Poor beasties ......Do not read if offended by rugging

lexiedhb said:
this is an open forum I fear I have the right to comment on whatever thread I chose, without being told to "please just let us people who like to rug our horses discuss it." :eek::cool:
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Of course you have a right, as does anyone else but i can understand the OP's post title and the further comment "please just let us people who like to rug our horses discuss it" as many of the rug posts on here lately seem to get very heated between people who do rug and people who don't.
I don't think anything was meant by the comment but i think that the OP and the people who have added to this thread want to discuss rugging their horses without people questioning them why they are rugging so early and opening the whole "my horses live out 24/7, 365 no rug and if you rug your horse your not letting them be natural" etc debate.

...My horse went out today in his brand new Rhino med weight...The rug is so nice i was thinking of keeping it in it's bag and just looking at it!!!
However my little man looked after it and was super shiny when i took it off!!!
 
My horse is in the shelter 15 mins before it starts raining or else she melts!

She is in a medium weight, comes in for 2 hours a day for hay, feed and a huge bucket of Readi Grass, then turned back out with adlib hay and still gives me "that look" when I leave.

She lives out 24/7 and I think she hates me lol! :D
 
Mine is clipped out and i put him in a mw the other day but i put his fleece with neck on under it tonight as it dropped. Hes in a mw with no neck during the day and he seems fine but im going to did out the mw with neck just in case.
As ive only had him since march im just about to do some rug shopping for hw rugs before it really drops. :D
 
mine is in a thermatex and 350gm full neck stable rug at night and has a 120gm stable rug under a 360gm combo when out in the day.plus a snuggy hood.....he's *just* warm enough, but ill be upping it a weight tomorrow. its gone so cold so quickly, i think is the issue,caught them by suprise.
 
My Coblet, Teddi is coming in to live for the winter tomorrow now.
I will also be rugging him like mad otherwise he gets very very very hairy! Although i'll probably still blanket Clip him, but want to get a Superman stencil from Stencilbum for his shoulder 1st so he can be SuperTed!! :)
 
lexiedhb said:
Actually Im not offended by rugging- like I said if you had cared to read my actual post " if they are cold rug em"- and as this is an open forum I fear I have the right to comment on whatever thread I chose, without being told to "please just let us people who like to rug our horses discuss it." :eek::cool:

Which is actually an odd turn of phrase- you LIKE to rug your horse, surely you only rug as and when they need it? :rolleyes:

Anyhoo I was merely wondering about the practicalities, and also wondering if the older school methods like the ones you describe, which is what I was thinking were actually more effective than all the new fangled hoods, HW's etc as obviously layering is known to be warmer.

I remember buying blankets/duvets from our local charity shop for mine, but they always had them folded back, never wore necks etc. How times change :D
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I'm with you on this. I rugged some of mine, who live out 24/7, for the first time last night as I thought it would rain overnight. It didn't rain and although they were only in light middleweight rugs they were all too warm this morning.

The horses that are in at night have been unrugged during the day but wearing a fleece or Thermatex at night as they obviously spend less time eating and therefore generating their own heat.

I am not against rugging but do think we tend to fall into the trap of thinking our horses are colder than they are.
 
I have 2 oldish horses who are now wearing-

300g Amigo Plus overnight in their stables

the TB is wearing a HW amigo t/o and the 24yo is wearing a HW wug (in the field)
 
well i have an unclipped welsh section a in a 300g rug over night and a 200g combo for TO

and then on the other hand my unclipped cob is out 24/7 and rugless :)
 
Im broken at the moment so my horses, that are out of work are out, rugless. Having been stabled all summer- coats grow quick when they need to! this includes our 4month old foals who are still out

One of mine came in to go to a friends on a "trial" and he was left rugless- in at night- out during day- until he was clipped.

And my clipped 3 that stayed in work with grooms/trainer are in variety, they lightest being a single 300g no neck the heavy being a 150g and a 350g both no neck.
 
I clipped my TB today (a cross between a blanket and a chaser clip :p ) and he is now out in a 200g without a neck, am wondering if he'll be warm enough though as it's bl00dy freezing out there :eek: :eek:
 
My TB is wearing her MW turnout with a heavy weight stable rug underneath at night in her stable (she was cold with just the MW), and her MW and HW turnout in the field... wow I have a wimpy horse!
 
lexiedhb said:
Anyhoo I was merely wondering about the practicalities
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My ISH is in a m/w combo at night time now because it is 2C - I would prefer this to her growing a very thick coat and getting too lean, as happened last winter. I could clip her but she would hate it and she is certainly not too warm in what she's wearing. Where I live (home counties) it never really gets that far into the minuses and when it does, she can wear her h/w. She is in her m/w now for night and then a l/w during the day. If future nights are warmer then she can stay in the l/w.

For what it's worth, I've always been a fan of rugging as little as possible. This is just what suits my horse and current situation for now.
 
Now I feel guilty. The two of mine that have been clipped, have been out in m/w standards, including last night.

Went out to the car at 6.35 this morning, it said -1.5 c :eek::eek: AND the weather forecaster said it got down to -5 c here during the night :eek: :eek: :eek:

Was thinking about putting their necks on tonight, but it looks like it could be heavy weights!!!!! YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





Bad mummy...........
 
Not a bad mummy at all T :D

Got the rugging just right last night thankfully! Lord had B's faceless sherpa on and his MW stable....was just right :D was "room" temp to the touch all round and he seemed a lot happier this morn :)

B was wrapped up.....full face sherpa & HW stable with neck again he was temprate to touch:) I know he has been getting cold though as he is growing his clip out quickly :o




With temps due to plummit again tonight they shall have the same on again :p
 
Madam is in a full neck under-rug with heavyweight 1/2 neck stable rug on overnight, and a medium weight combo out in the day - may up it to heavyweight in the day though if this bitter wind continues.

