Over-rugging - and not changing day to night rugs

[madmav]

Is the current trend of leaving same rugs on horses day and night a bit much? Horse I share is currently wearing three top quality rugs and he lives in. I'd hate to be confined to the equivalent of ski gear 24 hours a day. When I had my own horse (a very long time ago), he had a jute rug and if freezing a blanket underneath. And they were changed and aired every day.

 

[Coffee_Bean]

My horse has the same rug on all the time at the moment, and has for the past 2 months (obv taken off to groom, ride etc

) I will sometimes add a fleece if its cold..... I don't really see what you're asking though?

 

[danny23]

tend to keep mine in turnout rug, get reset everyday and taken off for grooming/riding regularly. if its going to be cold night they get an extra ontop overnight

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Is he actually getting to hot under the rugs??? Modern rugs breath, which blackets/jute didn't. Perhaps you should discuss your concerns with the horses owner (rather than slagging them off on here).

 

[aimeerose]

My mares living out so she's in a summer sheet, a fleece, a heavy night rug, a heavy full neck turnout and a heavy high neck turnout, and she's just the right temp.

At the end of the day if the horse isn't hot then its wearing the right amount of rugs.

As to changing rugs... today's rugs are such high quality and great fit that leaving them on over night rather than changing them isn't the end of the world, when stabled mine often wear their day rugs over night.

It is just owner preference.

 

[Pedantic]

His lordship has a long kneck heavyweight for freezing temps, long kneck medium for cold, no kneck medium and rain sheet for warmer, all for outdoors, comeing inside he has a quilt for cold nights and nothing for tonight as it's 7deg, I dont like him to hot a I dont think it's fair for them to be cooking.

 

[madmav]

I apologise if my comment appeared to be "slagging anyone off". That was never my intention. I obviously didn't express myself very well. It just occurred to me that wearing the same gear continually, apart from riding and grooming, might be a little onerous - horses not naturally inclined to wear clothes etc.

 

[RunToEarth]

Mine has three rugs on at night, two in the field, I turn out in under rug and new zealand, my horse is never too hot, always just toastie, which I think is only fair, considering I stole his winter coat from him a few monthes ago.

 

[Coffee_Bean]

[ QUOTE ]
My mares living out so she's in a summer sheet, a fleece, a heavy night rug, a heavy full neck turnout and a heavy high neck turnout, and she's just the right temp.


[/ QUOTE ]

She has 5 rugs on

3 of them being heavy weight

Is she clipped? What breed?

 

[zelli]

Mine are often left in the same rugs over night, as some nights arent always colder than the temp during the day. tonight one of mine has a medium full neck on, as he gets grumpy when he gets wet! lol other are in light weights just to keep them dry

 

[Thistle]

Once you start layering the heavy rugs it all becomes a bit pointless as the filling is compacted and unable to trap air.

Mine have a similar wardrobe to Pedantic, except they stay in their breathable turnouts overnight.

 

[Nickijem]

I think there is a lot of over-rugging these days imo. I see a lot of unclipped native ponies in fields around me with heavyweight rugs on during the day.
I have an unclipped Trakehner who I don't rug at all except for a very wet day when he has a lightweight, breathable turnout on.
I know it is very tempting to rug because it keeps them clean but my horse is grey (mostly white) and I know I have to get to the yard a bit earlier to groom but rather that than let him cook in a rug.
He is an ideal weight too and I understand why owners of poor-doers would rug their horses.

 

[siennamiller]

I have to agree with you. It is quite chilly at night, mild in the day. Mine is wearing either a thin stable and a full neck thick stable at night. He has a medium weight turnout in the day with a summerweight hood. I would leave his turnout on at night if it was wet cos it never drys otherwise.

 

[Ellies_mum2]

The horse I share is turned out during the day and has either one or 2 rugs on depending on temps and is stabled at night when she wears a quilted rug and boots.

 

[dieseldog]

[ QUOTE ]
It just occurred to me that wearing the same gear continually, apart from riding and grooming, might be a little onerous - horses not naturally inclined to wear clothes etc.

[/ QUOTE ]

I can't see a problem with that. If the rug fits how would the horse know if it has a waterproof coating on the outside or not. Mine wears the same TO rug all the time. Apart from saving time I also have rubber matting and 'normal' stable rugs don't cope well with rubber matting. I sure she would also really enjoy me ripping of her nice warm rug and sticking a freezing cold one on her twice day.

 

[Weezy]

Mine is as good as out (in a large airy pen) and is in a MW TO and tonight she has a fleece underneath. When it is colder she has a medium duvet under. Some days I don't change rugs at all, other days I take the TO off as her stable is a sun trap - the horses opposite her have no sun in the day and rarely have their rugs changed.

Five rugs is ridiculous - sorry.

 

[Worried1]

Diva has been recieving treatment for a muscle spasm in her back which the vets thought could have been agrevated by over rugging.

It has really made me reconsider rugging all of mine - especially seeing the difference in her since taking off the layers!!!

I have bought a Jasper loghtweight from weatherbeeta with a full neck and just been using this.

For a horse who was fully clipped it wasa difficult decision to make - especially with the cold snaps we have had.

But she is so much happier, no face pulling when I put her rugs on and just in general much more comfortable. She has also never appeared to be cold!

 

[merlinsquest]

Merlin lives out and therefore wears the same rug continually.

It is a top of the range Rambo, and so breathes, so he never gets sweaty unless the sun happens to beat down on him

.... no problem lately then.

 

[arwenplusone]

[ QUOTE ]
My mares living out so she's in a summer sheet, a fleece, a heavy night rug, a heavy full neck turnout and a heavy high neck turnout, and she's just the right temp.

At the end of the day if the horse isn't hot then its wearing the right amount of rugs.

