rugging ........rant

Oooo.. Im a very very mean mummy.. It was quite hot here today and after an extended ride this morning Birdy needed a bath..... She got a bath ...... roughly dried...... and turned out...... without a rug!!!!!!!!
:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

Oh I laughed when I saw how muddy she got when I brough her in...Hopefully she left some of her winter coat out in the field!
 
it's nice to see that i'm not the only one that this actually infuriates . i understand that when working it's hard to judge the day and we all make mistakes believe me with this winter it wouldn't be hard . but alot of horses i see are on livery (full livery at that ) with yo around 90%of the day and non working owners , some days i have rugged first thing and then gone out later to down rug or remove when the weather warmed up. how can they wander around in t shirts while their horses are stood sweltering ??
 
Just wonder why anyone would be clipping this week when most horses are now moulting. My TB loves being naked and is a mud lover, can't wait for our fields to dry up and grow some grass!
 
I see this every day too. Same rugs as a good few weeks ago, mainly combos, makes me so annoyed ponies look so unhappy. I have 2 naked and 1 with a 100grm on at night. Better to be slighlty chilly than melting, must be the worst feeling
 
For some unknown reason some people don't understand that over rugging can can be even more harmful than not rugging at all, if your not sure just FEEL the horse ffs!
 
treat each horse as an individual and you cant go far wrong.

mine have been well rugged all winter, 2 x HW and an under rug and have come though winter looking fab, best they have ever looked after a cold snap...............thus today is not over warm for them (been around 13/14 degrees), and they went out in HW combos and were just warm, not hot, not sweaty, just nicely warm. they are in, in magnet sheets and HW stable rugs tonight (stabled overnight all year round).

if its warmer tomorrow they will be down to MW combos.

its AS irritating for me to be told by people that they MUST be too hot, when i know they arent (get checked umpteen times a day as mum works from home and livery arrives at 1pm every day and walks up to check them, then they come in at 3pm).
 
This is the thing, I rug as appropriate for my horse. She will get heat rashes etc when too warm. This year has been different in the fact that I have had severe problems with Dolly in the field, never before(in 11 yrs) has this horse ever lost any weight due to stress, she did this year. So I have kept her warmer than in previous years to try and compensate as much as possible alongside extra rations.
We are moving in a week, so she will(fingers crossed) go back to my relaxed womble soon, she will have peace and quiet and good grazing in her own field!
 
Prince33Sp4rkle said:
treat each horse as an individual and you cant go far wrong.

mine have been well rugged all winter, 2 x HW and an under rug and have come though winter looking fab, best they have ever looked after a cold snap...............thus today is not over warm for them (been around 13/14 degrees), and they went out in HW combos and were just warm, not hot, not sweaty, just nicely warm. they are in, in magnet sheets and HW stable rugs tonight (stabled overnight all year round).

if its warmer tomorrow they will be down to MW combos.

its AS irritating for me to be told by people that they MUST be too hot, when i know they arent (get checked umpteen times a day as mum works from home and livery arrives at 1pm every day and walks up to check them, then they come in at 3pm).
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Nearly makes me vomit... would you do that to your child? And don't give me bs about your child doesn't work to this standard or that standard dah de dah! Eww. I bet your horses were 'warm' in their hw combos in spring temps. Out of interest - what did you wear today?
 
Glad I'm not the only one with naked horses!! Most of the horses had rugs on yesterday- some had medium weights on with neck covers!

It seems to me that people that feel the cold have horses that do too!! They are cold so their horse must be. One horse at our yard still has two rugs on!!!!!!!! Medium with a lightweight
 
I am a minimalist rugger and i flatly refuse to put on more than one rug at a time- I cant see why my horse would ever need anything more than her heavyweight combo (she is fine hunter clipped). I really dont like fleeces as underrugs as they twist and pull tight onthe shoulders, also get wet and just blegh :p, always have hated fleece rugs ! however that is just for my horse, If i had a shivering cold skinny type then I would put on another rug- (just not a fleece!!).

I know of a horse that was out in a hw combo in 20 degrees once :( plus full fur coat.. I took it off as I was afraid the horse would collapse. My own fine hunter clipped horse was out 24/7 naked at the time- she has been in a lightweight combo for a while and in a mediumweight combo when it went at its coldest this winter- changed rugs twice a day some times to make sure she was at the right temperature.

I'd like to say each to their own.. but I dont think that is the case! its not fair on the horse if an owner likes to over-rug them, it isn't their choice :( It isnt difficult to see if your horse is hot or not...
 
Mine is clipped out, awkward weather as when I am working I turn him out at 6am when it is cold but then feel very guilty when it becomes hot during the day!! What do I do? Would love to turn him out naked so he could roll and scratch himself in the mud, not working today so pry bring the fog lifts, I will hoof him out naked
 
Piglet said:
Mine is clipped out, awkward weather as when I am working I turn him out at 6am when it is cold but then feel very guilty when it becomes hot during the day!! What do I do? Would love to turn him out naked so he could roll and scratch himself in the mud, not working today so pry bring the fog lifts, I will hoof him out naked
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Similar for me as doing mine at 6am too. Whipped off overnight rug.

