Rugging of horses ??!!

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Milanesa

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I must have abit of a rant. Yesterday here in the south uk it was around 20 degrees. This is warm weather, the same temperatures are probably seen in June. So why when I was driving around did I see SO MANY horses with rugs on?!! In sorry but I don't understand why you would put a rug on your horse in this warm weather. Of course there may be the odd exception that is thin Etc, but seriously please tell me that owners aren't rugging just because it is 'sept' and meant to be cold. some even had full neck rugs, which to me could actually be considered cruel in 20degree heat. Please tell me I am not the only one that thinks this is madness!!!
 
On a Sunday there is no excuse really but you can't judge people on a "school day" for the decision they made at 6.45 that morning when it is just going light and there is a chill in the air

Besides which a lot of us have had to clip in the last 2 weeks as the weather has thrown us big shaggy coats - I personally wouldn't be turning anything out naked if it's just had a full clip - even if it is 20 degrees - what if it starts to pee it down ?!?!
 
I know, I know
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Where I livery, most of the horses have their rugs on and there is one horse who is not clipped and is wearing a medium weight with neck
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It's mad, I crashed my car yesterday, right by a yard with 30+ horses most had rugs on. Even my non horsey OH said it was too hot to rug. Last year I started rugging on my birthday which is next week, but we had a really cold burst for 2 weeks, even then though the rugs came off during the day, they were out 24hours and when it got warmer the rugs came off.

My first clip is always a bib and belly, and I use this for about a month before I full clip as the autumn weather is so unpredictable, I don't want to start rugging too soon. At least with a bib clip they can go without a rug if the weather warms, and not having a full clip just leaves so many more choices before the need to full clip and rug.
 
I am hoping they all come off this week considering its supposed to be 25 degrees and blazing sun - even the ones with full clips could cope with that even if there was the odd shower! I know there will be some exceptions but for the majority get them off and let your horse a bit of air on their backs before the snow comes the following week!
 
I dOntthink turning out early is an excuse, i turn mine out early it's never that chilly in the mornings. Plus most people watch the weather if u have horses so u know what it's going to do. I think it's madness to turn out with a rug on I mean come on it is very warm still there is just no need!!
 
Milanesa said:
I dOntthink turning out early is an excuse, i turn mine out early it's never that chilly in the mornings. Plus most people watch the weather if u have horses so u know what it's going to do. I think it's madness to turn out with a rug on I mean come on it is very warm still there is just no need!!
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Listen to you lot with your indian summer

Well I'm up north - yesterday morning up at 6 to show I had a tea shirt a shirt a tie a fleece and a body warmer on and i still wasn't hot - it warmed up in the afternoon about 3pm when I scraped all my layers off but up here there is a real chill in the air in the mornings

mine are in LW's out 24/7 , mares has a small amount of fill/ dealer clipped but not naked as the weather is so unpredicatable - I don't like rugging a wet horse


PS - Mucky shavings I hope you didn't crash your car because 30 horses had rugs on
 
Hey ladylina yes I understand if it's cold but yes here down south it is v warm still!! Poor u with cold weather already :-) I'm not llloking forward to winter!
 
Well 2 weeks ago I checked the weather forecast at 6pm and it said dry all night so I left my horse unrugged. It then p*ssed it down solidly from around 9pm and was still raining hard when I got to the yard at 5am to get her in. Poor pony, she was cold and shivery and I am not risking that again. So now she has her no fill rain sheet put on at 6.30pm every evening - and her coat has really come through so I don't think she's too hot. I did however leave her naked during the day on Sunday.

I simply don't believe a word the weather forecast says these days, the 24 hour forecast constantly changes every time I check it throughout the day.
 
My horse is rugged everynight now and sometimes during the day, hes never hot underneath - it is my choice - he is grey and I prefer him to remain that way.
 
I believe that some people may be rugging now in an attempt to stop a really wooly winter coat? Not me, I add, as mine are naked 99% of the time even in the snow.
 
During the night temps can drop, I am talking about a warm sunny day like yesterday. Winklepoker are u saying you rug to keep your horse clean? Surely welfare is a higher priority, I mean 20 degree warm sunny days surely do not mean horses need rugs on! Do owners actually think their horse would be cold in weather like this? Do they walk around with jackets on ? I doubt it! Fair point re weather forecast they can be rather unreliable haha
 
Mines out in a medium weight and he wasnt too hot.... He's dutch and not used to be outside so is ALWAYS cold! And anyway peoples horses are very different and what rug their owners put on them is down to them, they know their horses better than a passer by in a car
 
I believe no amount of tugging will prevent a horse going through the natural process of daylight hours reducing and growing a thicker coat to prepare for winter. Go Ahead and correct me though! A horse has a natural inbuilt reaction to the seasons and daylight reduction, it's not just cold weather that brings on coat growth IMO but I may well be wrong!
 
