rugging - with a difference :D

fidleyspromise

fidleyspromise

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I've got 2 natives and they have been unrugged and only get rugged in the harsher weather IF they are cold and this is in the Scottish Highlands..

So, I got up to go to work and felt miserable as the wind was howling all night and the rain was lashing down and poor ponies have no shelter. 6am found me struggling in the dark to dig out rugs, extra feed and headcollars and trudged up to field dragging them in pitch black to find the ponies, feeling bad I didn't put their rugs on last night after work and expecting to find them huddled together.

One pony neighed to me and they tucked into their unexpected feed with delight. I went to the little one as she can get cold easily. It was nice to see them but I was freezing, my hands numb in the little time I'd been out and I was rusing to get to work in time and both ponies were warm!!


It is hard to have the only ponies without rugs and have others - horsey and non-horsey people - tell you your cruel - as well as to be so mind numbingly cold yourself. This has shown me that yes I feel guilty and this is with me having had them out for years like this but I would feel worse if they were too hot and couldn't cool down.

I'm all for not rugging but listen to your horse and don't just throw a rug on because every one else has, you can feel the col which means they must feel the cold or for aesthetic reasons. If the horse needs a rug or two on to keep warm, then so be it and please remember that when you ask for rugging advice, that someone could be in a different area and have totally different weather to you.


Basically, please listen to your horse and not others as to whats best for each of them :)
I have to remember this too, hopefully no more jumping outside to look after poor ponies who turn out to be toasty and content. Haha.
 
i know lots of native folk who dont rug. My Sec is only in a LW as she is clipped and i fully admit, it makes the difference most of the time at this time of year as to whether i can ride or not given she will be wet and i dont have time to let her dry or groom. My sec A is unrugged all year and coped in last years horrendous weather too.

Where are you? Notice you said highlands but profile says north east? Im aberdeenshire.
 
She's closer to Inverness than A/deen, she's not far from me :D


I'm so jealous. Claude's a complete woos! He's in a 300g atm, and he's just about warm enough. Had to put his 370g on on Friday when it started snowing though, then it was sunny in the afternoon?! WHAT is going on with the weather..

People used to slag me for putting too much rugs on him, but he is geniunely cold. I go by his ears :D
 
You are so right! Here at the other end of the country to you, even with temperatures rarely going below double figures still and not much wind and rain at all, I see unclipped horses/ponies in HW rugs which is ridiculous. I've got a bit of a mixture going on, the clipped ones are rugged, the unclipped ones and foals aren't, and they are doing brilliantly.
 
gillianclaude said:
She's closer to Inverness than A/deen, she's not far from me :D


I'm so jealous. Claude's a complete woos! He's in a 300g atm, and he's just about warm enough. Had to put his 370g on on Friday when it started snowing though, then it was sunny in the afternoon?! WHAT is going on with the weather..

People used to slag me for putting too much rugs on him, but he is geniunely cold. I go by his ears :D
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this is the first 'toughie' ive had - im used to having to rug to the eyeballs as well, i have to admit, its rather nice not too. its been very cold though hasnt it? the wind is biting:eek:
 
gillianclaude said:
She's closer to Inverness than A/deen, she's not far from me :D


I'm so jealous. Claude's a complete woos! He's in a 300g atm, and he's just about warm enough. Had to put his 370g on on Friday when it started snowing though, then it was sunny in the afternoon?! WHAT is going on with the weather..

People used to slag me for putting too much rugs on him, but he is geniunely cold. I go by his ears :D
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where are you??!! :p

all mine are in their heavies now- one is a fossil, one has a blanket clip and one a yearling (who actualy only needs a middle, but she has kindly outgrown it in record time... less than three weeks... thanks willow!)

it has turned very cold and wintery up here now though. you just have to take each horse as it comes, and rug according to needs- and the weather! im sure people think im mad when i say mine are in heavies already... but the weather is a bit rough up here! :p
 
Up on the north coast we had gusts of 93mph at 4am this morning. Horse actually used his field shelter for once! And I did rug him last night, but he probably wishes I hadn't because one of the leg straps gave way while he was rolling and I went down this morning to find it twisted three quarters of the way round him.
 
Well, despite being in different climes... most ponies what which come from this 'ere land have fur coats we could only ever buy if we skinned 10 of'em and wore so, I can only say... don't belittle your horse and think they be but humans in ponies clothing.

I DO actually rug but for selfish reasons only - like if I wanted to ride in the morning and it was muddy. Even so, the rug I choose would have to match the insulation of his own fur and even then I would only be guessing......

....I mean.... what TOG/Filling rating is a horses coat???
 
My highland's in a MW with neck :eek: and I'm down south :eek:

but since I clipped off all his fur, I can't really expect him to stay out naked :D The yearling is growing his own rug nicely though :p
 
tallyhohoho said:
Even so, the rug I choose would have to match the insulation of his own fur and even then I would only be guessing......

