Should i rug him up or not?

W

welshied

Well-Known Member
Joined
12 March 2009
Messages
2,119
Visit site
I have a lightweight turnout and a fleece for my 2 year old but don't know whether to just leave without rugs or not he was last year, but feel sorry for him when hes out when it raining and windy. He is a welsh though!
What do you think?
 
If he is hairy and warm, and there is shelter in his field I would be inclined to leave him without, unless it really is pouring with rain then I am a soft touch and would rug overnight at least.
 
In my opinion - def not : )
He's young and of a hardy breed. I think we are all guilty of softening our horses up too much and in the long run it doesn't do them any good. I would let him toughen up a bit - if he is cold he will grow a hairy coat providing he has enough to eat and natural shelter?

Horses were designed to live out all the time and I think the only reason you would start rugging up this early is if you were riding and didn't want a big hairy coat - or the horse was poor which I don't think is the case ? : )

Just because we get our jumpers out we have to remember that they are much better at self-regulating their body temperature if we don't interfere and sometimes not putting rugs on is treating them better than over heating them? There will be plenty of time for rugs etc when he is old enough to be clipped and is being ridden don't you think or when the weather is really cold and wet? WDYT?
 
If he's cold or wet to the skin, yes. If he's fat and happy leave him be. No hard and fast rules.

I don't see the point in leaving a cold horse out if you can remedy that with something as simple as putting a rug on. Sod toughening them up, regardless of age or breed, being skinny and covered with rain rot doesn't do anything for them, it costs more to feed a cold horse too.

I rug everything up, mares, foals, youngsters, stallion, soft Brit you see, a bit of snow and a week or so of cold temperature and on go the blankets.
 
Hi I certainly didn't mean leaving a shivering horse out in the wet to toughen him up. All I mean't that if the horse wasn't cold or loosing weight - leave him be. Sorry if I wasn't clear : )
 
He should well be able to cope with the weather unless you live in the outer Hebrides
wink.gif
 
I think you either rug up and feed less, or leave rugs off and accept that you'll need to feed a bit more to generate the extra energy needed to keep warm when it's cold and wet.

What about a rain sheet just to keep the ponio dry, but no filling?
 
Quite simply see how it goes. Horses (generally - especially natives) can put up with any (cold!) temperatures but cannot cope with the wet. I ditto the above comment about a rain sheet. As a general comment, I would stick a rainsheet on when it is raining/snowing/hailing etc but keep rugless otherwise, but it really does depend on the weather, your pony, how they keep weight on, how much they are fed etc.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Hi I certainly didn't mean leaving a shivering horse out in the wet to toughen him up. All I mean't that if the horse wasn't cold or loosing weight - leave him be. Sorry if I wasn't clear : )

[/ QUOTE ]

Hi, it wasn't meant as a comment at you, just in general, you did say 'Unless the horse was poor"
smile.gif


OP, I have no idea what the weather is like in the UK, warmish I gather at the moment. I've had some horses back there that needed a rain sheet on at night all through the summer and some that were perfectly happy stuck on the top of a Welsh mountain as naked as the day they were born all through the usual soggy winters.
 
im not rugging mine hes as fat as a house even though on a constant diet i even give him a small clip just to help him freeze a bit of weight of but he got his own back hes white but came in black so dirty i couldnt ride
 
No, don't rug him!
smile.gif


Merlin is the same (as you know
smile.gif
) and he won't be wearing any rugs this winter - he is getting a bit furry already!
laugh.gif
 
Definitely agree not to rug him unless it's really wet and cold, then pop a rainsheet or LW rug on. No point in them being miserable for the sake of it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top