bald patch on his mane from his underrug
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I think it is impossible to have that many rugs on and not have rubs.....no matter how many straps and surcingles there are.
 
*preparestogetbeaten*

if you left them on for days at a time, and they were badly fitted then yes i can see issues arising, but mine get taken off twice a day, and replaced/checked, and are all *good* brands so fit well.

currently my boy has got a 120gm lightweight full neck stable rug, normal neck 450gm stable rug and then a 350gm full neck stable rug or turnout as top layer. he is fine. he does have one of those anti rub vests on as even a summer sheet can rub him slightly on his shoulders, but no mane missing,no over heating, no sweating and he can roll/buck/leap/gallop just fine.....
IMHO and experience, layering rugs does no harm at all if they are decent rugs, well fitted.
 
We routinely layer 3 or 4 rugs. They need to fit and you should take them all off every day to check for rubs. But other than that layering is an essential part of our horse routine.
 
I see that other people have had better experiences than mine. I'm sure no-one was implying otherwise but I DO take my rugs off and check and they are all good quality with 'proper' underrugs.

Zoom has two rugs on and never has a problem. I think it may be to do with the fact that monty is a skinny old tb with huge high withers so it's hard to fit rugs to him.
 
A few is okay IMHO. But I used to know a girl who ragularly had 5 on, and was proud of the fact that one winter, during a 'cold snap' the horse had 13 on!!! excessive! She also used to boast about how her horse needed one clip all winter because she knew how to 'look after him properly'... poor thing must have been sweating his bits off!!!
 
In the winter D will regualry have 2 or 3 on, if extreemly cold then he will have a 4th but never any more. He manages well on the 2 or 3 though so dont worry too much. Nettie when i still had him felt the cold something terrible. Didnt help that he was in p!ss poor condition. He at one point had 5, but they were all well fitting rugs that didnt rub and they were taken off daily so that he could be checked over.
 
I suppose if they don't fit correctly yes, people buy rugs and don't often take into account if there going to layer them up over winter, for example putting the same size rugs on, obviously one of them is not going to fit as it should do or the next one down! either by digging in at the chest, or cutting away at the withers and causing pressure points near the boney areas, it not rocket science, then they seem surprised when there horse has rubbed its shoulders or formed an abscess near the withers etc
A saddle can cause damage after a short period of time so vast amounts of ill fitting rugs will no doubt take there toll on the body too.
 
Sorry for being harsh - everyone has their quirks some people wont do anything without boots on, some peoples horses banks need to be huge, mine is that I can stand loads of rugs lol
 
Mine had three on for a few days after he'd been clipped when it was very cold (wouldn't have clipped if I'd known the weather would be this cold and unrideable in!). But normally has one thick full neck rambo underrug on, and a medium weight stable rug on top. Stable rug is a 6'6 (other rugs are all 6'3) as his old 6'3 stable rug was a little too snug for my liking.

The full neck underrug has a sheeny material where the mane is to help prevent rubs and it seems to work well.
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I woudl rather a couple of thick rugs tha 5-6-7 thin ones, mainly because more than two would be a pain and probably take ages to change etc!
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My horse tends to wear one rug during the day and at night. He just wears his Stormbuster all the time. If its really cold, like now, he has a fleece under that for when he's in the stable.

He only ever has 2 rugs on when he's been washed off after hunting - fleece and thermatex.

He is fully clipped and copes fine.
 
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currently my boy has got a 120gm lightweight full neck stable rug, normal neck 450gm stable rug and then a 350gm full neck stable rug or turnout as top layer. he is fine. he does have one of those anti rub vests on as even a summer sheet can rub him slightly on his shoulders, but no mane missing,no over heating, no sweating and he can roll/buck/leap/gallop just fine.....
IMHO and experience, layering rugs does no harm at all if they are decent rugs, well fitted.

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Same here, the rub vest works a treat for my boy
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All mine are wearing a standard shaped fleece under a full neck heavyweight weatherbeeta turnout. 3 are full clipped, the other has a full coat but is a thin coated anglo. All 3 are living out 24/7 with access to shelters and seem to be warm and happy.

But was thinking today if it gets much colder I might swap the fleece for a stable rug depending on how they feel when I get there...
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Put it this way, when I have to wear lots more layers I get more problems with my upper back, neck and shouders so I dread to think what it would feel like for a horse as the layers really limit movement. My boy has been in a medium weight turnout with no neck for the last month and has been 100% warm. even at -10 degrees. ok he is unclipped but still... I really can't understand the need for more than 2 rugs at a time... horses need hay to keep warm not rugs...
 