I err on the side that they can run round to keep warm for a couple of hours till sun is up at this time of the year. It was 3 degrees here at 6, and was 6 degrees by 6.30........
 
Piglet said:
Mine is clipped out, awkward weather as when I am working I turn him out at 6am when it is cold but then feel very guilty when it becomes hot during the day!! What do I do? Would love to turn him out naked so he could roll and scratch himself in the mud, not working today so pry bring the fog lifts, I will hoof him out naked
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I think Coolheat rugs might be the answer. A friend of mine on another forum has been using one on a polo pony right through the winter and he's stayed just right all through. It might not work in the middle of winter with a clipped horse, but surely they would do the job once the weather is as mild as it is now. Could be worth speaking to them anyway.
 
My mare went out in a fly rug yesterday and she is fully clipped!
Horses down the road in full up the neck rugs all day long :(
I know i have a rug addiction BUT i quite litterally have any rug for any weather!!!
Some people to make me cross
 
We're obviously all harsh at ours as everything was naked yesterday and are so today too- 30+ horses and ponies of all shapes and sizes all out naked including the ones (like mine) that are clipped out and have no coat. We're clearly not a yard of over-ruggers!

I am very much hoping it does warm up as promised as currently it is only 6 degrees and air is damp - so might have to sneak out of office and do the 40 min round trip to add a lw rug later :/
 
I got to the yard yeatersday afternoon to find my horse had been put out by the staff in a medium weight tirnout and all 4 turnout boots! It was 19 degrees!:confused::(:eek:
 
Moomin1 said:
Nearly makes me vomit... would you do that to your child? And don't give me bs about your child doesn't work to this standard or that standard dah de dah! Eww. I bet your horses were 'warm' in their hw combos in spring temps. Out of interest - what did you wear today?
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that is the most ridiculously OTT reply i think ive ever had the amusement of reading!

dont have kids, dont intend to.

i rode one horse in a t shirt and fleece, rode second one in just a t shirt, and then put fleece back on to stand and teach.

id very much hope they were warm (not hot, warm is fine) i dont believe in making them cold just to keep HHO happy ;)

are you telling me that if they feel just warm to the touch, arent sweating, arent itching, shows no signs of being hot........................and are checked regularly and always feel comfy...........that actually YOU know better and they are in fact hot?!
 
:eek: It was 17 degrees here yesterday - amazing.
Our 3 clipped horses (last clipped in december) went naked today for the first time - they walked in the field and immediately started grooming each other - it was a lovely sight.
Our field is dry so they had a roll but were still quite clean when they came in.
I rode in the afternoon - horse was white under her saddle so i washed her off and turned her back out naked :eek:
They came in about 6pm and it was still lovely - popped 200g stable rugs on when the sun went down and done :)
 
I thought about this thread yesterday when I was up at our yard. Every single horse was out naked - except one. Of those out naked, some were hairy natives, some were fine, fully-clipped TB-types.

The one horse out rugged (in a MW with neck cover), however - a fully clipped WB - despite being a little encumbered, was not hot. When his owner arrived at about 3 and took his rug off there wasn't a sweat mark to be seen. He did, however, rush straight over to one of his field companions and have a good mutual grooming session ;).

Several liveries approached me about the horse - a couple thought he was mine (erm, no, mine is a darned sight smaller - although they are the same colour and in the same field) - but all were concerned that he was hot/shouldn't be rugged, etc. I have to say that it did make me sad to see him with a rug on on such a beautiful day . . . but, it's up to the owner (who I like and respect) at the end of the day . . . and this horse wasn't sweaty/overheated (although I'll bet he had been longing to have a good groom with his field mates).

None of my business really . . . she can choose to rug her horse how she wishes . . . in just the same way as I can choose how to rug Kal. She may not agree with how I manage him, for all I know - so shy should I (or anyone else) presume to know what's best for her horse?

P
 
PolarSkye said:
I thought about this thread yesterday when I was up at our yard. Every single horse was out naked - except one. Of those out naked, some were hairy natives, some were fine, fully-clipped TB-types.

The one horse out rugged (in a MW with neck cover), however - a fully clipped WB - despite being a little encumbered, was not hot. When his owner arrived at about 3 and took his rug off there wasn't a sweat mark to be seen. He did, however, rush straight over to one of his field companions and have a good mutual grooming session ;).

Several liveries approached me about the horse - a couple thought he was mine (erm, no, mine is a darned sight smaller - although they are the same colour and in the same field) - but all were concerned that he was hot/shouldn't be rugged, etc. I have to say that it did make me sad to see him with a rug on on such a beautiful day . . . but, it's up to the owner (who I like and respect) at the end of the day . . . and this horse wasn't sweaty/overheated (although I'll bet he had been longing to have a good groom with his field mates).

None of my business really . . . she can choose to rug her horse how she wishes . . . in just the same way as I can choose how to rug Kal. She may not agree with how I manage him, for all I know - so shy should I (or anyone else) presume to know what's best for her horse?

