Rugging horses now?

Paddy has been naked for a while...but has had a rain sheet on for the last few days whilst we have had the persistant rain. Our paddocks are exposed and have no big hedges or an shelter at all.
He doesnt get fed...only grass and a handfull of haylidge. But the otherday when he was out without his rug on he was shivering like mad and was really really miserable. It took me ages to warm him up, so he is out with his rain sheet on and is happy as larry, not too hot and now he is not getting soaked through he isnt getting cold.
Yes he is a 14.2 pony with a bit of cob in him but he has got a lot of something fine in him too and i dont see the point in him being cold just so that i can belong to the "i dont rug my horses after the 1st of may club".
 
My TB is out 24/7 & naked. He hasn't had a l/w on for some time now. He's not looking typically TB right now - a little portly, so not too fussed if he has to burn a few calories keeping warm!
To be fair, its been pretty mild the last few weeks - even the colder nights so it's not really an issue.
He is very good at telling me he is overrugged - he will just rip them off!
 
I guess it depends on the horse but having a native I always work on the basis of...is he carrying excess weight - if the answer is yes...then he does not need a rug in the 'warmer' weather of summer. Rain will give him a rinse through and he can always stand in his field shelter if he has any sense.
I have been concerned before on those earlier days of rain and wind and been out to check him and he has been perfectly warm with nothing on, so I tend not to worry until Oct time and then I need to watch for the change in weather as that tends to bring about a very grumpy change in personality if I miss the boat putting a rain sheet on against the winds.
 
Totally depends on your horse! I hate these posts when someone says they do something, and then someone else, who doesnt know the horse is rude and tells them they are doing things totally wrong.

My old boy needed very little rugging (He was a shire cross). His breeding meant that he was able to withstand a cold winter. All I needed to do was to keep the rain off his back and he'd stay toasty warm, even on freezing days.

My current Tb seems to feel the cold more than most. So I rug him accordingly. He's currently out at night and I put a medium weight t/o rug on at 9pm. If I don't rug him at night, he will often look tucked up in the morning, and he'll start to lose condition. If I leave him out in the rain without a rug, he will shiver even on warm days. He has very thin, sensitive skin.

So, IMO it depends on your horse, and remember over rugging and overheating your horse is just as bad, as not rugging enough if the horse needs it.
 
Ours have been naked since late March/early April. They live out 24/7 but do have lots of natural shelter. If they didn't have that I wouldn't think twice about putting a rainsheet or whatever else on that they needed.
 
My TB has a light weight on but only because we've had constant rain (all day for the last 4 days) and the temperature has dropped compaired the hot spell we had and there is no shelter in the current field, also because she's groomed dailey it strips the natural grease from the coat. Don't get me wrong I don't run up and down and rug her at the first sight of a black cloud, I'm not bothered about her getting wet after all its rain not acid but for the above reasons and constant rain we've had, I know she appreciates being dry.

Macker has a thicker type of coat, not groomed daily and can sweat up easily in light weight, so he's naked even in the showers.
 
Why not? :)

I think that different horses react differently for many reasons, same as people, it is only 18C here today, I am freezing, I have 2 sweaters on, thick socks and am considering turning the heat on because I am used to averages of mid 20C and I am miserable.

In Wales I rugged my arabian at night all year round. He was a wuss of the first degree and even a summer shower (well, the Welsh version) would leave him tucked and hunched up and as miserable as sin. I couldn't give two hoots what anyone else said, thought, or did, he was my horse, I knew him best and that's what he needed, so that's what he got. Likewise, unless a horse looked to be cooking or uncomfortable I never judged or commented on why they were rugged.

On the other hand, I over winter some of my horses in temperatures that average -15C (for 5 months solid) with no rugs at all and they do just fine.
 
Brandy said:
Had exactly this rant at our yard this morning. Yes it was raining, but I'm sorry to break this to you all, horse DO NOT DIE IF THEY GET WET!!!!!!.
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:) Mine would have got ill though, why not rug them if they are cold, elderly or ill? Such a simple thing to remedy. I'm blowed if I would leave a horse to get cold just because of what other people thought.
 
I have a niative that really doesn't do well if she gets wet and cold, she tends to get chills and coughs so not worth the risk in letting her chill. Her half brother is fine unrugged in the worst of weather and is never rugged.

I don't normally rug in the summer, but it is cold and wet here so will be putting a l/w turnout on tonight.

Hello Jacobsmith - I've never used that particular website, so can't comment. I've always found weatherbeeta rugs to be good quality and value. Equestrian clearance usually has some good bargains to be had. I would just use an unlined or lightweight rug if he is unclipped, if you clip him in the Autumn he might need a mediumweight for then though.
 
I don't see the thing about specifically not rugging horses up in the summer, just because 'it's summer'.

Surely common sense would be decide per day what to do with your horse? If it decides to be cld one day, rug it in a turnout suitably. If it's going to rain, put a rain sheet on. If it's going to be hot, leave unrugged if you want it unrugged, or put a fly/UV sheet on it if you don't want it bitten by flies or sunbleached...

I just don't see the need for it to be viewed so black and white? :)
 
no it's not cold, and horses are designed to be outdoor, all weather animals. I think they love the freedom of not having a rug on - naked as they are supposed to be at this time of year..the rain will wash the coat clean, if nothing else..... sm x
 
None of mine are wearing rugs atm. The two oldies have access to a field shelter and the other two have natural shelter. It's wet but it's not cold so there isn't much point in rugging.
 
my old fjord is out rugless out 24/7, other 2 lightweight turnouts naked or usually fly rugs depending on my mood what weather is and if intend to ride them.
 
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