Rugging of horses ??!!

No one is preaching, firewell I just think it's common sense a horse is not going tO be cold on a nice sunny day. Sorry but in general I just dont understand why a horse owner would turnout a horse in the day with a rug on if it is nice weather. Madness I tell you!!
 
A lot pf people do tend to overrug. At my last yard, the other liveries were mostly native/cob types that didn't do a great deal of work. There were regularly days where my elderly, cold feeling TB was turned out naked, and the other pony coblets all hairy were out with rugs. I actually gave someone a lightweight trunout as they only had heavyweights and their poor hairy pony was boiling in the bag!

Saying that, today, the elderly TB is out with a lightweight rug on, it was drizzly and dull before I came to work. It is now blazing sunshine. However, I won't be back there til 8.30 pm so the l/w is the better of two evils. He absolutely HATES getting wet, and will shiver weight off in no time so if ther eis any sign of rain he has a rug on unless its very warm.

The other two are naked 365!!!
 
My mare is on box rest and had her cooler on as it was breezy up here on Sat. Yesterday it was cold, windy and rainy here then today its glorious and she is back to her cooler in the ctable during the day. She has a heavier rug on at night.

My gelding has just had a blanket clip and he is out in a lightweight rug because A hes 20 and B loses weight easily.

What I choose to do with my horses rugs is my affair, they dont suffer from it .
 
Amazing how a simple observation can turn into a slagging match on here! I agree with OP (and that does not mean I am telling anyone to do anything - its your horse and you can make it uncomfortable if you wish!) but leaving a rug on an unclipped horse when the temperatures are up in the 20s during the day is WRONG!

Now if you live somewhere where the weather is much cooler or if your horse is clipped then of course this thread does not apply to you does it?
 
Mine are in no-fill rugs at night and naked by day unless rain is forecast... i also have to decide what they'll wear for the day at 7am and sometimes i do get it wrong! However, totally agree with original post, if it's sunny and warm take them off!
 
BonneMaman said:
Amazing how a simple observation can turn into a slagging match on here! I agree with OP (and that does not mean I am telling anyone to do anything - its your horse and you can make it uncomfortable if you wish!) but leaving a rug on an unclipped horse when the temperatures are up in the 20s during the day is WRONG!

Now if you live somewhere where the weather is much cooler or if your horse is clipped then of course this thread does not apply to you does it?
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Where is the slanging match??? i cant find it. Whos to say the horse are uncomfortable??

There is a fair cool breeze up here and being in a shady block or stables if I left my mare without summat on she would be cold, she cant walk about in the sun to warm up or use movement to keep her warm, shes got a blown tendon and cant be walking about.

Its amazing the predictions and assumtions that are made on forums, I love watching pople making them then having to swallow them later.
 
my 23 year old tb has a rug on most nights at the moment, purely becuz he feels the cold and i am trying to keep as much condition on him for the winter as possible. if it is wet and windy then he has his waterproof sheet on in the day too. my welsh cob is currently out of work so i porky and is definitly not being rugged untill its properly cold!
 
the majority of horses at my yard are rugged just now (including cobby types and unclipped horses), as the weather here is so unpredictable and theres not much shelter in our feilds. Its also quite chilly here at night and especially in the mornings. My tb is in on box rest just now unrugged as hes getting a big shaggy coat and his stable is cosy.

however there are a couple of horse at my yard that are rarey without rugs even in summer they have light sheets on which i think is a bit unfair and unneccessary. i guess its different for all horses
 
If it looks like rain when I turn out in the morning then a LW goes on so he can still be ridden later on. He is clipped & in at night, but as I've had the heating on over night lately, then he has a stable rug on. Today is his day off so he's rugless today.
Just to add, we were in Harrogate yesterday & it absolutely pissed it down!!!
 
