Leaving your horse in the rain without a rug-thoughts?

rhino said:
Why should they have to? Why not just make them comfortable by chucking a LW rug on? My oldie is recovering from a career ending sdft injury so the less needless charging about the better.. His weight is also perfect, possibly slightly leaner than many people on here prefer but I don't like fat animals.

His breed was also 'invented' after the 2nd world war :)

Horses will survive an awful lot, but where is the problem with making life a little nicer and easier for them? I'm sure the oldie would survive rugless, without feed, farrier or vet attention, but why on earth should he have to?
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I have no problem whatever with folk rugging their horses or not. That's up to them but frankly I do feel that we are turning our horses into a species of wusses. Someone near to me keeps shetlands and they have more rugs than enough in all seasons. For heavens sake they would do far better without.

However I would not, at any time, advocate that any horse has to live without necessary feed, the farrier or vet attention. That is altogether a different matter.

I still think that if it were necessary to rug a horse against a bit of summer rain then the species would have died out years ago.
 
My 2 are out right now, ish with nothing but section a is rugged up. I made a bad decision last wk to rug them both when weather bad and despite the rain mare was way too hot with rug on.
 
rhino said:
No it isn't, but neither is chucking on a lightweight rug :confused:

I will never understand the 'wild' horse comparisons on threads like this, it makes absolutely no sense; in the wild my horse would have died years ago...
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I didnt make any comparison to wild horses :confused:.......but now you mention it, it probably wouldnt kill any horse for its owner to take a look at how horses survive in the wild, and see why we have such problems with our domestic neds.
 
Paulag before all these rugs were invented we only had new zealands and jute rugs. Field kept horses were brushed with curry combs and occasionally a dandy brush and they weren't bathed, therefore they stayed waterproof. Native ponies would live out in winter unrugged with a bib or chaser clip and be fine.
 
If your horse is miserable and cold then chuck a rug on it, if you want a cleanish nag then the same applies. There are plenty of breathable lightweight rugs available.
You should know what your horse needs as an individual rather than what everyone else has done on your yard, who all probably copied the horse owner who clips/owns a poor doer.
IMHO, most, not all horses are fine with natural greasy coats, plenty of lard on them, shelter and lots of food, but we don't all have, or want horses that tick all those boxes.
One night isn't going to kill her, but you will have to be prepared or have someone else responsible about who can throw a rug on and off at short notice, the weather is still changeable and as others have said its the windchill thats the problem when they are soaked through.
 
BackRidingAgain said:
Unless we have clipped them and taken away what nature naturally gives them I can't see any reason why horses need rugs in a field, esp. one with some hedges for protection, unless it is to keep them clean.
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This, with the odd exception.
Some just don't grow a nice winter coat,some are older and in need of a little more TLC but for 99% of horses in work the only real reason to rug in mild weather is owner convenience.


FWIW I also think it is useful to look at wild populations and see how they live.
Of course we are not going to be able to replicate that life for our domestic horses,but we can imitate aspects which IMO results in happier horses.
 
Both of mine are out naked tonight, but it's still 16deg here at the moment with a low of 13 expected through the night, therefore in my opinion neither of mine needed a rug. However if they were cold or likely to be miserable I'd rug them, why not? They're all individuals so treat them as such! I walk around in a t shirt nearly all year but my hubby and daughter both complain it's really cold, I wouldn't make them suffer just because I didn't feel it so much!

I think we should all just do what's right for our ponies and stop trying to tell other people what they should do for theirs, not meaning anyone on here but I've met a few rug mafia types in my time ;)
 
i prefer to keep mine naked as as long as possible. the temps tonight in the midlands are between 12 and 16 degrees. they dont shrink in the rain!! i tend to start rugging up when temps drop below 6 degrees at night as that is when the grass starts to be compromised! but each to their own! but what are you going to dress them in when it is -15? if you are rugging now? or do all you ruggers have heat lamps in the stables??????????????
 
