So why are horses wearing rugs already?

[Ali27]

No, of course I wouldn't.

So that was my original question! I have seen horses today in rugs, late afternoon when 19/20 degrees, dry and owners in t-shirts! I just don’t get it and temp outside still 16 degree and dry!

 

[Mule]

Sounds like my old sharer.

It's a pain. Things can be harder with family members I think.

He feeds them as a way of showing affection, I worry about laminitis. I've had the vet and the farrier weigh in on my behalf recently and it's helped.

Some people never see the danger in anything until it happens. I'm cautious so we are opposites, he thinks I worry about things too much (tbf sometimes that is the case). How did your old sharer deal with things?

 

[Micky]

Different areas of the country experience different temperatures..and different horse ages and conditions..we are high up. It’s dipped to 10 degrees here, high winds, rain and fog, my horse is 20 and has cushings..he’s shivering, a 50g lightweight is needed..don’t judge other people’s ideas for rugging as the situation may not be the same as yours

 

[Ali27]

Different areas of the country experience different temperatures..and different horse ages and conditions..we are high up. It’s dipped to 10 degrees here, high winds, rain and fog, my horse is 20 and has cushings..he’s shivering, a 50g lightweight is needed..don’t judge other people’s ideas for rugging as the situation may not be the same as yours

Yeah, but bet you aren’t wearing a t-shirt then if so cold and wet where you are! My point was horses with full coats wearing a rug when owner is in t-shirt so obviously not cold and wet! I don’t get that! Do you? Would you put a rug on your horse if warm enough for you to be wearing a t-shirt?

 

[alainax]

We had 15 degrees in the driving wind and rain today. I had a hoody on, but my two could be doing with shivering a bit the grass is incredible right now, won’t do any harm to burn some fat for heat!

Saw a few eventers at the yard with rugs on, fully clipped, carefully managed, in hard work. All I thought was I’m glad I don’t have to go that yet as my rugs still need cleaned form last year!

 

[JillA]

You just can't generalise with horses and rugs - I have a poor doer ex chaser who struggles to keep weight on. If he shivers he is going to get a waterproof on, and preferably before he gets that cold. My other horse, and itcher, wears a rainproof fly rug and the third resident is tough as old boots and has no clothes on until at least November.
Unless you know the history best not to judge

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I have 3 standing in rugs right now. 2 are pretending to stay clean for a show today - a grey and a skewbald - both in wee fleeced. And 1 is my 21yo exracer who doesn't cope very well with rain and drops weight easily so is in a lightweight. Turned out with him is my 15yo lump of lard exracer who would be very upset if I put a rug on him and spoilt his rolling and getting as filthy as possible antics! Nothing else is rugged and won't be until very late on if I clip any.

 

[TGM]

The weather is really variable at the moment, can be warm and dry one minute and wet and cold the next. Plus has been getting chilly overnight but much warmer in the day. So I can see that people might put a rug on late afternoon, even if warm enough for them to wear a T-shirt, if they think it is going to get cold and wet overnight. Not ideal, but not the end of the world either.

One of ours was out in a lightweight last night - the ground is wet and he had to leave to go autumn hunting at 7am this morning, so was mainly to keep him dry and clean. He is a warmblood and his summer coat is very fine, so he was perfectly comfortable in it.

 

[Slightlyconfused]

Im on the home counties boreders and one of mine is in a rainsheet when out at night as he is prone to tying up and last week when i left him without he showed symptoms.

 

[kimberleigh]

Just about to buy a 0g for rainy days and a 100g for wet nights now

17hh 4 year old TB, no coat at all, wanting to add some condition to her before winter actually sets in - which wont be possible if she is using up calories to keep warm. Not long off racing yard.

Night times have got down as low as 5° here recently and during the day we've had highs of 12° but blowing a gale and torrential rain...so not summery at all!

If thread was entitled 'Why are horses in ABC wearing rugs when its 15° and sunny?!' then I'm guessing everyone would have the same opinion - overrugging would be an issue in that specific case.