Oh FFS, here it goes on here, slanging match as per normal. Well, I left my clipped cob out last night in his weatherbeeta lw turnout - it was cold and pouring down with rain. I was uanble to visit the yard to check him this morning. Our turnout is 10 minutes walk down a lane, there are no streetlights and I had to start work at 7.30 am this morning, so horsey got left out in his rug. On top of that, Mini TX could not go to the yard this morning as my husband had to leave equally as early and she could not get there.

I know he will be a little bit warm, and I dont feel good about it, but I know he will also be ok and not dead of heat stroke. I have texted other liveries to see if he can have his rug off if they are passing his paddock as well.

So whoever it was who started the slanging match we are not all perfect horse owners. Sorry, I forgot, I am in NL, where I dont normally go. You are all perfect.
 
TheoryX1 said:
Oh FFS, here it goes on here, slanging match as per normal. Well, I left my clipped cob out last night in his weatherbeeta lw turnout - it was cold and pouring down with rain. I was uanble to visit the yard to check him this morning. Our turnout is 10 minutes walk down a lane, there are no streetlights and I had to start work at 7.30 am this morning, so horsey got left out in his rug. On top of that, Mini TX could not go to the yard this morning as my husband had to leave equally as early and she could not get there.

I know he will be a little bit warm, and I dont feel good about it, but I know he will also be ok and not dead of heat stroke. I have texted other liveries to see if he can have his rug off if they are passing his paddock as well.

So whoever it was who started the slanging match we are not all perfect horse owners. Sorry, I forgot, I am in NL, where I dont normally go. You are all perfect.
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Am i being blonde or blind? :o

I cant find the slanging, just people expressing their views, nobody has been rude unless may my understanding of the word is flawed :)
 
NiknKia said:
Where is the slanging match??? i cant find it. Whos to say the horse are uncomfortable??

There is a fair cool breeze up here and being in a shady block or stables if I left my mare without summat on she would be cold, she cant walk about in the sun to warm up or use movement to keep her warm, shes got a blown tendon and cant be walking about.

Its amazing the predictions and assumtions that are made on forums, I love watching pople making them then having to swallow them later.
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Erm, well, I would say by your tone that you are not exactly taking this post particularly well. Try reading what I wrote and all will miraculously be revealed. No one is telling anyone what they should do with their horse and as there has been all year (actually possibly since the last ice age) quite a difference in temperatures/weather patterns from South to North of the UK yes, strangely enough it might be a bit colder where you are. Funny that.
 
Horses find it easier to warm up than to cool down and if they've got adequate forage (i.e. grass in field, hay in stable) they can keep themselves warm to an extent. But if they're stood in the sunshine in a MW rug they'll just be miserable.

Also, if people start putting MW's on now (in 20degrees) ... what will they be putting on when it actually gets cold??!!

But with all this rain it doesn't surprise me that so many people are ruggin already - cold and dry is one thing but cold and wet is another.

I do rug to keep clean/dry if I want to ride but not if it's warm (because there's no need to as the mud dries quickly on them and is easy to brush off). Two of my horses are grey; you just have to learn to lower your daily turnout standards accordingly.
 
I think rugging is difficult this time of year, its just so hard to predict what will happen. I had a comical situation last week when I was poo picking a paddock and it was boiling, so i took the rugs off my friends two horses who had a scratch and a good roll, and thought to myself 'i'll bring them in in a minute' as it was time for them to be in for afternoon feeds anyway (which they knew damn well and pointed it out by standing at the gates looking expectantly!) anyways literally 5 minutes later it hammered it down! there was a river running down the drive lol. so i was frantically draggig in these now naked horses with thin summer coats. Unbelievable but as i stood in the stables dripping wet in my t shirt and horses wet through and through i couldnt help but laugh.

Anyways I think its unfair to assume that rugging up a horse at night is cruel. Mine had a summer sheet on every single night when he was in and had a fly sheet on everyday when he was out. He never felt hot and it keeps the poo stains and dust at bay. Also it helps to stop flys irritating him in the evenings. Each to their on I would say but I agree that heavy rugs during warmer days is a little unecessary.
 
