Rugging--help please.

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FairyLights

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When do you decide to rug? When I had short coated horses I found that they needed rugging if it was dry and 5 degrees or less and below10 degrees if it was wet. So rugging for the winter started around October time. Now I have native x I'm not sure when ,or even if,its a good idea. one is a fat cob who I dont want t o rug at all as he is a good doer and holds weight well. the other has more TB blood. its a filthy night out tonight and I'm feeling guilty as they live out but with good natural shelter and a FIELD SHELTER. THEY COME IN EACH DAY FOR A FEW HOURS TO BE CHECKED OVER/DRY OFF/SLEEP ON A DRY STRAW BED.
sorry about the caps dint realise lock was on.
 
Its personal choice. I use to rug my chunky cob if temp went down below 8. I am trying really hard not to rug so far this year (did put a lw on a couple of nights so he was dry to ride) & last night felt terrible he was naked as it was torrential rain & wind...he had a cold wet back but warm underneath.

I have listened to sooo much advice from vets / farriers / nutritionalists this autumn against rugging but it doesnt work for all!!!

Go with your gut instinct.
 
The tb mare is in a medium weight even if about 10 degrees as she feels the cold/wind etc & don't want to clip her. Tb gelding doesn't get very chilly so if wet or not cold just a no fill l/w, if between sort of 5-10 degrees m/w if freezing/windy h/w. again don't want to clip. Little fluffy trotter cross pony, rain sheet if wet, if a bit cold has fleece under if really cold m/w (about 200g)
 
I have a chunky monkey of a highland- who has suddenly turned into a bear.
I throw a lightweight on him if it's tearing it down and rather chilly(we are in Scotland!!-It tears it down!)
When it gets to about 2 degrees to around minus -3 ish he gets a wee fleece on inside and out in his 40g.
About -5 degrees we start to think about our 110g.
When my whole body goes numb with the severity of the cold- around -8 he gets his 200g on.

I threw a lightweight on earlier last year and the mediumweight because he was not fat(as usual) and I didn't want the full on fuzz :)
 
Im cruel. My idxtb is still out naked.. although now its getting colder i might throw a m/w on overnight.
I have some friends who think im cruel and others who think Im soft for evan thinking about rugging ...
Its just impossible to know what to do for the best
 
You need to be guided by the horse.
Put your hand behind the elbow and feel the skin below the hair. If the horse is warm (not hot) to touch, he is fine. If he has plenty to eat and some shelter he is unlikely to need a rug. Remember horses do better when slightly cool, rather than over-heated.
Do not worry about what other people think/do, they are not dealing with your horse - you are!
 
Pearlsasinger said:
You need to be guided by the horse.
Put your hand behind the elbow and feel the skin below the hair. If the horse is warm (not hot) to touch, he is fine. If he has plenty to eat and some shelter he is unlikely to need a rug. Remember horses do better when slightly cool, rather than over-heated.
Do not worry about what other people think/do, they are not dealing with your horse - you are!
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This! And its all very well saying go with your gut instinct, but a lot of people rug because they feel cold! Most well covered/healthy horses do not need rugging
 
So does the not tugging hold true for native weaning too? Mine is quantock hill pony, sort of like a new forest cum Welsh c and my maternal instinct is screaming at me to put on a lightweight, whilst i keep reading about leaving natives naked. I only have natural wind break hedges and trees. Poor might looked really bragged today though his undercut was still dry. Any suggestions as to whether i should rug him up? Will try the armpit test in the morning.
 
I have a welshies yearling he isn't rugged as he has a nice thick coat. I have a couple if rugs for him but ideally won't rug him if I can get away with it as apart from the fact that he is very hardy I worry about him getting caught up on fencing or in straps etc

My other three year old welshies is rugged in a 100g rug as he doesn't carry much condition and doesn't have a thick coat but I think he is in the minority When it comes to natives and rugging
 
With an unclipped native / cob, I'd be tempted to leave them naked unless the weather is really horrific. Even then, a lot of them cope with it just fine.

Realistically, the only reason for rugging them is clipping, or our convenience :)
 
ShadowFlame said:
With an unclipped native / cob, I'd be tempted to leave them naked unless the weather is really horrific. Even then, a lot of them cope with it just fine.

Realistically, the only reason for rugging them is clipping, or our convenience :)
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I completely agree with this. I wanted to ride early last weekend and my friend asked that if I was going up early, can I chuck her mare out. I decided later the night before I wasn't going to ride first thing as it was peeing it down and pony would be wet and muddy, so id go in the afternoon once he had dried. My friend offered me her medium weight so he would be dry and I could ride first thing (and turn her horse out)! I politely declined rugging my horse for her convenience :O) xx
 
Merl's out at night in a rain sheet, mostly to keep him clean though and dry as his field doesn't have loads of shelter.

Fudge is fat and hairy (typical native) so will be naked all year.

Lady is getting old and hates the rain so she has a sheet on if its below about 7 and heavily raining.

Even last year when it was minus ten, Merlin and Lady only had medium weights on and Merlin was out 24/7 with a trace clip.

I try hard not to over rug and never rug according to how cold I feel as many owners do.
 
My unclIpped tb is in a no fill turnout. I admit this is partly for convenience as it keeps him dry enough to ride but also means he doesn't get so hairy I have to clip. He Is perfectly happy though, I wouldn't make him wear it if he was too warm
 
My hairy cob is rug less. I did try rugging her during the heavy relentless rain we had in late summer but she hated it. She stops moving around when she wears a rug and stands like a morose dinner lady in a tabard until the offending item is removed. During bad weather she goes rug less in her stable, otherwise naked hairy and happy with ad lib hay in her field.
 
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