rugging ........rant

[smellsofhorse]

I inderstand your point but it is difficult to get it right.
We all know the weather man can be wrong and it can be unpredictable.

I go to yard at 5 am.
It was about 3 degrees yesterday morning, drizzling and very foggy.

I put their light weight on ad new it was mean to get warm.

But it didn't actually feel warm or get to a decent temperature until about 4pm
So do I put thicker rugs on hoping they won't get hot when/if it warms up.
(Fully clipped)
Or lighter rugs on hoping they don't get cold.

 

[Mlini]

It's hard to get rugs right as I turn out at 7am. Yesterday I out his MW on and it turned out to be 14 degrees! Luckily a livery took it off before he got too hot! Today, hes out naked, but its not turned out as warm as yesterday

There is a cob on my yard with a HW on 24/7! I suggested to his owner that she took it off (or at least swapped it for a LW) and she was shocked that I even suggested it! On my yard they seem to go from one extreme to another, on cloudy or cold days they get HW's on, and if the sun comes out (no matter how hot or cold or windy) they go naked. Maybe they don't own MW or LW rugs??

 

[ester]

which is why I think it is a really hard time of year, especially if your horses are recently clipped.

Am currently erring on the side of I prefer mine slightly warmer as due to lameness he really doesn't need to be running around. Any other time I go with slightly cold as he is generally round and it does him no harm. My slightly warmer is his rhino 200g middleweight tho, absolute max has only ever been that + a 100g stable underneath for him and the arab.

 

[Spring Feather]

Mine all live out 24/7 except when the broodmares come in overnight when they're about to foal. All of them here are naked and they're all in very good shape.

Someone touched on this earlier in the thread; if you aren't able to change rugs numerous times a day then invest in a Bucas Power turnout. They have a huge temperature range (something like -15 to +15 or thereabouts). I have some, I don't particularly like them as rugs go, but they are fabulous when the temperatures fluctuate at this time of year. So long as horses aren't stuffed into heavy full necked rugs they will have an easier time of self-regulating their temperature.

 

[Jesstickle]

I have just received my 100g rug as even lightweight or mediumweight doesn't properly cover it at the moment MW is really too hot in the day time but I think a no fill on a freshly clipped blood horse is a bit light (there is no sun here at all atm, just grey skies and mizzle ) so I've had to shell out for something to bridge the gap. Stoopid indecisive spring weather!

 

[0310Star]

I have just received my 100g rug as even lightweight or mediumweight doesn't properly cover it at the moment MW is really too hot in the day time but I think a no fill on a freshly clipped blood horse is a bit light (there is no sun here at all atm, just grey skies and mizzle ) so I've had to shell out for something to bridge the gap. Stoopid indecisive spring weather!

As I have said, mine will go naked when she can as she doesn't really get cold, But the problem I do have is she shivers in the rain and has to be totally covered! an Amigo sheet without a neck she will still shiver whether she is cold or not! So I am just about to buy a no fill combo for those rainy days she cant cope with. More money given to her wardrobe, which may I ad probably has more items in than mine!!

This time of year is very, very difficult! Roll on summer!!!

 

[MileAMinute]

I prefer any of my horses to be slightly cold than too hot. At least they can have a hoon around to keep warm.

Exceptions, as always, for older horses or ones that need to be rugged for weight management or medicinal purposes.

 

[Dianazajda]

Hi I just wanted to warn people not to buy the cheap offers on the Equestrian Clearance website. I bought two rugs and the quality of the material was so thin and poor that neither rug lasted a month before ripping to shreds. The company's answer was that it was normal wear and tear - well if they only expect them to last a month I guess that's okay but I had hoped they might last at least a few months! Beware.

 

[Oberon]

How about this.....

Someone just got a new pony,

Pony. Cob. Obese. Unclipped. Daily turnout. Stabled in a barn at night.

Wearing a rug 24/7

I tried to advise the owner and the rug came off for a day or so but went back on, "As the pony felt cold when it came in one evening." and it has been rugged ever since.

Owner actually asked me if the pony had had laminitis in the past when she got it as it has rippled walls

.

 

[MrsHutt]

As others have mentioned, it is really tricky at the moment. This afternoon it was about 14 and beautiful sunshine when I put H out in a middleweight (no neck) and thought he might be a bit warm. It is 2 degrees now and raining - feels horrid out there! Poor H lives out 24/7, is clipped and his summer coat isn't making any sort of appearance.

If I could get up there 3 times a day to change rugs, I would!

 

[lurcherlu]

As others have mentioned, it is really tricky at the moment. This afternoon it was about 14 and beautiful sunshine when I put H out in a middleweight (no neck) and thought he might be a bit warm. It is 2 degrees now and raining - feels horrid out there! Poor H lives out 24/7, is clipped and his summer coat isn't making any sort of appearance.

If I could get up there 3 times a day to change rugs, I would!

