putasocinit
Well-Known Member
Thanks wagtail
No rug am I being cruel
- Thread starter putasocinit
- Start date
Wagtail
Horse servant
I agree with this. I don't think a horse should ever be cold to lose weight, but they should be allowed to use their own body furnace to generate enough heat to stay comfortable and therefore burn a few calories. The problem with over rugging (and I think a middleweight rug on an unclipped cob is definitey overrugging), is that you effectively shut off the body's furnace. Therefore when you then suddenly remove the rugs, the horse is overly cold until their body can get acclimatised again. My own laminitic mare has a chaser clip. I leave her 100g stable rug off during the day and put it on at night. She is never cold, but it means she does have to burn a few calories to stay nice and warm. I've managed to shift 20 kilos off her in a week. This is helping her a great deal with her hoof problems.
putasocinit
Well-Known Member
Okay, turned out naked, his coat is not long, but also not short, brought in and a light sheet on in box with a lot more hay from tonight for the late shift.
When his coat becomes thicker I will leave the light sheet off unless its raining.
When his coat becomes thicker I will leave the light sheet off unless its raining.
Bigginge
Well-Known Member
This ^^^ it's not about leaving a horse shivering in the field but letting them do what they would do naturally. Unless your climate is very much colder than it is round here at the moment I would think leaving an unclipped cob naked would be absolutely fine.
Pearlsasinger
Up in the clouds
Actually, you are not putting the rug on for his benefit, rather for yours, so that you don't have to spend so long getting the muck off. Only putting the rug on when it is raining and you wnat to ride sounds like a good plan.
We all struggle to give them enough work in winter, that's just how it is unless you are at home all day, with nothing else to do.
As for the comments about letting them use their energy to keep warm without a rug, IMO that is far preferable to letting them stand in a stable for hours with nothing to eat. A healthy horse with a good natural coat is likely to only need a rug in the very worst of wet and windy weather in an exposed location.
If your horse needs to lose weight (as mine does) either soak your hay, or feed low-calorie chaff - I use Honeychop plain oat straw chaff- or both and try to keep the horse in for more hours than absolutely necessary, OP could yours go out until his 6pm feed?
putasocinit
Well-Known Member
He has to come in at lunch time when i bring him in, as yo used to bring in for me at 6pm in summer but can't in winter as in a different field further away from boxes.
I hate him being in but out of my control, I did lunge him today, again I can't go down at night and fill up haynet so have to give a whole lot in one go at night. He gets the dengie good doer chaff at lunch time to fill his belly between his morning grass and pm hay.
I could ask about leaving out 24/7 but field floods and grass is really really long
I hate him being in but out of my control, I did lunge him today, again I can't go down at night and fill up haynet so have to give a whole lot in one go at night. He gets the dengie good doer chaff at lunch time to fill his belly between his morning grass and pm hay.
I could ask about leaving out 24/7 but field floods and grass is really really long