Soon to be new owner with a rug question

sandi_84

sandi_84

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I'm going to be buying my first horse in a few weeks, he's a 16h maxi cob. I'm planning on keeping him out most of the year but will be stabling him over the worst of the winter. He is a bit of a sweaty boy but he has been clipped down his neck and shoulders (not sure what this type of clip is called) and at the moment he is in a medium weight amigo rug and seems to be quite comfortable.
Should i invest in a heavy weight rug for him for in the field and what would people suggest for when he is stabled? Also should I bother buying a light weight rug for when the milder weather arrives or do you think he'd be alright unrugged?
 
My TB 2 yr old has a clipped belly as she was sweating in the field with no rug, she is still out with no rug and I do not intend to buy a heavy weight for her as I think she will over heat although I do have a medium rug for worst of the winter weather.

I hope this helps in some way.
 
Its hard to say without knowing the horse in question. Some horses are naturally hot / cold. I would speak to his current owners and see what they say.

Both of mine wear their turnout rugs in the stable. It makes life so much easier and there arent as many rugs to wash come spring.
 
You don't need a separate stable rug, they can wear their turnout rug in the stable. However it is pretty mild at the moment so you will probably need a heavier rug for the coldest weather. You will also need a spare in case he gets soaked through.
 
dont buy stable rugs!!! i bought two when i bought my cob 2 years ago and have never used them!

His old owner also told me he woudl never need a heavy weight - i bought one in case - nup never used.

My cob has light and medium weights - two of each.
Unless a rug is totally drenched when he comes in i keep it on him overnight to dry off naturally (checking of course for any rubs or sores)
 
My cob - below left in signature - is fully clipped in the winter and generally wears a rainsheet only moving up to Medium weight when its really cold - like in the snow last year. Then because it stayed for so long she was sweating under her rain sheet so went naked in the snow until it disappeared:eek::D She rarely wears a stable rug as she gets too hot:eek: it is not unusual for her to be ssweating standing in her field and stable if it gets warm - she literally was soaking with sweat and steaming in -7 last year:eek: but that is why nature gives her a nice thick coat:)

Wait until he arrives and then see how he goes - a lot of cobs - and he sounds like he maybe one - do get really hot and because they have nice thick coats they get really hot and itchy. Much better for them to be cooler than too hot:)
 
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He's currently at the yard i go to to help out (my family keep their horses there too) so I get to see him quite a lot. We are in the highlands of scotland. It's started to snow already and there has been light frost too. He just seems to sweat a lot when he has been worked but otherwise seems quite comfortable (i know i'll not really get a good take on that till the weather warms tho) but i'll ask the yard owner, i do like to get a few different opinions just to see what the consensus is :)
Alrighty, thanks everyone! That was the quickest responses i've had on a question so far ha ha! :D
 
I remember this confusion when I bought the large one after a horse break of a few years...rugs have become massively complicated....my old TB had a new zealand, a jute, a cotton sheet and one quilt...he was either wearing them or he wasn't

Fast forward to now and i have about 20 rugs for 2 horses of varying thicknesses, tog rating, denier, fastenings, weave...you name it....

Best of luck with your new horse, it will be as a amazing as you think it will be and more :D
 
Fany is in a medium, she is fully clipped and lives half way up a fell (mountain) in Cumbria. Cappy well he is a cold horse and it depends, he is currently in a medium/lite stable rug but lives in an American barn and it is enclosed so warmer.

Good luck with your new horse, could you put some pictures up when you get him?
FDC
 
Often best to get the rug he uses his owner when you but a horse, then you can buy another, For autumn and spring, I like the Amigo Light weight as horse does not sweat in it and if weather turns he is not cold either, also keeps him clean.
Winter has come to Scotland, he has a bib clip, and is out in his Masta mid weight during the day, stabled at night in a light stable rug [american barn]
 
Whispy Willow, I'm on the mainland on the end of loch ness (but have never encountered nessie :D) and it's been pretty mild up here so far except for the other day we had a nice covering of slushy snow but apart from that all we've had to deal with at the yard has been fairly nasty winds and quite a bit of rain. But it turns out Dexter isn't going to be suitable for me after all so feelin a bit sad about that at the mo :(. Opened a new post about it so not gonna whine about it here, but the yo has found something that may be more suitable for me so going up to the yard tomorrow to check the new boy out. He's gonna be a lot smaller than Dex who was 16h, the newbie is 14.2h but obviously that'll be better for the saddle clubbers to use. I would have prefered something a wee touch bigger but you never know he could be fabulous and I might (make that probably) fall in love instantly. Don't worry Red Nosed Fany when I'm finally a member of the exlusive horse owner kith and kin you won't be able to move for all the pics from the new proud mummy! ;)
 
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Sorry about all the edits there ha ha! :rolleyes:
Whispy Willow, I go to a yard called Treetops Stables they only opened as a riding school in January but everyone is brilliant there. After a ten year brake I've found that all the horsey knowledge I had stuffed in my head at 12-16 has mostly leaked out through my ears but the girls at the stables have been brilliant always willing to give you a few of their precious minutes to explain things or show you how to do something and they even manage to do it without looking at you like you've grown another head when you ask what turns out to be (in my own opinion) a bit of a daft question ha ha! :D
 
They are on facebook and you can find them on google maps although the picture looks a bit out of date on google. Yeah it's been really good to get back in the saddle again, forgot how much i enjoy being out there doing stuff although my hands are getting a bit bashed about ha ha! Lucky i'm a hardy highlander huh? :p It's been great meeting all the nice people at the yard, a couple of them started going up there at about the same time as me and my family and we are all going out in december for a yard christmas party so it's been really nice to be welcomed with open arms by everyone. My neice goes for saddle club and she's really enjoying it too, she came home with a few rosettes and a wee medal at the last saddle club camp she did and she's made a few new friends about her age too :)
 
Yeah they are great, they are building a new block of stables soon too so all the working livery horses like my mum, sister and neice's will be getting a nice new one of their own. The lady who owns the place has been really accomidating for us all and is doing loads to help me choose my first horse, helping me check out insurance prices and giving me lots of advice so i'm really glad there is somewhere so close by we can all go and have lots of horsey fun :D It's been fab for us all, we all grew up horsey people and me and my sister especially got right into it at a young age but with one thing or another we all kind of fell out of it so getting back into it has been great and well worth the sore muscles for the first few weeks ha ha! :D
 
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