Reassurance please?

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domane

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Heck, the forecast here tonight is for minus eighteen! :( My three live out and I've done something I never thought I'd do and added my TB's second TO rug over the top of his first (he grows a fab coat and is unclipped). I have a very hairy traditional 18m coblet who I'm sure will be fine but I also have a 6m Welsh D colt who was kept stabled from the middle of October until he arrived at mine in the middle of November so he's been behind in growing his winter coat. He's woolly now but I hope it's enough.

I've left them loads of haylage dotted around one area of the field so they won't just be standing still all night and I know they run around to keep warm as I've witnessed it!

Just can't help worrying......
 
my coblet is fully clipped and been out 24/7 im actully hoping the fat porker will get cold and shed a few kilos ready for gaining in the spring!... dont worry about them, they would be colder stood still in a stable
 
It's been that many nights here : average temp is about -10 at night :eek:

Most of ours are out unrugged 24/7 (the highland baby, like your little fellow, was a bit behind growing a coat due to stabling but is now the fluffiest of them all). Pips is actually happier in this weather as he gets too hot otherwise - most nights he doesn't even bother to fluff his coat up.

Only the one pansy has a rug on and he's toasty warm in just a normal full neck HW (300g) combo). I felt sorry for him one night when it was a blizzard so gave him a under rug but he was sweaty the next morning! :rolleyes:

The only time they been chilly was the one night they ran out of haylege (they get adlib)and we couldn't get a bale in until the morning.
 
Mine have 300g rugs on, one of them is clipped and I can see her getting fatter and fatter under the rug. There is no grass as its buried under the snow and I am trying to be 'mean' with the haylege. She is going to be huge by the time I can ride again.
They have shelter with a bed in but I think they only use it to poo and wee in, by the look of the mess each morning.
I don't think they feel the cold like we do, but they don't like the wind and rain.
Yours will be fine, they can mooch around for their haylege, probably better than standing still in a stable.
 
opinionuk said:
Personally I wouldn't leave any horse out in this weather, I have a tb and ish who are double rugged nice and warm in stables.
Click to expand...

You've never met 2 of mine! They are happy out 24/7, way, way, WAY happier than they would be on a livery yard, rugged to the eyeballs and with limited turnout. I check them every day and if they weren't happy I would bring them in. They are yet to show ANY sign of wanting to come in.

Its a human thing to want to tuck them up in bed. My 2 are positively thriving out 24/7. My mare is 3/4s arab and is out in a foot of snow and temps that have dropped to -16degrees and shes toasty warm. They are living a very nice life where they get all the benefits of living naturally combined with the benefits of 2 hoomin slaves catering for their every whim :D
 
Horses are fine out overnight as long as they have adequate shelter, adequate rugging and fibre in their bellies to provide central heating. Horses tolerate bitter cold very well. It's driving, torrential, horizontal rain that makes them miserable. My 4 are in during the day, out at night from about 3pm to 8am. Veteran cob (26) has h/weight full neck on, new cob that gets fat on the smell of grass also out in h/weight full neck. Both shetlands out just in their own superb fur coats. All of them happy as pigs in clover. New cob actually getting FATTER!
 
i've got 2 out, 1 in.

i've got my cob out in a medium weight rug(he has a chase clip), as he is babysitting my connie yearling who is unrugged, both are happy as can be as long as they have food, they always feel toasty warm at the coldest of times!

i have one in as she is a complete wuss and hates the cold! she goes out everyday though with a couple of good rugs on :)

i think it depends on the horse, and also the conditions the horses are kept out in, if they have shelter, enough food, water, rugs/coat etc they are fine! :)
 
It isn't a damp cold, so long as they have water, shelter and feed they will be fine. Mine seem to be finding pleny of grass underneath the snow, which is pretty deep.
 
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