Rugging dilemma

[frostyfingers]

Or may be not.....

I have a 12.1 Welsh Cross pony of the hairiest sort (aged 20/21/22), he has a really thick dense undercoat with a longer coat on top. He's rarely cold with it, however he has begun to suffer colic (we think due to pedunculated lipomas) and the latest bout coincided with last week's horrible storm with the result that he came in not only with colic but mild hypothermia. It took ages for him to dry and warm up and I'd rather not repeat the experience. I've had lots of advice from the vet on the colic and how to handle it, so that in itself is not an issue here, just the keeping him dry.

I've steered away from rugging him previously because I don't want him to overheat (he has a filled rug for the very cold weather but I don't want to use that all the time) but am now beginning to wonder whether a light, no fill turnout would be advisable for the especially stormy weather. I don't want him getting hot & sweaty under it, just keeping dry so that if he colics again it's one less thing for him to deal with.

I could always give him a little bib clip (he's usually ridden gently once a week), or is it best to leave him untouched and unrugged?

 

[Slightlyconfused]

I had to rug up my retired welsh mare and she had her full winter coat. she would colic at the sudden drop in temps and if she got soaked in a down poor. she was even in a heavy weight with her hairy yak coat last winter while the warmblood was just in a medium.

she just couldn't cope. I would rug and see how he goes to how hot he gets, if need be clip a bit of fur off to help balance getting to hot in a sheet.