New to rugging, when should you put a rug on and what type.

[ellie11987]

I'm just going to ignore all the rest of these posts and answer your question. If a horse is being used to being rugged, then leave it rugged. It will feel the cold 100x more than an unrugged horse, there will be little protection in the coat and it will probably loose weight. Mine is in a duvet and medium full neck stable at the moment but is a wimpy tb and has been in some sort of rug/fly sheet since she came out of racing so I'm using the same routine as her owner (she is on long term loan). But it is entirely dependable on the horse, if it is clipped, how it copes in cold weather, the breed, the age blah blah blah. I'd play it by ear and remove/add rugs as required. Just make sure she is not too hot, being too hot is more uncomfortable than being a tad cold.

 

[Luci07]

Read some of the responses..I would start in a lighter rug rather then heavier as your horse can move around to warm up more easily than trying to keep cool. Good tips on how to check the warmth and here are a couple more. 1. Consider your environment as opposed to want everyone else is doing. My yard is considerably colder than others in have been at and my horses ( and dogs!) wear more rugs than I ever needed to put on before. All newbies who come to us are caught out! 2. If your new horse has been groomed, then thick coat or not, the grease will have been removed and she will need you to replace that.

I would put a weight tape on her when she arrives and just be open minded about what she may need. I have 2 horses, almost next to each other in the barn and they have very different rugging needs.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Didn't understand the first part of that sentence.

And it's pretty obvious isn't it?

Most of us must be bored then replying to this thread .

Anyway

 

[PandorasJar]

Hello,
Ive realise bought a new horse. She wont be coming till after christmas, but is the first horse ive owned which is rugged. She currently has a medium rug on. The owners have told me that if the weather changes before i have her, she will have a heavy weight one on.
Ive seen alot of people with thick rugs on there horses in the middle of summer when there was a quick shower.

What i would like to know is what weather should i rug and what type of rug?
Ive visted her acouple of times and she has a thick coat, and cant see why she is rugged. But i know once a horse is rugged it is more likely to get cold.

Thanks

For winter I wouldn't suddenly change if she feels okay. All ours are unrugged but I wouldn't advocate unrugging or going to a lighter weight if she feels she needs it now she hasn't had a chance to grow a coat.
Next year play by ear, feel her and work out if she actually needs rugging or not. The longer into winter they are unrugged the better coat they get.

 

[PandorasJar]

Thanks she is a irish draught cross TB, she has a very thick coat. I couldnt se why she had this thick rug on when we visted. As her coat is thicker than my welsh ponies

Thanks

I wouldn't judge on coat thickness alone. We have tbs with very fine coats unrugged and ad lib feed. Toasty.
I've rugged a friends native in the past with very thick coat who would shiver when it looked like it might rain.

You need to actually feel the horse (as mentioned how on here earlier) and judge from that. Snow and cold makes no odds to mine. Crosswinds with rain are when they all get cold. Last year the only time I rugged (oldies) was in March due to 3 days straight rain at which point they started feeling it.

 

[9tails]

As your horse is currently rugged in an exposed field, you may be able to go lower in your less exposed fields. Most rugs are in grams, ie. 100 gram is lightweight, 200g is medium, 300g medium heavy, 400g heavy. I wouldn't just whip off her rug as she's used to it and has regulated her temperature to take into account the rug. Next year, you could see how she goes without a rug by checking temp under armpit and whether she's shivering or losing weight.

I always go by the weather, I'm currently alternating between 200g and 100g on a fully clipped but warm horse. Below 10 degrees, I go 100g, below 3 degrees it's 200g. My heavy rug comes out maybe 4 times a year if the weather is -5 or below all day, but you may find that your new horse isn't a warm horse and needs it more often.

 

[AntxGeorgiax]

Where my horse is is at the top of a hill (ish) in a rural location, and I generally live by these guidelines (I made them myself for my horse, might not be the same for you)
My current horse is a warmblood but a fine one.

Anything below minus 2 its a super heavyweight
Anything below 0 degrees Celsius on a dry night, or anything below 2 degrees on a wet / windy night it's a heavyweight,
Between 2-7 at your own disgression, some days they might relish the extra warm, or feel warm so not need such a heavy rug.
Between 7-14 degrees middleweight, however if its sunny 14 degrees naked or lightweight, or if its overcast and chilly, a heavier middleweight.
14-17 lightweight, unless sunny where it's a rain sheet
17+(eg April showers, warm and wet) rain sheet
22+ if its sunny - naked, if not a rain sheet

Hope this helps a little
Depends also on height weight breed workload etc (if I plan to ride, I rug up so my horse isn't all dirty and mucky)

 

[julie111]

Scuse me if I am wrong but OP you seem either young or just a poor speller for someone running a yard.

I cannot see anyone running a yard not knowing how or what type of rug to use. This is basic stuff regardless of whether you have rugs on yours.

