Rugged horses in the heat

TreeDog

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I had a no fill on my boy last night as it was raining, I was up the yard by 9 this morning to remove it and he was already quite warm and almost beginning to sweat. Other liveries on the yard have still got their horses in rugs, some in medium weights (though granted these are clipped horses), I would like to think their owners would be removing them as we're forecast temperatures of over 20 degrees today but it's a DIY yard and they're all out 24/7 now so no guarantee when their owners will be up to check on them.

I just feel so bad for rugged horses on days like this :(
 

Antw23uk

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Oh god, this is a sore subject ... I fully clipped my mare two weeks ago and she is out naked today and was in a 0g rain sheet last night. There is a mare in the field next door that is yet to come out of its heavyweight (its not clipped) .. The owner is a numpty! If its still in the same rug when i get home tonight i will be giving her a call and telling her she is being reported for animal cruelty (I wont because i couldnt care less i just like to remind her she is a lazy numpty!)
 

Shavings

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i keep getting told i am cruel, i own a TB who has his just the under side of his neck clipped and he goes out in a rain sheet and over night wile stabled wheres a cotton sheet, both are more to keep him clean not for warmth, its highest here is 11c and i am told he will freeze but truth be told he is shedding more then i can keep up with so surly he isnt cold!
 

Equi

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My boys been unrugged and half clipped for about a month now. Thankfully others on the yard followed suit and nearly all are unrugged but there are still a few heavy weights on the thoroughbreds and for some reason one fat unclipped cob who’s owner thinks it’s cruel to leave them without a coat. Idiot.
 

Toby_Zaphod

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I had a no fill on my boy last night as it was raining, I was up the yard by 9 this morning to remove it and he was already quite warm and almost beginning to sweat. Other liveries on the yard have still got their horses in rugs, some in medium weights (though granted these are clipped horses), I would like to think their owners would be removing them as we're forecast temperatures of over 20 degrees today but it's a DIY yard and they're all out 24/7 now so no guarantee when their owners will be up to check on them.

I just feel so bad for rugged horses on days like this :(

Sorry but I get fed up with busy bodies sticking their noses in to how other people look after their horses as if they are the only person who knows anything about horses. You look after your horses & let them look after theirs. :(
 

OrangeAndLemon

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It is a running joke on my yard that I never get involved in the rug conversations, I rarely put a rug on him...mine is unclipped so only wore a rug (200g) for a few nights in Feb & March when the temperature went below -5 and he was already shedding. If he'd been out I'd have left him naked to run around but as he was stabled, I relented and let him wear his pyjamas overnight. This is what keeps him happy. The only people insisting I should be putting him in rugs full time until the temperature is over 10 deg are Harry Hall's marketing department.
 

Hallo2012

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i think the weather is REALLY hard to predict currently.

yesterday was meant to be 17 and muggy and actually was bloody windy and cold and i felt bad for only putting LW on 3 of them!

today was then meant to be windy but warmer but was hard to determine at 6am, so 2 have got LW on and 3 have got fly rugs on...... probably all would have been ok in fly rugs but it wasnt an easy call so early on today.

possibly the horses in MW have owners who had conflicting forecasts or didnt know whether to trust the forecast at all! especially if clipped.

all that said we have one who would be fine in a MW today, he never ever gets too hot, never ever gets itchy and actually loves heat (but was bred in a hot country and hates to be even slightly cold) so to you he might be at risk of over heating but we wouldnt be panicking if we had misjudged the weather!
 

Damnation

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I have an ID type, 10 years old, in very light work, who has wintered naked, on a handful of chaff, unclipped and fat!!! Even in the snow, naked!!! She has never once felt cold, looked tucked up or shivered. I was informed by one livery its because I "couldn't be bothered" to rug her. No, it was more of a "Doesn't need it" rather than "I can't be bothered my backside." She will be coming into full work and will only be rugged if I can manage to clip her next year or if I need her to be dry I'll stick a rainsheet on.

My other one is a Dutch warmblood, just turned 17, retired, unclipped, wintered mostly in a 100g with a 200g for the snow and when the temperature really dropped. She was on ad lib hayledge and 2 decent feeds a day to keep weight on. I took her rug off 2 days ago and unless we get another "best from the east" will be naked until probably October time. I struggle a bit more with her as come Feb she usually drops off weight wise but touch wood that hasn't happened this year.

My stables are in a cool barn so when it gets too hot (both have pink noses and the WB gets pollen rash, buttercup burns etc.) they will come in for the day to keep cool. I feel bad even putting a fly rug on in summer :eek:

I've recently taken over the yard and I have to say if I saw a livery horse sweating its tits off in a heavyweight when it is hot outside I would remove it and tell the owner that I had done so..
 

Chuckieee

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I have the Horseware Turnout guide App and I find it really useful. I was dubious at first but I have found it to be quite good.

I had an awful habit of OVER rugging and this App definitely helped me manage my horse better. I think my poor horse is now quite relieved.
 

JFTDWS

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People are daft. My ponies are naked, my mare is in a fly sheet during the day, rainsheet at night while it's changeable. It's incredibly warm here today.
 

stencilface

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Mine has a rainsheet on. I can't face his grey body turning bay yet, hoping one more day of sun will do the trick for the worst mud! He'll have it off tomorrow after he's been a nanny for his friend on a hack.
 

