Rugging- When does it become silly!?

[Kat]

Mine is currently unclipped and rugged. She's a poor doer and looking a bit ribby, I don't want all the expensive feed and forage I am stuffing down her to be used keeping warm, I want it to cover her boney bits!

Having said that last winter she never needed more than a 300g turnout. I had a heavier one but as she wasn't clipped I didn't need it.

I check her temperature under her elbow and aim to have her feeling normal body temperature, similar to if I felt my temperature under my clothes.

She rarely has layered rugs, only normally if one is damaged or at the cleaners and I have to layer two thinner ones.

 

[Herpesas]

Hoss has been in a lightweight turnout rug with a sheet on underneath if it's been cooler (10 degrees or so). He's unclipped and a poor-doer. However, he has gone into this winter rather fat and has sweat up even in the lightweight some days (most unlike him!).

He went into a middleweight standard neck last night because we were expecting it to drop to 3 or 4 degrees. Today he'll be clipped (probably a blanket clip) and will have a neck cover added. When days are 3-4 degrees and nights below freezing he'll go into a h/w with neck cover.

 

[Blue-eyed_mare]

When in my comment did I start telling you what to do with your horses, I gave my opnion and if you dont like it then thats your problem not mine so dont start having a go me

 

[Grinchmass]

As much as everyone complains about people using multiple rugs, much to my dismay with my boy I have no choice.

A few weeks ago he had the light weight turnout on. I found him shivering so had to up thei weight and add a neck cover. He's checked throughout the day, is never hot never mind anywhere near sweating, he's normal temperature.

I clipped him yesterday, and he has a full clip but leaving the legs and half a face on. He is a wimp, so was shivering like a loon, after attempts to warm him up I've resigned to layering rugs as the only way to stop him shivering. Assuming he'd be hot in the morning, checking him and discovering he's a normal temperature I was rather dismayed. He's also been checked throughout the day. He's fine with his layers, shivers without.

So I challenge anyone to try and tell me differently of how to rug my boy. He looses condition very easily so me being harsh and expecting him to harden up won't benefit him or me. The rugs are changed according to the weather etc, but in all he's a wimp, this is my first winter with him, he's an older gent, and by the looks of it has been rugged within an inch of his life most of his life, so now it's rug rug rug or shiver what condition he has off!

I'd rather use less layers, but needs must and I won't have my boy shivering! And yes he did need a full clip as he sweats like a pig with even moderate exercise. I have never known a horse like him, but I'll rug to his requirements and not to everyone else's expectations.