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

[doodle]

Yes really. I expect he will be dead by the morning.

 

[EquiEquestrian556]

Yes really. I expect he will be dead by the morning.

I highly doubt that! If a horse genuinely needs to be that warm, then do it

 

[cptrayes]

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...

Why can't you leave it stained?

 

[cptrayes]

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

Why? What is it about him or where he is living that requires that weight of rug? If he isn't old or ill then I am genuinely confused.

 

[NinjaPony]

Why can't you leave it stained?

Because I like my pony's tail to actually look white when I take him out to dressage shows and take him showing.... I don't like the yellow tail look personally and strive to keep him clean and presentable.

 

[cptrayes]

Because I like my pony's tail to actually look white when I take him out to dressage shows and take him showing.... I don't like the yellow tail look personally and strive to keep him clean and presentable.

That's why I won't buy greys

 

[doodle]

He is a tb and living in an outside stable having gone from a stable in a barn which gets warmer where he still needed a HW combo. He was chaser clipped although mostly grown out and now has been clipped at the vets down to the skin, from behind where your leg is to his hip from stifle on one side to stifle on the other side so quite bald. He has also dropped weight (hence clipping and investigations at the vets) so I don't want him to be cold. I do check and he is not too warm with this arrangement, but also been below freezing every night. He is wearing 650grm out in the field.

 

[NinjaPony]

Horses for courses- rug as your horse needs not how someone else tells you.

 

[cptrayes]

He is a tb and living in an outside stable having gone from a stable in a barn which gets warmer where he still needed a HW combo. He was chaser clipped although mostly grown out and now has been clipped at the vets down to the skin, from behind where your leg is to his hip from stifle on one side to stifle on the other side so quite bald. He has also dropped weight (hence clipping and investigations at the vets) so I don't want him to be cold. I do check and he is not too thin with this arrangement, but also been below freezing every night. He is wearing 650grm out in the field.

Thanks for the explanation, I can understand why you would do that with a horse which is too thin.

 

[criso]

Bay tb v1 isn't in work and thinks he should have been a native.. He has a 170g at night as his stable isn't that warm and is an outdoor one and on the end. On other yards he has worn less and noting in an indoor barn. Currently a MW in the field. I've let his mane grow and it's on both sides so he doesn't need a neck. When he lived out 2 winters ago he moved up to a heavyweight when it got really cold.

Bay tb v2.0 is high chase clipped and a more delicate soul so he has about 350g both night and day and neck on his turnout.

I don't think I overrug but that doesn't mean I want to swap my nice light easily washed modern stable rug for a jute rug with an army blanket underneath carefully folded back under a roller. Nothing wrong with progress.

 

[flirtygerty]

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

I still have one 30+ yrs old and still used in very extreme temps, normally used as a draught excluder over a gate, got to say, it's the only rug that's not pulled off the gate if not tied on, probably due to the weight

 

[ashlingm]

I'd rather my horse wore a tail bag than having to wash its tail with freezing cold water in the depths of winter.... not the nicest experience for horse or owner!

It's not like they're immobilised once its on...they can still swish and move it about!

 

[flirtygerty]

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.

I have to disagree with you re fly rugs, my TB hates rugs of any description and I prefer a muddy horse to a rugged horse, but my TB suffers badly from flies, coming out in lumps all over, biting himself, kicking at his belly and generally being unhappy in himself, he chose to be in the barn through the summer by himself, rather than suffer the flies, I once hacked him out and within ten minutes, we were both covered in flies, him tossing his head trying to dislodge a swarm around his head, it was a very short hack, not pleasant for either of us, he is allergic to most sprays, this year I got by on vinegar, so my lad is the exception

 

[twiggy2]

I'd rather my horse wore a tail bag than having to wash its tail with freezing cold water in the depths of winter.... not the nicest experience for horse or owner!

It's not like they're immobilised once its on...they can still swish and move it about!

you don't HAVE to wash your horses tail at all, I don't bag or wash I brush and oil but I don't have to do that I could just leave it as nature intended and my horse wont drop dead-it wont drop dead with a tail bag either though I have to say

 

[twiggy2]

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

horses used to be clipped and live out more often than they do now

 

[flirtygerty]

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



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




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

Why get personal, Cptrayes is an experienced owner that has helped so many people, she is entitled to her opinion, constructive critism is fine, a personal attack is not

 

[FionaM12]

Why get personal, Cptrayes is an experienced owner that has helped so many people, she is entitled to her opinion, constructive critism is fine, a personal attack is not

Agreed flirtygerty. Your posts are quite unpleasant Moya_999, in an otherwise pleasant and light-hearted thread.

 

[FionaM12]

I remember the days of jute rugs and NZ rugs well. I also remember that only clipped horses were rugged at all. Most of the horses at our yard are unclipped, but covered in rugs up to their ears.

 

[RunToEarth]

The great thing about horses is that there are so many different ways to keep them happy and healthy.

I can't abide the sanctimonious "my horse lives in a 1970 NZ therefore everyone's should" because actually modern rugs were designed for people who don't want shoulders like boulders. If I want a white tail at 11am on a Saturday, and I'm not causing any ill effect to my horses, is it really any one else's concern?

 

[cptrayes]

I have to disagree with you re fly rugs, my TB hates rugs of any description and I prefer a muddy horse to a rugged horse, but my TB suffers badly from flies, coming out in lumps all over, biting himself, kicking at his belly and generally being unhappy in himself, he chose to be in the barn through the summer by himself, rather than suffer the flies, I once hacked him out and within ten minutes, we were both covered in flies, him tossing his head trying to dislodge a swarm around his head, it was a very short hack, not pleasant for either of us, he is allergic to most sprays, this year I got by on vinegar, so my lad is the exception

I didn't say no horse needed them, FG, I said very few And yours sounds like one.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

The great thing about horses is that there are so many different ways to keep them happy and healthy.