Both of mine are rugged - my broodie is thin, being dragged by the foal - and my older girl is fully clipped as she is a lami/cushings case.
Seren (broodie) is in a 180g at night, any temp 15 and above she is naked during the day, if its raining she has a sheet on. I cant have herr going into winter thin.
Melly (lami girl) is in a 180g at night and always naked in the day unless it is persistantly raining.
Im in the midlands, bordering on northern, and when the temp guage shows 15 degree's at our house, where the girls are (down the road and up on a hill!) it will be 13 deg or lower.
 
This is one reason I choose not to rug.
I can remember when I did and would worry myself sick when the weather did not do as predicted. Its horrid being trapped at work,miles from the yard and knowing you've got it wrong and your horse is either baking or freezing.
 
On Saturday, I had to go to Norfolk so went up yard at 7 in the morning, It was very cold then. So I put a no fill sheet on her. When I got back approx 4 in afternoon, she was so hot bless her. I felt so awful :( There was knowone to take her rug off though, as I was with the YO and other livery in Norfolk. Sometimes it's so hard to know what the weather will do as it often changes.

I went up early yesterday though to take her rug of as it was very warm.
 
I had my mare in a lightweight turnout yesturday, purley because last winter she dropped down to 410kgs on weigh tape and although she looks great at the moment she could still do with a bit more coverage over the ribs .. But she is in her main field up until 3:30/4 then she was turned out naked in a smaller field with YO's 2year old racer for an hour before coming in at night .. She was only out naked for an hour when I got her in she was bit ribby and tucked but she was fine when she got in her stable ..

At night shes in a light weight with a fill unless it's pretty warm then she's in a cottern sheet. She does feel the cold and I don't want her dropping off weight I want her to put on a bit more weight
 
Ellie e you don't say where abouts in uk you are, if it is up north I can't comment but down here as mentioned in my post it was around 20 degrees. Arecu saying you put a medium weight turnout rug on an unclipped horse in 20 degree weather? I already stated I understand I'll/ thin horses exceptions,
 
All horses are different of course, but in general if horses are NOT clipped, NOT thin or sick, then they do not "need" help staying warm if they are able to move about at liberty, have sufficient fibre and the temperature is above -2 C.
 
Lucky you having warm dry weather! My girl had a LW rug on yesterday in field for two reasons. 1 - it was warmer but still a chill in the air. 2 she's grey, ground is wet and I think she may have been a hippo in a previous life because she loves to roll in mud :D
 
Tiffany said:
Lucky you having warm dry weather! My girl had a LW rug on yesterday in field for two reasons. 1 - it was warmer but still a chill in the air. 2 she's grey, ground is wet and I think she may have been a hippo in a previous life because she loves to roll in mud :D
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As a fellow grey owner I do not actually believe that hippos exist - they are just greys that evolved a little !
 
I think people can do what they want with their horses, it's their choice! I hate being preached to about wether my horse should wear a rug or not.
Incidentally mines out without at the moment as it's mild but he came in last night and wore a light stable rug. My horse, I decide. Then I only have myself to blame if he's standing in a rain storm with a fly rug on or sunshine with his l/w on :p.
 
Ladylina83 said:
As a fellow grey owner I do not actually believe that hippos exist - they are just greys that evolved a little !
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Funnily enough my current grey is much cleaner when living out than she is stabled - she is permanently greeny/brown all over when stabled but mud doesn't seem to hold the same appeal for her! My previous two grey boys were the opposite though.
 
A new livery came to our yard last week, her horse has been rugged since he arrived! She wanted to put a heavyweight stable rug on him overnight!! I couldn't believe it! She was soon talked out of that and has resorted to a LW stable overnight and MW turnout during the day.

My horse is very similar to hers (TB little bit on the skinny side).. He gets a turnout on when its raining bad or fairly windy, fly rug if it is really hot and fleece overnight if its a bit chilly. This past week he has been naked!

I do agree with the comments about the unpredictable weather though! Its crap!
 
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