I had the same situation as you, I have 2 children who are 2 and 4, on my days off from work I drop kids to preschool and go and feed my fillies (22 months and 3 years) my younger filly has come through winte looking poorer than i had hoped but thats just babies growing away i suppose, but i am trying to keep weight on her and she is living out most of teh time comes in 1 or 2 nights a week, she is in a mw with no neck, because she gets cold easily. I then check her rug and if its rainign heavily put a lightweight on older filly and check if rugs are ok for my appollosa x (younger filly) then pottle around the yard and collect kids at midday, now I like to check them on way home (kids at school in same village as i keep horses and we live in town) if kids are in a good helpful mood we have time to unrug / re rug now before it gets hot/cold dry/wet, and then i check and feed again at 4.30 on way to get OH from work, in an ideal world this is what i would do everyday, but with 2 young kids its not always possible, we arent onj a yard just rent grazing from a farmer friend and there is no one around to help. So generally Breeze stays in her MW 24/7 at least until the grass is better and she stops dropping weight. Boy was i glad i had put her rug back in after a naked stretch yesterday afternoon- we woke up to thick frost

 

[glass]

Just a quick question on the whole rug debate- I've just started loaning a 16.2 TB whose owner has gone away on hols atm. Its very warm here today so taken his rug off (HW combo turnout) but as I am going for dinner tonight wasn't sure whether to leave him naked over night (he lives out) or whether to put his heavy rug back on whilst its still warm?? I'd not be able to get there to time it so hes not hot and sweaty but then I'm wondering whether he'll be too chilly? He lived out all through winter in the snow so my head is telling me he'll be fine for one night with his good belly on him, my soppy side is nagging me though! Any thoughts?!

 

[Milanesa]

Leave it off it is 20 degrees where i am. he will be much happier abit chilly tonight rather than sweating.

 

[Tonibird83]

Sometimes it's hard to gauge what the day's going to end up being like with regards to the weather and if you are at work and can't get to take your horse's rug off, you're better playing safe and under/no rugging them. There have been a couple of days where I've got it wrong and my boy has ended up sweaty.

On one yard I was on, one of the girls who didn't work and spent all day at the yard (kissing the manager's a*se) was slagging off the owners of the horses out with rugs on, saying it was "disgusting" and I made the point that the owners were in fact at work and if she had anything about her, she would text them and ask if they wanted her to take their horses' rugs off!

This is the same person who informed me my horse had been laying down, rolling, sweating and panting all afternoon - 3 days after it happened!!

 

[glass]

Ahh thanks Milanesa! Thats what my gut was telling me! Its not like its muddy or anything so he's not going to look like stig of the dump if he has a roll around I think I'm just fretting because I still feel like the babysitter!

 

[Tonibird83]

Just a quick question on the whole rug debate- I've just started loaning a 16.2 TB whose owner has gone away on hols atm. Its very warm here today so taken his rug off (HW combo turnout) but as I am going for dinner tonight wasn't sure whether to leave him naked over night (he lives out) or whether to put his heavy rug back on whilst its still warm?? I'd not be able to get there to time it so hes not hot and sweaty but then I'm wondering whether he'll be too chilly? He lived out all through winter in the snow so my head is telling me he'll be fine for one night with his good belly on him, my soppy side is nagging me though! Any thoughts?!

Does he have a lighter rug without a neck? He'd probably be alright overnight, he can move about to keep warm

 

[glass]

@tonibird83: yes, I've been going up all week before work and taking it off but I've always been there for about 7:30 to put it back on. If there was a LW one to use I think I'd probably throw it on but its HW or nothing I'm afraid! And yes- this person sounds like a plonker not to think ahead and get in touch with the owners if shes there anyway!

 

[Amaranta]

I have been caught out twice recently with the Arabs rug,
One morning it was cold and foggy, so i left it on.....fog cleared and turned into a warm sunny day! The next day was cold and foggy so i thought it will turn out the same as day before so took it off! It bl00 dy stayed cold and foggy all day!
Any way last couple of days have been hot, so rug came off...and has stayed off, didnt even put it on for the night!!

Yup, that happened to me last week - bleddy weather

As for people leaving middleweights on when it's warm and lightweights when cold - pass I will never understand some people

 

[mandwhy]

On one yard I was on, one of the girls who didn't work and spent all day at the yard (kissing the manager's a*se) was slagging off the owners of the horses out with rugs on, saying it was "disgusting" and I made the point that the owners were in fact at work and if she had anything about her, she would text them and ask if they wanted her to take their horses' rugs off!

Oh what a cow! It's so easy for people to judge when they don't realise some people have to get there at 6am when you have no idea what the weather's going to be like! I'd probably have said next time I saw people to give me a text if they wanted me to take a rug off. It is hard not to offend people, I am always worrying about rugs and do people think it should be on or off or not!

 

[MagicMelon]

Following my post yesterday when it was 12 degrees, 22 degrees today and there are STILL ponies rugged up just down the road from me - and we're talking on hefty coloured cobs (who arent even clipped)... madness. I think some people simply dont check on their horses daily to be bothered to take off their rugs.

 

[amandaco2]

my lot are naked today
they had 150g standard necks on all last week.
ditto the odd choices- one of the horses who has had its rug off and out 24/7 for the past 5 weeks has suddenly got a rug on again 24/7?!?!now its 'summer' temps here- must be about 19ish!

 

[Marydoll]

Hurrah twice this week got them out without rugs, its been gorgeous here today, although the freezing fog was there till about 10.00, then voila, wall to wall sunshine
My guys are in tonight in L/W stable rugs, here comes summer

 

[Cortez]

My horses, stabled part time but not clipped, have worn a rug precisely twice this winter. What is with the "dress-up dolly" horses?

 

[mcnaughty]

Welsh A with hunter clip - out naked 24 hours for the whole weekend and tonight. 23C here yesterday and today and supposedly tomorrow too! Even if he does shiver tonight a bit it might make him lose a bit of pony fat and it certainly will not kill him.

TB out in field all day today with half neck LW rug - I was going to take it off but one of the other liveries say she likes to rug her horse up so I left alone!