Rug Phobia

K

kate081

Well-Known Member
Joined
14 March 2007
Messages
654
Location
Milton Keynes
Visit site
My mare will not wear a rug. Full stop!
crazy.gif


She used to wear a rug until last summer when she started a perculiar bolting behaviour. Have now rectified the bolting issue & I completely forgot about the rug issue until I tried to put a fly rug on her on Thursday. Was OK in the stable but when I turned her out into the field she froze to the spot. Wouldn't even budge for grass! When I took it off she galloped off bucking & leaping as if to say "how dare you"!

Anyone had a similar problem? It's not really an issue - just means I can't clip & rug her in winter but she survived OK last winter.
 
Maybe she's just sayings eh doesn't want her fly rug on! Could be it's irritating her or pinching somewhere. have you checked the sizes and fit are right
 
It's not just the fly rug. It's any rug. I wonder if she thinks it's a predator on her back?!

I use Amigo rugs so no leg straps. Wouldn't go without a fillet string as I've seen rugs blow over horses heads without & she'd go crazy if that happened!

Surely someone else has a weird "no rugs please" horse?!
 
Yes I have!!! I had a loan arab mare who had a complete rug phobias. I was told that as a youngster she had a rug and a headcollar on and got the headcollar stuck on a water trough and panicked, now I'm not entirley sure I believe this story, but she would panick if she had a t/o rug on, she would panic in the field, bolt, buck panic cut her legs to pieces until I would have to take the rug off, In another field she had concrete bit which she stood on and would not move from the spot. I got to the point where she would walk around with me on a long line wearing the rug but if she realised she was not attached to me she'd bolt to a safe spot. She will wear a rug inside. I am confident she could have progressed to possibly wearing some sort of rug outside with time and patience, in her new home she can wear a fly rug and I think they are going to possibly try a t/o rug this winter (new owners very understanding of her problems, old owners not!). What would you mare do it you just walker her in a heacollor and lunge line, lengthining the length of line between you, maybe try lunging her in a rug? Try putting her in a very small paddock (unless theres danger of her going through fencing).
let us know how you get on.
 
i had a pony that had been fine until one day he was in the field in a full fly rug and somehow managed to get all caught up in, by the time i got to him he was going berserk in the field. i ended up having to rip it off him. we then went to a show and it started raining so i put a fleece over him and he was like a rocking horse the minute i took it of he stopped,
i tried again in the stable at home and he did the same.
i started putting the rug over the stable door and he would knock it off. when he stopped that i hung it up in the stable and he would trample it all around the stable, when he stopped that i started with it folded up and just used to lay it over his back, and just gradually i managed to do a bit more everynight until he had a rug on again. i never bothered with the leg straps just a fillet string at the back. it took about 4 months from the original incident to get a rug back on him
 
I am considering trying to desensitise her but I know it won't be too easy. I had a lot of bolting issues - I think mostly as a result of this phobia. I'd try to lead her in away from her safe spot & she'd either run back to it or run into the yard like a loony. I didn't realise it was rug related initially - thought she was chatting up the boys next door! She's now over the bolting problems (thanks for Dually halter) but I don't know whether it's worth the bother with the rug. She's pretty hardy. Was just intrigued as to whether anyone else has had a problem. I don't remember any 'accident' but she did have a back problem so might be linked to that. It's great to know that other horses have been thru the same issues
smile.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top