Rugging?!

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noodle_

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I know it totally varies on breeds/type/work etc but im hoping i can get some reassurance and advice?

My horses live out 24/7 -= first time EVER i have had them living out - even in winter (they love it atm!) Both naked at the moment and seem to be ok - however my older mare is in a sweetitch rug as she suffers badly from flies.

Im debating to get them both in a rain sheet but at the same time i want their coats to come through!

Those who's horses live out - do you rug - at all!?

My mare last year had a 360g rug on and she went out 6 hours a day and she was fine with this....

I dont know if 1 big rug or a fleece and other outdoor would be better?!

Advice please...im buying my winter rugs... my older mares fine - my younger (2 year old light friesian wb/cob mix) may need something?

Im well aware no-one knows my horses as well as i do but would love to know what you do with yours that are out 24/7 and what type they are!?

Thanks
 
mine lived rugless until she was 3yrs, but she did not come in and was left pretty much ungroomed to allow her coat to become weather proof with grease.
my daughters has a yr off at 13 and lived out full time and rugless.
if you like to groom properly and for them to be clean then i would say rainsheet and possibly light/med weight.
keep an eye on their weight as the weather gets colder and rug accordingly
my vet says if you put enough 'fuel' in the front end anything can live out full time and rugless if you dont groom
 
Thanks!

i dont brush them as ive been told/read that it strips the coat of natural grease etc...

My older mare will have a rug on in october time (rainsheet) and then when its freezing - her big 360g rug.

Littleun i wasnt sure about as she's only two and a lot lighter framed than my older mare...
 
I dont rug unless I see shivering - then its a rain sheet, if thats not enough the 100 gram liner. Last year I didnt use anything more than that and that was only at night. :)
 
If your horses are unclipped and sparingly groomed then they should build up a good thick greasy winter coat naturally, they tend to monitor their own temperature far better than we can with rugs, as long as they have adequate food and shelter.

We've had tb's that have wintered out happily unrugged.:)

I'm not a fan of unlined rainsheets as I think that they flatten the hair, stopping the horse using it's own insulating properties and so make it feel colder and I prefer a l/w or m/w rug if I'm going to rug at all. overheating is worse than a horse being a bit cold, and with a full winter coat combined with a heavyweight rug then it may be an issue.

I'd monitor your horses closely, if they start dropping weight or become cold then that is the rime to rug.
 
All mine live out, my TB is still unrugged and will remain so until either the temperature drops below 10 degrees or is turns very wet. My haflinger will remain unrugged until clipped as will the pony.
 
Mine live out. My older one needs rugging during the winter. My younger two do not need to be rugged at all really. Last year I only rugged them in medium weights when it was exceptionally cold about 2 weeks in total. They also got a few nights in light weight rugs when it rained persistently and they were not using their shelter and were getting cold. All are tb x native. The more sensitive youngster grows a really woolly coat and you put your hand in there during the winter and she is like toast.

If it is their first winter out I would see how far you get before you rug. The longer you leave it before rugging the better their coats will be. A light weight is only good at keeping them dry but they will be warmer without it unless the rain is persistent. It is very different though if you do have an old and or cold sensitive horse in which case you will need plenty of rugs and read a lot of weather forecasts!
 
Thanks all!

unfortunately they dont have a field shelter or proper shelter - they do have a hedge they can sheld behind if needby!

They had a field where trees etc were about and even when it was scorching hot -.........they stood in the sun!? stupid ponies!
 
Only time I rug mine is if its windy AND raining, they have plenty of hedges/trees and plenty of grass in winter. They are 21 and 19 yrs old and always drop a little weight, but thats how it should be :)
 
noodle_ said:
Thanks all!

unfortunately they dont have a field shelter or proper shelter - they do have a hedge they can sheld behind if needby!

They had a field where trees etc were about and even when it was scorching hot -.........they stood in the sun!? stupid ponies!
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Mine only have natural shelter too, just trees and hedges.
 
Thanks all - its not mega open where they are - they are within a massive field (surrounded by a hedge) - and they have a hedge at one side -

Its secure - and fab grazing which is why i love it where they are! i dont think twice about them when i hook the electric on of a night and leave them! :)
 
Thanks clava - they will be just a hedge in winter and act thinking about it - a small tree! so they will be absolutely fine - im just not used to horses living out! :)
 
I'd leave your horses until they have a good winter coat on them. Then, as winter sets in, and if it's going to be particularly wet, I'd look at rugging in a decent medium weight rug, with no neck cover.

Rain sheets protect from the rain, but offer no warmth - and in some cases can become counter productive.

The thing that will bring your horses through the winter most successfully will be ensuring they have good shelter and enough hay.
 
Lack of shelter does I think mean you will use lightweights more. It is just that with a shelter you know they can get out of the rain so you are less inclined to rug. I would try to buy rugs as you go along this year rather than now because to a great extent you react to how they are coping with the weather.
 
amymay said:
I'd leave your horses until they have a good winter coat on them. Then, as winter sets in, and if it's going to be particularly wet, I'd look at rugging in a decent medium weight rug, with no neck cover.

Rain sheets protect from the rain, but offer no warmth - and in some cases can become counter productive.

The thing that will bring your horses through the winter most successfully will be ensuring they have good shelter and enough hay.
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Sorry but why would you go straight into a MW?! thats overkill. No rain sheets dont have a wool count, but for most horses being dry is enough for their bodies to continue to heat themselves naturally. Say its been heaving down with rain constantly but the temp is 5-12 deg a rain sheet is more than adequate unless they are very young or old and they have adlib forage :)
 
I have a selection of rugs for each horse in different weights. I like to keep them rug free as much as possible, but if the horse is cold it gets a rug. If it has a rug on but is still cold, it gets a warmer rug on. if it's too hot it gets a lighter weight rug or no rug depending on what's needed.

I have also found that the combination of rain and cold winds to be very chilling for the horses. I can remember one day when the temp was just above freezing but it was lashing down hail. I had to put all of the horses in their heavy weights as they were shivering in the MW's.
 
Yes, TT I think you're probably right, and a LW rug would be more than adequate.

I always have a conundrum about rain sheets, because I have seen them have the opposite effect of keeping a horse warm, because they have no fill, and don't allow the horse to plump up it's coat to keep warm. But we all share our personal experiences and that is mine. Certainly when the weather is cold and wet - I wouldn't use one.
 
I always have a conundrum about rain sheets, because I have seen them have the opposite effect of keeping a horse warm, because they have no fill
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When they first came out I had a LW Amigo which was fantastic. My new one is much more chilling and yet it's meant to be the same rug. Unfortunately the old Amigo was ripped and it actually had a thin layer of wadding which is why it didn't chill. I also have a Bucas Smartex Rain which is a fantastic LW rug and because it has the 'stay dry lining' it doesn't chill.
 
I normally skip rain sheets and go straight to MWs as rainsheets don't really offer warmth and just flatten their own coats! I also wouldn't recommend fleeces under turnouts, they always seem to slip and rub!
 
Thanks all :)

so for littleun im better off buying alight - mediumweight rug ??? rather than a rainsheet?

with or without a neck??? big'un has one wht a neck as i prefer them as shes nice a toasty and her fur dosent look rediculous when her rug comes off!?

thanks :)
 
You can get LW which is a step up from no-fill rain sheets and a step down from MW. Im not a huge fan of no fills myself.

My TB is rugged, but the others arent necessarily. There was one or two days that were really bad last winter and a few more had rugs on during that time. Mine live out all year, large fields with lots of natural shelter.

My youngsters arent generally rugged.
 
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