Rugging - how did the horses of my youth survive ....

[eggs]

Having been reading the numerous threads on rugging I have to wonder how so many horses survived in the old days when we only had a leaky old canvas New Zealand with a thin blanket lining for the field and a jute rug with a folded blanket for the stable.

The answer of course is that they did survive without the benefit of modern materials, neck covers and layers of heavyweight combos.

 

[Fools Motto]

We're a nation of softies! Top comfort (we assume) for our horses. May come with more knowledge (or maybe less?!) than 'we' had before? And, it all seems much less time consuming, which to me could be classified as being on the lazy side.
Personally, I haven't yet completely caught up with modern day 'stuff', can't understand all the sheepskin, and too many rugs with various covers with various weights to choose from!! (don't get me started on tack!)

 

[JoJo_]

I think one saddle used to fit all back then too.

 

[ihatework]

Survived they did!

But I for one am glad to see the back of those God damn awful canvas new zealands, that is for sure

 

[Vodkagirly]

I sometimes wonder too.
I think poor horses in the winter (and less laminitis in the summer) was more normal though.
I do remember my skinny tb wearing 2 rugs and having a sheepskin numnah 24 years ago though.

 

[hibshobby]

And no-one had heard of ulcers. And leather was brown, dressage was for "foreigners" and bridles had a snaffle, pelham or it was a double bridle.

 

[friesian76]

I know, rember new zealands, basically a rectangle of canvas sort of lined with sheepskin, it weighed a ton when wet and took forever to dry. No pleats or wrap round bits and neck covers, what were they!!!. But our horses survived. My friend used to use a duvet under her tb rugs. Love the modern rugs thou. Nothing better than tucking your horse up for the night in his pjs. ☺

 

[JoJo_]

I went to college with a girl who put about 8 rugs on her horse and this was only 8yrs ago! No joke. I looked after said horse for a weekend while she went home and had a list of what order the rugs went on. She was a stocky TB and the girl didnt want her growing a winter coat as she needed sedating to clip. The layers included a newmarket fleece, an actual duvet, many stable rugs with a heavy on top. When stabled she had an anti cast roller on top of all that! The poor mare was twice the size by the time she was ready for bed!

 

[Agatha]

I was visiting a friends yard last winter and there was a Shetland out in the field - so many rugs on, I couldnt believe it !! I counted five at least !!!! I remember the old NZ's too - they weighed a ton when wet and solid when cold and frosty !!! And Jute rugs - I bet lots of people wouldnt have a clue what they were !

 

[marmalade76]

One good thing about the rugs of today is being able to clip out and still have them living out

 

[eggs]

Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of modern rugs - they are much easier to handle and must be more comfortable for our horses. I'm just stunned at the weight that people think their horses need to survive winter (I'm not including medically compromised horses).

 

[cptrayes]

I couldn't believe reading of people putting 800g of fill on their horses either, even if it's fully clipped. If they need that, surely they are being fed wrong?

I read a thread last week that horrified me too, about horses living their lives with tail bags on.

What are we doing to these creatures who are never allowed to whisk their tails or feel the breeze in their coat or the sun on their backs?

 

[Jo1987]

Couldn't stand the old canvas rugs - they were just going out of fashion when my dad bought me my first pony and he came with an ancient one, complete with leather breast strap! I gave it back to the riding school we got him from and he had a nice new weatherbeeta. No more rubbed withers surprisingly...
I do love the new rugs, but I think fleece neck cuffs, 3 surcingles and elasticated polls are a step too far!

 

[eggs]

I couldn't believe reading of people putting 800g of fill on their horses either, even if it's fully clipped. If they need that, surely they are being fed wrong?

I read a thread last week that horrified me too, about horses living their lives with tail bags on.

What are we doing to these creatures who are never allowed to whisk their tails or feel the breeze in their coat or the sun on their backs?

CPT we must both come from the same school of horse care. I was also gob smacked at the concept of a horse having to wear a tail bag just to keep it clean.