JFTD said:
rhino, I found Darach cold in the rain at the start of summer - with his summer coat and torrential rain and cold all night, he was cold. Come winter and the full on fluff he sports, he won't need a rug whatever the weather does. It's about the individual horse and the individual circumstance, surely.
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Yep. My (warmblood) mare spent nearly all of last winter naked, but having shed her coat, come the nasty rain we had this spring/summer, she needed rugging at times - more times than she did during the entire winter in fact. :rolleyes:
 
ofcourseyoucan said:
i prefer to keep mine naked as as long as possible. the temps tonight in the midlands are between 12 and 16 degrees. they dont shrink in the rain!! i tend to start rugging up when temps drop below 6 degrees at night as that is when the grass starts to be compromised! but each to their own! but what are you going to dress them in when it is -15? if you are rugging now? or do all you ruggers have heat lamps in the stables??????????????
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Your question mark key appears to be stuck ;)

It doesn't often get to - 15 here, in fact I don't think it has been that low for quite a few years now, and the coldest I have ever experienced in the UK is - 20 as a child. Just been outside and thermometer is saying 6 degrees, however it is tipping it down relentlessly and there is a very strong wind. I really hope it clears up tomorrow as the cycling Tour of Britain is going past!

My horse has a great ability to keep himself warm if he stays dry. As pictured, he is perfectly happy out (if unclipped) in the snow. Driving rain + windchill is a different story. At the very worst weather he has experienced, he was in a HW Rambo Wug (hates full necks) with a LW under rug. At that point he was fully clipped and in medium to hard work. Last year the most he ever had on was the HW wug - and that was not for long.

Are people really so hellbent on proving a point that they have lost the ability to judge a horse as an individual?

I also have horses who have never been rugged. That's because it suits them.
 
I don't usually rug until it's colder than this, but Alf had a bath at the weekend, and its really windy and wet here. He would probably cope, but he tends to get silly if he's cold, and I'd rather not risk him charging round when he's supposed to be on field rest. Rhino - you and I can be united in our reasoning for rugging our broken ones!!
 
Ummm considerably colder than that in this part of the Midlands and our field is exposed too. So my poor doer is rugged. Only in a lightweight, when we get proper winter temperatures she'll be in a heavyweight, she will also be in more with more hay and feed, but at this time of year I'd rather she was out and wore a rug from time to time than came in.
 
Cortez said:
Horses ARE actually waterproof, you know......they don't melt. It's not cold, they have oils in their coats.
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WELL...MY pony had all of her very own waterproofing washed off on Friday because I took her showing on Saturday...
SEE :p
730c19b9.jpg


Then....I put THIS on her
b3cd2367.jpg

and THIS
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to keep her warm while she dried.
She spent the night in with a fleece on under a stable rug.
She is now out with a lightweight turnout on until her very own waterproofing system has returned to its natural state. She lives out 24/7.
Oh, and she HAS lived and survived in the "wild", down in the New Forest until 17 months ago...... and the night time temperature here in Scotland is down to low single figures with chilly winds and horizontal rain......So There :-P :D
 
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Oh God we haven't even started autumn yet & the rugging threads are here :rolleyes:

I agree with Rhino et al, the obsession seems to be with what other people are doing with their horses. Every horse needs to be treated as an individual. And, frankly, if a horse is too hot/too cold, it's not likely to do them any long-term harm, so why so do many people get their knickers in a twist over what rugs others are putting on their horses :confused:
 
Puppy said:
Yep. My (warmblood) mare spent nearly all of last winter naked, but having shed her coat, come the nasty rain we had this spring/summer, she needed rugging at times - more times than she did during the entire winter in fact. :rolleyes:
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Yep, my old TB winters out unrugged but she has such a fine summer coat that she has needed a rug on at times this summer - a lot more than she did in the last three winters put together :rolleyes:
 
I only have MW rugs. If they are cold I double up. I have an old mare now that is beginning to look tucked up and stary coated in the mornings so she'll have a blanket on soon, it is only 8 - 9C, but that's quite a drop when daytime temps are still 25+

I really think it is, as people have said, a case of knowing your own horse. I rug if they need it don't when they don't.

I take absolutely no notice of the date, or the temperature, just my horses.
As a GOW I also take absolutely no notice of whatever anyone else is doing as an indication as to what I should be doing.

They don't know my horses any better than I know theirs.
 
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Really really wish I lived where some of you do where the rain can still be described as summery and the temperatures warm! Not only did horse have to upgrade to a warmer rug yesterday but I had to bring the winter jumpers out. It's about 6 degrees here and pouring, can barely remember the last day we had with no rain :( I started putting a lightweight sheet on Deano last month because he was beginning to resemble a sponge instead of a horse.
 
I am so glad we dont transfer some views to us humans! i need to loose weight, but there is no way i am gonna stand out in the rain with no clothes on to shiver it off!!!!!:D:D:D
 
Rugging horses can (and is) quite an emotive subject. My view is, each to their own.

