Rug advice

[GSSeffie]

Erm well rugs are a whole complicated thing arent they?!

I've a 11.2 welsh sec a. Not likely to ever be clipped. 8-10 hour turnout at the mo and probably 6-8 in winter, large field, no man made shelter but there is a gulley at the bottom of the hill and a few trees.

What rugs am I likely to need please? (A real basic dummies guide please as the rug life is pretty new to us!)

ETA: 7 yrs old, easy keeper

 

[milliepops]

How old is the pony and does he or she tend to hold condition well?

I would probably not plan to rug a section A that is not clipped unless it was particularly poor or old, they often grow huge coats and should be fine especially if stabled overnight during winter. my unclipped horses live out and I don't rug them unless the weather is totally appalling, and then it's just a 0 or 100g turnout to just let them dry out for a bit.

if the pony is ridden and you want to be able to keep it dry for riding after turnout then a lightweight turnout would be ideal, I think.

 

[P.forpony]

Rugs can get silly! (Mine included ?)
I agree with MP
I wouldn’t pay plan on rugging a hardy pony at all.
A no fill turnout may be handy to have for cleanliness, but unless particularly elderly or sensitive they don’t need it so save yourself the money and hassle.

 

[Polos Mum]

I second none for that amount of turn out and no clip.

If the weather is truly horrible it will probably be easier to leave her in and miss 6 hours turn out than find the right rug.

 

[GSSeffie]

How old is the pony and does he or she tend to hold condition well?

I would probably not plan to rug a section A that is not clipped unless it was particularly poor or old, they often grow huge coats and should be fine especially if stabled overnight during winter. my unclipped horses live out and I don't rug them unless the weather is totally appalling, and then it's just a 0 or 100g turnout to just let them dry out for a bit.

if the pony is ridden and you want to be able to keep it dry for riding after turnout then a lightweight turnout would be ideal, I think.

Thank you this is really helpful, shes 7 and an easy keeper.

 

[Pinkvboots]

I wouldn't rug if it's not clipped

 

[HeyMich]

I have a hardy wee Sec C (12.2) who lives out 24/7 and he's hardly rugged at all. Middle of winter he may be in a 50g or 100g turnout, but that's it. I do clip him so have a couple of no-fill rain sheets for the spring days when he's newly naked, but that's it. They'll tell you when they're cold, and hopefully you'll get your eye in and will be able to tell if he's gaining/losing weight.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I would get a fly rug if she needs one but if she's fine without I prefer to have them naked.

I would probably get a light weight turnout with a small amount of filling, say 50g to 100g and keep it for emergencies.

 

[meleeka]

I have at least a 50g for all of mine, even those that don’t as a rule need a rug. There’s been the odd occasion when they’ve been cold when it’s heavy rain, so I like to have a light rug in case. I don’t like no fill rugs at all. They do nothing for a cold or wet horse and just flatten the coat, which just stops it going it’s job, without replacing it with anything else. 50g or even 100g have a layer to trap warm air in so are better for really awful weather, without making them hot.

 

[Orangehorse]

Only need a rug if clipped out. Normally won't need a turnout rug.

What might be useful is a cooler, a very lightweight wicking rug of fleece if the pony is very hot and sweaty and needs to cool down, like coming in hot after a cross country round and the weather is cold. Could also double as a summer lightweight rug to keep clean if you are on the way to a show for instance.

 

[Sir barnaby]

Hi I have a 15.2 cross cob that I had on loan recovering from injury so wasnt being ridden, I didn’t rug her at all for 2 winters and she was fine grew a lovely coat. I did however put her in stable if it was very wet and windy as no shelter in paddocks but she was not in for very long at any given time, this is her during a very frosty cold period and she always felt toasty to touch. However if you are riding and still not clipping then a good rain sheet should be sufficient to keep her cleaner for saddling up.

 

[SEL]

My native (Ardennes so little bigger than yours....) grows a huge winter coat. He has a 50g rug for wet, miserable winter days when it is really horrible otherwise he stays naked. I've got a rainsheet too but we rarely use it.

Never rugged overnight in stable except when beast from the east rolled in a few years ago and he ended up with a snow drift in the stable.

I don't mess too much with his metabolism and let him drop weight over winter. He can then manage spring grass better. The one year he did too well over winter - my fault - his feet went splat as soon as the grass came through.

 

[be positive]

The only time my sec a has been seriously cold was in summer with constant rain when on very restricted turnout, she did come in and have a few hours respite to warm up, in winter she never gets rugged and has been fine out all day whatever the weather.

 

[BeckyFlowers]

If you are going to get a lightweight rug for cleanliness, don't get one with a neck as it will probably rub the pony's mane out. Even if clipped and it is cold, the most neck I would put on is a half-neck (e.g. a Horseware Wug). I hogged my Welsh cob as he wears a sweet-itch rug in the summer and it indeed rubbed his mane out. Luckily he suits a hog, but I wouldn't want to see a little section A with a rubbed out mane or a hog!

 

[Surbie]

I half-clip my cob & the most he goes out in is a 50g. If it's -4ish and he's out at night I might bung a stable rug under that, but mostly he is toasty warm. If he wasn't clipped at all I wouldn't rug at all - apart from perhaps a no fill if it's persisting down.

 

[J&S]

My 13 hh moorland type pony does not get rugged, I wouldn't think your Sec A would need one either but may appreciate some indoor respite if very wet/hot.

 

[teddypops]

My sec A is much happier unrugged but I have a no fill turnout, a 100g turnout and a fleece just in case!

 

[Chinchilla]

Our Shetland has a no-fill rainsheet and a fleece which goes underneath if it gets really cold (as in, temperatures in minus numbers cold). But he isn't such a good doer anymore and gets a full clip in the summer, so if it's going to be heavy rain he has the little rainsheet put on. (He has cushings hence being clipped.)

My New Forest, who is a very good doer and sounds quite similar to your section A, only has a 100gram New Zealand and only wears it in the depths of winter, the rest of the time she is naked.

Neither ponies enjoy being rugged mind you....

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

My short legged smalls both have a good quality drying fleece each. Not often used but there if required. One also has a no fill rain sheet.

OP unless pony getting clipped then no need for anything except possibly a wicking type drying sheet, likely to be used after bathing etc.

 

[Trouper]

I might keep a no-fill waterproof in the cupboard for winters like the last one when rain was relentless and keeping in for longer periods was not a good idea. At all other times let the coat do the work.