Rugless! It's so cruel (on me!)

Wagtail

Wagtail

Horse servant
Joined
2 December 2010
Messages
14,815
Location
Lincs
Visit site
My retired mare was always clipped and preened and rugged accordingly. Last winter was her first winter retired and I just couldn't bring myself to leave her rugless. This winter I have bitten the bullet, and unless it's raining or snowing she goes out rugless and is stabled rugless. She is the only one on the yard who is rugless. The other night it was minus ten and so I caved in and decided she must be rugged. I went out at 10 pm (time of last haying up) and entered her stable, rug over my arm. Firstly, she tried to prevent me from going round to her near side, and then, when I finally got into position she started swishing her tail, ears flat back and kicking up at her stomach. Well that told me! She was happy rugless. It's such a difference in the summer though when there's loads of flies and she practically puts her own fly rug on!
 
I know the feeling, have bitten the bullet and left my boy rugless during the day. The temperature has really dropped over the last hour, so I thought I would just put his lW on, he said NOPE, so naked he stays :)
 
Ha Ha I did the same to mine on exactly the same night. It was 7pm the East Wind was cutting through us all and I made the decision to rug him (plus it was his birthday :) - I know stooopid owner).
 
My unclipped TB X WB mare was exactly the same. Put a lightweight rug on her because we had heavy rain forecast and she was most displeased. Turned her out in the field and she put her ears back and went to nip the nearest horse. Completely out of character. Took the rug off and she trotted off happily. The next week, tried again and she did exactly the same.

This is the scrawny mare I viewed wearing 3 stable rugs a couple of years ago. She's now a shiny, fluff ball.
 
horserider said:
My unclipped TB X WB mare was exactly the same. Put a lightweight rug on her because we had heavy rain forecast and she was most displeased. Turned her out in the field and she put her ears back and went to nip the nearest horse. Completely out of character. Took the rug off and she trotted off happily. The next week, tried again and she did exactly the same.

This is the scrawny mare I viewed wearing 3 stable rugs a couple of years ago. She's now a shiny, fluff ball.
Click to expand...

Must be the memory of all those rugs weighing her down.
 
Wagtail said:
Must be the memory of all those rugs weighing her down.
Click to expand...

Ha ha, yes. Not as bad as a livery who used to wrap hers in six stable rugs, including a duvet in a stable with a straw bed you needed a ladder to climb onto. Stable kept nice and clean though, the horses couldn't move !
 
Wagtail said:
My retired mare was always clipped and preened and rugged accordingly. Last winter was her first winter retired and I just couldn't bring myself to leave her rugless. This winter I have bitten the bullet, and unless it's raining or snowing she goes out rugless and is stabled rugless. She is the only one on the yard who is rugless. The other night it was minus ten and so I caved in and decided she must be rugged. I went out at 10 pm (time of last haying up) and entered her stable, rug over my arm. Firstly, she tried to prevent me from going round to her near side, and then, when I finally got into position she started swishing her tail, ears flat back and kicking up at her stomach. Well that told me! She was happy rugless. It's such a difference in the summer though when there's loads of flies and she practically puts her own fly rug on!
Click to expand...


*giggles*

My old Welsh refuses to be caught to have a rug on. He makes it perfectly clear that he doesn't want a rug - until the temperature drops below -4 or it is about to snow at which point he is suddenly there, ready, waiting, "please catch me and put my rug on" so I put a medium heavy on because he now can't rely on the trapped air in his coat for insulation and you can see him snuggling in:D

THey are great when they know their own minds and have the confidence to tell you:D
 
lol :D

Nitty is the same. Mornings when it is hacking it down with rain I approach her cautiously with a rain sheet. She promptly skitters off to the back of her box and stands there glaring at me. She hasn't worn a rug more than two days all winter! BH would definitely put on every rug I owned if I gave him the chance. And never leave his box either for that matter. Every morning she is there bashing the door down to get out and he is skulking up the back pretending he isn't there in the hope I'll forget him. He is not a hardy chap!
 
My daughters little chesnut part bred had a bad accident last year and is now retired. She was always a precious little mare, felt the cold, rugged up to the nine's, hard to keep weight on...this winter she has grown a remarkable set of woolies and carrying more weight than ever when she was in work and hates the sight of a rug!
 
Dee O'Dorant said:
*giggles*

My old Welsh refuses to be caught to have a rug on. He makes it perfectly clear that he doesn't want a rug - until the temperature drops below -4 or it is about to snow at which point he is suddenly there, ready, waiting, "please catch me and put my rug on" so I put a medium heavy on because he now can't rely on the trapped air in his coat for insulation and you can see him snuggling in:D

THey are great when they know their own minds and have the confidence to tell you:D
Click to expand...

Lol, they so know how to tell you things. Definitely vote with their feet. He sounds a real character, typical welshie!
 
jesstickle said:
lol :D

Nitty is the same. Mornings when it is hacking it down with rain I approach her cautiously with a rain sheet. She promptly skitters off to the back of her box and stands there glaring at me. She hasn't worn a rug more than two days all winter! BH would definitely put on every rug I owned if I gave him the chance. And never leave his box either for that matter. Every morning she is there bashing the door down to get out and he is skulking up the back pretending he isn't there in the hope I'll forget him. He is not a hardy chap!
Click to expand...

*laughs* Like chalk and cheese. Just like people.
 
Old Bat said:
My daughters little chesnut part bred had a bad accident last year and is now retired. She was always a precious little mare, felt the cold, rugged up to the nine's, hard to keep weight on...this winter she has grown a remarkable set of woolies and carrying more weight than ever when she was in work and hates the sight of a rug!
Click to expand...

Sounds like she's in her element retired, bless her.
 
Ha Ha i used feel guilty in case my welsh D got cold-coz he take his rugs off all by himself-on they d go,fastened locked bloody glued on -come back 4 hours later and the bugger would have em off AND ,with stable rugs trample them good and proper into the dirty bit of his bed.Turnout rugs were a wet soggy mess in a muddy bit of the field.I gave up in the end-he goes out naked ,has a lovely roll in whatever he can find,sleeps naked snuggled up in his nice deep bed-happy pony!!One time he hurt himself and had to go to horsepital at leahurst-got a call to say he d taken all his bandages off in the night-he really doesn t like clothes LOLxxx
 
leskaneen said:
Ha Ha i used feel guilty in case my welsh D got cold-coz he take his rugs off all by himself-on they d go,fastened locked bloody glued on -come back 4 hours later and the bugger would have em off AND ,with stable rugs trample them good and proper into the dirty bit of his bed.Turnout rugs were a wet soggy mess in a muddy bit of the field.I gave up in the end-he goes out naked ,has a lovely roll in whatever he can find,sleeps naked snuggled up in his nice deep bed-happy pony!!One time he hurt himself and had to go to horsepital at leahurst-got a call to say he d taken all his bandages off in the night-he really doesn t like clothes LOLxxx
Click to expand...

Haha! the mind boggles at how they manage to wriggle out of rugs. We have a TB here that does that if he is too hot. You find the rug all still fastened up in a soggy pile in the bed. :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top