However, statements like this always give me cause for concern - unless of course your horse is on livery....

poppywalker said:
and I haven't got time to go up today, so she'll be getting soaked all night haha.
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I have a welsh a and a welsh d, both came to me never having been rugged.
Mysti (a) feels the cold more, and as well as stressing the weight off she would be shivering it off too so she gets rugged but only up to a 300g so she keeps the weight on. (not your typical welshie i know :rolleyes:)
Honey (d) doesn't feel the cold and doesn't get rugged until its wet and cold and only up to a m/w, she would probably be fine without any rugs in a field with shelter :)

2 ponies of the same breed that are very different!
 
I'm sick of the old "what do wild horses do" argument. Yes, wild horses shiver to keep warm and drop weight in winter and manage to survive reasonably well most of the time. But I don't want my pets to live like that - I like them to be warm without having to shiver, to be a good weight year round and to live a comfortable and pretty pampered life. Sorry about that.

Mine will be rugged up overnight.
 
I haven't rugged yet and wont until it gets cold prob next month if needed or longer depending on wearther really, he has his winter coat coming.
I've left my lad out 24/7 with very occasional night in, but still unrugged, soon as it starts to chill I will add his l/w or if in (depends on rest of yard really) then a summer sheet will be put on, his stable has good ventilation and can get quite drafty, winter will be interesting.

I used to with my old lad, think right thats it rain coming must rug.... now im much more laid back about the whole situation, trying not to molly coddle as much as I used to.

So far so good, although sometimes I do think...shall I sharn't I ha ha but again its always individual needs everyone and every horse are different.
 
Mine are only rugged usually from Nov onwards when they are clipped, even though still out 24/7 till Dec. And perfectly happy & healthy, 23yr old never worn a rug in summer in her life, & only in autumn when clipped. And she isn't one for the cold, but is waterproof in the rain. Where possible horses should be left to roll etc without imo. But all horses are different, availability of shelter is different, even without factors such as age & weight. So providing a horse isn't clearly over rugged, its impossible to set fixed rules or judge what's best for someone else's horse over a forum.
 
My welsh A is out 24/7 and would never dream of putting a rug on him until the new year when I clip him out (hunter) to help his coat come through. He will probably stay out.

My new cob mare now has a rug on at night - just a no fill rain sheet at the moment but she too will be clipped out when the clocks change (or thereabouts) and rugged accordingly. She will be coming in at night.
 
3BayGeldings said:
I'm sick of the old "what do wild horses do" argument. Yes, wild horses shiver to keep warm and drop weight in winter and manage to survive reasonably well most of the time. But I don't want my pets to live like that - I like them to be warm without having to shiver, to be a good weight year round and to live a comfortable and pretty pampered life. Sorry about that.

Mine will be rugged up overnight.
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I agree with this, with the caveat that I want healthy horses too; a pony that is shivering and cold will be more vulnerable to infections etc and on the other side of the coin a pony that is overrugged risks overheating/colic and not losing weight if it's needed. It has to be what is best for the individual horse, some feel the cold and some don't. I have a native that is surprisingly wimpy and who will be rugged when shivering, better that than vets bills through catching a chill.
 
Well my field has a tall and thick hedge down one side for shelter, as well as the field shelter at the top of the field. Last night it only rained for an hour or so and it was just light rain after that so.... I rugged of course :)

Just a sheet on my ISH but my oldie had a MW on because she's underweight and feels the cold.
 
Plenty of horses are unnessesarily rugged, which is prob where the new 'anti-rugging' attitude has come from. Plenty of owners will bundle up their beloved fluffy bunnykins to stop that nasty-wasty rain from touching them in case they dissolve.

However prolonged wet and cold are a different matter and it was both here yesterday.

Mine are rugless at very very cold, but DRY temps : two winters ago, at -18 I was deliberatly taking rugs off.

However some horsesd just cannot cope being wet in the cold.

I have one mare who should, in theory, never need a rug: great big HW mare who grows a coat a mammoth would be proud of. However she cannot cope being wet: when it's cold (5degree's ish) and she's wet she shivers so hard she cannot walk or eat properly. Yesterday was one of those days: it was not much more that 6degrees here, windy and very wet. Should she just have been left to get on with it?

I have no problem with them being wet and cold for a short period: couple of hours rain (and ensueing shivering) does them no harm. They can warm up again easily enough. But all day (and night!) of being freezing cold??: that's cruel.

I always try NOT to rug as they are uncomfortable, restricted and itchy and most horses would choose not to wear them. It's the owners who like to see their horse in 'cosy' rugs. But some horses do need them.
 
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