....I mean.... what TOG/Filling rating is a horses coat???
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Variable.They have the lightweight(coat flat) for mild days. Medium (coat fluffed) for cold days and heavyweight(thick layer of mud!) for cold,wet weather!
Mine always seem to have the appropriate tog rating and seem to decide on their winter wardrobe about now. Neither the warmblood or the Appy have grown long dense coats this year.........So I am hoping they reckon its going to be a mild winter here on Exmoor.:)
 
abitodd said:
Variable.They have the lightweight(coat flat) for mild days. Medium (coat fluffed) for cold days and heavyweight(thick layer of mud!) for cold,wet weather!
Mine always seem to have the appropriate tog rating and seem to decide on their winter wardrobe about now. Neither the warmblood or the Appy have grown long dense coats this year.........So I am hoping they reckon its going to be a mild winter here on Exmoor.:)
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LOL :)
 
We once had the RSPCA out to us because someone had complained that we hadn't rugged our horses (all unclipped, out 24/7). A healthy, unclipped horse can withstand very cold temperatures quite happily. Ours would wander around with an inch of snow on thier backs, they were that well insulated. When we pointed out the layer of snow on our horses to the RSPCA guy he had to admit that they couldn't possibly be cold.
 
I've given in and rugged all of mine. Horses don't cope well with cold and wet and windy and we have all three. Especially wet. So it was also partly for us so we can ride when it's drier. Also all of them had dropped a bit of condition this week so although I never saw and shivering I know they were cold. Also I don't feel like feeding the weather. Rugs mean I don't have too. Also also we are very exposed with very little shelter and i don't like bringing them in so they get portable shelters (rugs) :)
 
My very well bred WB is out unrugged at the mo. I will rug her if we have prolonged rain as she will get terribly shivery, but nothing with any amount of fill, just something to stop her being soaked. She can cope just fine with the cold, with her coat, chubbiness and hayalge.
 
Puppy said:
My very well bred WB is out unrugged at the mo. I will rug her if we have prolonged rain as she will get terribly shivery, but nothing with any amount of fill, just something to stop her being soaked. She can cope just fine with the cold, with her coat, chubbiness and hayalge.
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See, this is the wrong way to rug.

When you put a no-fill lightweight rug on in the cold, wind and rain, the rug flattens the hairs which then have no way of trapping air to provide insulation. So, the horse may be dry, but it is cold no matter how fat it is or how much forage it has.

If you rug a horse, clipped/unclipped, you must rug to replace lost insulation as well as to stop them getting wet/dirty.

Stable rugs should be as thick/insulating as poss too because horses are colder in a stable due to lack of room to exercise to create warmth.

Lightweights should only be used in summer.

I hope that made sense...
 
My vet told me that it always better to under than over rug a turned out horse as they can warm themselves up, but if they are too hot they can sweat and get chilled. In -18 last winter my Welshie had about 6" of unmelted snow on his back and was warm and dry underneath! I have a rug for him as he came to me clipped one February, but even with the belts at their longest I couldn't get it on him last winter. They are generally as tough as nails if they have some shelter and sufficient food and in good health.
 
Mine only have light weights on and I've checked them all since putting them on and they are warm in them. Just right. It's not cool enough for medium weights so I disagree that light weights are only for summer use!
 
tallyhohoho said:
See, this is the wrong way to rug.

When you put a no-fill lightweight rug on in the cold, wind and rain, the rug flattens the hairs which then have no way of trapping air to provide insulation. So, the horse may be dry, but it is cold no matter how fat it is or how much forage it has.

If you rug a horse, clipped/unclipped, you must rug to replace lost insulation as well as to stop them getting wet/dirty.

Stable rugs should be as thick/insulating as poss too because horses are colder in a stable due to lack of room to exercise to create warmth.

Lightweights should only be used in summer.

I hope that made sense...
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Whilst I completely agree that useless cheap LWs have no use in Winter time for the reasons that you've stated, a good top of the range rug, ie a Rambo, has it's place. The fact you can see frost on the outside of the rug indicates that the horse's heat is being kept in the rug, and therefore it is insulating even if it isn't full of fill.


This horse is never cold unless completely soaked to the bone for an extended time. Therefore in cases of such bad weather I will give her a waterproof for a bit as I'd rather do that than bring her in to stand in a stable just 'cause it's raining. I'm always feeling under the rug if she has it on (which she hasn't this year, but in past winters) and can assure you she is never cold, (not least because she is in denial she is broken and continually leaping about :rolleyes:)
 
Well, ok. If you are happy. I'm just apllying a bit of physics but I guess I'm not considering all the variables but I will stick to my principles :)
 
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