My fully clipped warmbloods all had their rugs off for a fair few hours over the weekend as it was so lovely and sunny. I'm lucky in that I keep them at home so it is easy for me to pop out and put their rugs back on but they all enjoyed a good scratch and a roll.

 

[Moya_999]

I couldn't believe reading of people putting 800g of fill on their horses either, even if it's fully clipped. If they need that, surely they are being fed wrong?

I read a thread last week that horrified me too, about horses living their lives with tail bags on.

What are we doing to these creatures who are never allowed to whisk their tails or feel the breeze in their coat or the sun on their backs?

I have just started re using my tail bags- he hacks in it and goes in the field with it - his tail is white and its easier than putting harsh astringents to get it white.

TBH I don't see the issue - I once tried to break the GBOR with the longest tail sadly I gave up at 8ft 2 long and trimed it back to his fetlocks,


To do with rugs on their backs not feeling the sun are you againts fly rugs then? as no body in their right mind would leave a NZ rug on their horse on a warm or hot summers day.


some horses need to wear fly rugs on in summer.

Some horses are heavily shown to high standard so its only justified they want to protect the tail from getting ripped in fencing - other horses chewing it anything like that.

 

[cptrayes]

CPT we must both come from the same school of horse care. I was also gob smacked at the concept of a horse having to wear a tail bag just to keep it clean.

My fully clipped warmbloods all had their rugs off for a fair few hours over the weekend as it was so lovely and sunny. I'm lucky in that I keep them at home so it is easy for me to pop out and put their rugs back on but they all enjoyed a good scratch and a roll.

I thought it was sad :'(

I'm like you, lucky enough to have them at home. Fatty cob has only just been allowed a lightweight rug at night and he has a belly/bib clip and lives in a barn overnight. I asked him, and he said that he would prefer to have ad lib haylage and go commando than to have his food reduced

I use 220g rugs on thinner skinned horses and if the weather gets colder I just feed them more. I wonder how many of these horse being wrapped up to within an inch of their lives are really cold, and if so how often that's because the hay net is empty by midnight.

 

[cptrayes]

I have just started re using my tail bags- he hacks in it and goes in the field with it - his tail is white and its easier than putting harsh astringents to get it white.

Easier. Exactly. Why can't you leave it yellow?

To do with rugs on their backs not feeling the sun are you againts fly rugs then? as no body in their right mind would leave a NZ rug on their horse on a warm or hot summers day.

But I do see horses with turnout rugs on on warm sunny days.

I don't use fly rugs, no. Very few horses get bitten so badly that they need to spend their entire lives wrapped up in one rug or another. Fly rugs are a very recent invention.

Some horses are heavily shown to high standard so its only justified they want to protect the tail from getting ripped in fencing - other horses chewing it anything like that.

Is that any justification? Besides which, in getting on for forty years I've never had a damaged tail on any horse.

 

[marmalade76]

Why would any horse need a tail bag on constantly? How do they cope with the flies in summer?

I don't really touch my ponies tails (two have thin tails and don't want to lose any through regular brushing/combing and the other two have thick tails that are too much work to brush/comb through every time I ride) unless I'm taking them somewhere where they need to look nice, then they get a wash and condition and are then easy to comb through.

 

[marmalade76]

Easier. Exactly. Why can't you leave it yellow?



But I do see horses with turnout rugs on on warm sunny days.

I don't use fly rugs, no. Very few horses get bitten so badly that they need to spend their entire lives wrapped up in one rug or another. Fly rugs are a very recent invention.



Is that any justification? Besides which, in getting on for forty years I've never had a damaged tail on any horse.

Agree with every word, CPT.

 

[Moya_999]

Easier. Exactly. Why can't you leave it yellow?

because it not just yellow its black from mud on the trails and it looks horrid hard to brush out and can make a horse itchy when dirty and greasy.

and because I like my horses to look nice when out in public



proffesional people always wash their horses tails or howe have the show jumpers/ dressage horses etc compete with white tails

I don't use fly rugs, no. Very few horses get bitten so badly that they need to spend their entire lives wrapped up in one rug or another. Fly rugs are a very recent invention.

so what about sweet itch horses ? - horses with staph aureus ?
pale pink skin horses?

