Rugs for a cob?

[BayLove]

Sorry for bringing the 'winter' word up already but i need to start thinking about rugs for the boy.
I was thinking, being a hairy Irish cob, he would survive just fine without rugging and then on the very coldest snowy days just put a lightweight on him. He lives out 24/7, will have hay but no field shelter.
Should i be getting him a medium weight or will light weight be enough? I doubt he'd need a heavy weight at all. I'd rather he was a little cold then too hot.
Your thoughts?!...

 

[Bethie]

It depends! Is this your first winter with him? Until you've been through a winter you won't really know if he is unexpectedly wussy for his type or hard as nails, and whether he needs rugging is going to depend on whether you will want to work him at all/not that much/full work, and whether you then need to clip him and/or keep him dry and clean-ish for work purposes, and how exposed the land is where you keep him.

If he's not going to be worked much, won't need clipping and you're not on an incredibly exposed field, and he keeps weight on fairly easily, then you might not expect to need to rug at all. Snowy weather shouldn't really bother him if he's got an unclipped coat, its prolonged wet and windy periods that tends to get to them.

If he's going to be worked more/clipped out/etc have a couple of decent rugs in hand.

 

[be positive]

I dont like the unfilled rugs as they lie the coat flat and the horse gets very cold when used in the winter especially when it is snowing.
See how you go but I would get a light/med. weight one to use so that he is dry when you want to ride him, if he is out 24/7 .
Depending on how much you ride him he should be fine without being clipped but if he gets a really heavy coat it is sometimes difficult to keep them dry and clean in the areas around girth etc.

Hope its all going well.

 

[indie999]

I have a 14.1 cob and never rugged him at all. It was hard work cleaning a patch for a saddle and bridle but as long as his legs and feet were good we never rugged. He is about 24+ years and is a woolley mamouth in winter.

So I would only rug if its just to keep clean for riding. (I only hacked and never clipped either)!

Good luck

 

[BayLove]

It depends! Is this your first winter with him? Until you've been through a winter you won't really know if he is unexpectedly wussy for his type or hard as nails, and whether he needs rugging is going to depend on whether you will want to work him at all/not that much/full work, and whether you then need to clip him and/or keep him dry and clean-ish for work purposes, and how exposed the land is where you keep him.

If he's not going to be worked much, won't need clipping and you're not on an incredibly exposed field, and he keeps weight on fairly easily, then you might not expect to need to rug at all. Snowy weather shouldn't really bother him if he's got an unclipped coat, its prolonged wet and windy periods that tends to get to them.

If he's going to be worked more/clipped out/etc have a couple of decent rugs in hand.

Yes first winter. He's come over from Ireland so I very much doubt he's been rugged before. He's a hack. In winter will only be ridden for short amounts of time mainly at weekend due to work. Don't want to clip him. He's on a bit of a hill with trees at the end but the rest is open.

I dont like the unfilled rugs as they lie the coat flat and the horse gets very cold when used in the winter especially when it is snowing.
See how you go but I would get a light/med. weight one to use so that he is dry when you want to ride him, if he is out 24/7 .
Depending on how much you ride him he should be fine without being clipped but if he gets a really heavy coat it is sometimes difficult to keep them dry and clean in the areas around girth etc.

Hope its all going well.

Thank you. It's going very well now, all settled down! Can't wait to get him a saddle now. Had a little bareback ride today but I really want to get out and about on him.

I have a 14.1 cob and never rugged him at all. It was hard work cleaning a patch for a saddle and bridle but as long as his legs and feet were good we never rugged. He is about 24+ years and is a woolley mamouth in winter.

So I would only rug if its just to keep clean for riding. (I only hacked and never clipped either)!

Good luck

That's what I was thinking - rug to keep clean. I'm hoping he'll just be a pile of fluff come winter and won't need rugs at all but someone wants to get me one as a gift but I don't know what to ask for

 

[hairycob]

Even if you don't plan to rug it's worth having one in case of emergencies. My cob came from Ireland last summer & I did use a lighter medium weight just to keep him clean for riding. Last winter I used some Tesco rugs that I got cheap years ago (best value rugs I ever bought!) but he's grown & they don't fit anymore. I find either Weatherbeeta or Amigo are the best fit for my cobs.

He only needed a lightish medium weight despite having a trace clip. Cobs do seem to hold the warmth in.

 

[BeBopTalulah]

To be totally honest, I probably wouldn't rug him at all. He'll only build up his maximum 'winter protection' if he's not rugged up to the winter. I have welsh cobs, and I just imagine them roaming around the welsh mountainsides in the snow. You're cob's winter coat will do a much better job of keeping him warm than any rug.

 

[Miss L Toe]

I got a very light Amigo last year [free offer] and it was great, stayed put, kept him clean and stopped rain soaking through skin [trace clip] never too hot. easy to remove and put on.
I would not be able to ride him otherwise as he is a total mud lark.
In cold weather he gets a medium weight rug, and I would use this if he were out at night.

 

[BayLove]

Ok so it seem's a light medium weight just incase? I'm just worried he'll be too hot. Was thinking of getting a no fill light weight and a cooler so i could layer him if the light weight wasn't enough. Oh i'm still no closer to knowing which i should get! I don't want to buy a load of rugs just for the sake of it but i do want the boy to be happy and comfortable.