P
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A lone voice of reason...... :D

Agree 100%, if the horse is not uncomfortable then it is no one else's business. As for wanting to vomit, what an over-reaction! If you vomit at a horse that is warm but not overheated and being checked regularly I wonder what your reaction is to abuse and neglect? :rolleyes:

HHO does get daft sometimes :rolleyes:
 
Funny this should come up. I had the same rant to my partner yesterday. I was sweating just sat on the yard in a tshirt! Poor horses rugged up must have been so uncomfortable :-(
 
Just come back from yard, turned GG out totally NAKED :eek: :eek:, even though he is fully clipped out (last clip in December), he looked so happy to have the sun on his skin and very soon became exceedingly muddy but happy :D:D
 
Well I'm feeling incredibly guilty because the forecast said 17 degrees today so I put my fully clipped horses out thinking that the fog would burn off shortly! It's still foggy and freezing here so I'm sure they're going to be like ice cubes when I get off work to get them in!
 
I dont ike seeing horses in too many rugs, or one that is too warm, i know one person who boasts about the amount of rugs her hrse has on, often 5 or 6. she thinks we are cruel because ours live out and only wear one rug, if any.
 
PolarSkye said:
I thought about this thread yesterday when I was up at our yard. Every single horse was out naked - except one. Of those out naked, some were hairy natives, some were fine, fully-clipped TB-types.

The one horse out rugged (in a MW with neck cover), however - a fully clipped WB - despite being a little encumbered, was not hot. When his owner arrived at about 3 and took his rug off there wasn't a sweat mark to be seen. He did, however, rush straight over to one of his field companions and have a good mutual grooming session ;).

Several liveries approached me about the horse - a couple thought he was mine (erm, no, mine is a darned sight smaller - although they are the same colour and in the same field) - but all were concerned that he was hot/shouldn't be rugged, etc. I have to say that it did make me sad to see him with a rug on on such a beautiful day . . . but, it's up to the owner (who I like and respect) at the end of the day . . . and this horse wasn't sweaty/overheated (although I'll bet he had been longing to have a good groom with his field mates).

None of my business really . . . she can choose to rug her horse how she wishes . . . in just the same way as I can choose how to rug Kal. She may not agree with how I manage him, for all I know - so shy should I (or anyone else) presume to know what's best for her horse?

P
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THIS!
 
My ISH trace clipped Horse has been naked for a couple of weeks now. She has a fleece on at night. They stayed out yesterday and I left her naked. There are only 2 Horses rugged on my yard and they are both in LW non necked. They are fully clipped and in perfect condition at the moment. The rest are all naked. I cannot stand seeing Horses over rugged. It is far easier for a Horse to warm themselves up then cool themselves down.
 
Kat said:
A lone voice of reason...... :D

Agree 100%, if the horse is not uncomfortable then it is no one else's business. As for wanting to vomit, what an over-reaction! If you vomit at a horse that is warm but not overheated and being checked regularly I wonder what your reaction is to abuse and neglect? :rolleyes:

HHO does get daft sometimes :rolleyes:
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What my reaction to abuse and neglect is - mmm if I was to tell you that I deal with those on a daily basis would that answer your question?! :)
 
Prince33Sp4rkle said:
treat each horse as an individual and you cant go far wrong.

mine have been well rugged all winter, 2 x HW and an under rug and have come though winter looking fab, best they have ever looked after a cold snap...............thus today is not over warm for them (been around 13/14 degrees), and they went out in HW combos and were just warm, not hot, not sweaty, just nicely warm. they are in, in magnet sheets and HW stable rugs tonight (stabled overnight all year round).

if its warmer tomorrow they will be down to MW combos.

its AS irritating for me to be told by people that they MUST be too hot, when i know they arent (get checked umpteen times a day as mum works from home and livery arrives at 1pm every day and walks up to check them, then they come in at 3pm).
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Mine haven't been rugged all winter. As everything, it's all about the individual horse. I personally prefer my 2 to be slightly cooler than warm BUT that's because they both get itchy if they're even just warm.

Moomin1 said:
Nearly makes me vomit... would you do that to your child? And don't give me bs about your child doesn't work to this standard or that standard dah de dah! Eww. I bet your horses were 'warm' in their hw combos in spring temps. Out of interest - what did you wear today?
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Wow, this IS OTT and TBH rude..
Surely, it depends on each individual horse and as they're checked frequently, then if they changed temp, they'd get their rugs changed accordingly. Poster above has admitted its not out of negligence or laziness and indeed, it sounds as though the horses are rugged as per their needs.

I did have a fellow livery ask me last week regarding rugs and her TB and my advice was that when I've gone up at 7am, the horse has been hot and itchy so to try a lighter rug and if the horse IS cold, change it back.
The rug was changed, the horse was fine and the other livery is now happy. She didn't change it because she is a relatively novice owner and simply wanted advice before doing what anything harmful to her horse.

I don't see the point to getting all het up about it, as at the end of the day, I know lots of people who think I'm cruel for putting a clipped horse out in the worst of winter with no rug.
Horses for courses.
 
I drove past two ponies in a field with medium weight rugs and necks. The temperature was 18 deg outside! Its bordering upon neglect in my opinion....
 
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