Is that any justification? Besides which, in getting on for forty years I've never had a damaged tail on any horse.

well good for you clap clap clap.

Well I have youngsters chewing other fellow livery horses including mine
horse had sweet itch so bad made it raw
just 2 examples

 

[Moya_999]

Why would any horse need a tail bag on constantly? How do they cope with the flies in summer?

I don't really touch my ponies tails (two have thin tails and don't want to lose any through regular brushing/combing and the other two have thick tails that are too much work to brush/comb through every time I ride) unless I'm taking them somewhere where they need to look nice, then they get a wash and condition and are then easy to comb through.

when he had a bag on in the summer while i was growing it he splated a lot of flies with the bag. Now I do not use it in the summer only winter months

 

[cptrayes]

I really thought it went without saying that I don't include horses with medical conditions that require rugs.

A dirty bottom of the tail with mud stains is a health risk? Oh please! I'll bet there aren't many horses with black tails that suffer from the same health risks . I'd rather someone thought I was a lazy owner than have my horse never able to swish his tail.

 

[Palindrome]

I went to college with a girl who put about 8 rugs on her horse and this was only 8yrs ago! No joke. I looked after said horse for a weekend while she went home and had a list of what order the rugs went on. She was a stocky TB and the girl didnt want her growing a winter coat as she needed sedating to clip. The layers included a newmarket fleece, an actual duvet, many stable rugs with a heavy on top. When stabled she had an anti cast roller on top of all that! The poor mare was twice the size by the time she was ready for bed!

I have heard that coat growth has more to do with how many hours of daylight there is, so to keep the coat thin they apparently let the lights on in the evening in show barns in the US.


I was a bit bemused at the 800 grams too, mine is unclipped thin skinned and currently in a 40 grams. When I used to stable in London, most horses were rugged all year round, with people really proud of rugging/owning lots of rug/stabling their horse. I found it a bit strange.

 

[millikins]

Mine are all natives and are rugged partly to suit them and partly me. If unclipped or bib then unrugged if cold and crisp, they seem to feel the cold far more when it's wet and I hate putting tack or harness on soggy ponies so rugged, then I tend to use 50-100g filled, even on the Shetty because I cannot find a rainsheet that I trust to stay waterproof in heavy rain. They've also all had sugarbeet last winter and now this, I think it's great, seems to work like Readibrek for horses. They live out with plenty of good hay.

 

[Moya_999]

I really thought it went without saying that I don't include horses with medical conditions that require rugs.

A dirty bottom of the tail with mud stains is a health risk? Oh please! I'll bet there aren't many horses with black tails that suffer from the same health risks . I'd rather someone thought I was a lazy owner than have my horse never able to swish his tail.

who meantioned the bottom of the tail being a health risk???? only you god al mighty what a silly comment which obviously amused you.

So that means all the show jumpers out there must be doing the wrong thing washing their horses tails and manes before a competition, and using tail bags.

Tail bags have already been discussed in a recent thread and loads of members use them, so I suppose your againts neck covers too then oh those pooor poor traumatised horses can never rub lovely mud into their necks perish the though........................

All those bad bad owners using neck covers to keep their horses clean......................

 

[NZJenny]

I know the NZ rug was a great invention (along with electric fencing and No.8 wire), but I am so grateful for modern alternatives.

 

[NinjaPony]

As the owner of a grey I can see why owners use a tail bag. I don't because he always loses them in the field, but I do plait his tail and I end up washing it twice a week to keep it white and not mud colour/yellow...

 

[_HP_]

Survived they did!

But I for one am glad to see the back of those God damn awful canvas new zealands, that is for sure

Same...

I generally only rug in summer (sweet itch) and maybe for persistent rain but would rather overrug in a modern rug than put an old fashioned New Zealand anywhere near my horse.....horrid things!

 

[doodle]

Oh dear my poor horse, I must be a terrible owner, he has 750grm of rugs on tonight

 

[EquiEquestrian556]

Oh dear my poor horse, I must be a terrible owner, he has 750grm of rugs on tonight

Really?