TB rugging, frosty night last night & much cooler - but am i over-rugging too soon??

cob&onion

cob&onion

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Really noticed it early this morning, very frosty and alot cooler, infact its definitely in the air today!

TB has her MW on all day and night at the moment, considering the frost and how cold its gone i was thinking of popping a woolen blanket underneath her MW tonight. She also has a HW which am avoiding till mid winter!!

Who has wintered out TBs and what are they in at daytime and nightime? or what will they be in for frosty nights???

Am in shropshire
 
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My tb had a lightweight on for 1st time last night neighbours still stripped but will be coming in and clipped at the end of the month I think you just have to do what feels right I don't feel the cold , so assume my horses don't either ! Don't ever rug much until clipped
 
i used to work in a polo yard - most of the ponies were ex-racers - all lived out every winter in a herd with ad lib hay and no rugs - all looked like fat natives ;)

good fibre going into them is far more important than rugs imho

saying that my mare (who's a bog pony;) lives out 24/7 ) is already in a 300gm full neck over night - with a fleece under for frosty nights - she's not grown her winter coat yet though - as soon as she has it'll be clipped off and she'll be in a HW with fleece under - for colder weather she'll have full neck duvet, fleece, belly pad, HW - she coped in -16 last winter with snow in field from nov to end of feb with no bother :)

(nb - north facing frost pocket field on edge of highlands ;))
 
Crikey.........It's only a little chilly, what will you do when the really cold weather comes? I have a dutch warmblood mare who feels the cold, She will shiver if there is a chilly wind! My horses are still out 24/7 and both are only in lightweights. Our paddocks do get plenty of sun during the day. Personally, in your case I wouldn't up the rug weight just yet. In fact I would put lightweight on during the day and the medium one at night. Give plenty of hay. We can all be guilty of over rugging our horses at times. But if you rug her too much now she won't feel the benefit when winter really kicks in.

ps I'm in Bedfordshire and we have been lucly enough to have it dry and mild here. Suppose it does depend on what part of the country you are.
 
My TB is out 24/7 and has lightweight on. She's had nothing on in day time unless rain threatens (like today!). I'm trying to encourage her coat to grow a bit to help when it gets really bad- we are on the edge of Dartmoor so rough winters. She is nice and toasty at the moment!
 
If your horse is cold then rug her appropriately, take your cue from her - it is as simple as that.:)

Forget what the books, forums, or other people say, she's your horse, you know her best, how can anyone who doesn't know her judge? Commonsense must prevail, not the temperature or the date.

I have yearlings out in MW's because the wind and rain has been awful, it was 9C, still warm in my books, but yesterday what a sad bunch of babies they were. Rugged they are warm and happy, grazing, not standing hunched up and miserable. I am more likely to rug against the wind and rain than cold. Much easier to take blankets off then put lost weight on at this time of year.
 
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Dry and mild here still. BH is naked in the day time and at night (was down to six last night apparently) in a light weight plus a fleece. I haven't clipped yet though and he has a good bit of coat. Plus they are out on the grass at night to keep them toasty.

Nitty is a TB and she'll be naked all winter unless it is wet :)
 
My TB is in a lw overnight and naked during the day - although the lw will stay on if it is raining. We live at the top of a hill so get all the worst weather! You seem to be putting heavy rugs on quite early to me but if your horse needs it then I don't see a problem. The main thing is to make sure that she is a comfortable temperature - if she is happy in the rugs you are using then continue with what you're doing until you think she needs more.

Personally I would rather my lad was a little on the cold side rather than too warm so I wait until he's feeling slightly cooler in the mornings before I start putting a heavier rug on. He's carrying enough weight and has plenty to eat so I know he'll be just fine. I hate the idea of him being too hot though!
 
She does drop weight very quickly, felt her under her MW and shes toasty warm, not too hot, just perfect. Trying to avoid over rugging bit paranoid really!

My cobs live out too and there naked 24/7, but both grow lovely thick winter coats.
 
Agree with go with the horse, they are all so individual.
My horse is clipped with a LW on. He is naked today.
Rumour has it we are in for sub zero temperatures this winter so Id be inclined to hold off going any heavier yet otherwise you will end up with 2 or 3 rugs when winter is upon us.
 
My TB is in a LW at the moment but is being clipped tomorrow (hunter clip) so will probably go up to a MW in the day and HW at night depending on how he seems.
 
