Should I start rugging?

lurcher98

lurcher98

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I have a 19 year old dartmoor, until now I have only popped a rug on when there's been snow for long periods . He's now getting a bit stiff in the colder weather. Does rugging help? I assume as I'd be flattening his winter coat I'd need to invest in a heavyweight
 
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Well I cannot speak for your horse but if it is arthritis related stiffness, then I have this and it certainly means I need to keep warm. My feet really hurt if they get cold.
 
I would instead get him on a good joint supplement and feed ad lib hay so he can use his own thermostat to keep warm. My girl is 19 and has a bad hip but Ive put her on equimins flexi joint and seabuckthorn from thunderbrook and she is like a different horse. She prefers to be without a rug and grows a good coat so as long as she has her central heating aka hay, then she is fine in all weathers.
 
For me it depends on the setup of the field and the coat that they grow. Where I was before had plenty of hedges and a shelter of sorts so my old boy (30+) didn't have a rug on at all and was fine even in sub zero temperatures. His coat is very dense and kept him warm and dry at skin level. We've now moved to an exposed bit of hillside so he has a rug on, mainly for protection from the rain.
 
I think arthritic horses do benefit from a rug in winter, mine certainly did/do. I wouldn't go for a heavyweight though; 200g should be plenty. The high neck ones (as opposed to full neck) are nice as they give a bit of extra warmth without being too restrictive, and they are great for older backs with higher withers.
 
Nudibranch said:
I think arthritic horses do benefit from a rug in winter, mine certainly did/do. I wouldn't go for a heavyweight though; 200g should be plenty. The high neck ones (as opposed to full neck) are nice as they give a bit of extra warmth without being too restrictive, and they are great for older backs with higher withers.
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I agree with this, arthritis is one of the few cases where I think horses really do benefit from rugs as they often tend not to do the moving around that a more comfortable horse will do.

My oldie hunter is rugged in winter except on nice sunny days.

(pony on the other hand is never rugged but she's in at night and is designed for mountain weather like ours!)
 
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