As to changing rugs... today's rugs are such high quality and great fit that leaving them on over night rather than changing them isn't the end of the world, when stabled mine often wear their day rugs over night.

It is just owner preference.

[/ QUOTE ]

IMO this is a bit much.

Horses actually prefer to be cold rather than hot and if she's living out surely she can run about a bit if she's cold?

But - as you say, owner preference

 

[Natch]

Thats really interesting, worried1, in what way does the vet think the spasms were triggered by the rugs - the weight of them, or too hot, sweaty etc?

I used to be on a yard where it was considered normal to have several rugs on at any one time regardless of weather/type of horse/clip etc. It was ridiculous. Modern rugs are surely that well designed that the need for layering is eliminated (I suppose I mean if you have light/medium/heavyweight versions rather than one multipurpose one).

Personal preference for me is just the one rug at a time, and if it was an elderly or particularly thin skinned horse then maybe more layers.

I would be interested to see if baggage replies with what type of horse s/he has and why they chose to rug so heavily.

 

[madmav]

[ QUOTE ]
I used to be on a yard where it was considered normal to have several rugs on at any one time regardless of weather/type of horse/clip etc. It was ridiculous. Modern rugs are surely that well designed that the need for layering is eliminated (I suppose I mean if you have light/medium/heavyweight versions rather than one multipurpose one).

That's the point I was trying to make - just think I may inadvertently have upset some people on the way! Just concerned at the way the horse feels under the rugs.

 

[pocket]

I'm with Madmav on this one, we have horses that are unclipped and then have 3 rugs on and the owners wonder why the horse is sweating.

Some of the horses are in rugs 24/7 as the owners dont even bother to change the rugs and then wonder why they have skin problems or rubbed shoulders etc.

Ralph is clipped and has middle wt indoor/outdoor rugs which are changed in the morning and groomed twice a day before/after exercise.

What would this generation do with jutes or the old NZ rugs ah

 

[MillionDollar]

I have 2 horses, 1 cob and 1 WB both are fully clipped and live out 24/7 both with just a HW combo turnout on. Also have a pony who is fully clipped she is in a MW stable rug (shes in most of the time) with no neck. The other 3, 1 pony and 2 foals are out 24/7 naked.

 

[Gorgeous George]

George goes out with a mw turnout at the moment and then a mw stable when he comes in - um that's it! If his turnout gets really wet it's left on him to dry (assuming he is dry underneath of course).

 

[blackcob]

I think it is very easy to over-rug and people may do it with the intention of being kind, when the horse would actually be more comfortable without.

Mine is a Welsh D who is blanket clipped in winter and the heaviest turnout she has is a 170g with a neck and that is perfectly adequate for even the coldest days. At night she might have a couple of stable rugs layered on if it's going to be well below freezing but never any more than 350g worth, usually much much less. The heaviest single rug she owns is a 240g stable quilt, can't believe some rugs go up to 450g really!

If she weren't clipped she'd have no rugs at all, apart from perhaps a turnout with no fill purely to keep her clean in winter.

ETS: I change her rugs from day to night because I think they should always have a lighter one on in the day so they feel the benefit at night. It also means that any pressure points (and even the best fitting rug will put pressure somewhere) get a chance to be swapped around and alleviated. I am also somewhat traditional in that it means she can have a smart day rug on and keep a more soiled one for night time.

 

[moodymare1987]

Ben is fully clipped and has 2 rugs on at night, he is stabled overnight.
I do alternate the rugs depending on how hot/cold it is.
And in the day he has his top rug off and if its warm enough then both rugs off and has a show fleece on in the day as I like him to get a bit of air to his coat.

I dont think I over rug him, he is always checked before I Go to make sure he isnt too hot or cold.

 

[SpruceRI]

Rosie has a full clip and lives out.

When it's windy or wet she has her Weatherbeeta Orican (with neck), and when it's cold but dry she has one of her no-neck jobs on.

I'd never ever put her out in 5 rugs. Not only would she boil to death, but if she rolled in the mud she'd never be able to get back up with all that weight.

I don't constantly change rugs because she gets really peed off. I used to, because I felt I should, but she's far happier to be left as is.

She always feels warm enough.

My other 2 natives have a full coat and are both unrugged.

Only if it rains constantly for a few days do I stick a rug on and from the youngsters point of view that's more so she gets used to rugs being chucked on and off.

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Well my cob is fully clipped and spent the coldest part of the winter in a Rambo Supreme (full neck 420g) with 100g under rug on at night too!!!

Why??? Because she was barely warm enough!!! She has adlib hay at night too. I personnally don't like to put more than 2 rugs on (but I'm lucky in the fact that I was able to buy Sparks a whole wardrobe to choose from). I also tend not to use under rugs when turned out (again my preferance). What other people do is entirely up to them, and provided the horse wasn't too hot, who am I to comment?

 

[Pidge]

No, Pidge has a breathable outdoor rug on, only 200g and he is a fully clipped ISH

I always check to see how cold/warm he is and adjust rugs accordingly. He does however have his rug off every day as I tend to ride most days and if not I give him a good groom. Think it's different now with breathable rugs.

 

[Paddywhack]

It drives me mad to see horses over rugged in the field and its actually not very healthy for them,if they feel the cold their body will adapt to that but if they over heat they cant ! I agree 100% with Arwen ! MIne lives out 24/7,they get a good feed to be sure that they will keep warm and not hungry and got 1 T/O rug (Weight depending winter/autumn) on that gets removed during the day "to air the coat" I have had horses for more than half of my life and i feel that there is too much interferance from over protected owners that are actually not looking into how a horse reacts to weather changes and how their bodies actually starts a protection procedure when it gets cold but they will over heat when too hot..People should treat them as horses not muddlecuddle them