BUT different areas have wildly different weather and horses cope differently with that, so the general question of 'Why are horses wearing rugs already?' is bound to ruffle a few feathers

 

[jumbyjack]

Thoroughbred on the yard is cold if the sun goes in, my big horse is wearing a no fill because she's 23, arthritic and is getting over an awful sinus infection, normally she's a hot person and hates being over rugged. Mini shet is quite fragile even with though she is already growing her double yak coat, she will come in shaking like an aspen if not wearing a rain sheet. Her fat daughter is tough as old boots and is not keen on rugs.

It's all down to how horse copes with the conditions but sadly there will always be the owner who feels the cold therefore horse is cold.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

I would rather not rug at all but every horse and every owner is different. My WB pony is so naturally well insulated even when clipped he sweats in a no fill however my not very hardy Scottish Connie shivers in June if it so much as spits with rain and the wind gets up.

 

[Gloi]

Ponies aren't rugged yet but I have my fleece and big coat on today

 

[Tiddlypom]

Rugging is the new Bare foot .
There’s a section of people who will never be happy unless everybody does as they think is best .

Very true.

I posted this pic in another thread a few days ago. I have 3 x wimps. Thank goodness for the field shelters, they dash for cover at the first sign of drizzle. I have learned that the PSSM mare (the bay) needs to be rugged in conditions where other horses would be fine, she's been wearing her 100g for a few days now.

 

[southerncomfort]

I live on a hill in Yorkshire. The weather up here is wetter and colder by almost 2 degrees than it is at the bottom of the hill.

I guess horse owners living at the bottom of the hill might ride by and see my horse wearing a LW rug and think 'Blimey...not cold enough for that yet' but they wouldn't know that it's 2 degrees colder than where they live. And they wouldn't know that she is 25 years old, that she feels the cold, that she shivers violently in even very light rain or that she has arthritic hocks which get much worse if she is allowed to get cold and shivery.

I have been wearing my light Puffa jacket all week as the wind has a wicked chill to it.

Personally, I think we are all just trying to do the right thing by our horses so it's best not to judge people too harshly if you don't know them or their horse.

 

[Micky]

Just have to suck it up..there are many horse owners out there who think they are doing the right thing even if it is warm and they are in a t shirt and horse is rugged.same scenario as over feeding your horse when it’s not in work and obviously over weight etc etc..

 

[JulesRules]

Oh well, personally I prefer not to expect a horse to work hard in the unusual heat we’ve had, if it’s struggling with a full coat than to not clip because you aren’t prepared to rug as required. Each to their own.

Most horses have thin summer coats. I wouldn't dream of clipping in summer. There is simply no need.

 

[WandaMare]

I have put a lightweight on mine if we had torrential rain and strong wind due for a good few hours, but then taken them off as soon as weather improved. Mine are not overweight, ill or distressed in any way nor have they felt hot when I've taken the rug off, so I don't see why it would be a problem.

 

[Chinchilla]

I hate these judgemental, competitive, “I don’t rug my arthritic 24 year old even in a blizzard” type posts.

]

There's 58 million horses on the planet and you cannot know all of them well enough to know how each of them need to be managed, maybe for health reasons.
Step away from the rugs?
No, step away from the judgement, and leave the animal's owners to their rugs if they feel it necessary.
For reference: the RSPCA can - and has in the past - been called out to over rugged horses.

Also I don't understand how the owner's clothes have any bearing at all tbh. I used to wear shorts and a T shirt in 5 C and not be cold but the thoroughbred would be. Now I'm in a fleece and thermals and freezing and my horses are naked and quite happy. (I'm still cold.) The point being, both horses and humans can be more susceptible to extremes of temperature so what one is feeling isn't much guide as to what the other may be feeling.

 

[sport horse]

Because in today's owners opinion horses are not waterproof, their hair does not keep them warm/insulate them and they (horror of horrors) get muddy.

Sadly what they fail to realise is that by rugging and flattening the coat it actually makes the natural insulation less effective so the horse is colder.

 

[JFTDWS]

And yet owners are in t-shirts! I just don’t get it! Horses have hair and don’t feel the cold like we do! It’s still Summer and still mild!

