Rugging

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emma.is

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What's your stance on rugging during this weird weather?

I have no idea what to do for the best, I've always been taught that when the rugs come off for Spring they HAVE to stay off. Put the beast back into a winter rug because he's a wimp. Did I do right? :/
 
Mines wearing his MW again. He does need it though and it's an open field, cold and windy.

Just do as you feel will suit your horse.
 
I don't think there's any harm in re rugging today - the weather has gone pretty horrendous. My horse has remained naked sadly - she can shiver some of her extra adipose off!! I will put a fleece on her tonight though as looking out the window now she is going to come in soaking and I imagine tonight is going to be pretty chilly so will dry her off with a fleece.
 
amymay said:
Why leave the horse cold? POP a. Rug back on.
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I don't think there's any harm (within reason) in allowing horses to develop their own ability to regulate their body temps. Obviously depends on horse though - older/ill/poor doers are a different kettle of fish.

Interestingly, there is a dealer's yard opposite my livery, and he has TB's and Arabs out 24/7 all year - same horses (these are his own he is producing) and they have never seen a rug in their lives, don't get given hay all winter (not ideal!) yet I have to say, they are always perfectly fit and healthy and barely drop weight through winter. Not how I would do it, but can't really moan given the condition they are in! :)
 
i'm awaiting a decent shelter and have nowhere to dry off my pony so he has a rug on. He may be warm at the moment but its so changeable and he copes well with the heat but gets very tight in the back if he's cold and wet.
 
Nothing wrong at all with wintering out rugless. But if you've only taken them off in last weeks heat wave why wouldn't you put them back on? Mines gone from none on last week back to a hw combo.
 
Nope, no rugs in sight. Yes it's cold in bath but still, they've been naked for years...
 
I do not rug my horses. They have been fine through this and previous winters. But I do feel sorry for them today! It has gone from 21degrees to 1 degree in a couple of days. However,they are coping better than me. They are stood in a sheltered spot munching hay,having had a roll in the mud they created practising their caprolles and pirouettes!
 
Winter rugs have gone back on those that are clipped or have been rugged over Winter.

Was quite surprised to find my Section A shivering this afternoon as she's got a very thick coat and hasn't been rugged all winter, think it's the awful mix of sleet, snow and horrible wind that they struggle with. Feel a bit mean for not puting a rug on her but she has access to a barn with hay in it and is rather on the tubby side!
 
Nell has never been rugged to date so I am keeping it that way for now, she has proved to be a very hot coblet just like my last girl, she was too hot a sweating buckets in the heatwave of last week. It really depends on your horse, some feel the cold much more than others. Mine is a young chunky cob who does not need it, had my late girl been here with me now I would have popped a lightweight to keep the rain off
 
The argument re not putting rugs back on once they have come off seems ridiculous nowadays. It comes from hunters being roughed off for the summer probably.

It's like saying because I had a t-shirt on last week I'm not allowed to wear a coat today despite the temperature!
 
Mine has medium weight on in stable tonight. Last week I was waking around in a t shirt, now I'm in fleece and thin coat, so only right he gets his coat back on too :)
 
Mine has heavy stable rug on tonight (it's forecast -2C!) and medium weight in field today. Might have put on HW but we sent them off to be cleaned and reproofed - how foolish and carefree we were last week! Hopefully weather picking up again from tomorrow
 
The weather is very strange of late.
Went to get Meg in and she was physically shivering from the cold!
She's not been rugged up over winter, but had a brief spell in Feb when she was ill.

I'm one of those 'turf em out naked coz they're horses' crew, and felt damn awful tonight because of it.
 
I'm rugging well again, to me cold is cold! Doesn't matter what month it is or if we've had a warm
spell...
 
Mine was in his hw today. Chucked one of the eventers out in a mw for half hour today and poor boy came in with his knees knocking
 
Mine were naked during the heatwave & now got lw's on. Only as one is not clipped, my mums cob has small clip, but doesn't feel the cold much & my haflinger is in a lw/mw as he a wimp at times :p
 
Both of mine came in yesterday shivering and they both already had MW rugs on, one poor little pony was frozen to the skin but nothing was done about it, mine are back out in HW combos.
 
My old boy is back in his HW with a neck for a number of reasons

1) he's been very poorly the last few weeks
2) he's old!
3) he's lost all of his winter coat through march and has his very thin silky summer coat
4) he hates the cold and is very stroppy if he's not suitably warmed up!

as everyone's said, every horse is different :) let your horse tell you if he's too hot or too cold :D bear in mind too that with the wind at the moment there will also be a wind chill factor to consider in addition to the low temp and snow :) xxx
 
Well after a day of pouring rain and wind, my girl came in absolutely fine tonight. She is chase clipped and her clip is half grown out (she doesn't grow a particularly long coat so very fine). I put her out this morning naked and was worried I had done the right thing given it was wet, windy and 5 degrees with an added wind chill on top.

She was colder than normal - but eating and perfectly happy when I got to the field. I took her to the bit outside my stable where she grazes whilst I muck out and purposefully left the door open and walked off to see if she wanted to go in the warmth but she was too interested in staying out in the wind and rain to munch the grass!!

I made sure she had plenty of hay to eat in the field earlier which helps in keeping them warm.
 
Copperpot said:
Mine has medium weight on in stable tonight. Last week I was waking around in a t shirt, now I'm in fleece and thin coat, so only right he gets his coat back on too :)
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Very true if they are recently clipped or old/ill/poor doers. But other than that horses already have a coat of their own!!! That doesn't mean that we shouldn't rug them - just that I think some people forget the fact we don't have all over body hair (well most of us don't anyway!!! :D ).
 
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