Over-rugging..........

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keeperscottage

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I'm a yard owner and have almost fifty years of horse experience (started very early!) under my belt - I'm not a numpty! I simply cannot believe how many rugs my liveries put on their horses! For example....livery complained her unclipped traditional cob hadn't dried off after returning from a ride sweaty yesterday morning - he'd had two rugs on in his stable overnight but she wouldn't agree with me that he simply had too many rugs overnight - she was convinced he was still sweaty from yesterday...another heavy cob had two rugs overnight plus medium weight high neck turnout during the day - came in sweating this afternoon.......Dartmoor with two stable rugs was sweating this morning........Section A was sweating tonight (owner was worried about colic - no......over-rugged). One TB currently has FOUR rugs on........I could go on, but I won't.........opinions, please!
 
I find this at work (I'm a groom at a livery yard) some of the unclipped horses already wear 2 heavyweight full necks at night - god knows what they will wear when it actually gets cold!

But it's not my place to make decisions so ill just let them crack on - feel sorry for the sweaty ponies in the mornings though!
 
My opinion is each to their own really, unless there is a real welfare issue eg losing weight...

However, I really do wonder what on earth people who are rugging with 4 rugs now will do when we get down to really cold temps. A few years back it got down to -18 (I remember it well, living though the winter on the yard in a caravan...brrr!), what happens then?!

Luckily I now know exactly when my youngster is over rugged, if he gets too hot he simply gets far to irritable and itchy and will do his utmost to tear as many holes in his rugs as possible. At present he is just in a no fill turnout. I tried a few days ago to add a very thin sheet underneath as another layer as I felt it was getting cold. He had other ideas and the rips started to appear.....
 
I find people have a strange requirement for their horses to be 'toasty' under their rugs I was always under the opinion that that was too warm. Their hair keeps them insulated so surely they would only feel slightly warm to the touch or warm around the ears/arm pit? But then I am always stifled when I go to other peoples 'toasty' houses too :P
 
Woah. And I was worried I was over rugging for my wimpy poor doer 14 year old. He's in a medium weight combo clipped and living out. 12.2 welsh mountain thats out on loan and is 22 is still living out naked! Wowzers. Words fail me for poor sweaty ponies.
 
Me too - don't think it's my place to comment although I do make a few carefully chosen comments but I'm usually met by "But I know he's so cold...." - arghhh!! It was (or is!) 11C this evening! Stables are internal barn stables, by the way, so hardly exposed to the elements!
 
I agree, but unfortunately a large percentage of the horsey population these days seem to think Molly-coddling is the way forward.

Slowly suffocating their horses with the wrong kind of love in my experience!
 
Master Benedict - I also wonder what will happen when the temperature really drops! Interestingly, one of the heavy cobs is literally NEVER without a rug. He's stabled at night all year and is ALWAYS rugged - and he is SO itchy!
 
My new horse is a freak of nature he has a blanket clip and only has a 70g turnout (with a neck at night). and he is still marginally too hot, but he really cat ware anyless!!!

Its not easy to tow the line between being a considerate YO for the horses and not offending the owners!!!
 
I also do not understand the need for a horse to be toasty. rug light if at all. if by chance temp drops then look at rug needed. i have always prefer more hay when temp dropoed but there again baby was naked inside and out even minus 10. I watched weather like hawk not daily but constantlyfor week to plan when to start increasing or decreasing hay. when colder hay went up. sadly horses can not remove rugs when to hot. :)
 
I hate seeing over rugged horses and not being in the position to say anything! My tb is still in a lightweight stable and turnout and is the perfect temperature IMO.
I want him to feel the benefit of his heavyweight combo when it's really freezing. I remember last year finding my horse in the stable with 2 heavyweight combo's on and he was dripping in sweat. He was on part livery at the time and I'm so glad I went to check him that night because he was so uncomfortable!
A lot of my fellow liveries have their unclipped horses in medium weights and fleeces at the momemt. Poor horses!
 
i cant understand how one rug can be warm enough for overnight (-3/4) then still be cool enough for warm sunshine during the day (+10) how does that work.?
 
