Rugging my unclipped elderly pony-confused!

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fallingstar

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Hi all

I could really do with a bit of advice regarding my 20 year old NF type gelding.
Basically up until this year my friend had the care of him and now he has come back to me to look after. I'm by no means an expert in horse care and I'm getting really anxious about doing the right thing by him.
I am confused as to if I should be rugging him at all at this time of year. He is unclipped as I barely get to ride him over the winter months so I prefer him to keep his fur on for warmth. He has quite a furry coat at the moment but it's not massively dense or hairy.

He does have a fairly lightweight turn out rug and stable rug to wear during the coldest, most frosty weather but at this time of year I think he doesnt really need them on (I could be wrong though). It has been really very wet of late though so would it be worthwhile me getting him a rainsheet type rug for turn out just to keep him dry? He certainly never looks cold standing in his stable, his ears and under his coat are always fairly warm. He is also happy and alert in himself.

Sorry if I sound like a worried mam but he is an old boy now and I worry terribly about doing right by him. He is arthritic as well and I worry about that flaring up! I cant ask my friend for advice as we fell out so I feel like I'm totally on my own. The people on my livery yard arent much of a source of help either as I'm not convinced they have much knowledge on the subject. I've seen one womans horses sweltering under heavy turnout rugs in September and another whose cob has a hunter clip at the moment and is rugged in nothing but a lightweight cotton rug at night and clearly freezing to death!

Thanks in advance for any advice.
 
If he is a typical new forest good doer then he really shouldn't need a rug!Only consider one if he loses condition or if later on in the winter we get a continuous wet spell-even then I have never found it necessary to rug an unclipped native.
 
I like to rug my elderly hairy pony when it is wet, but I find the rainsheet type rugs to be totally useless and the poor horse ends up as wet as if it had been unrugged. So I do use a lightweight, lined turnout in the rain, but leave him unrugged the rest of the time. There is a great temptation to think a horse should have a rug, but I think they are happier without if they are unclipped
 
elizabeth1 said:
If he is a typical new forest good doer then he really shouldn't need a rug!Only consider one if he loses condition or if later on in the winter we get a continuous wet spell-even then I have never found it necessary to rug an unclipped native.
Click to expand...

Yes he is a typical native type good doer. He is of the 'muzzle and restricted grazing in summer to prevent laminitis' type. At the moment he is in fairly good condition and seems pretty happy in himself. I'm probably worrying over nothing, I'm just suddenly very aware of my lack of knowledge and the fact that his welfare is now 100% my responsibility.
He is as tough as old boots though and will probably outlive me. Four years ago the vet more or less told me he had that many health and soundness problems he was only good for the knackers yard. Yet all this time on hes prefectly happy, hacks out cheerfully and throughly loves his life
Thankyou for the advice
 
There are so many differing opinions on rugging and i am sure you will hear them all on here!

If the horse is keeping his weight and is not getting stiff then i would personally only use a light rug when it is very cold or wet outside, especially if he has a nice warm stable to come in to.:)
 
Can't give you a definitive answer but I also have an elderly good do-er and my rough rules for rugging him are as follows:

If it's wet OR cold he'll be ok but if it's both then he might need help (if he has no access to shelter and can't graze/eat hay to keep warm).
When possible I feed hay in field to keep him warm from the inside.
I prefer not to use a lightweight sheet at this time of year as it offers no heat and can stop the full coat coming through or flatten it such that it no longer insulates as well.

If he's happy and in good condition and doesn't feel cold (base of ears are a good place to check) then leave him be - so long as he can graze or eat hay he'll keep himself warm like that.

My boy will be stabled overnight this winter purely because he has a tendon injury (a whole other story) and I want to give him rest time out of the mud.

If he was out, I'd start putting him in a medium-weight as soon as the temperatures started hitting freezing at night (as soon as they stay low diring the day too he'll go into a heavyweight). If the weather is wet and cold he'll also have a neck rug.

There's an elderly native type on our yard and he's been out 24/7 without a rug during this weeks rain and wind and is totally fine (but they can get out of the wind and all huddle together).
 
as everyone else said, every horse is different. This summer I took on a 18yr old Welsh A good doer who has a good thick coat already and I was not actually planning on rugging him at all this winter as we have lots of shelter, grass and a big field shelter which he uses. Other Welsh ponies I have had have stayed unrugged so I was going on past experience. However...... it rained non stop here for 48hrs with wind and temps nearing 2 or 3 degrees and when I checked on him his coat had gone very curly and was soaked through to the skin (usually its quite dry underneath) and he felt cold under his elbows and onthe base of his ears so I put the one and only rug he has on (MW) on and he did seem much happier.

Now the rain has stopped and the sun is out I have taken it off as I would rather he still carried on growing his own coat. Now I know what does make him cold and miserable (wet/ windy / cold) then I wont hesitate to rug him when needed but I think he will be able to have days off without it. My TBx mare on the other is blanket clipped with a mw on living out 24/7 felt absolutely toasty the whole time, even in that rain. So toasty and warm that I put the Snuggy hood that I was about to put on her back in the tackroom.

Best to use your judgement each and every day....
 
My 24 yr old shetland is stabled at night all year round, and its defintely softened him up a bit.
He goes naked all summer, but when the weather gets cooler, he wears a lightweight Amigo Light with no lining when it's very rainy.
When the weather really sets in he has a 200gm Cuddly Ponys turnout, and a Rambo 350 gram.
I've also just purchased the Rhino 200gm Wug high neck (to try and discourage my mum from using the Rambo)
Personally, the really wet days are the days I would rug, my pony definitely got chilled one year, and looks miserable if he gets wet and cold if he's rugless.

Try not to worry too much, I'm sure your pony will be fine rugless, and appreciate a lightweight rug if its cold and wet.
Just make sure the rugs are generous too - my Shetland is 37" and in 4ft 6 rugs because he still grows a coat
 
Every horse, like people is different, don't forget that! But a 20 year old native isn't generally as "ancient" as a 20 year old TB. My woolly mammoth 27 yo part Welsh D is out naked in the sun today, and won't be rugged tonight as she has plenty to eat and a nice warm bed. It was below freezing last night and I still didn't rug her. I do put a lightweight waterproof on her if it is either very windy or raining more than just showers as she the drugs she has for her arthritis lower her body temperature so she will feel cold sooner than many others. A light stable rug can actually make a horse feel colder as it prevents them from lofting their fur and trapping warm air between the hairs.
 
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