Small rant

JulesRules

JulesRules

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Sorry for the small rant. I try to keep my opinions to myself on my yard as everyone has their own way of doing things, but this has been bugging me for a couple of weeks so a small vent on here will have to suffice......

Why do people put the same stable rug on their horse regardless of the overnight temperature? 8 degrees one night, 1 degree the next - same rug!

I'm not much of a rugger anyway but I just don't get it?
 
... because I don't have hundreds of rugs and lots of free time to be swapping them when one will suffice for a given range of temperatures? :)

Mine doesn't even get stable rugs, he just keeps his turnout on day and night. I considered switching to a heavier one tonight but in the end decided to wait a bit longer, didn't seem to quite warrant it ;) I'm certainly not going to be switching weights every day, unless we have a really blatant hot/cold snap.
 
Floxie said:
... because I don't have hundreds of rugs and lots of free time to be swapping them when one will suffice for a given range of temperatures? :)

Mine doesn't even get stable rugs, he just keeps his turnout on day and night. I considered switching to a heavier one tonight but in the end decided to wait a bit longer, didn't seem to quite warrant it ;) I'm certainly not going to be switching weights every day, unless we have a really blatant hot/cold snap.
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I do exactly the same... He gets groomed every time he is ridden but other than that his rug stays on, if I leave it on his body heat dries it in no time, and it means I'm not putting a cold damp rug on in the morning. He's got quite a substantial turnout rug anyway so I'm happy with the thickness of what he wears both night and day :)
 
I can see your point JR, my current two yearlings are rugless and have lovely thick natural coats, but when we had stabled horses in work we did vary the thickness of rugs according to weather by using under and top rugs.

In the mornings having an under rug that could stay on under turnout rug was really useful with our mare as she hated cold rugs. I used to spoil them and bring turnout rugs into untility room near radiator over night so they were not cold or wet in the morning.
 
Mine only has 3 weights of stable rug, and one of those is only for when it gets really really cold. All I'm saying is that when you bring your horse in at night, if you are going to change the rug at least think about how cold it will be and whether he really needs a rug at all let alone the detachable neck cover.

I agree the rugs I do have cover a temperature range, but a difference of 8 or 9 degrees is massive.
 
My pony has a fleece, a 100g, a 150g with a neck and a 300g with a neck I usually only use the 300g if it gets down to minus 2 or below and use the 150g with a neck between 1 and minus 2 and the 150g up to about 7. 7 - 10 is her fleece and above that she just tends to wear her summer sheet :)
I've always judged it by that and have never found her over/ under rugged!
But I also have a pony who never wears more than a 150g :)
 
3 weights of stable rug alone?! Wow I've got some catching up to do and I thought I was the rug queen. (Or is that just OH's view on the number of rugs my lads have...)

Everyone rugs differently and every ned is different. Both mine are fully clipped but the coblet is a very cold boy and the Appie tends to stay warmer. It may well look like both have the same stable rug night after night but the under rugs vary enormously.

Plus using under rugs you can put in the washing machine keeps the inside of the ones you have to pay to have cleaned nicer for longer...
 
I have a fleece, lightweight and heavyweight and use them alone or in combination depending on temp. Horse only has a low clip but I'm not changing from lightweight yet as we've only gone down to 5 degrees overnight and he doesn't feel the cold generally.
 
My horse is the probably the most non rugged horse on our yard. When I say 3 options of stable rug that is fleece, lightweight and a thicker one for vey cold weather. She doesn't get any rug until it's about 4 degrees then she gets a fleece, around zero she gets a lightweight stable rug and it has to be at least minus 5 to get the thicker one ( and all of the rugs cost about £20 or less in sales or second hand - I don't do expensive rugs)

So the overnight minimum is 9 degrees, 20 horses in a barn kicking out heat like 20 radiators on all night. I would not be putting a big thick duvet and neck cover on......and no the horse in question is not skinny, delicate, ill, aged etc
 
I refuse to use more than 2 rugs an under rug and the appropriate weight newzealand.

mine also and different weights of NZ :


I hate to see horses with more than 3 rugs

or with more than 1 stable rug. as putting 2 stable rugs ( the top one designed to be on outside) will not let heat through so heat stays under the first so the next one is a waste of time only adds weight not warmth.
 
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