I like to feel under the rug and they feel "indifferent", if that makes sense. Not warm or cold, just neutral.
I can't understand the need for all these rugs.
My lad's hunter clipped and in a 40g. He's just right at the moment. I'd always rather under than over rug, but that seems to be the exception rather than the rule. A lot of people I know rug the horses up because they (the people) are cold...bonkers!
 
People make me so angry! if your horse is sweating its too hot, take its rugs off!!

mine have only just started wearing their light weight solidly and that's because its raining! my mare is 28 with a blanket clip and is a very warm horse, she gets really angry when I put her rug on!! my 3yr old isn't as warm as her but he's not clipped so he's only in a light weight too!

Last winter they had their heavies on for only a few weeks when it was snowing!
 
i have a fully clipped tb in a no neck 200g stable rug and he feels toasty but he is a warm horse and my other tb not clipped in a fleece at night looking at what some horses have on makes me wonder but i am going by my own horses and how they feel.
 
I agree. Some poor horses must be so hot and uncomfortable but some people still think over rugging stops them growing a thick winter coat. None of mine wear more than 200g / 8oz even if they are fully clipped and the temperatures are below zero.
 
How I wish you had been my YO when I had my boy on livery. I left a selection of rugs up there in case of need but ended up taking most of them home as he was always over rugged. Yes he was clipped but was the hottest horse ever. He was quite happy in a thermatex all year over night, and rarely ever more than a mw turnout but I found him sweaty in all sorts just because the others were. Currently unclipped pony has a no fill rainsheet as he hates being wet but if not wet is naked regarding of temp.
 
keeperscottage said:
Highlands - dread to think when temperature really drops! We have two of our own clipped out, fit, and with FAR fewer rugs than these unfit, overweight hairy cobs, ha ha!
Click to expand...

Mine are the same all three in meduim wugs, lovely and warm and was worried incase they were cold.... Ears nice and cosy.... All well fed and look very well!
 
There's nothing much else for me to say but read all the incoming posts (which I'm enjoying reading!)! I have a yard full of liveries who over-rug their hairies and native ponies (plus the TB already in four rugs). We're in Hertfordshire, not Northern England, and have yet to experience any frost! I reckon my liveries think I'm heartless leaving two of mine out, clipped, and with only two rugs on!!
 
Wow that is extreme! It's insane isn't it, I hate to think how many layers they'll be in when it actually does get cold. Two of ours are still in lightweights, wimpy mare is in 40g - she has been in a 150g on the coldest couple of days we've had (typically no rugs between the two) but would be far too hot in anything more - and she is a very fine coated type!
We have an equestrian centre down the road from us and last time I rode past there were so many hairy ponies layered up with duvet rugs - I know the owners mean well and are only doing it because they fear the horses will be cold, but I've always thought better to be too cold than too hot - it's a horrible feeling when you're baking but can't do anything about it.
 
Last year ok it was cold and there was snow on ground but saw a really old pony hardly being able to move due to having so many rugs on. Can't do them much good. Would be worried about an under rug slipping
 
I do feel sorry for truly over rugged ponies - my unclipped NF is I think is the only naked pony on a large yard. I've no intention of rugging until it gets significantly colder.

But, my old horse had a whole host of problems & on veterinary advice did need to be rugged to be on the toasty side - I was forever accused of over rugging & other DIY liveries (different yard) were forever making comments, despite knowing the veterinary advice.

I saw a few of my friends recently from old yard & they were horrified that my current horse is unrugged ... A case of can't win?!
 
Its currently 12 degrees here at 22.20, my blanket clipped fuzzy is in a LW elderly very thin polywarm which is thinner than a thermatex (think a tiny bit warmer than a summer sheet) & Fuzzy was quite warm half an hour ago.
Sat night when 0 degrees, I pushed the boat out & put her in a 40g rug....

OP over rugging.... please dont get me started........

edited to add: Tiny Fuzzy was standing in her stable sweating due to excessive thick thatch of her own!
 
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Starryeyed - I've now given up! One livery reckons she's bought three lightweight turnouts and none are waterproof because they all get wet linings. Actually, they all get wet linings because her horse sweats up, not because the rug leaks!
 
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