I layer 2 maximum, a proper fitted under rug and a turnout on top, wouldn't bother putting any more on as most ponies/horses really don't need them and will move around to keep warm.

I do believe Zoeshiloh has/or had a horse that regulary wore 10 or so rugs indoor and out.
 
Danny has what he needs - and he's a wuss, which means he quite often needs a fair few rugs! Never more than 4 though, and they all come off twice a day when he's groomed/worked or whatever.
Horses are like people - personally, I can go out in summer in 2 t-shirts & a fleece, while other people I know walk around in just a t-shirt when it's -5! My horse is also a wimp and can't stand the cold so I rug him up as necessary, he's never hot in the morning and gets ad lib hay as well.
Give them what they need - end of story.
 
Today mine went out (minus 7 degrees) wearing her 7oz stable rug, a quilted vest/underrug underneath (covers chest, shoulders and to cantle area) and a lightweight turnout on top. She isn't clipped, has a coat like a mammoth but is elderly, has arthritis and tends to fall asleep in the field alot. When she comes in I'll remove the top layer and reset the others. She has never had a rub from any of her rugs. Every horse should be treated as an individual but I hate people who stick enormously thick duvet rugs on whether the horse is clipped or not, and leave the same rugs on day and night when the temperature difference can be 10 or more degrees. I don't wear my overcoat indoors but I need it outside.
 
I nearly always use only one rug, and as a rule, never put more than two on. If it goes below -7 in the near future I will go from my 300 and 100 stable rugs at night on my just been done full clipped cob to using the 200 one with the 300. Normally he is in a 200 or 300 rug only at this time of year.

With turn out rugs, so far I have never needed more than my 300 rugs during the very cold days, but again if it were very extreme outside, might add one further t/o rug.

I would rather keep my horses warm with plenty of hay than rugging up.

With my elderly TBs, instead of piling rugs on, I used to add leg wraps and a hood to increase the warmth and they had a proper quilted under rug with full neck, something I don't have on my hardy young heavies as they just don't need that much wrapping up.

However, each to their own, I personally hate seeing horses with lots of rugs on and often far too warm, but there again some might not like that I prefer to keep mine cool to warm rather than warm to hot.
 
Personally I don't layer rugs. My riding horse has a hunter clip and currently wears a 300g or 450g PE turnout. If he was cold, I'd add a neck cover, but I can't imagine any weather conditions where he'd need more than 450g.
 
My youngster is on 4 rugs at the moment as we haven't had a day above 0 degrees in weeks and it's been getting down to -13 overnight at times. That is the most rugs I have ever put on a horse (when I used to share him I was horrified to find him in three - I'd never seen more than 2 before!!) But he really struggles to keep weight on in winter. Though at mo I'm quite proud of myself as this is the first year that he hasn't got "skinny" over winter. I check he's not overheating a few times a day anyway and he's always fine!

But my old boy is 30 and is on 1-2 rugs depending on how cold it gets. I never used to bother as he's so hardy and has a coat like a mammoth but now he's so old i think they need a bit of help keeping warm... either that or I'm getting soft!!!

Anyway, they are 2 very different horses so they have very different needs.

However, I'm so upset about the horse that had 13 rugs though. Poor thing!! It surely MUST have been overheated??!!! Can you imagine being boiling hot but not being able to take your layers off??!?!! :@(
 
Do people find that putting a fleece on underneath actually makes a difference when they have one or more layers of duvet anyway?

in answer to the OP F has only ever had 2 rugs on and thats normally to put his wicking rug underneath is wet. He has had an extra 100g under his 220g turnout when cold but got too hot.
 
Personally I would rather my pony was too cold than too hot as he lives out and can move around to warm up but if he is too hot there is nothing he can do to make himself more comfortable. I myself have been wearing two coats and I got too hot when I was walking about but was a bit cold standing about and as my pony spends more time walking about grazing than standing still I would not want to overdo it and for him to get too hot. If he was stabled though that would be different as he could not walk about to keep warm.

He is chaser clipped and in a HW rambo wug and has a good thick native mane and tail and his own furry leg warmers to help him keep warm. He lives out and has access to shelter as he has some woods in his field and it is surrounded by high hedges and wood. He went into the winter a bit porky as well so had plenty of fat to insulate him. Living out I would not be happy to have more than one rug on him as it is more straps that could get caught up or come undone whilst playing or rolling.

I can't imagine a situation where anyone would really need more than two rugs on at time as if you had two 450g HW ones that should be plenty warm enough for even the coldest horse.

What I don't understand is why someone would put on say a LW and MW when they could just have the one HW on - I can only presume it is because they do not want to spend money on buying the thicker rug.

With four rugs on that would be a real spiders web of sursingles I imagine!
 
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