Mild December

[scruffyponies]

Danny's rug has just gone on for the winter.
I think this is a record.

 

[Annagain]

Charlie (Irish clip) is still only in 100g. I did toy with the idea of a liner today as it is definitely a lot colder here but he still seemed plenty warm enough.

 

[[153312]]

Oooh all this talk of rugs is making me feel mean?? mine are naked and shall remain that way because they are fatties

 

[Annagain]

Oooh all this talk of rugs is making me feel mean?? mine are naked and shall remain that way because they are fatties

Don't feel mean. Charlie's only rugged because he's clipped. Archie (late 20s and retired) is naked, furry, fat, filthy and absolutely loving life. He always feels so warm when i can get through the mud and hair to actually feel his skin.

 

[[153312]]

They are dry and fuzzy with adlib low calorie forage so ought to be ok but it seems every other horse for miles around is rugged to the eyeballs!

 

[chaps89]

This is about as cold as it gets down here.
But it’s long overdue, it’s exceptionally mild down here, my grass is still growing and my fat pony is putting weight on never mind losing it, which is wrong in December ?

 

[Not_so_brave_anymore]

I normally put mine out on the long grass mid Nov (heavily restricted grass march-Nov) I waited until 19th Dec this year, and I've had to being them back in again this morning because I could feel faint pulses ? Grass defo still growing down here.

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

Two ponies are unrugged, nicely rounded, fluffy and apron clipped.

 

[scruffyponies]

Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age

 

[Sprogladite01]

Oooh all this talk of rugs is making me feel mean?? mine are naked and shall remain that way because they are fatties

Don't feel mean lol, my welsh sec a is unrugged and my connie has a 0g rainsheet on (he's grey) and even then only coz he's clipped and the wind chill is pretty bad. The welshie is from Redwings and we just had our first in-home / in-person inspection and the guy who came commented that my boys are the best weight-wise he'd seen all year - largely due to people over rugging! My connie was severely overweight when I bought him and the first thing I did was take him off haylage and bin his rug - worked a treat! He's now 70kgs lighter and much happier

 

[milliepops]

Mine are all naked too. That's what you get when you are workshy dropouts The clipped one has more or less regrown a full coat.

 

[Berpisc]

It has been fairly mild, we had grass growung later last year so we have been a bit harder with them this summer and they are not so blubbery this autumn. But yes, this year has been easy so far. January's forecast is meant to be colder; we shall see. Pea is rugged, she is 30 and has always felt the cold more. The others are happy and furry but none are ridden any more so also dont need to be kept clean.

 

[fidleyspromise]

I can't believe how mild it has been. We've only just started getting temps of 1 degrees.
My mare has had her rug on since about September and the liner was added end Oct.
The other mare got her rug on a couple weeks ago.
The third mare is never rugged as I can't see that going well ever (but she's got the shelter).

 

[MuddyMonster]

Oooh all this talk of rugs is making me feel mean?? mine are naked and shall remain that way because they are fatties

If it helps mine is still muzzled, partially clipped, rugless and still being ridden ? He's absolutely fine if not exactly sparkling clean to ride!

To clarify, its not that I won't rug - its just that I've not needed to yet.

 

[ShadowHunter]

I had frozen pipes a few weeks ago, so not that mild! Granted the temp is fluctuating quite a bit, supposed to be nearly into double figures again the next few days.

 

[PapaverFollis]

It was around this time last year that I disappeared under a glacier for 6 weeks solid. No sign of that happening yet this year. We had brief flash of winter but it seems to have changed its mind. Still got a rose blooming! In the Far North of Scotland. ?

 

[Antw23uk]

ID bibbed clipped and in a no fill rain sheet and thats purey to keep him semi clean so i can ride at weekends. The other week when it went back up to 10-12 degrees i left him naked as couldnt justify a rug when i wasnt riding mid week!

Do we think we are going to get it back at some point or is this about it till spring?

 

[humblepie]

Mine is lightly rugged but trying not to use a neck cover unless like the other night when it was minus 2. He was clipped in October but pretty much all grown back now so fairly fluffy.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

I don't consider anything below 0°C to be mild because I am a total wimp when it comes to the cold! Even though I'm from a cold place. It's been below freezing so dealing with frozen waters and all that. Horse has been in a 200g or 300g with 150g neck. Not too warm, so just right for him. He's clipped though. Incoming forecast looks warmer and rainy. It'll be mud galore but I guess I won't be freezing. Sort of a trade off I suppose.

 

[humblepie]

I don't consider anything below 0°C to be mild because I am a total wimp when it comes to the cold! Even though I'm from a cold place. It's been below freezing so dealing with frozen waters and all that. Horse has been in a 200g or 300g with 150g neck. Not too warm, so just right for him. He's clipped though. Incoming forecast looks warmer and rainy. It'll be mud galore but I guess I won't be freezing. Sort of a trade off I suppose.

Mine has been being changed quite a bit as the weather is so changeable. Minus 3 Tuesday night, currently about 10 degrees. I am useless at knowing weights of rugs, they come in thin, medium and heavy to me!

 

[Annagain]

My geraniums are still flowering!

 

[SEL]

Very itchy Ardennes who has grown a coat for a Proper Winter. I persuaded him to let me do a small clip back in Oct but that's grown out and he's now plastered in mud - which will have moult out in spring ?

 

[Woodytwoshoes]

Still can’t believe how mild it is… 11oC in Dorset today. My fatty cob is in a 50g but thinking about leaving him naked! He’s blanket clipped though…

 

[Pearlsasinger]

It snowed here last night, horses were out in it unrugged with access to a shelter with hay in it. They were absolutely fine this morning, not standing in the shelter but not calling to let me know they were hungry, which they canbe relied on to do, if they are.

 

[chaps89]

Took this photo this morning.
I fenced my muck heap off in late October.
You can see the difference either side of the fence. Grass should not be so green/grow that much in November/December!

 

[Gloi]

Facebook friend in Canada says -46 today ?
Horses still out naked, but they are Icelandics.

My daffs are coming up in the garden here.

 

[PurBee]

My geraniums are still flowering!

Ive got bulbs thinking its spring too - the daffs have been poking through the past 3 weeks! Fuscias have only just decided its getting chilly and stopped flowering. Really unusual. May the mild weather continue and roll into a beautiful warm spring!

 

[poiuytrewq]

It was around this time last year that I disappeared under a glacier for 6 weeks solid. No sign of that happening yet this year. We had brief flash of winter but it seems to have changed its mind. Still got a rose blooming! In the Far North of Scotland. ?

Scotland! I honestly thought you were from Finland! Wonder why ? I have some strange facts that I know to be true ?
Some photos came up on my fb time hop and this time last year my horses were in their bigger winter rugs, but I had more grass oddly and it looked a lot drier. I preferred the looks of last year!

 

[PurBee]

Mine are naked, unclipped all winter. Arab x welsh d so grow a good winter coat. If i had them on livery and they had to be out with no shelter, i’d rug them during nasty wet/windy spells.
Their weight holds pretty consistantly throughout winter on around 2% BW forage with supps.

 

[HopOnTrot]

I mucked out and turned out at 5.30 PM at the end of December and I am sweating like crazy, both out in no fill rugs but I'm wondering if they'll be too hot. Weigh taped one today and she has gained weight.