ShowJumperL95

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I know the weather has been quite unpredictable over the last few months and is very hard to choose what rug to put on, but I hate to think I'm over rugging my horses.

I would much rather under rug a horse and it possibly be a bit on the colder side especially in these months where the temperature doesn't get close to freezing! Horses are much better at coping with being cold than the being hot and uncomfortable and could cause problems further down the line if constantly over heating from rugs.
 

Hallo2012

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I know the weather has been quite unpredictable over the last few months and is very hard to choose what rug to put on, but I hate to think I'm over rugging my horses.

I would much rather under rug a horse and it possibly be a bit on the colder side especially in these months where the temperature doesn't get close to freezing! Horses are much better at coping with being cold than the being hot and uncomfortable and could cause problems further down the line if constantly over heating from rugs.

do generally agree but our cold one will colic if he gets too cold and can shiver on a sunny but breezy day so with him we always over rug rather than under but he a very quirky easily upset soul.

having previously had TB and WB who dropped weight or got tense and tight and if even slightly cold, and always had to slightly over rug i now have 2 native ponies who although very well rugged all winter i can definitely be far more blase with them now spring has arrived!
 

ShowJumperL95

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do generally agree but our cold one will colic if he gets too cold and can shiver on a sunny but breezy day so with him we always over rug rather than under but he a very quirky easily upset soul.

having previously had TB and WB who dropped weight or got tense and tight and if even slightly cold, and always had to slightly over rug i now have 2 native ponies who although very well rugged all winter i can definitely be far more blase with them now spring has arrived!

aww bless your poor boy. Of course that is the thing every horse is different and needs different rugs on whatever time of year it is. I am lucky I have two quite hardy types! :D
 

Hallo2012

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aww bless your poor boy. Of course that is the thing every horse is different and needs different rugs on whatever time of year it is. I am lucky I have two quite hardy types! :D

yep my ponies are much easier than previous posh horses, as long as they have food they are happy lol!
 

9tails

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do generally agree but our cold one will colic if he gets too cold and can shiver on a sunny but breezy day so with him we always over rug rather than under but he a very quirky easily upset soul.

Whereas mine is the opposite, if slightly over warm she's in danger of colicing and will stand looking very glum. 8 degrees and over, she's naked even though fully clipped.
 

LaurenBay

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I'm looking after a friends Horse at the moment as she is in her last stages of pregnancy. She keeps her Horse on a HUGE yard of 80 Horses (probably more) I was shocked yesterday to go up and find the majority of them rugged! some in necked turnouts.
 

Embo

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Turned mine out with no rug on Saturday and the field was still a bit wet. He had a good roll and got lovely a muddy. I imagine it felt really good for him. Most onlookers shocked that I would do such a thing.

There was another grey turned out in a neck rug just to keep him clean. It wasn't overly hot but I like to think my horse was happier without. I've no problem rugging to keep them clean, especially if like mine, you have a grey. I do rug well in winter for this reason, but always aware of temps and rug weights. But not when it's so warm. Any wet mud will dry quickly and isn't much effort to brush it off.

I've taken all rugs off now, even overnight. He is still stabled atm, so I will accept the inevitable stains as I can now rinse him off each day if I want, as it's warm.

It's 25 degrees today in the South East, I really wouldn't want to see any rugs on!
 

SpringArising

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Sorry but I get fed up with busy bodies sticking their noses in to how other people look after their horses as if they are the only person who knows anything about horses. You look after your horses & let them look after theirs. :(

That's not how it should work when it's a welfare issue.
 

LaurenBay

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Sorry but I get fed up with busy bodies sticking their noses in to how other people look after their horses as if they are the only person who knows anything about horses. You look after your horses & let them look after theirs. :(

All well and good saying that, but no Horse needs to be rugged in this weather, that is a welfare issue and not sticking their nose in. Today where I am is 23 with sun. Tomorrow is supposed to be 26 with sun all day. No need to rug (unless a fly rug of course!)
 

shortstuff99

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I'm probably one of those terrible owners that over rugs. However I once left my horse unrugged in 25 degree heat, it rained a bit thought would be fine as warm, my horse was shivering so much her muscles spasmed and the vet thought she had tied up (she hadn't!) I can now no longer let her get wet or even vaguely cold as the same thing happens!
 

Annagain

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Ours are naked for the first day today, they've been in lightweights for about a week and were in 100g for a week before that. I dread to think the state they will be in when I get them in. Normally by the time it's this warm the ground has dried up but we've still got a hell of a lot of very wet mud in the field. Arch is going to have a field day. By now I probably have one muddy grey and one hippo x swamp donkey whose colour is impossible to fathom. They'll be very happy though.
 

Hack4fun

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Mine live out 24/7 in all weathers (with a shelter if they want it) and have been unrugged for several weeks now.
 

sport horse

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Sorry but I get fed up with busy bodies sticking their noses in to how other people look after their horses as if they are the only person who knows anything about horses. You look after your horses & let them look after theirs. :(

So would you stand by and watch horses starve and do nothing?
 
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