I just go with how my horse is. If I go to get her in from the field and her ears are cold and her face hair is stood on end, IMO, she is cold and I will put more rugs on her accordingly. In the -10 temps last winter, at night she was in a fleece, followed by duvet, followed by light weight stable rug, followed by heavy weight 1/2 neck stable rug, and stable bandages. She may well have looked like Michelin Man, but she was warm. NOT hot.

She does seem to feel the cold though. Others at the yard are just in lightweight stable rugs at night and they are as toastie as she is in the morning...

All horses are different, but I don't think that old-fashioned "it'll be fine, just leave a rug off and the horse will man up" values are correct with every horse. What would happen to my mare if she was kept by someone who "doesn't believe" in rugging up? Quite simple, they would have a constantly tucked up, miserable horse, with a mammoth like coat, who costs a lottery win to feed for the winter and yet still looks like a hat rack. I'll go with the rugs thanks... :)
 
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HollyWoozle said:
My ISH is in a m/w combo at night time now because it is 2C - I would prefer this to her growing a very thick coat and getting too lean, as happened last winter. I could clip her but she would hate it and she is certainly not too warm in what she's wearing. Where I live (home counties) it never really gets that far into the minuses and when it does, she can wear her h/w. She is in her m/w now for night and then a l/w during the day. If future nights are warmer then she can stay in the l/w.

For what it's worth, I've always been a fan of rugging as little as possible. This is just what suits my horse and current situation for now.
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Ummm you do know horses coat length is dependant on daylight hours and not temperature dont you?:confused:
 
perryhillbay said:
I just go with how my horse is. If I go to get her in from the field and her ears are cold and her face hair is stood on end, IMO, she is cold and I will put more rugs on her accordingly. :)
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Really if just her face is cold you add more rugs??? So if you are out ans about and its a bit chilly, and your nose is a bit cold but the reat of you is toasty do you go add another coat?????
 
When I got home from work this morning at 5am it was -3 in Hammersmith and -5 in St Albans.

I've said it before and I will say it again -5 is -5 even if it is October. I rug according to temperature and to suit each of my horses needs.
 
My Dutch wimp is clipped in a Mark Todd medium weight poly, Thermatex and Amigo thin poly on top!!!!!! He is just right!!! I know people on my yard think I am mad but he really is a freezer!! He never sweats and I have to put loads of rugs on him to keep him toastie :) My 17 yr old ID x TB is unclipped, unrugged out 24/7 just in case anybody thinks I have a rug fetish!!!! :)
 
boogles said:
I have to admit I do chuckle when people say to me

"I'm NOT rugging yet as it's only october" Yet you see their horses stood in a field looking miserable and tucked up!
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Yeah sometimes people see it as some sort of Triumph that their horse isnt rugged and show off about it!!! and you see their horse in the field looking thoroughly Pi**ed off, cold,wet and miserable its not a sign of weakness to put a rug on!!!!!!
 
My arab is in a medium weight with a heavy weight combo on top with a snuggy hood head hood during the day, at night she has a full neck rambo wug plus with a 350g masta on top and she isnt clipped yet. Last winter she ended up in 6 rugs as it was that cold and she was in foal not clipped and not in work.

Her 4.5 month foal is in a medium half neck day and night ( not weaned yet) and my british riding pony is in a medium full neck but I am going to start putting a stable rug under it at night.

It is really cold here already and my horses feel the cold, also they dont live in convential stables as we have a farm so they are in big airy barns that were built for cattle originally.

I like my horses to be warm and happy.
 
lexiedhb said:
Really if just her face is cold you add more rugs??? So if you are out ans about and its a bit chilly, and your nose is a bit cold but the reat of you is toasty do you go add another coat?????
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I was always taught if a horse has a cold muzzle, and or ears they are cold, so I have to go with Perryhillbay on this one, my TB is a bit of a wimp, and if she is cold all that good grass she got in summer, is for nothing, my vet says she looks just right now, she was a hat rack last winter, not happening again, she is out in a light, no neck stable rug, under a medium turnout with neck, and in a fleece and a heavy stable rug when in, and she is in a block with other horses, she is not clipped yet, but holding her weight...For now!:rolleyes:
 
BuBbleMooJim said:
I was always taught if a horse has a cold muzzle, and or ears they are cold,
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I was taught to check the base (not tips) of a horses's ears to check if he is warm enough. Putting your hand on their coat under a rug is not a good way to check if they are cold as their coat is meant to insulate them.

Rugs flatten the coat so it looks as though they are less fluffy but they still have full coats.

Rugging is a personal choice and should be adapted to each horse's needs. My oldie has been rugged for a while now so that the doesn't drop condition but most of my others are currently unclipped and unrugged but will be rugged once they are clipped.
 
jesstickle said:
FWIW I am cold with two jumpers and a fleece on at the moment as the weather has changed rather quickly.
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You wimp...:p Only kidding, I still go out in a Polo shirt and jacket to the yard, no sweaters, fleeces or jumpers... and a thin pair of jogging pants.

My two horses Welsh x Dales 22yrs old and a Hackney 7yrs old are still naked. I am not worried though as I check them everyday and they are still warm as toast without rugs.

I like them to grow big thick woolly coats but then I don't do anything with them with, I call them my money eating lawnmowers.

They will also be living out 24/7 all year unless we have a really bad night then they will come in until it eases off

I have no concerns about people rugging up early but I don't like to see horses with 4+ rugs on and they are struggling to move. With the excellence in rugs these days there's not really any need for it unless your up in the shetlands isles. Brrr..!! I couldn't hack the cold weather up far North. I admire the scottish...
 
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