I can't abide the sanctimonious "my horse lives in a 1970 NZ therefore everyone's should" because actually modern rugs were designed for people who don't want shoulders like boulders. If I want a white tail at 11am on a Saturday, and I'm not causing any ill effect to my horses, is it really any one else's concern?

Exactly!

Not all of us still use full top sheets with layered blankets on our beds; most use duvets these days, so changing with the times for more modern conveniences is progression.
Neither do we (usually) beat carpets with brooms to clean them, most hoover instead.

 

[Sussexbythesea]

The great thing about horses is that there are so many different ways to keep them happy and healthy.

I can't abide the sanctimonious "my horse lives in a 1970 NZ therefore everyone's should" because actually modern rugs were designed for people who don't want shoulders like boulders. If I want a white tail at 11am on a Saturday, and I'm not causing any ill effect to my horses, is it really any one else's concern?

Agree.

I cannot see the logic of struggling on with outdated items when new, better and more comfortable versions for both the horse and us are now available. The technical fabrics available for both the horse and us have made riding and horse care so much more pleasant. In every other part of our lives we move on so why not with horses?

My horse has a fly rug as he reacts to bites badly and sometimes he just gallops up and down in a frenzy trying to get away from them when they are bad and he is not wearing a rug. He wore a tail bag when I kept him at a yard that had a heavy clay soil that made his tail into one sausage that set like a club, he also had a snuggy hood there as the clay was so hard to remove. He didn't need these at his previous yard and he doesn't need them now so he doesn't wear them.

 

[dollymix]

My mare has a wardrobe better than mine - but I do feel silly sometimes. My first pony and the whole yard she was on, lived out - in one big field of mares and geldings - she never wore a rug and the only time they came in was when the snow was too thick to get their noses through.

They were all unclipped etc - but only used for hacking really which I suppose makes a difference....and I remember having to 'thatch' under one of those string rugs, with clean straw if they got sweaty!

 

[Shantara]

Horses AND people have survived for millions of years.
That does not mean I would like to live in a cave or wear a corset or hide from people with the black plague. Sometimes, times change for the better I often wish I could re-live the days of my childhood (and do, by watching Disney films) but as far as horses go, I don't think they've ever had it this good!

 

[MurphysMinder]

I thought this was an interesting article on rugging. A particularly relevant quote
"So before we reach for the rug catalogue and order the warmest and most expensive rug for our horse, it’s worth taking a minute to consider if they really need rugs – or indeed if rugs could actually be detrimental to their health."


http://www.bluecross.org.uk/1752-13...utm_campaign=Horse newsletter - December 2014

 

[_HP_]

Horses AND people have survived for millions of years.
That does not mean I would like to live in a cave or wear a corset or hide from people with the black plague. Sometimes, times change for the better I often wish I could re-live the days of my childhood (and do, by watching Disney films) but as far as horses go, I don't think they've ever had it this good!

This....

 

[BlackRider]

I've had grey's for over 20 years, and competed on the county circuit, I never felt the need for a tail bag!

A blue shampoo always bring the tail up nice and white, and washing the mane and tail before a show is part of the prep.

 

[Goldenstar]

Why do threads like this descend into judgemental nonsense .
I dislike riding, handling and being around dirty horses and that includes tails .
My horses look every day like they could go to a show or go hunting .
And a lot of labour and time goes into keeping them looking like that .
That's my choice I don't care if others do something different or have less time it's nothing to do with me .
I rarely ride in tack that's not clean or on a horses with any mud at all on it and that includes our living out horse.
I am happy my horses are happy and others are happy doing other it in other ways ,alls well with the world.

The modern rugs offer horses level of comfort that they did not have when I started working and yes the one saddle fit all was common lots of things have changed and moved on for the better .
In my first job I looked after a hunter who was 18 people came to look at this amazing horse who could still hunt at 18 it now would not even raise an eyebrow now ,advances in saddles and to some extent rugging play a role in that .

 

[Christmas Crumpet]

I remember having to lug our NZ's up to the house and laying them on top of stools in front of the AGA to dry overnight. We used to just use a jute rug with a summer sheet underneath and a duvet if it was especially cold which it did seem to be in those days in the winter. Now it never seems that cold at all - weird!!

I turn out in a PE 200g MW every day - my horse doesn't need anything warmer than that and she is fully clipped out. She is constantly on the move in the field and there is plenty of grass and hay for her to eat. The little mini doesn't have a rug on and nor will she - her coat is amazing. I rug my horse up warmer in the stable because she isn't moving about to keep warm like she does in the field.

She is grey and goes hunting at least once a week - therefore I wash her tail before going hunting and it comes up all nice and white. Her tail is cut to just below her hocks which helps keep it clean and a good blue shampoo does the rest. I have found with other dirty ponies that plaiting their tails keeps the majority of them clean - far better than tail bags surely?

 

[stencilface]

I think of my poor blanket clipped TB out in all weathers - in at night for the worst of the winter though - in a canvas NZ rug with a wool lining, one strap at the front and two rear leg straps, that thing was more off the horse than on if it was a windy day! Not that he ever cared mined you, he was too busy standing on the hill staring at the horizon. :rolleyes3:

I don't have time in my life for keeping a grey horse clean, I can't remember when I last cleaned my tack either. I wash his tail once a month ish in winter, providing its not going to freeze, I don't want to create an ice rink! Thats to just knock the worst off. In summer I can keep him quite spangly, but in winter for me its about survival, I only get to ride twice a week and generally don't have time for much else. I love him being rugged though, less area to scrape mud off and less dust to inhale