Wow, no need for that! The OP could be foreign or dyxlexic. Why do people on these forums think it is ok to say things they would never say face to face!

 

[Kikke]

I had a fifteen year break and had a shock when I came back into it, didn't realize how many rugs horses now have and had to learn about the different types and when to use them . All we had was a new Zealand and a stable rug with a blanket if it was really cold

know that feeling. Was perfect one none of mine ever died on me,

 

[Tillie]

Hi,
Some of you asked me for a picture of her. She arrived this afternoon, i will put some more up. But this is the picture that made me wanted her so much.

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/picture.php?albumid=5189&pictureid=20565

I have her on trial for a few weeks.

Let me know if its doesnt work as im not sure how to upload pictures on here.

Thanks

 

[Parker79]

Lovely! really lovely xx

 

[diamonddogs]

She's very pretty! More pics please when you have time...

There's some fab people on the forum and you'll learn a lot if you can get past the nasty comments from people who have nothing better to do.

Hope you can sort out the rugging question - when I first got my girl she had a lovely thick coat and wasn't used to rugs (amazing I know ) so I left her out naked until the first lot of rain after she arrived, then I put her in a lightweight (she comes in at night). As the weather got colder I kept a close eye on her (ears and armpits are a good indicator) and by the time the snow came she was in a neck rug.

This year she started in a lightweight late October, and she's coping in a mediumweight at the moment. If it snows or goes subzero she'll be in her heavy neck rug, otherwise she'll stay in mediums till mid-March.

Winter doesn't stress me - it's early spring and late autumn that do my head in, when you need a crystal ball to decide how to dress them! Though it's better to under-rug as they can always run about if they get cold.

Oh yes, and don't panic if your horse has a thick layer of snow on her back when the time comes - this means the rug's doing it's job and keeping the warm inside!

 

[WJT]

OP - When deciding rugs you have to take into consideration your horses needs, their living conditions, what exercise they are doing and also what you want (clean or filthy horse ).

Your horse shouldn't be hot or cold, but warm.

Rugging depends on the horse its self, for example a stereotypical popular outlook on rugging would be that TBs need extra warmth than the average cob, not always correct.
You have to know the horse to know what rug, like i know my mare doesn't need a heavy rug in the current weather (ranging from 7 degrees to 12 degrees), she currently has an 180g with no neck.
Rugging also depends on the weather obviously, the weather can be very quick in changing, a few weeks ago it went from 6 degrees to -2 in one night.

So here's how i rug my non clipped NFxTB who is stabled on a night and out during the day:
-3 and lower = 300g with neck
-3 to 5 = 220g with or without neck (detatchable so depends on the day)
5 to approx 15 = 180g no neck
15+ = lightweight (no fill)

Non of us can accurately tell you what rug your horse needs, you have to know your horse, research(as you are) and gather up as much info as you can to determine what rug your horse needs and when.

Q: What i would like to know is what weather should i rug and what type of rug?

A: For your horse being an IDxTB with a thick coat and with a sheltered area, i personally not knowing your horse, would say, around 180g for autumn, going into winter.
A medium/heavy (200g-300g, your choice) for winter weather, including snow.
For coming out of winter to summer (spring) again i would say around 180g.
Then for summer 100g on the colder days to no fill.

Q: Just on question, im planning to keep her hacking out as long as the roads are good. I will just take nice long walking hacks, e.g. no trotting or anythink. Would this make any difference in what rug she would need when back from a hack. Or would it just depend on how much she is sweating.

A: When you get back of the hack, if she hasn't sweat a lot, don't bother changing the rug, if she has sweat a lot, i would say to put her in a cooler until she is fairly dry, take the cooler off and then put your rug back on, if you don't have the time to do that, i would put a cooler on under her rug. You could also consider clipping, to help prevent her sweating, which would mean rugging heavier than you usually would.


Hope this helps! You could also research on an internet engine and look on some websites that might tell you some good information without any rude comments!

 

[christine48]

Invest in the Premier Equine trio turn out ( which you could leave on overnight as a stable rug too). The outer is 100g, comes with 3 liners 100, 200 & 300g & 2 neck covers . A rug like this will cover every weather condition from mild to very cold. Although they are expensive you only have to invest in 1 rug.

 

[grumblebee]

Hi

I haven't read all the posts however, the few I did read seemed rather harsh!

Since every horse is an individual the best option would probably be to ask the current owners as they will be able to give you an idea of the horses preferences!

Good luck with your new horse!

 

[mandwhy]

Aww just saw the picture, lovely girl!

 

[Taffytheone]

She is lovely please do not listen to people that take over a valid question. If she came with a heavy weight on put her out in that and see how she feels when you bring her in if to warm try the medium the next day. You will quickly learn what will be better for her. I hope you enjoy her and have a happy new year x

 

[lula]

For god's sake people!!! She is asking for help and advice not your judgement or self righteousness!!! We all had to start somewhere!

except she's not just starting somewhere. she's the head groom in a livery yard.