rugs/no rugs/pain in the arse changing rugs every 30 Seconds

conniegirl

conniegirl

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Argg! is it doing anyone elses head in?

For the first time ever (over 25 years of horses) I have absolutly no idea what rug i need to put on my horse! the weather is so blinking changable that one moment the horse is shaking with cold and the next he is sweating under his rug!

so far this morning alone it was bitterly cold when I got into work, then there was a monsoon style down pour (horizontal driving rain) and now by lunch time it is glorious sunshine and people are eating outside wearing tshirts!

added to this my horse has arthritis of the spine so needs his spine keeping warm or he siezes up and is in pain, he recently had injections in his spine so the whole area along his spine from wither to just behind the SI joint was clipped with surgical blades, so I've clipped the rest of him out because If I rugged to keep his spine warm the rest would boil, at least now I only have to worry about rugging the whole horse rather than rugging different areas of him with different weights (is that even possible?)

He is on assisted DIY livery so I have to chose which rug he wears for the day by 7am in the morning (they get turned out by 7.30am so I have to let YO know before then). and there are no rug changes available during the day so he has to wear that rug untill I get there at 5pm. He is quite a hot horse anyway and is normaly clipped through summer as he gets over hot in his summer coat too!

argg! tearing my hair out! today he is in a 100g fill rug as it was supposed to be cold today. so I suspect I may have a rather hot horse when I get to the yard!
 
I should have popped down to the stables when I went home for lunch and taken my boys lightweight off because it is rather sunny here now but its windy, I didnt so thats the end of that really!

I feel your pain, its that time of the year, lol.
 
a 100gm rug shouldn't be too hot, better in that with the spine issues than without I would have thought
 
Mine are stll out at night, but come in during the day. I think that as long as the rug they have on is waterproof, the thinner the better at this time of year. If they have a stable to come into, even if they get a bit chily in a too thin rug whilst out, at least they will have a respite from the weather. I personally would rather under rug rather than over rug (and I have a thin skinned TB). I think it most be a much more difficult for those who have horses living out permanently!
 
I've got so sick of it, I'm doing a complete 'rugs off in the day' rule now. If it rains they will get wet, if the temperature drops badly they will be cold for a while.
If it's going to drop low over night I will put a rug on then but I'm even trying to be chilled about this as well.
 
monkeymad said:
Mine are stll out at night, but come in during the day. I think that as long as the rug they have on is waterproof, the thinner the better at this time of year. If they have a stable to come into, even if they get a bit chily in a too thin rug whilst out, at least they will have a respite from the weather. I personally would rather under rug rather than over rug (and I have a thin skinned TB). I think it most be a much more difficult for those who have horses living out permanently!
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Mine is in at night out during the day (7.30am to 4pm), but under rugging him results in an uncomfortable, stiff horse due to his spinal issues.

glamourpuss said:
I've got so sick of it, I'm doing a complete 'rugs off in the day' rule now. If it rains they will get wet, if the temperature drops badly they will be cold for a while.
If it's going to drop low over night I will put a rug on then but I'm even trying to be chilled about this as well.
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unfortunatly not an option with mines spinal issues, wet and cold are the 2 things he just cant tolerate and I end up with a grumpy, uncomfortable horse.

Btw it is now absolutly freezing here! wish the weather would just pick one and stick with it for the day!
 
My oldie is in his 100g rug currently. It's sunny but there's one heck of a cold wind so he shouldn't be too bad. Because of his age and arthritis (not spinal though), I don't like him getting too chilly because he'll seize up.

But yes, this autumn has been more changeable than most.
 
Such an awkward time of year. One of mine went out in a m/w, could have done with a l/w on around lunch but would need a m/w again now. I feel your pain.
Having yours a little warmer is probably best due to his spinal issues. Hopefully the weather settles soon.
 
Could you maybe think about using a back on track rug under a lightweight.
Shouldn't make him hot but will help his spinal problems.
 
The Fuzzy Furry said:
Could you have him in in daytime with a thermatex type on, then out at night with appropriate rug?
At least till winter firmly established?
Click to expand...

I should imagine OP is under instructions to keep him out and moving. I know thats what I would want in this situation. .... for what its worth ... Thermatex are just sooo awesome, lol :)
 
The Fuzzy Furry said:
Could you have him in in daytime with a thermatex type on, then out at night with appropriate rug?
At least till winter firmly established?
Click to expand...

Unfortunatly not, livery wont allow it. Im already on pretty much the only yard in the area that has everyday turnout in winter, everywhere else brings in 24/7 in winter. My YO has already been super understanding around his problems and left him and a friend out overnight for far longer than the others, he has been moved to the biggest stable on the yard and when everything else comes in off the fields at 4pm each day mine is last in and gets turned out in the school if no one is using it (and if they are he goes in the school as soon as they have finished)

Idealy he would be out 24/7 but in this area the only places that allow that are not places id keep a pet rock let alone a horse
 
Ive got a fleece and a rain sheet on. He was too cold in the rain sheet and i don't think its cold enough in the day time for a 150g. Ideally i would not rug, but the winter turnout is a small gravel paddock, so they spend a lot of the time just standing about when the haynets are done.
 
I've just tonight put the oldie pony's MW on, and would love to wash her rain sheet as it's all greasy on the inside, but I know as soon as I do it will warm up again :(

Fiona
 
Mines in a 70g rug with no neck and I find that keeps her about right. Ideally I'd have it off in the day but she has to stay in what ever I put her in the night before and tbh I've yet to come down to her looking uncomfortably hot. She is fully clipped.
 
I feel your pain! I also have one with arthritis in her spine and for that reason I need to prevent her getting cold/wet. She lives out 24/7 and our YO wont change rugs. So once I've left for work she's stuck in whatever rug choice (or not) I've made for that day depending on what the weather forecast says She is carrying too much weight and in normal circumstances I'd prefer her to shiver off a few pounds, but I'm not sure what is the lesser of two evils.

She's currently in a 50g overnight and sometimes in the day (and sometimes naked, depending on weather), which seems to be working well at the moment, but I seem to spend all day wondering if I've made the right rug decisions!
 
I just had to ring hubby and ask him to take oldies warm rug off as its lovely here now. Sunny and still. There was a grass frost last night though, hence a heavier rug.

Fiona
 
The weather and rugging is doing my head in as well. It's impossible to get it right for a whole day at a time, I envy people who can just pop out and change them at will! OK, I'm not working at the moment so I could do that, but it would cost me an absolute fortune in petrol running backwards and forwards several times a day just because I'm getting worried they are too hot or too cold.

My old boy, 38 year old H, is having his 400 g at night as he really does feel the cold and has arthritis in his back legs and the silly old boy when he gets cold won't move about he just stands and gets even colder, but during the day OMG what a nightmare! I left him rugless this morning as the sun is out, but the wind is so cold that as I have to go and buy feed for them today I might do it now and drop it off at the stables rather than going early tonight and put his 100 g on at the same time - but then most likely the sun will come out and I'll be fretting he's too hot despite the wind. P (27 years old) is in his bug rug all day and I'm also leaving it on under his 100 g at night because it doesn't cool down quickly enough after dark for the dratted bugs to stop biting him, but when it does cool down it's really chilly and he's starting to feel the cold a bit now as well - he's always been the youngster and I have to keep remembering that he's an old boy as well now!

Just read this back before posting and have realised it sounds as about as confused as I am, so demonstrates the problem to a T!!
 
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