Safe to put on more than 2 rugs in winter?

Mine have 3 rugs on tonight, it is going to be minus 6, and they are fully clipped.

I have just been outside and added another layer.

They have a thermatex, a heavy Fal and a med/weight T/o over the top to keep my Fals safe & clean :)

Nothing wrong in that :rolleyes:
 
Going to be minus 8 here, and the arabs only have 1 mw rug on each, aside from the 26year old mare who has 2 mw on. 4 rugs (over light weight) is an awful lot, must be uncomfortable to be so bulky. My share is out and can move around, he has 24 hours access to forage and shelter from the wind and is toasty warm in 1 mw rug. I know all horses are different, but i have never ever seen a horse which honestly requires 4 rugs. Even fully clipped finer breeds, even elderly. The times i have seen this the horse has been too warm. What do you think they do in russia etc? Do you think they have to use 8 rugs because it gets down to minus 20 and more in some countries and people still have fine breeds which get clipped. I don't think so.
 
Andy is currently in two mw purely because we are not going out and spending lots of money on him until we know we are keeping him as he is on trial atm.

As soon as we know for sure we are keeping him we will go out and buy a hw as I'm happier if he is in this. He seems happy though and the two rugs seem to fit well but it is not ideal. :)
 
My horses were cold when I went out to check them tonight - that is why I put another layer on ... 10 mins later they were toasty warm :)

I will check them again in the morning and do take off/add whatever is needed.

It is whatever works for each person/horse, :)
 
somethingorother said:
Going to be minus 8 here, and the arabs only have 1 mw rug on each, aside from the 26year old mare who has 2 mw on. 4 rugs (over light weight) is an awful lot, must be uncomfortable to be so bulky. My share is out and can move around, he has 24 hours access to forage and shelter from the wind and is toasty warm in 1 mw rug. I know all horses are different, but i have never ever seen a horse which honestly requires 4 rugs. Even fully clipped finer breeds, even elderly. The times i have seen this the horse has been too warm. What do you think they do in russia etc? Do you think they have to use 8 rugs because it gets down to minus 20 and more in some countries and people still have fine breeds which get clipped. I don't think so.
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Yes, but the difference is, the horses in russia are used to extremely cold weather; its a bit like Irish horses who are used to mud/rain ;)
 
The horses in other countries have hot weather too. The fact it most horses unless elderly or ill are able to adapt to temperature. Would you like to wear 4 winter coats? Plus if you rug them up to the eyeballs from the word go it's no wonder they can't deal with a drop in temperature. Let's keep some perspective, yes it's cold, but it's not arctic conditions.

ETS: i am not against rugging accordingly, i accept that some horses might need more than a single heavy weight rug. But i do not accept that any horse in good health in england honestly requires 4 medium to heavy weight rugs.
 
somethingorother said:
The horses in other countries have hot weather too. The fact it most horses unless elderly or ill are able to adapt to temperature. Would you like to wear 4 winter coats? Plus if you rug them up to the eyeballs from the word go it's no wonder they can't deal with a drop in temperature. Let's keep some perspective, yes it's cold, but it's not arctic conditions.
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It was -3 this morning and I was walking around in a t-shirt. I just don't feel the cold as much as others.
However, my friend was wearing 4 layers, a coat and a hat. She feels the cold!

Every person is different, as are horses - and I do think it is pretty cold, where we are it was -4 at 3pm and will be -10 tonight!!

I think the OP is rugging according to weather - which is what everyone should be doing.
As long as everyone remembers to take off one of the extra layers when it warms up again! :)
 
-4 is not that cold on the face of things. It's normally around -1 in winter around here, and it was -2 at the warmest part of the day today (in fact that was in manchester centre, it's much colder at the yard 15 miles away and higher up) and the weather says between -8 and -10 for tonight. But that's not cold compared to a lot of places. And as long as they are dry and fed then i don't think many horses will suffer. How are people judging a 'cold' horse? Are they actually shivering under 3 rugs? A horse can do things to warm itself up, like eating, laying down in a warm bed or moving around. What can a horse do if it is too warm under 4 rugs?
 
my coloured is fully clipped and has an under-rug plus turnout on
if the straps are done up properly, they wont create more of a hazard than if the horse had only one rug on.
although that said i find i prefere the under rugs without straps as its less for me to do!
 
blackcob said:
I can't help but think that more than two is defeating the point of nice modern insulating rugs, as everything will be so compressed that it will no longer trap warm air as it is supposed to? :confused:

I'm a bit old-fashioned in this regard I'm afraid and will put a wool Witney rug under a single stable rug of appropriate weight if I feel a horse needs extra.
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In total agreement there too. Ever had too many bedcover on and been freezing?, sometimes less is more, and rugs are such high quality and light these days.
 
OMG! -6 and multiple rugs???

Chiming in from Canada (also known as the Great White North). We routinely get temperatures of -30 to -40 C (and occasionally colder). Many horses here are out without any rugs at all. Most horses in work (and therefore clipped to some degree) will have 1 and possibly two rugs on. My horses have a selection of rugs in various materials and weights for various temperatures and other conditions like rain. If I'm looking after them, I change the rug (note singular) depending on the weather (and the forecast). If others are looking after them - there is a choice of two rugs (one warmer than the other) and the stable makes the choice. Provided they are dry, and have adequate food, and shelter, most horses can stay quite comfortable in very cold temperatures.
 