I agree, please read original post I am saying daytime in 20degree warm sun people, overnight is different but surely no one can say it is right to rug a horse in those warm conditions?! A thick rug with neck is not doing a horse Amy favours on a warm day, as it was a Sunday and they were DIY livery yards I was passing Im sorry but I don't think that is fair on the horses! I agree in rain etc but it was gorgeous here yesterday, let's hope with the warm weather planned in south this week owners will not rug un nessesarily! I am not telling anyone what to do in fact I am quite took back by some of the comments, it was a simple observation and rant!! Hahah
 
why does anyone care so much about what others do? Esp those that feel the need to comment on horses that happen to be in a field next to where you were! They aren't your horses, they are not your business!
My horses are rugged now and will stay rugged in some form from now on. Taking rugs on and off, letting them get hot one day and then cold the next is a sure way to get a virus.
Each persons knows their own horses, let them get on with it!
 
Milanesa said:
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!!!
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Havent read the whole thread (have headache and need tablets) but I too have seen loads with rugs on - I appreciate it has been a bit chilly at night time and some places have had a lot of rain, and therefore rug a LW on, but Full Necks? I like them to stay as rug free as the weather will allow - this week is going to a nice warm one - let them have the sun on their backs!

My babies are already fluffing up and they are so cute! xx
 
Yes dancing queen thankyou! Charlie76 if u r down south I can't see y you would rug a horse in this warm weather it is too hot. What people do is up to them but I am quite entitled to rant! Are u saying u think a horse should be rugged in said weather?
 
I am saying it is up to each individual owner with each individual horse and not for outsiders to judge. You don't know each horses circumstances- has it been ill, thin, feels the cold, has rain scald, clipped ect ect.
I am sure that most owners are able to judge for themselves whether their own horse needs a rug or not.
My horses wear some form of sheet all year round , in the summer they wear a fly sheet as we are near woods and have lots of bugs and then wear a variety of sheets depending on the weather/temprature.
That is my decision and I am able to tell if my horses are too hot or not.
Many people rug very early in the morning and then go to work for the day and are not in the position to take rugs on and off through out the day.
 
BonneMaman said:
Erm, well, I would say by your tone that you are not exactly taking this post particularly well. Try reading what I wrote and all will miraculously be revealed. No one is telling anyone what they should do with their horse and as there has been all year (actually possibly since the last ice age) quite a difference in temperatures/weather patterns from South to North of the UK yes, strangely enough it might be a bit colder where you are. Funny that.
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Right awful confused as to tone??? What tone??? I think i may need to have someone interpret my postings for me :D

There was no tone but then again I havent construed tone to slanging match. I saw healthy debate and people stating what they do with their horses and their rugs. Surely thats still allowed considering there was one about and ODE yesterday that had a bit of debate but was civilised.

Just seems to me like people are trying to turn it nasty.
 
My wimpy tb who in the depths of winter is rugged up to the eyeballs (and very happy to be!!!) has been in his fly rug the past couple of days. It's pretty warm here too! Even at night it's not dropped down that low, although he was in his lw no fill last night as we had rain. Tonight he will stay in his fly rug and probably will now for the rest of the week! In the day, if it rains, he'll be naked as it's so warm, unless it hammers it down for a while. I rug according to weather, not time of year, a few weeks ago the temp really dropped at night and he was in a mw. Although my advantage is they're at home so I can nip out and change them if need be. This time of year though I tend to slightly under rug as it's so unpredictable. They can move about to keep warm but can't cool down. At least in the winter we all know where we stand, it's cold, so we rug!!! ;) My idx is naked though 24/7.
 
Ladylina83 said:
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
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This is my excuse! Some of us work during the day (in my case 7 days per week) so we have to make the call in the morning when it's still cold.
 
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