Starting over rugging horses already..... 17° in the sun :-(

Over-rugging annoys me too, though it's been quite cool and breezy here lately. It's a completely new experience for my two - they've gone from living out on an exposed hillside high up in the Peak District, to down in a sheltered valley on the South Downs, with lots of trees and hedges for shelter. They haven't worn a rug at all since they moved! I keep a close eye on the Arab mare as she really feels the cold but she seems toasty atm. In fact she is looking and acting half her age!
 
Pearlsasinger said:
I blame YOs who don't have the experience to be able to tell novice owners that they are endangering their horse's health. If YOs set a good example, liveries would follow.
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The only yard I've been on where I had trouble with over-rugging it was the YO who was the worse. I was mean for not rugging up my hairy, fat, unclipped cob. She was always changing his rug or putting his neck cover on over his huge mane (it was in the contract that she was allowed to adjust rugs). Now I keep him at home I have a stack of rugs still in their storage bags from when I had them cleaned for the move.

Its not something that bothers me now, where I am rugs are very much against the norm and used very sparingly. I only saw two over-rugged equines in the last 12 months, my neighbours elderly donkey, who has his rug put on in autumn and removed in spring, and a horse tethered in a field of ragwort.
 
DirectorFury said:
so there's none of the crap horse management that you get with novices on DIY.
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I wouldn't assume that those on DIY are "novices" or have "crap horse management." My friend is on DIY because she doesn't have enough land to keep hers at home with her and she doesn't see the point of paying for full livery when she has the time to look after them herself. She could rent/buy a field I suppose, but the DIY yard is right on her doorstep and has some nice facilities that she pays extra for. I've been there and it's a really nice livery yard with good, knowledgeable horse owners.

Hers aren't rugged either.
 
Mine are all in no fill rainsheets just to block the wind, and as we were away last night, but this thread is a timely reminder to whip them off for a few hours during the day if it isn't raining.....

Fiona
 
It is a tricky time of year, I couldn't get my own clothing right today. Left in a fleece and medium jacket feeling chilly but was far too hot a couple of hours later when the sun came out. The tbs were naked but that wasn't an option for me.
 
I don't understand why this then becomes some sort of competitive whose horses can have the least rugs on :p. They are all different. I've spent the last two days in a thermal, fleece and winter coat :p, was warm temporarily then the sun went in and the wind got up and was pleased for the jacket :p. Ours are in 200gs at night, unrugged during the day. They are fine with this :p and there are reasons for rugging them currently.
 
ester said:
I don't understand why this then becomes some sort of competitive whose horses can have the least rugs on :p. They are all different. I've spent the last two days in a thermal, fleece and winter coat :p, was warm temporarily then the sun went in and the wind got up and was pleased for the jacket :p. Ours are in 200gs at night, unrugged during the day. They are fine with this :p and there are reasons for rugging them currently.
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It's not supposed to be 'competitive' at all. If horses need rugging because they are genuinely cold then I'm all for it - I rug my own two at night if it requires it. Tonight I left them naked because it is mild and there is no wind but last week they had mediums with necks as it chucked it down and they were cold and soaked right through.

If your horse is rugged and happy then it is correctly rugged. If it boiling hot and unhappy then its not.
 
Gonna admit I've started shoving a lightweight on mine now, but he's on overnight turnout and it comes off during the day when he comes in to get him off the grass for a bit / give him some haylage. He also dropped a lot of weight last year and strained a muscle in the pelvis area a few weeks ago so original reason for rugging was to keep his back warm so he didn't tense up something that was already sore. Given that it has started to drop a bit overnight and we've had some rain and current field isn't flush with shelter I've just opted to leave it on. If he was going out during day then I would still be removing rug during day and shoving a sheet on at night.
 
ester said:
I don't understand why this then becomes some sort of competitive whose horses can have the least rugs on :p..
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I dont understand this either

Incidentally I clipped my pony today, stripped his skin and muscles off and left him a skeleton then took him to the top of a mountain and left him there. THATS how hardcore anti rugging I am

(just so we are sure, I didnt do that, I left him in a fly rug in his stable in the midlands)
 
Boulty said:
Gonna admit I've started shoving a lightweight on mine now, but he's on overnight turnout and it comes off during the day when he comes in to get him off the grass for a bit / give him some haylage. He also dropped a lot of weight last year and strained a muscle in the pelvis area a few weeks ago so original reason for rugging was to keep his back warm so he didn't tense up something that was already sore. Given that it has started to drop a bit overnight and we've had some rain and current field isn't flush with shelter I've just opted to leave it on. If he was going out during day then I would still be removing rug during day and shoving a sheet on at night.
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Sounds like your rugging him accordingly to his needs.
 
WelshD said:
I dont understand this either

Incidentally I clipped my pony today, stripped his skin and muscles off and left him a skeleton then took him to the top of a mountain and left him there. THATS how hardcore anti rugging I am

(just so we are sure, I didnt do that, I left him in a fly rug in his stable in the midlands)
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A fly rug?!?! Clearly you're a novice numpty on DIY livery. ��
 
Black Beastie said:
God this is starting early this year :rolleyes:

Way I look at it is yes people over rug but at the end of the day it's their horses and there are way worse evils done.
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There's always worse evils done in the world. This thread was totally clear what it was about, if you have an 'god, this is starting early this year/rolls eyes' feeling towards it, why on earth did you click on the thread to read it? Doh.
 