I have in the past turned out in several rugs, as I've always wintered my horses out & used to hunt & team chase, so they either had a blanket or full clip, the rugs in the past weren't that good but things are differnt now.
My clipped tb is out in a heavy weight full neck rug & is fine, last year my 29 year old wintered out in the same rug but I did add a full neck liner when we had that very harsh spell & she was snug as a bug.
I used to put 3 rugs on each horse but it's such a faff having to sort out 6 rugs between them, so much easier now with these lovely warm rugs.
 
Jacobi said:
OMG! -6 and multiple rugs???

Chiming in from Canada (also known as the Great White North). We routinely get temperatures of -30 to -40 C (and occasionally colder). Many horses here are out without any rugs at all. Most horses in work (and therefore clipped to some degree) will have 1 and possibly two rugs on. My horses have a selection of rugs in various materials and weights for various temperatures and other conditions like rain. If I'm looking after them, I change the rug (note singular) depending on the weather (and the forecast). If others are looking after them - there is a choice of two rugs (one warmer than the other) and the stable makes the choice. Provided they are dry, and have adequate food, and shelter, most horses can stay quite comfortable in very cold temperatures.
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From the States and this is how I learned to rug. My Clipped mare wears a med wt turnout with a 300gm insulator. Perfectly warm and happy. My others are not clipped and get med wt turnouts. They have all been warm and perfectly happy. They are going through more hay which I would expect. Nobody is dropping in weight and all are in great condition. All are TB's as well. And gasp, the weanling has no rug as her thermal coat is warm enough. My horses love this weather. The other night it was snowing when I went to bring them in and they were having great craic.

A women at the barn put a 300gm stable rug on under a med weight T/O on her unclipped horse. She was shocked when he came in from the field drenched in sweat. Great way to keep them warm! And yes, it's been quite cold here too.

Terri
 
Minus 15 here last night and bloomin glad I had my boy correctly rugged and kept warm. He is nice and warm in his 4 rugs. My 32yo arthritic was nice and warm in his 2 rugs and leg wraps also, and "my little pony" happy in 2 also. Nice hot breakfast for them this morning before out to play in the snow.
 
I think factually, layering makes anything warmer than one thick layer.

Also, Rambo etc are marketing layered rugs. I don't think they'd be able to do so if they weren't safety tested etc.

I am also old fashioned though, Ed has his witney wool rug on under his stable rug (if he ever makes it into it as he's currently kept in his turnout for ease of , well, turnout)
 
I think that with the range of rugs that are around now, there really is no need to layer up horses so much. Plus it must be terribly uncomfortable for them.

Two would be my max.
 
amymay said:
I think that with the range of rugs that are around now, there really is no need to layer up horses so much. Plus it must be terribly uncomfortable for them.

Two would be my max.
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Pretty much exactly what I was going to say :)

Also, good quality, ab lib, forage is the main thing to keep a horse warm!!
 
I can't see the point of more than two though, surely you have a range of rugs and layer with say a medium and a light or a medium medium, heavy medium etc etc.

If you need more than two rugs, why not just up the filling on each?
 
I see no problem with correct layering, it keeps horses warm. I don't use leg straps on any of mine, too many things can go wrong.

I wear 5 layers to the yard at the moment, yesterday I forgot my body warmer so only had 4 and was freezing.
 
i swear by fleece. If it is really cold mine get a 'thermal vest' of a fleece rug under thire heavy wieght turnout. the old horse gets stable badages to keep his joints warm.
 
I am so shocked, i can't get over those saying 'toasty warm' in 4 + rugs. A horse should not be toasty anyway. They should be a sort of 'room' temperature. If they are very warm under their 4 rugs then they are too warm and you should remove a layer. You may have 4/5 layers on but 1, you don't have any hair at all your body (usually) and 2, if you get warm how easy is it to peel a layer off? A horse cannot do this.

I am just gob smacked.
 
fizzer said:
I can never understand this!!! with so many different weights of rugs one would be enough.
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What do we do in the winter ? I put on extra layers, thin ones first then thicker fleeces, I would be freezing if I just wore I big baggy jumper no matter how thick it was. My horse has two waterproof rugs on, top one with a neck and if its cold I leave them both on in the stable too rarther than change her into cold rugs. As long as the cross surcingles are fitted correctly there should not be a problem.
 
joeanne said:
I have one that is feeling the cold so badly at the mo, that she has got her under rug with neck, a heavyweight stable and a heavyweight turnout, and is JUST about warm enough. When its hitting -10 she can wear what she chuffing well likes if it keeps her warm....and that includes her pessoa! Its not about having "decent" rugs, its getting what works on that particular horse.
If the horse needs "extra" rugs, then so be it!
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well said !
 
All this rugging.... :eek:

I have hundreds of rugs (possibly thousands) and between the four of m'neds, two are in rainsheets, one is in a medium weight full neck, and one is nekked.

And I have such lovely and pretty rugs.

Pah.

:rolleyes::cool:
 
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