Rugs choices in Autumn?

Cold here at night and both boys are thin skinned, one is 29 the other is 19. Still out 24/7 for the foreseeable. Both in 100g at night. Day time varies on weather forecast, direction of wind etc. Today they are naked.
 
Exmoor naked.

Cob was Irish-type clipped 4 weeks ago. Also naked as it's almost grown out! If temps are still the same when I clip I'll put him in the waterproof fly rug (if dry), as it'll take the wind off. If wet, he'll go into 0 g rug, or 50 g tops.
 
Section D unclipped last week was in nothing, very hot pony didn’t need it. He got clipped at the weekend. Full clip and legs blended.

As It’s been frosty with a layer of ice on the car the last two days he’s had a 100g standard neck on at night off during the day. Now that it’s not to be below 5/6/7 at night the rest of the week he’s down to a 50g standard neck and naked during the day as it’s rather sunny and warm here. He will stay in the 50g unless it drops to nearer 0 at night unless it’s windy and wet.

Pic of said baldy pony 🤣🤣

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I've just ordered a waterproof fly sheet as I need Wig clean and dry so I can maximise riding time and minimising cleaning time while he's doing rehab and I have to ride every day. Normally he'd be naked until I clip him which I try to do as late as possible just to avoid having to do it every 3 weeks.
 
Very hot Fell pony with hunter clip is unrugged during the day and 0gm rainsheet at night.

I do have a 50gm and 100gm rug for him but he'll not need them until it gets much colder.
 
MuddyMonster said:
Fully clipped native

Last night he was in a 50g with a neck cover and summerweight Thermatex underneath. Mainly as I couldn't find my 100g liner, as I forgot I took it home to wash it. Will probably put it on tonight.

He's in a fleece with a 0g stable rug during the day.

For the rugging vs not rugging natives 'because they are natives'. Although plenty are completely fine unrugged (and no judgement here from me) from t'other side, it's not always that straight forward. Mine has suspected mild PSSM (found in his breed) and is so much happier being kept warm than with cold muscles. Even if he wasn't symptomatic or clipped, I'd struggle to have time to groom properly where the tack goes when riding first thing with limited time before work and they've been out overnight, so a 0g would help that
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Yes.
I've had 2 metabolic natives that I found did better when kept warm across their backs with lightweight rugs. They are all so different, as are the microclimates of individual homes/yards, there's no one formula that works for all,
 
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Exasperated said:
You’ve clipped a youngster, not doing any sweaty work, and it has no clothing when overnight temperatures are 3C?
Why do you think shetlands grow coats at all, if not that they need them?
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I clipped him at the beginning of last month when his coat started growing in, it was 26°C and he was dripping with sweat stood in the field.
He didn't need to be working to be uncomfortable and at risk of overheating, colic etc.
He also does 'work' he goes for walks in hand almost every day and couldn't cope with that very light exercise with the amount of coat he already had.
Clipping also helps to manage his weight without resorting to starving him, or isolating him from his friends.
He was fully clipped last October going into winter turned out 24/7 and never once looked cold or miserable. He had ad lib forage and access to a field shelter, which he never used.

Shetlands grow coats to protect them from the conditions they would have experienced in the Highlands of Scotland, on very poor grazing.
He is not on a mountain top fighting for survival, so I manage him accordingly.

I'd much rather my pony have unlimited access to forage freedom and friends, and be a bit chilly and loose weight through winter as nature intended, than crippled with laminitis.
My vet also thoroughly approves.

My point in my original post was that I clearly treat all of my horses as individuals and rug or not, according to their own needs.
If you don't know the animal you're not always able to judge what may or may not be appropriate.
 
P.forpony said:
I clipped him at the beginning of last month when his coat started growing in, it was 26°C and he was dripping with sweat stood in the field.
He didn't need to be working to be uncomfortable and at risk of overheating, colic etc.
He also does 'work' he goes for walks in hand almost every day and couldn't cope with that very light exercise with the amount of coat he already had.
Clipping also helps to manage his weight without resorting to starving him, or isolating him from his friends.
He was fully clipped last October going into winter turned out 24/7 and never once looked cold or miserable. He had ad lib forage and access to a field shelter, which he never used.

Shetlands grow coats to protect them from the conditions they would have experienced in the Highlands of Scotland, on very poor grazing.
He is not on a mountain top fighting for survival, so I manage him accordingly.

I'd much rather my pony have unlimited access to forage freedom and friends, and be a bit chilly and loose weight through winter as nature intended, than crippled with laminitis.
My vet also thoroughly approves.

