Rugless in this cold rain - have I ruined it all now?

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Polygon

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Hi all
I've decided to try my two rugless this winter. They will have their shoes off and have the winter off work so there's no need for them to be clipped or even clean! I had been doing really well - had stopped my husband putting rugs on them when we had a couple of chilly nights (he's not convinced). But in the cold relentless rain yesterday despite ad lib hay they started to shiver - even the younger and chunkier of the two. So, I put a lightweight on them (or one might have been a medium weight, I just grabbed two rugs!). I left them on overnight and today as it just won't stop raining and it's around 10deg. Of course they don't yet have full winter coats. Have I ruined everything or can we still attempt to go rugless? They have trees and hedges and a barn to stand behind, but no actual field shelter (though they have chosen to stand out in the middle of the field today so not even using the trees to protect them!)
 
My old boy is in a rug today, tomorrow (if the weather forecast is accurate) he won't be
I just rug according to the weather at the time, rather than going for an all or nothing approach
 
I wouldn’t leave a horse shivering and no, I don’t think you’ve ruined it. My hairy natives do get a 50g rug if rain is persistent, but not when it’s cold and dry.

You might not be able to go totally rugless this year, but you’ll be able to let their coats do what nature intended and puff up against the cold.
 
I think most horses naked would have shivered in that rain yesterday, you can just take the rugs off again once it's dry again no harm done, I know it's not nice to see them shiver but if they are a good weight it won't hurt them it's just natures way of keeping them warm.
 
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I threw a rainsheet on big M yesterday - it was vile. He's out without one now though as we just have drizzle.

He grows a polar bear coat but seems happy to see a rug in relentless rain. I adopt a policy of 'rug if I think he'll be happier' rather than rigid rug / no rug
 
my old boy was rugged today and also yesterday as he is a poor doer with arthritis, but the two fatties were left out unrugged and have not shrunk today :D
 
Why do they need to be rugless? if they are shivering and need rugs then it would be cruel to make them go rugless. It will only get colder and wetter from here unfortunately :( I have mine and a livery out 24/7 and both are rugged if needed even if they do have shelter and plenty of forage. Checking the rugs takes no time at all really so I'd prefer to know they were warm then trying to make them go without. If you are worried about storing them then I have an outdoor box covered with Tarp similar to this https://www.homebase.co.uk/keter-br...gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CN-s7NvgiN4CFddmGwodJLEAXA these are super handy to keep the rugs in (and any other bits and bobs you may need)
 
No worries about storing them - I've had horses (and rugs) for decades and both are here at home. I would like to go rugless as I've done a lot of research on it and it seems they are better able manage their body temperature without rugs (using their coat as nature intended) but, of course, they have not yet grown their full coats. I'm not entering into it lightly (considered it last year but ended up keeping them in work until Christmas and giving them a low clip) but I really want to try it as it makes a lot of sense (their warmth comes from within as they digest forage). But, the idea seems to be built on an "all or nothing" approach of affecting their coat growth if you start using rugs. But I think I will follow the advice above and save rugs (lightweight) for very wet days only. No cruelty here LaurenBay - try to think like a horse not a person!!
 
Polygon said:
No cruelty here LaurenBay - try to think like a horse not a person!!
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I'd imagine any horse wet and shivering would prefer a rug if given the option though. You can sometimes just leave them and they are fine, but you may well find after being rugged previously that they do need rugs this year.
 
I don’t like lightweights because it makes sense to me that if you are flattening the coat then you are stopping the horse from maintaining its own body temperature. Mine have 50g rugs for this and they have yak like coats (cob and Shetland). They weren’t cold at all yesterday rugless but they have had a few years to adjust. I’m assuming yours will take time before they are able to withstand all weathers.
 
Yes but you'd also imagine they'd go into a shelter when it's raining hard and they don't (in one paddock ours have access to shelter but they never, ever use it except occasionally in the height of summer). I do think, when it comes to cold weather (and even wet, to a degree) us humans really don't think the same as them!
 
as long as they grow a decent coat and have some shelter to get out of the worst of the weather they should be fine. some horses just dont grow a decent enough coat to go without rugs so you have to treat each one as an individual
 
If they have not grown a decent coat and they are cold and shivering then rug, I do still think it would be cruel not to rug a wet shivering Horse. Unless of course they are hugely overweight.
 
if you have given them shelter and they choose to stay out in the rain then its up to them, few years ago went to see one of mine who was on loan. it was raining, was he in the barn with the large bed and hay........nope standing under a tree flinching when a drop landed on him, with his butt soaked through as it wouldn't fit under the tree........his choice as he had option.
 
Unclipped natives have evolved to cope with winter in Britain. Even so, "coping" generally means losing lots of weight.

Anything finer - TB, Arab mixes- hasn't evolved a coat to cope with the same conditions.

Some TBs cope. Some natives don't. Rug the horse in front of you, but it's a fallacy to say that horses have the ability to adapt to any weather conditions because of their coat. Not every horse coat can adapt to everything the British climate will throw at It!
 
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