Over rugging...

sandi_84

sandi_84

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If you had a medium/heavy weight cob who is slightly overweight, healthy, fed a goodly amount of hay and a hard feed daily, excercised lightly and unclipped and it was between 3 - 8 degrees celsius overnight and through the day would you still have it in a heavy weight? Horse in question is shedding too.

Even in summer this horse is in a medium weight overnight and I just think it's too much :( It even had an super heavyweight rug on this winter and it wasn't even close to cold enough for that!

Have tried to have a chat with it's owner about this and explain that in fact the horse is far from cold and she's not doing it any kindness to be rugging it to the eyeballs and was told she might consider taking it down to a medium weight. It's going to be between 8-10 degrees tomorrow and the poor horse is going to be far too hot :(

Mine is the same type only lightweight and he's not had a heavyweight on for 2 years because he simply does not need it. He was naked last night and now is in a rain sheet with no fill only because we are having intermittent showers and tomorrow he will be naked again as long as the rain stays off.

How do you get it into someones head that they are being unintentionally cruel by over rugging without going spare at them? This is a friend by the way so don't want to cause an argument that would result in the end of a friendship but I had to say something tonight.
 
Every horse is different but it does sound like he is overweight, if he were mine, and could cope, he would probably just have a rain sheet on to keep him clean.

I don't think there's anything you can do really, her horse, her choice.
 
Mine is a clipped Anglo Arab and is in a heavyweight rug. So anything not clipped and certainly a cob prob needs something a lot lighter.
 
3Beasties said:
Every horse is different but it does sound like he is overweight, if he were mine, and could cope, he would probably just have a rain sheet on to keep him clean.

I don't think there's anything you can do really, her horse, her choice.
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Horse could very very easily cope with a rain sheet at this time of year especially with the weather (touch wood) looking up. Horse is not obese but is carrying a bit more than it should (as is mine at the moment so I can't really comment on that :/) but I do feel that what I have said tonight has gone in one ear and out the other :(
 
I don't think there is much you can do. You mention the summer rug routi e so presumably the situation has been like this for 9 months plus and the horse has not come to any harm so far so you have to ask whether it's worth potentially rocking the boat and getting annoyed over
 
WelshD said:
I don't think there is much you can do. You mention the summer rug routi e so presumably the situation has been like this for 9 months plus and the horse has not come to any harm so far so you have to ask whether it's worth potentially rocking the boat and getting annoyed over
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No the horse hasn't come to any harm as such I just find it a bit sad that said horse is not naked in summer, I do worry that the horse is way too hot and feel the owner is doing a bit of a disservice to the horse, I worry about what will happen when the horse gets older and needs the extra rugging, what will the owner put the horse in then?
 
I probably wouldn't, but unless he's sweating, he's not coming to any harm.

I have two with just a rainsheet, one with 2xHW and one with 2xMW+1xHW. No prizes for guessing who's the TB and who's new and VERY underweight! They have enough on that they're not dropping weight because of the cold. Mine live out though, and rugs are removed during the day if it gets warmer.
 
I find it utterly ridiculous when I drive past fields of horses on bright sunny days of 8+ degrees in rugs. Clipped or not when the sun is out they should be able to feel it on their skin, puff their coats up to air them and soak up the vitamin D.

OP there have actually been cases of horses getting ill due to Vit D deficiency because of over rugging - suggest you find some and leave in her car!

Ive had one in a rain sheet a few nights when we've had 60mph winds + rain but apart from that all have been naked, one 28 yr old pony, one friesian and one TB x QH (the one who gets a sheet occasionally)
 
Unfortunately there's not much you can do about it. Her horse etc.

It is sad to see, there's a lady at my yard her cob(out 24/7) wears a hw and mw during the day and at night 2 xhw's and a mw...now to me that is completely ridiculous!.

I have a highland, I remember being at show and just asked casually the competitor next to me how is her Highlands coat so fine for march (this is a few years ago) she answered her horses live in hw's ...summer included!!
 
hairyhighland said:
Unfortunately there's not much you can do about it. Her horse etc.

It is sad to see, there's a lady at my yard her cob(out 24/7) wears a hw and mw during the day and at night 2 xhw's and a mw...now to me that is completely ridiculous!.

I have a highland, I remember being at show and just asked casually the competitor next to me how is her Highlands coat so fine for march (this is a few years ago) she answered her horses live in hw's ...summer included!!
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I hate rugging up for coat to come through for showing. Making a pony too warm to speed up or prevent coating, cruel. My fully clipped highland is now in a 50 g and will lose his rug soon. I think people rug as a means of not providing a shelter.
 
Mine was naked yesterday and today (2 horse out of 40 were and I turned them both out), she could do with putting weight on, was fully clipped a couple months ago and works (was ridden for 2.5hrs this morning) , but I really don't understand why it bothers everyone so much what rugs others put on their horses. more important things to worry about in the world.
 
I think over-rugging is an increasing problem. Personally I think it is irresponsible to put a HW on an overweight cob. But sometimes people will just not listen to reason.
 
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