Newbie with numpty question (not a troll!)

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nosenseofdirection

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Hi,

I've never posted before but I have been lurking for a while...

I bought my first horse in August and she is an arab. None of the other liveries on our yard have arabs so I thought perhaps someone on here would be able to help me with this: my mare lives out in the day, and is in at night. She is not clipped. During the cold weather she has been going out each day with a 40g Fal Pro turnout on, and at night coming in and having a 150g Amigo on, sometimes with a fleece under it if it is forecast to drop below -3 or so:eek:. All the other horses on the yard have heavyweights on with extra rugs underneath (even if not clipped).

However, my mare doesn't seem happy in her rugs at all, and I think she is getting too hot. The reason I think this is that she drinks loads, rolls a lot (if out) and gives me a filthy look every time I try to alter/put on rugs. The only thing is, she doesn't sweat under the rugs. Is this because she is not hot, or do arabs just not really sweat much?

Needless to say she is now going without rugs, and seems happier for it, but it is milder at the moment anyway. I am just interested to know whether arabs are just better at coping with extremes of temperature than other breeds?
 
If she is happy without a rug then dont use one, unless maybe in the rain a wind, just a light turnout,. Id proberley use a medium weight in the stable as it is cold, and she will be stood still.

p.s... shame your not a troll I find them most amusing!
 
I don't think that's an especially numpty question. I don't know if they are better with low temperatures but it would make sense. They are quite different to other horses after all. The desert does get very cold at night!
 
ditto checking fit of rug but if she's perfectly happy without then there's no need for one.

I knewn an elderly horse who HATED rugs with a passion. She was normally the nicest sweetest girl but when you rugged her she bit and kicked. And once she had a rug on (even a lightweight nofill) she was grumpy and bad temper and really difficult to handle.

So after 20yrs she was part loaned as a companion where the carer left her rugless and she was never happier. Grew the most incredible wolly coat herself. Her owner would come up occasionally and put a rug on her (felt sorry for her since horses obviously HAVE to wear a rug, dontcha know) and she was a nightmare to handle until it was taken off again :o

My own horses - one loves his rugs on if cold and comes and askes for them. The other hates them and will do everything possible to avoid them. So he lives out 24/7 unrugged at under -15degrees.
 
Thanks for all this!

The rugs fit ok, they don't rub her at all, and she can still flare her tail with the tail flap on (on the turnout rug- the indoor one doesn't have this). I think she just doesn't like them but it's curious that she seems hot but doesn't sweat.
 
If allowed Arabs grow the most amazing winter coat and are capable of coping in very low temperatures without rugging just like our natives. There will always be exceptions of course but on the whole they are very hardy.
 
Arabs are tough as old boots. Feel the base of her ears. If they feel hot, she is too hot. They should feel pleasantly warm. She might not like feeling hot & feels uncomfortable before she even starts to sweat. My anglo went silly in the stable the other night after I'd put his big rug on earlier. As soon as I swopped it for a lighter one he was OK.
 
Our old girlie is arab x connie and she grows a massive winter coat. She lived out unrugged when we bought her but we rug her because she is grey/white and looks so uncared for without one:eek: She has a very fine summer coat and looks completely different in summer and winter.

I think provided your mare is not losing weight and is ok when it rains (the one time ours asks to come in or have a rug) then do not worry.
 
I have had a couple of part bred arabs, and normally arabs are quite hardy, can adapt to varying temperatures and can grow an amazing winter coat!

I also know a horse who actually hates rugs with a passion....although if turned out in modern rugs she will gallop about/roll/try to tear them on fencing etc. Her owner things it may be certain materials as she is absolutely fine with the old jute rugs/canvas rugs, it's just so hard to get hold of them now.
 
My arab mare is in on box rest (following colic surgery :( ), she hates being too hot. some mornings she just looks depressed and then if her rug is changed or removed she is much happier.

Today, it was 7 degrees (warm!) and I left her naked in her stable all day. she has just a 150g stable rug on at night, as the temperature drops. and has a slightly thicker one on if it is going to drop to -3 or below.