I did read the OP - there's literally no mention of overweight, fluffy natives, 15 degree weather or anything. You can't start a vague, goady thread, and expect everyone to psychically know what you meant...

 

[JFTDWS]

Most horses have thin summer coats. I wouldn't dream of clipping in summer. There is simply no need.

Blimey, and you have a highland too... I've clipped in summer because I don't think it's acceptable to ask a highland - with a summer coat designed for a north-of-Scotland summer - to work (properly - decent level, intense dressage schooling, endurance training, or polocrosse) in south-of-England summer weather.

 

[baran]

Most horses have thin summer coats. I wouldn't dream of clipping in summer. There is simply no need.

What a stupid comment. My perfectly healthy Section A has a very dense summer coat, works hard, and gets hot and miserable in an average Scottish summer unless clipped.

 

[Leo Walker]

Oh pipe down. I haven’t yet rugged my horse but wish I had when it was 7 degrees in the morning the other day when I fetched him in and he is fully clipped.

You don’t know every horse/circumstance.

Indeed! My HW cob is rugged in the rain. Hes fully clipped and has had prior medical problems that mean on vet advice he is kept warm. Hes never hot or uncomfortable either.

And I have absolutely no issues with rugging appropriately to keep clean.

On the other hand, another HW cob of mine lived out fully clipped and unrugged a fair part of one winter. Wasnt ever cold and thrived.

 

[Michen]

Most horses have thin summer coats. I wouldn't dream of clipping in summer. There is simply no need.

Would suggest you've never had a native "type", in actual proper hard work in the summer then.

 

[Goldenstar]

What a stupid comment. My perfectly healthy Section A has a very dense summer coat, works hard, and gets hot and miserable in an average Scottish summer unless clipped.

It’s a really dense comment I had an ID clipped all summer .

 

[conniegirl]

Most horses have thin summer coats. I wouldn't dream of clipping in summer. There is simply no need.

There can be every need, i had a very hot IDx who would grow a lovely summer coat and then stand in the field sweating so if i wanted to ride at all when the temps were over 15oC he had to be clipped

 

[Meredith]

There's 58 million horses on the planet and you cannot know all of them well enough to know how each of them need to be managed, maybe for health reasons.
Step away from the rugs?
No, step away from the judgement, and leave the animal's owners to their rugs if they feel it necessary.
For reference: the RSPCA can - and has in the past - been called out to over rugged horses.

Also I don't understand how the owner's clothes have any bearing at all tbh. I used to wear shorts and a T shirt in 5 C and not be cold but the thoroughbred would be. Now I'm in a fleece and thermals and freezing and my horses are naked and quite happy. (I'm still cold.) The point being, both horses and humans can be more susceptible to extremes of temperature so what one is feeling isn't much guide as to what the other may be feeling.

Well put. I was thinking this and wondering how to express it.

 

[WandaMare]

Because in today's owners opinion horses are not waterproof, their hair does not keep them warm/insulate them and they (horror of horrors) get muddy.

Sadly what they fail to realise is that by rugging and flattening the coat it actually makes the natural insulation less effective so the horse is colder.

I have heard people say your second comment about the rugs flattening the coat and keeping the horse colder before, but from my personal experience I haven't found this. Whether its because neither of my horses (or previous horses) are hugely fluffy so the effect is different I don't know. But a lightweight on my two in cold and wet weather definitely keeps them warmer, and visibly happier. Although it is an often quoted thing, I don't think its the case for all horses and therefore I think its misleading.

 

[Hazkirbo]

My lad was clipped this year as his coat didn’t shed properly due to the weird weather at the start of the the year. He gets a lightweight put on in the mid/heavy rain because, as well as being clipped, he’s got sweet itch. His sweet itch rug isn’t waterproof and traps the water. If it’s not warm (which it’s not on a night) it won’t evaporate & he’ll freeze.

Can’t be naked due to his sweet itch & he gets grumpy in the rain anyway😄! He’s not hot when I bring him in in the morning - or itchy - so I know what I’m doing is working well for us😄