Spring Feather
Well-Known Member
Enfys means "freezing rain" (which is frozen solid rain), not freezing cold rain (which is just cold)
You don't have "freezing rain" in England.
Rugs v temperature
- Thread starter Evie91
- Start date
You don't have "freezing rain" in England.Holzdweaver
Well-Known Member
I bought my boy a new set of rugs when i found a make which fitted him brilliantly and i class them as follows:
0g unfilled = Rainsheet
100g = Lightweight
200g = Mediumweight
300g = Heavyweight
400g = Ultra heavyweight
I have no specific temperature for use of each one, i check twice a day to see how warm he feels and how he is looking and if he feels cold, tucked up, stiff or mopey, then i up a rug weight, if he feels too warm, toasty, itchy or irritated then i drop a rug weight. If he feels luke warm to slightly warmer then it stays as it is.
I did want to buy him the 'inbetween' weights too in 150g, 250g and 350g but as yet im unable to find a make that fits him properly which does those weights. Then figured that surely 5 rugs of different weights would be enough!
the 400g was a spur of the moment impulse buy and he has never actually worn it as its not been cold enough, even fully clipped (well i say full... he had half his head and his leggings on...)! In fact last winter he only went up to his 200g, should have saved my money for the sales instead of buying full price just because i thought he would need them lol!
I am going to get a 50g though for those nights where his 100g seems a bit much with the changeable weather dipping up and down but a rainsheet isnt quite enough, and i wont use a fleece to layer under his rainsheet as they pull back and rub, so il have another to add to my collection, no idea what im going to class that one as, maybe his 'featherweight'?? haha
0g unfilled = Rainsheet
100g = Lightweight
200g = Mediumweight
300g = Heavyweight
400g = Ultra heavyweight
I have no specific temperature for use of each one, i check twice a day to see how warm he feels and how he is looking and if he feels cold, tucked up, stiff or mopey, then i up a rug weight, if he feels too warm, toasty, itchy or irritated then i drop a rug weight. If he feels luke warm to slightly warmer then it stays as it is.
I did want to buy him the 'inbetween' weights too in 150g, 250g and 350g but as yet im unable to find a make that fits him properly which does those weights. Then figured that surely 5 rugs of different weights would be enough!
the 400g was a spur of the moment impulse buy and he has never actually worn it as its not been cold enough, even fully clipped (well i say full... he had half his head and his leggings on...)! In fact last winter he only went up to his 200g, should have saved my money for the sales instead of buying full price just because i thought he would need them lol!
I am going to get a 50g though for those nights where his 100g seems a bit much with the changeable weather dipping up and down but a rainsheet isnt quite enough, and i wont use a fleece to layer under his rainsheet as they pull back and rub, so il have another to add to my collection, no idea what im going to class that one as, maybe his 'featherweight'?? haha
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SO1
Well-Known Member
Isn't frozen solid rain hail - if so then we certainly do have hail in England!
Enfys means "freezing rain" (which is frozen solid rain), not freezing cold rain (which is just cold)
Spring Feather
Well-Known Member
No. Nothing like hail unfortunately. The whole country comes to a standstill and no one (with any sense whatsoever) goes out in it. Freezing rain is a sheet of frozen rain which freezes and accumulates immediately on everything it touches. It's the freakiest thing you'll ever see in your life. It brings down electricity pylons, trees, telephone lines and poles; basically has the potential to shut us all down if it's bad enough and goes on long enough. You are unable to drive on it and it's lethal to try to walk on (you simply can't). So when we know it's going to be freezing rain, the schools don't even open and most companies around us shut down and send their employees home.
Enfys
Well-Known Member
Thanks SF The morph is complete apparently, I am no longer bi-lingual 
The number of times I say something to friends here and they go "eh?" (well OK, that was being polite, more like "WTF?" )
This is what freezing rain looks like, this was only a little storm
The morph is complete apparently, I am no longer bi-lingual The number of times I say something to friends here and they go "eh?" (well OK, that was being polite, more like "WTF?" )
This is what freezing rain looks like, this was only a little storm
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Spring Feather
Well-Known Member
This is freezing rain. The strangest phenomenon ever.