Arabs are great at coping with cold, thats what they are designed for. Mine doesn't even have much of a winter coat, as she has been in since september. However, show her a drop of rain and she is a shivering wreck and has to be well rugged!

I'd leave your mare naked, or just pop a lightweight or fleece on her to keep drafts off.

(I am on a yard full of arabs and nothing is in more than a medium weight in the worst of the cold/ice/snow/rain)
 
My anglo doesn't particularly like rugs because he is ticklish. He has to put up with them though cos he's a chilly chappy who shivers at anything and is in full work so has to be clipped out. Providing her ears are warm and she looks happy and healthy you'll be fine.
Hope this helps.
 
nosenseofdirection said:
Hi,

I've never posted before but I have been lurking for a while...

I bought my first horse in August and she is an arab. None of the other liveries on our yard have arabs so I thought perhaps someone on here would be able to help me with this: my mare lives out in the day, and is in at night. She is not clipped. During the cold weather she has been going out each day with a 40g Fal Pro turnout on, and at night coming in and having a 150g Amigo on, sometimes with a fleece under it if it is forecast to drop below -3 or so:eek:. All the other horses on the yard have heavyweights on with extra rugs underneath (even if not clipped).

However, my mare doesn't seem happy in her rugs at all, and I think she is getting too hot. The reason I think this is that she drinks loads, rolls a lot (if out) and gives me a filthy look every time I try to alter/put on rugs. The only thing is, she doesn't sweat under the rugs. Is this because she is not hot, or do arabs just not really sweat much?

Needless to say she is now going without rugs, and seems happier for it, but it is milder at the moment anyway. I am just interested to know whether arabs are just better at coping with extremes of temperature than other breeds?
Click to expand...

Hello and welcome, you'll get used to the mad house soon enough! I'm glad you posted this as it reassures me. I got a part bred Arab a few months ago, and have found that he is hardier than my section A. When it started turning colder this autumn, but before it turned really cold, I got him a new turn out rug. Turned him out in it and he came in dripping! So now with below freezing temperatures he's out in it, but my very hairy sec A has a turnout with an underrug.
 
Hi, another one here with a part bred Arab, he hated his rugs, is much happier and fluffier without. He has never sweated much though, even when he is a bit warm.... have come back from hacks and he will be dry as a bone, and his cobby companion will be wringing wet! In fact if he does sweat it's is one way I know if he is serious freaked out by something and not just acting the fool! He's been out in all the recent weather, 24/7, unrugged and totally happy and toasty.
As someone said earlier, check her ears! :)
 
Our oldie (20) is a part Arab. We got him a year ago, he used to be stabled overnight and came with a wide array of rugs of all weights. His coat wasn't woolly, it did have a lot of longer hairs but looked patchy, wispy and not thick and fluffy like his NF mate. We gave him the choice of in or out and he prefered to be out, we bought a field shelter but he preferred the hedge. We did keep him rugged in a 200g or 300g with nack and an under rug (as he came) for the snow and bad weather, but as the summer came on he was more or less naked 100%. He definitely doesn't like the rain - think it gets in to his shorter summer coat a lot easier than the NF who doesn't care about rain, so we have used a no-fill rainsheet quite often for those damp rain all day times, and I think he notices the wind so the neck goes on if cold and windy or the temp drops below freezing overnight.

As his winter coat came through, this year he has a LOT more underfluff, his coat is positively bushy compared to last year. As a consequence I've kept his level of rugs lighter to match - it's not got as cold here yet so I've not used the heavier rug so far. NF hasn't seen a rug other than his rainsheet the odd time it's due to rain / very muddy and we've an early start

He seems happy, not found him standing at the gate shivering, nor is he sweating buckets anyway!
 
Not an Arab, but I have a similar WB. He hates his rugs with a vengeance and without crossed, back straps he will have them off in a sec. Last few days I have tried to convince him to have a hood on, but not only does he remove it within seconds, he literally throws it to the ground, rolls on it, rears up over and generally tells it who is boss! You have to go with the flow with these horses! If they don't want a rug, perhaps they know best.
 
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