Rugging help please

[Kub]

I'm not sure if I'm doing the right thing at the moment..

My boy is a traditional cob, so he's got a decent bit of hair though moulting into his summer coat. He's out 24/7 whilst the weather is dry and if it's a nice day, not too cold/windy, I'll leave him out naked. But at night times, I'm putting a stable rug on underneath his lightweight as the temperature drops quite a bit. (I don't have a mw turnout rug at the mo)

Now, as far as I can tell, this is keeping him nice and warm, he's always nicely warm under his rugs in the morning when I get there. I did leave him out in his lw one night and he was completely cold under his rug in the morning but not shivering.

He's only 2 and a half, and I'm currently trying to fill him out and give him the right stuff to make him grow as big as he can as evenly as possible. He's currently still very croup high. From things I've read and such, I need to keep him warm so he doesn't lose weight, especially as I'm feeding him quite a lot and that would be a waste if he did. But am I'm being too sensitive to it considering his breed? Should I be rugging him less at night, would it make a difference? He doesn't seem to be filling out as much as I would hope considering his feed amounts, so could my rugging be causing a bit of weight loss anyway? Or would that only be if he was getting really hot under his rugs?

Sorry it's long, hope it makes sense. Ice lollies for reading. Thanks

 

[teddyt]

If its the horse in your sig he looks fine to me. I would leave off the stable rug, just use the LW. He will be building muscle for many years yet and rugging will have no effect on muscle anyway, just fat. And you dont want a fat horse of any age, let alone a youngster.

 

[VioletStripe]

Ditto, I would just leave the LW on him, making sure he has plenty of forage. xx

 

[Moggy in Manolos]

I would not use more than a lightweight, he is, as you state a hairy traditional.
I think that there is a misconception that horses should feel warm on their coats, this is not true, they heat themselves from the inside out with forage so don't think he is cold per say as he more than likely isnt

 

[Dubsie]

I agree with Moggy am sure he's hairy enough to be fine. In the snow our woolly NF was naked and an inch or so of snow settled on his back, yet his ears were lovely and warm and he didn't seem bothered by it at all, and when there's a frost it lays along his mane.