Enfys
Well-Known Member
Much better example 
Evie has actually been known to skate on the fields after a storm
Evie has actually been known to skate on the fields after a storm
Spring Feather
Well-Known Member
A few horses not far from us tried that in 2013, and diedEvie has actually been known to skate on the fields after a storm
Don't know what it was like around your area when we had that storm for those couple of days but it was terrible around here. We had to have gritter trucks come and go into all of our fields and make pathways for the horses to get from barns to hay feeders to drinkers. We had a few on this farm who fell down and simply could not get up again; cue tonnes of sand/salt delivered to make large circles around each fallen horse with pathway going to the main gritted pathways through all the fields. The main problem was we had no snow whatsoever underneath it so nothing could fall through the layer of glaze to get onto solid ground. And I laughed at everyone the first time I heard we were having freezing rain 10 years ago, I thought they were totally paranoid; I learned my lesson very quickly indeed that freezing rain is most definitely not a laughing matter.
Enfys
Well-Known Member
We laugh now, but it is awful stuff. I can imagine it is hell when the horses can't go down and are basically on sheet ice.
I was unrolling bales of straw to make paths everywhere
I was unrolling bales of straw to make paths everywhere
Nettle123
Well-Known Member
Wow, Enfys and Spring Feather, that puts our winter into context!. Looks like something from the film, Day after tomorrow.
dibbin
Well-Known Member
Our boys are both currently in at night and out during the day. Both unclipped at the moment. They go out naked unless it's raining, in which case they get no fill turnouts on. Jazz is unrugged at night, Harley wears a fleece (standard neck) at night because he loses weight easily.
I always rug or not on a day-to-day basis. I don't have set months for each rug
I always rug or not on a day-to-day basis. I don't have set months for each rug
Embo
Well-Known Member
Most people at my yard don't seem to have any sort of 'system'. Really baffles me sometimes.
My horse and a chubby haffy were the only two NOT rugged last night. Lows of 9c, cloudy. I'd consider that mild. We had some wind which made it feel cooler and it was raining, but these horses are stabled, in a barn - so well out of the elements. I felt cold, but I had gotten wet whilst riding (neglected to wear waterproofs!!). Horse had also gotten wet whilst riding, but was dry after less than 30 mins and was warm to the touch all over. I think that speaks volumes.
The night before, most of the yard were unrugged and it was clear, lows of 6c, which I'd consider a bit chillier.
I just don't get it.
My horse and a chubby haffy were the only two NOT rugged last night. Lows of 9c, cloudy. I'd consider that mild. We had some wind which made it feel cooler and it was raining, but these horses are stabled, in a barn - so well out of the elements. I felt cold, but I had gotten wet whilst riding (neglected to wear waterproofs!!). Horse had also gotten wet whilst riding, but was dry after less than 30 mins and was warm to the touch all over. I think that speaks volumes.
The night before, most of the yard were unrugged and it was clear, lows of 6c, which I'd consider a bit chillier.
I just don't get it.
Carrots&Mints
Well-Known Member
If I wasnt taking Mr M to some championship shows next month he would be au naturel, but as we are, hes rugged up to try and keep him from going as hairy as possible till the end of novemeber. Last year he had nothing on untill well into march and was like a wooly mammoth lol!!
My old horse Alf was one of the first to be rugged up and was usually around the beginning of september, and if it ever got cold and/or wet in summer he would usually have a rug on just because he didnt have a good back and would get extremley stiff and sore back. By Novemeber he would have had his heavyweight Rambo on and then sometimes if it did get colder I would pop a fleece or a lightweight stable rug underneath, just to keep his back warm! He was a big cleveland bay but boy did he feel the cold. bless him.
My old horse Alf was one of the first to be rugged up and was usually around the beginning of september, and if it ever got cold and/or wet in summer he would usually have a rug on just because he didnt have a good back and would get extremley stiff and sore back. By Novemeber he would have had his heavyweight Rambo on and then sometimes if it did get colder I would pop a fleece or a lightweight stable rug underneath, just to keep his back warm! He was a big cleveland bay but boy did he feel the cold. bless him.
happyclappy
Well-Known Member
I gauge by indivdual animal. The ancient guy has a decent weight rug, but only in the coldest weather.My baby who fails to maintain weight si now just into a lightweight at night. there is, as far as I am concerned, no real answer to what weight and when. Each animal must be gauged on it's age, weight, health, weather condition, etc