My Cob doesn't wear a stable rug at night

debsey1

debsey1

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He is stabled in an American Barn at night with 12 others all rugged and cosy and has never worn a stable rug at night and doesn't wear a rug whilst turned out during the day. The only time I put one on him is when I want to ride him and that's only a lightweight no fill.

The last few days it's been so cold at night(-4) I was wondering whether I should be putting a stable rug on him as being shut in he can't move about to keep warm? His coat really fluffs up and another livery said it's because he is cold.

I know a lot of post have been done about this but am I right to keep going as we are? Thanks :)
 
My welsh cob is now stabled in an american barn with 12 boxes, she wears nothing at night nost of the time and just a lightweight in the day. at my old yard she had an outside stable and was always rugged up, but its so warm in this new barn she just sweats even with a fleece on, shes a hardy girl and i am trying to remember that! even though she is almost 23, she keeps herself warm and gets uncomfortable rugged up and itchy. i have THE Most extensive rug collection! saddens me she cant wear them much anymore( dont clip her now) but id rather her be happy !! :)
xxx
 
classicalfan said:
He's not cold. A healthy, unclipped horse can easily withstand -10°C and most are fine until -20°C. We have a tendancy to mollycoddle our horses. He's fine, don't worry!
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Thank you, I thought this but every now and again you need reassuring that you are doing the right thing. He is literally the only one in his herd that is rug less at night and most of the time during the day
 
Does he feel cold when you see to him in the morning? at the base of the ears, behind the front legs near where the girth would lie or between his back legs? If he feels cold in these areas then it is possible he is getting cold over night.

If you are giving him ample hay to graze on overnight then this will keep him warm as he processes the food.

If his coat is fluffing up then that is great! You want it to, it is how he is keeping warm. My mini Shetland lives out 24/7 365 days a year and I don't own a rug for him. His winter coat grows to about 3 inches in length and when it is cold he looks as though he has been through the tumble dryer all his hair is on end. When it is frosty overnight frost will settle on his hair ends and act like hair gell turning him into an armadillo! He's not cold and his coat is working effciently.

See what your horse is telling you and go by that not by placing an emotional he must be cold tag on him!
 
I have heard (can't remember the source, sorry) that it is healthier for a horse to be a bit on the cool side, rather than too warm.
If your horse's ears at the base are warm, he's warm :)
 
Keimanp said:
Does he feel cold when you see to him in the morning? at the base of the ears, behind the front legs near where the girth would lie or between his back legs? If he feels cold in these areas then it is possible he is getting cold over night.

If you are giving him ample hay to graze on overnight then this will keep him warm as he processes the food.

If his coat is fluffing up then that is great! You want it to, it is how he is keeping warm. My mini Shetland lives out 24/7 365 days a year and I don't own a rug for him. His winter coat grows to about 3 inches in length and when it is cold he looks as though he has been through the tumble dryer all his hair is on end. When it is frosty overnight frost will settle on his hair ends and act like hair gell turning him into an armadillo! He's not cold and his coat is working effciently.

See what your horse is telling you and go by that not by placing an emotional he must be cold tag on him!
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Thanks for your reply. I did feel him behind his front legs this morning and he did feel warm (don't think he appreciated my cold hands thought!) I give him plenty of hay overnight and it's always gone by the morning.

Trouble is, when all the others are all rugged up and cosy, sometimes you doubt yourself whether you're doing the right thing
 
Because you don't rug him, your cob's coat is probably working perfectly, just as nature intended it to. Go by whether or not he is happy in himself, not your yard "experts" opinions. One of mine always lets me know if he has had a "bad night". LOL.

I went to feed my filly foals (yearlings technically) who live out the day before yesterday and they had frost on their backs. They were perfectly happy and warm, the coat was obviously insulating them and working just as its supposed to.
 
I'd always go on instinct. Horses are individuals so what's good for the others on your yard isn't necessarily the best for yours. If you've felt him first thing and he's warm enough, he's got plenty of hay and isn't loosing condition, i'd say he's fine. My ish is only in a lw fleece and has a blanket clip. She's a warm horse though x
 
As previous poster, the most important thing here is to judge by what you can tell from your horse - NOT by what other people 'think' (!), or do for theirs. Different types/ages require different care, and the care your horse requires will also change throughout your time together. Just for info, a) my cob has only just been wearing his 100g stable rug in the latest cold nights - throughout the mild weather we have been having he was wearing just a cooler at night (barn stabling). I chatted to a vet about this, and he said providing there are no vicious drafts/breezes a horse standing in is generally better off slightly cold than too warm. I understand how you feel when others are enveloped in dozens of duvets, but that's for them and your horse is different.
 
My 3 rising 4 year old Welsh Section D is rugless. He's stabled at night but only because he likes the routine of coming in. He doesn't wear a rug at all come rain or shine and although doesn't 'like' the rain (who does!?) he's perfectly fine, warm and waterproofed out in it :)

Don't worry your cob is fine!
 
I have one who feels the cold and one who doesn't. They are in adjacent stables - one is rugged, the other is not (except when she is wet through and likes a cooler to dry off for a couple of hours).
 
Mine too! Just as the temperature dips!! Typical!! It has been mild so far though compared to last year. Roll on spring!
 
Fluffed up is good! It's nature's way of trapping his body heat in his hair. In a way your stablemates are right, he's fluffing up because it's cold, but it's keeping the heat in.
 
misty6.jpg


"Rugs? Rugs? Rugs are for wimps!"
 
Mine has two 100g rugs, one with full neck, which I layer - the last few weeks her unclipped neck has shown she has been too hot, so she just wears one without the full neck at the min. She never used to wear anything, inside or out -fluffy is good!

The shetties grow 3 inches in heigt in the winter, they would never need a rug!
 
debsey1 said:
He is stabled in an American Barn at night with 12 others all rugged and cosy and has never worn a stable rug at night and doesn't wear a rug whilst turned out during the day. The only time I put one on him is when I want to ride him and that's only a lightweight no fill.

The last few days it's been so cold at night (-4) I was wondering whether I should be putting a stable rug on him as being shut in he can't move about to keep warm? His coat really fluffs up and another livery said it's because he is cold.

I know a lot of post have been done about this but am I right to keep going as we are? Thanks :)
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I've been wobbling recently as I've always rugged at night regardless with my Ardennes x ID.

He is a lovely horse, but he will get stroppy when I rug him, and he itches alot.

So this year I have left him unrugged but with ad-lib haylage at night.

I really wobbled last night (-4) but each time I walked into the barn (five horses) I was hit by a wall of warmth and, as he hates rugs so much, I'll see how he goes.

He has two posh Bucas rugs and a lovely Mark Todd Stable rug - all freshly cleaned, proofed and ready for winter....and they're still hanging over his door
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The old man, however, has been rugged since Sept and is now having his duvet on...plus breakfast in the morning before turnout
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I have a friend who lives in Minnesota, where they expect up to 6 feet of snow and temperatures of up to -20 C in winter, and their horses live out unclipped & unrugged - including an arab and two yearlings. When I first talked about rugging and clipping she thougt I was mad as they genuinely don't own any! When the temperatures get really desperate, they just make sure that the horses have mountains of hay. Warm, healthy and happy horses = sorted :)
 
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