Rug advice for my new underweight TB please

italylyns

italylyns

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hi all,

i have fallen in love with an underweight TB. He is having his vetting on thursday and all being well will be coming to me to be pampered and loved on saturday!!

For the past 3/4 months he has been left out in a field to fend for himself so has lost alot of weight. His hair is thick, which really is a blessing as it hides just how poor he really is underneath :-(

I have had alot of contact with his previous owner who only sold him in june last year and she advised me that he is not a skinny TB but a really good doer normally and seeing pics of him last year i cant believe its the same horse!

my question is, what weight rugs would people suggest using in these temperatures??? He does have the really long hair but is also bones underneath so what would you suggest???
 
My TB who is a poor doer (posted a photo of him yesterday of how he was when I first saw him - sounds similar to yours) is currently in the weatherbeeta genero 600d HW combo. He's warm but not hot and definitely not cold :) Maybe get a MW, layer with a fleece until end of feb, or whenever temps rise the remove the fleece. Might get more wear out of it?
 
I would get a MW (200 - 250 g approx) and a HW (300 - 400g approx) and then go by the horse. Put the MW on and if the horse is still cold, swap to the HW. If the horse is hot in the HW then you can swap back to the MW.

ETA I tended to use 1200d Amigo rugs for my TB as they fit her so well. She had a couple of other makes too (Shires Stormbreaker and a Masta half neck). I personally don't like using fleeces under turnouts as they slip back and rub. Horseware Duo Liners are fab if you want a bit more warmth.
 
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Depends how hot he is naturally. My tb is a poor doer but even with a fresh full clip will sweat in more than a mw unless it's snowing :o Mine needs ad lib hay to gain and hold condition rather than rugging. If he's unclipped you might find the same. Also I found the other magic ingredients to be unmollased sugar beet, micronised linseed and no cereals
 
Try not to spend to much money tho- my boy went up 3 rug sizes once he filled out. My lad is clipped blanket and in a heavy weight-450g full neck and comfortable. In snow he was in 550. If un clipped prob only in a 300g.
Depends if he is warm, given the thick coat i would be more tempted to buy a medium weight as its the outward part of winter now so will get more use and also will be big change for him than having no rug.
Good luck.
 
Depends how warm he gets.

Start off with a lightweight (one with some filling not a summer no fill) and go from there.
She how cold/hot he feels.
You dont want him to loose food energy keeping warm but equally you dont want him sweating!
On these humid wet days my clipped tb has be in a medium with hood.
But when really cold and snowing he has had a meduim stable with a heavy weight turnout on top.
 
I'd start with a medium weight and a fleece, you have a bit more flexability and has already been mentioned as he fills out he'll probably need a bigger rug so I wouldn't spend a lot but I would check the length as some come up quite short.
 
If he's been out unrugged I won't bother - for the simple reason his coat is thick and used to thermoregulating - why think u can do better?!
Instead I'd make sure he had ad lib hay, and was getting two or three small meals a day of micronised linseed oats and bran with a good mineral sup such as Pro Balance.

It's warm here in the NE compared to last week mine r all naked and happy and a lot are being caught out over rugging which is worse, especially in a horse who has been rugless anyway.
 
I'd buy a lightweight fill rug, 100g or thereabouts that has liner attachments and a 100g liner, then if you need more get a second liner. This should work out cheaper. The liners can be used under a stable rug too.

Look at the premier equine trio or Rambo duo for the idea, but you don't have to buy the full system. Most PE, Rambo, and Amigo rugs have the attachments for the liners.
 
TigerTail said:
If he's been out unrugged I won't bother - for the simple reason his coat is thick and used to thermoregulating - why think u can do better?!
Instead I'd make sure he had ad lib hay, and was getting two or three small meals a day of micronised linseed oats and bran with a good mineral sup such as Pro Balance.

It's warm here in the NE compared to last week mine r all naked and happy and a lot are being caught out over rugging which is worse, especially in a horse who has been rugless anyway.
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I agree....

His coat is going have to flatten with a rug , if you have good shelter and he is in at night ( then I would rug) then let him use his coat. After all it is nearly feb.

I put condition on an unrugged horse two / three years ago just by feeding. If you up everything at once it could shock his system.
 
