OTT on rugging?

I normally would say I sit in the middle in these debates, never having piled on the rugs previously, but I do use at least a MW combo throughout winter, but last friday was a warm afternoon (Im in herts, the warmer SE) so I left my supposedly hardy welsh b pony out overnight with no rug, it rained throughout the night and saturday morning he was not in a good way, rolling, rearing, refusing to walk as he must have got so cold over night.

I felt like a totally crap owner and will now be rugging on the warmer side from now on so I have a happy warm pony, I refuse to let him suffer just because he is a supposedly hardy native and doesn't need rugging, so people agree to disagree all the horses and ponies are different and have different needs.
 
JennyConnor said:
Ok firstly, I wasn't asking I was wondering. I find it incredibly rude of you to say I should think twice about having horses.

Secondly, I agree that too many rugs are cruel and unnecessary. However, I don't think me putting 2 HW's and a fleece on a fully clipped 21 year old in the middle of winter is cruel. He is out all day in the snow, wind or rain with his 2 HW's and fleecy on.
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Hi JC - I wasn't referring to you in my first paragraph, please don't be offended as I know you were just asking a question. What you will see on here during the coming winter months will be a plethora of threads along the lines of:

"What are you rugging, my horse is in XYZ do you think that he is too hot/cold?" ask Mrs A from Cambridgeshire.
"That is far too many rugs he will be too hot" from Mrs B in Jersey.
"That is nowhere near enough rugs, mine are in ABCDE and I still worry they are cold" from Mrs C in Fochabers.
 
snooples said:
What I think people need to understand though is shivering is not a bad thing, it is a perfectly natural response to a bit of cold rain. Prolonged and excessive shivering is something different but if your horse shivers during the summer there should be no need for a rug as he is already warming himself up in a natural way.
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This ^^^

It is also easier to warm a horse up with a rug and hay/fibre - it fuels their internal furnace - than it is for a horse to cool down.
 
Out of interest, if someone walked past you in the street with a young baby with 2/3/4 or more thick coats on and a fleece top, in temps of 10 degrees celsius, what would people automatically think? Personally I would think that it was a ludicrous amount to put on when that baby cannot tell you how it is feeling. Apart from the discomfort of wearing that many layers ie mobility, rubbing, inability to scratch if itching, I would think that if we ourselves put that many layers on in those temps, we would be sweltering (unless there is something wrong with you).

Personally I am working in a short sleeved shirt each day still, at temps of 10-12 degrees the last few days. Most that I will put on is a hoodie jumper to go to the yard.
 
Here it has gone from being warm sunny and pleasant in a short sleeved top (Saturday), to freezing cold gale force wind and incredibly heavy rain (Sunday). My own clothes have changed from summer (Saturday), to winter (thermals, fleece, winter coat, big scarf and gloves on Sunday!). I've put the heating on in the house and the office. It may well be lovely and warm again in a couple of days, in which case I will switch it off again and change my outfit!

I wouldn't leave my horse out in the storm un-rugged any more than I would leave his rug on if it was an unseasonably hot day later in the year. Or any more than I would go out in a summer dress in the storm, saying 'it is only September'. Or leave my winter coat on, on a rare sunny autumn day.

Mine has just got a rainsheet on, as he has a relatively thick coat (though still not a full winter coat through - after all it was summer a few days ago!), and is not clipped yet.
 
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