My point in my original post was that I clearly treat all of my horses as individuals and rug or not, according to their own needs.
If you don't know the animal you're not always able to judge what may or may not be appropriate.
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Well you would be right there, I don’t know any two year olds that the vet would recommend you fully clip in October, with the intention that youngster is then chilly enough to loose weight over winter.
And I’m not sure why the vet believes that ‘nature intended ponies be clipped’,
nor why the vet thinks thinner horses never succumb to laminitis - because unfortunately they do, and if the laminitis is dietary (rather than the other possible causes), inappropriate intake still remains an issue (altho a young, growing, animal should be better placed in this respect).
Perhaps your clipped out, unrugged youngster lives in a far warmer part of the UK - frost on our grass yesterday and this morning - and hopefully the little chap will regrow his coat as fast as needed
 
Everyone was naked for the first frost of the year. My PSSM Appy should have been rugged but it was warm in the evening and she's got blubber & not clipped.

They were all doing warm up zoomies before breakfast and there's more than enough food out there.
 
My clipped at the start of last month cob has more coat than my unclipped sports horses. The retired ponies are expected to be naked all winter unless it gets very wet and windy when it’s cold when the 14hher might need some help. My cob is in a fly sheet with a waterproof topline while my warmbloods are in 0g at night or if rain is forecast.
 
HaffiesRock said:
I am such a mean horse mum it seems! Hairy cob, blanket clipped and naked. Out 24/7 at present and more than fine. She has good shelter, lots of grass and plenty of space to move around if cold. She is a hot pony and it’s only dropping to lows of 9 here and I got sunburn in the day yesterday! So she is enjoying the last bit of warmth on her skin.

She’ll get a lightweight rug when the rain starts this weekend.

Horses cope very well in cold and dry weather. I can’t imagine rugging a unclipped native yet.
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Mine used to get clipped and left unrugged unless it was very windy and raining. She ran hot too.
Since turning 19 she's been much colder and was in 400g - ridiculous but she was unable to control her temp and it's only now 6 years later that she's back to her old self - hence the 50g with blanket clip although I took it off yesterday as she was hot so will be interesting to see how she goes this winter.
 
Clipped, wimpy TB type who feels the cold (as in came in shivering when it dropped to 13C overnight) is out in a 200g if going out later (7-8pm after riding) but he’s in before it warms up. Hes in during the day naked or in a stable sheet.

If going out at normal time (2-3pm) then in 100g, he’s just about warm enough in the morning when its 5C

I don’t think there’s really a right or wrong answer! My friends unclipped Connie is perfectly comfy completely naked
 
When I had a TB in work, spring and autumn were a nightmare as she didn’t really grown a winter coat and the temperature fluctuations were too extreme to adequately rug her. Either she was too hot in the day or too cold at night. So she lost weight and I ended up feeding a ton of bucket feed.

Everything that does actually grow a coat is fine. It fluffs up at night and goes flat during the day. Unless we have endless rain in spring/autumn I don’t rug.
 
Blanket clipped youngster is naked, the old boy is in a lightweight at night/on rainy days as he needs to put on some weight. It's been mild down here, but I noticed it was a bit chilly this morning when I went down to feed, so might have to pop a medium weight rug on the old boy at night from now.
The small pony is unclipped and naked- I might pop a lightweight on when it gets wet if if there's time/daylight enough to work her, just so she's dry and clean(ish).
 
southerncomfort said:
Very hot Fell pony with hunter clip is unrugged during the day and 0gm rainsheet at night.

I do have a 50gm and 100gm rug for him but he'll not need them until it gets much colder.
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I'm in a quandary this year as to whether to rug my unclipped fell a bit more. I've done a winter with no rug but in at night to dry out and a winter out in a 50g. Both times she dropped weight but also lost a bit of top line. She does only get X3 a week hacking with lots of hills, linseed and speedibeet mash with forage plus and oily herbs, weirdly isnt sweaty. I can't stuff much more forage into her as she wanders off and her pal who needs it a lot less scoffs it.

At the moment she won't countenance a rug which is fair as my husband is still in shorts 🤣
 
Cloball said:
I'm in a quandary this year as to whether to rug my unclipped fell a bit more. I've done a winter with no rug but in at night to dry out and a winter out in a 50g. Both times she dropped weight but also lost a bit of top line. She does only get X3 a week hacking with lots of hills, linseed and speedibeet mash with forage plus and oily herbs, weirdly isnt sweaty. I can't stuff much more forage into her as she wanders off and her pal who needs it a lot less scoffs it.

At the moment she won't countenance a rug which is fair as my husband is still in shorts 🤣
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If I judged whether to rug on my husband's choice of legwear, Wiggy would be permanently rugless. He drives me nuts with his shorts wearing all year round, especially as he wears long pyjamas. How does that make sense?
 
Bobthecob15 said:
I find this time of year very tricky re rugs! What are you all doing??

Welsh D pony not yet clipped and starting to get hairy…currently out 24/7 and it’s down to 3C at night. Currently in a 50g day and night..she feels warm when I get to her in the mornings at 8.30 ish but I do stress about her being cold overnight! I think 100 is probably too much?! She’s not fat but definitely not underweight.

She’s being clipped next week and will be stabled at night…so I’ll stick her 100g on and after a clip I almost feel it’s easier somehow! 200g is my comfort spot for most of winter 😂

Tell me what you are all doing for yours??
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I wouldn't be rugging her until she's clipped x
 
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