TigerTail said:
If he's been out unrugged I won't bother - for the simple reason his coat is thick and used to thermoregulating - why think u can do better?!
Instead I'd make sure he had ad lib hay, and was getting two or three small meals a day of micronised linseed oats and bran with a good mineral sup such as Pro Balance.

It's warm here in the NE compared to last week mine r all naked and happy and a lot are being caught out over rugging which is worse, especially in a horse who has been rugless anyway.
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Highlands said:
I agree....

His coat is going have to flatten with a rug , if you have good shelter and he is in at night ( then I would rug) then let him use his coat. After all it is nearly feb.

I put condition on an unrugged horse two / three years ago just by feeding. If you up everything at once it could shock his system.
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Yep, I agree with both these statements if he's un-rugged now then leave him be.
 
Kat said:
I'd buy a lightweight fill rug, 100g or thereabouts that has liner attachments and a 100g liner, then if you need more get a second liner. This should work out cheaper. The liners can be used under a stable rug too.

Look at the premier equine trio or Rambo duo for the idea, but you don't have to buy the full system. Most PE, Rambo, and Amigo rugs have the attachments for the liners.
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This - exactly. If he's underweight I absolutely would be rugging him. You'll help with his condition by keeping him warm (but obviously you don't want him too warm).

For those saying don't rug - remember the main thing that drags a horse down is wet and windy weather. And if this horse is already poor, then despite a good coat, he'll need all the help he can get to put weight and condition on. Leaving him naked will not help. Again, if this horse is poor then he will have huge problems 'thermoregulating'.

Post pics of him when you get him.
 
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amymay said:
This - exactly. If he's underweight I absolutely would be rugging him. You'll help with his condition by keeping him warm (but obviously you don't want him too warm).

For those saying don't rug - remember the main thing that drags a horse down is wet and windy weather. And if this horse is already poor, then despite a good coat, he'll need all the help he can get to put weight and condition on. Leaving him naked will not help. Again, if this horse is poor then he will have huge problems 'thermoregulating'.

Post pics of him when you get him.
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^^^ this :) good rug, good feed, good hay/hayledge, good wormer, good dentist and then the rest will come with time and Dr Green when the spring arrives..... :)
 
amymay said:
This - exactly. If he's underweight I absolutely would be rugging him. You'll help with his condition by keeping him warm (but obviously you don't want him too warm).

For those saying don't rug - remember the main thing that drags a horse down is wet and windy weather. And if this horse is already poor, then despite a good coat, he'll need all the help he can get to put weight and condition on. Leaving him naked will not help. Again, if this horse is poor then he will have huge problems 'thermoregulating'.

Post pics of him when you get him.
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Agree with this, just be prepared to check him often.

My TB mare has been in the stable the past few days with a full clip and no rug at all it has been so mild. I have been putting a cotton rug on at about 3:30pm and then her MW stable rug on for overnight at about 5:30pm.

The horse will let you know. You can spend the first few days figuring out how much he needs on.

Good luck and definitely post pics.
 
and it really does vary massively from area to area. We are on top of a hill and I badly underestimated just how much colder it was when I first arrived. I went from 2 horses in sheets on arrival from previous yard to MW rugs after YO took one look at mine.. and said.. are you joking? even the dogs all wear coats in winter.

Whatever you are going to do, just remember to do it all gradually, even if it is tempting to throw everything at once. Build up the feed very slowly and I would kick off with ensuring a constant amount of good quality forage. As for rugging, I would start off with a lighter weight rug, such as a 200 and build it up after seeing how the horse does in it. Looking forward to the pictures!
 
Thankyou for all your comments.
I will just judge his warmth etc over the first few days and go from there!!

I have purchased the Amigo rugs which have the lining attachments for stable and turnout so have it all ready lol

Will post pics when he gets here sat!!!!
 
Good luck! I would also rug! His poor body probably hasn't been helped by trying to keep warm with all this bitter weather we have had poor boy. It's different if TB's are used to being unrugged but it sounds like he has been pampered in the past and then left to fend for himself bless him. You'll have to post some before and after pics when he has picked up a bit :).
 
Good luck with him. Depending on where you live take care with over rugging - it is 13/14 degrees here and if he's been unrugged previously he'll be very warm with a thick rug in this kind of weather.
I looked after a friends horse in his retirement - she sent him to me with a lovely heavy weight rug, which he sweated up in on a couple of days of milder winter weather and I've never seen weight fall off a horse so quickly! We never used it on him again.
 
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