Whoopit said:
Not sure how to explain away the rug weight but surely it's to keep them dry for riding? I don't like towel drying mine or flinging tack on him wet & I don't have time to hang about waiting for him to dry.
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Yes I get the keeping dry aspect for riding, even though personally I dont agree with it- but I was talking about rugging on a hot day, in the warm sun with no chance if rain.

I'm far from anti rugging - just wish people would be a little more sensible about it.
 
indie1282 said:
I'm far from anti rugging - just wish people would be a little more sensible about it.
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Whoopit, the thread is about the common place of heavy rugs on horses when its still just under 20c in the day time some days not rainsheets.

Amazing how some people can read a topic and seemly not understand it at all.
 
Happening here too. Then people complain the rugs are getting ripped. I've yet to rug, and my boy would have a shadow of rib in certain lights so a perfect weight I think. I want him as fluffy as possible so he stays warm as possible. I never want him to be as thin as he was last year again!
 
I've been ranting to myself about over rugging for a couple of weeks now; to me it's more than just silly fashion and over cautiousness from inexperienced owners; it's welfare issue, over heating a horse and removing it's ability to cool it's self down is worse that letting a horse get a bit cold.

I watched aghast as a fellow livery layered her admittedly fully clipped out pony with a rub vest, snuggy hood, fly rug and rainsheet before turning him out. He's a tough little chap and I've had to call her before to say he's drenched in sweat and distressed because she has him wrapped up like Christmas present.
 
The horses kept next door to me have had full neck rugs on for months left on day and night even in 20 degrees, I think much of it is laziness as they are out 24/7 and most only come up once a day so the rugs are constantly left on none of them are clipped, my 2 have got lightweights on at night one is clipped out the other has a fairly fine coat and it was 5 degrees here early this morning but it soon warms up fairly quick.
 
My horses hasn't seen a rug since last winter and she's currently living out. It was 3.5 degrees this morning and she was still toastie. They'll be coming in end of the month and will only be starting off with a fleece at night.
 
Well we are starting to rug up now....not so much in the day as it is still around 11 degrees but at night it is getting as low as 2!
My girl is now stabled at night as of yesterday and to be honest I put her in her 70....although it is definitely still too warm for that during the day! I should really clip and pull out the warmer stable rugs but I cant face clipping yet.....that would be admitting that it is turning to winter and im just now ready! :P
 
I saw a neighbour's exracer in his rug today despite it being 15 degrees and sunny. What worries me is, I know that this horse will be in this rug and only this rug all winter, so when it really does get cold, he'll be freezing! It's like the council policy of heating schools from October to March, never mind how warm it is in Oct or how cold it is in April!! Gahhhhhh
 
indie1282 said:
It's not supposed to be 'competitive' at all. If horses need rugging because they are genuinely cold then I'm all for it - I rug my own two at night if it requires it. Tonight I left them naked because it is mild and there is no wind but last week they had mediums with necks as it chucked it down and they were cold and soaked right through.

If your horse is rugged and happy then it is correctly rugged. If it boiling hot and unhappy then its not.
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Of course it isn't supposed to be competitive and I know that wasn't the intention of your OP but it doesn't stop this thread sounding like a competition of oh my horse hasn't had a rug on since 1972 :p. It was -20C last night here and mine didn't have a rug on and they are still alive :p, mine is fully clipped and unrugged 24/7 and they are fine.

I have a rugged at night, unclipped native pony, I'm fine with that as I know why :p
 
We've got 4 in rugs out of 13. 2 have been clipped so I get that. One is a total wimp and loses weight at the sight of a black cloud so he's ok too. The 4th is covered nose to tail just to stop him getting muddy. As the owner/sharer of 2 greys I understand that too, but it's a bit excessive seeing as he's dark bay and my two are filthy and fluffy and probably a bit too warm (in the day at least) even without rugs . I can't wait for it to get colder to get a rug on one in particular but I can't bring myself to rug him just to keep him clean.
 
My Warmblood is in a rainsheet 24/7 unless it gets hot (which it hasn't).

Up here in Cumbria, it may be sunny but it's not warm! There are people at the yard through the day who will check her if she gets hot and whip it off if needed, I am currently considering putting her 100g on overnight.

She's rugged because I have a young lass riding her and the weather is so unpredictable the rainsheet at least keeps her dry, plus we are on marshland and the wee swine has a habit of digging a muddy hole and rolling in it! She was unclipped, out of work and naked until December last year. Not this year though!

Its not a competition, this time next month when she is clipped she will be wrapped up like the michelin man! Some horses do need more rugs than others but I would rather my horse had to warm herself up a little bit than be stood sweating unable to cool down.

I don't comment on other peoples horses, we are a small yard and I may message an owner saying their horse is a bit warm do they mind if I whip the rug off.
 
see I find the concept of horses being in the same rug 24/7 at this very changeable time of year (ie the difference between day and night can be quite significant a bit odd :p, but that comes from always being in the position of having them out the back door ;).
 
I had the same at my yard yesterday, given a few are clipped, but mine aren't. I got funny looks when I took the rugs off and turned them back out again alright. Mine only had lightweight rain sheets on but are getting a little fuzzy.

I don't get it..
 
My big hairy beast had frost on his bottom and on his whiskers this morning. When he got his breakfast and a pile of hay he started to defrost and steamed happily.

I have 3 rugs for him passed on by his previous owner taking up room in my garage. I have warned him that if he continues to sleep in fox poo then he will have to wear all 3 at once. He is ignoring me and honks.
 
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