My 2 in the field have had trace clips and were in medium weights last night. I was at yard before 6am and it was 0 degrees and both horses were chilly. I haven't seen weather for later but if it's the same as last night they will have under rugs on tonight. It's warm and sunny here now so they are both naked at the moment.
If your horse is cold rug it, if it's warm enough then it's all good. Don't worry too much about it!
 
taz is clipped and drops weight he was in a medium last night was almost tempted to put medium with neck on but its still quite chilly now aand his whole field is in the shade so he is still wearing his rug :o

he had a blanket clip and i dont know whether to rug him like hes clipped or not :o but he hasnt grown much coat anyway and he was shivering this morning so may end up in a medium with a neck soon :o
 
Wow.. I almost feel guilty for my boy.
Naked during the day with a sheet on at night! he is stabled and unclipped.. Although it was cold this morning he wasnt feeling cold, I'd rather wait for proper winter to step in before bringing in the forces (rugs). Besides I always believed that as long as its not raining the horse will be warmer without a LW turnout.

As always it depends on the horse however, I personally believe its far too early to bring in the thick rugs.

(Although I'm semi- looking forward to the bitter cold as I have a brand new full neck heavy weight rug I can't wait to use!!!! :o )
 
My two have got L/Ws on at night as have got chaser clips but have taken rugs off today and yesterday as so warm during the day! I'm holding off using MWs until they have full clips at the end of the moth and then will save HWs for when it is sub zero temps! My attitude is if I put MWs on now then they won't feel the benefits when it gets much colder! If mine weren't clipped then they would be naked!
 
Mine is still naked and hopefully will be until the end of the month when she will be clipped and rugged accordingly. She was very warm this morning and was 3 at the yard. It is only the beginning of the winter and a lot of horses are already rugged in heavyweight combos! How will they cope in the middle of the winter? I know all horses are different and have diffrebr needs. I would of rugged my girl by now but haven't as I would like her to loose a little weight. I've actually surprised myself that she's toasty in her own natural fur coat :).
 
Last night it got down to 1 degree where my horses are kept and tonight its getting down to 2. This is daytime winter temperatures so my horses are being rugged accordingly. Both my TB's tend to feel the cold, I fully clipped one out yesterday so he went out in a heavyweight, with a sheet underneath, today he is out in a lightweight. My other TB went out in a 320 gram rug and he is unclipped. I personally think it all depends on the horse, I look at the 3 hour weather forecast religiously and my boys are never sweaty in what I put them in and on the other scale never too cold. There are a couple of people at the yard I am at that keep theirs in the same weight rug all day and night, but never understood how that works when its 17 degrees in the day and 2 degrees at night.
 
My girl has a half neck MW on at night and naked in the day - but she looks like a yeti! In fact she is fluffier than the cob!
 
Go with your horse, if she is cold put another rug on.

My mare was clipped a few weeks ago, everything off, and has been in her MW since but tonight I am going to put her something underneath as she has been feeling the cold.

My horse damaged her sacroiliac a few years ago. If her back gets cold she gets grumpy and sore. People on the yard think I over rug but Gin tells me if she has been cold. I dont care what anyone else thinks.
She will be clipped again soon and will go into a heavier rug on a night if it stays cold. I have plenty of under rugs for when it gets colder.

My youngster on the other hand is out naked and will be naked until it comes cold.
 
I have a 16.3hh ISH hes fully clipped, drops weight quick and when he's cold he's freezing! He's out in his 200g PE and last night I put a WB jasper lite on underneath :-) he was just nice this morning! Still took the stable rug off for the day tho. You know your horse go with them :-) x
 
My boy (TB, 19 years old though) has got a medium on in the day and a fleece and medium on at night. He is stabled at night. Am clipping to day so rugs will change to fleece under HW stable and depending on the day he will have either his MW with a fleece or just his HW with neck.
 
I gave my girl a chaser clip yesterday. she is still living out. She had a 200g Rambo on last night (mw) and at 8am this morning it was 3 degrees and I went up and took it off. It is now 17/18 degrees and sunny and she is naked. Far too hot to leave a rug on her during the day!!!
 
Went down last night at 11pm to check her, she was in her MW and was snug and warm, not too hot, was about 5 degrees last night. Shes now naked as is very warm out, tonight she will have her MW on around 530pm :)
 
I put a lightweight on my TB a few days ago but found he was a bit warm in it! His coat went greasy as he had been sweating so I took the rug off and now his coat looks glossy again. He's quite chunky, unclipped and on good grass, living out 24/7.
I have lovely clean rugs all ready for him but there's no point putting them on until he needs them.
 
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