Temperature drop! Rugs?

I've got two, an Arab and a Welsh, and they're both unrugged atm. Neither of them are clipped and their coats are thick enough to withstand the chill. It's cold here, about 5 degrees with a bitter wind, but it's not THAT cold. Mind you, even earlier in the week when it was plus 10 degrees, mine were the only two on the yard who went out unrugged.
If I had a penny for every time someone on the yard made a comment about my two being unrugged (mainly, "gosh, how can you let her get so dirty!", about the Arab, who is grey :D) I'd be a very rich woman by now :p
 
unclipped 18 year old in mediumweight and fully clipped idiot in mediumweight with mediumweight hood (but his clip is half grown out) along with ad lib hay (it really is ad lib - crammed haybar each)
 
Lightweight stable rug or fleece at night and naked in the day. Hes not clipped so feel its better to keep himself warm wandering in his paddock. He has a rug at night as hes in.
 
NeverSayNever said:
these threads really annoy me , sorry.

you get someone posting that their horse is in a HW rug... followed by a heap of :eek: and :rolleyes: from people whose horses are naked or in LW’s. You cant possibly stand in judgement of one another - every horse is different and the UK is a big place!! It could be 15 degrees in Cornwall and sub zero in northern parts !
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The answer to this is for the OP not to put the post on at all then!

What's the point of doing so if you are happy with what you are putting on your horse. It's asking for people's critiscism/opinions.
 
I shall be putting a lightweight fleece on my boy tonight. He is on box rest so feed is restricted and he obviously can't move around. He is a chap of 21 so I think a little coddling is in order.
 
Sharonr said:
The answer to this is for the OP not to put the post on at all then!

What's the point of doing so if you are happy with what you are putting on your horse. It's asking for people's critiscism/opinions.
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comparison? whats the weather like with you type thing?... for sure

opinions? maybe...

criticism? doubt it


as an aside - its just started snowing here
 
I think the point of shock at HW rugs already, is that, no matter where you are in the UK, its going to get a heck of a lot colder than it is already.

When we had all that cold weather couple of years ago at -15... my horse was out during the day, in at night, in an American barn, so not warm and toasty in a brick stable. He was in a MW turnout rug, with MW stable rug underneath.

Friend's horses were out without anything on... but they were being fed a lot!
 
If a horse is dry and has ad lib forage which they all should then lots of wool should be overkill.

So technically a healthy horse should be able to keep itself warm in a 40gram rug providing it has food all the time to turn into heat.
 
Sharonr said:
The answer to this is for the OP not to put the post on at all then!

What's the point of doing so if you are happy with what you are putting on your horse. It's asking for people's critiscism/opinions.
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I agree. people can discuss what they put on but its not fair to criticise those who do post what their horses are wearing. It is warmer down here in Cornwall but all horses are different anyway. Mines unclipped (being clipped at weekend) but he is a proper wuss if he gets wet and cold. Luckily i put a LW on this morning as we have had some really heavy bursts of rain!
 
Ludoctro said:
I'm sat in my car right now , temp on clock is -2 and its only 3.00pm

My feet are freezing

So all those with the faces of horror at H/W rugs, what do you want a poor clipped horse to be out in..?? Nothing..??

Might be 15degress as someone suggested in the bottom of England - but I find that hard to swallow by up north here

IT'S BOLTIC..!!! And snowing heavy.
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I really do not envy you! I hate weather like that! but yes, you are right. HW's all around up there i reckon!
 
My TBx has a high chaser clip, in at night, and I've just moved him from a rainsheet to a 180g turnout without a neck. He'll be back in the rain sheet by Sunday if the forecast doesn't change, but I've taken more hair off this year so he probably needs a bit more for tonight, at least. I'd rather he was in a 100g but I don't currently own one!
 
At the end of the day - and how you all hate that phrase!

It all boils down to this, regardless of the temperature, the date, or your position on the globe, if your horse is feeling the cold and the simple act of slinging a rug on makes all right in his little world again then it is not wrong :) and sod what anyone else says, does, or thinks, your horse, your business :D
 
IDx fully clipped in medium work with medium and necks on both day and night. Very cold wind chill here and he is in very open exposed field.
If he did not grow such a thick coat as quick as he does he would still be in a 100 gramm or less. However don't fancy clipping more than the 5 weeks we currently are!!

Agree with most folk on here that OP horses in 360 HW and also a lightweight as well at night !?!?!? is bit early and what will she do when we are in -10 etc as we got down to in previous years.
Horses have a great internal heat source if healthy and have forage available to them. Must admit we do tend to over rug (and Im prob also to blame but reasons were to stop the mammoth growing so much coat and reduce clips - plus he is practically white so less scrubbing for parties - wrong reasons yes I know so shoot me lol...) we have one on yard who is in heavyweights and extras already - so I just roll my eyes.......................
 
Ludoctro said:
I'm sat in my car right now , temp on clock is -2 and its only 3.00pm

My feet are freezing

So all those with the faces of horror at H/W rugs, what do you want a poor clipped horse to be out in..?? Nothing..??

Might be 15degress as someone suggested in the bottom of England - but I find that hard to swallow by up north here

IT'S BOLTIC..!!! And snowing heavy.
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It's below freezing here too ( Northumberland ) it had a go at snowing for twenty minutes earlier yes clipped horses definatly needing heavy weights here .
I was so cold when I got back from exercise I could not undo the bridle first time this winter it's properly cold.
 
Just looked on the news and seems Cornwall and Devon are the warmest in the Country today at 8.4 degrees a few miles from where my boy is kept and a little higher in Plymouth :)
 
2 ponies have no rugs and intending to keep it that way. Will put lw no fill rain sheet on if gets really bad with a cutting wind but no other rugs. (loan pony came with LOADS of rugs which promptly went into storage in my loft :rolleyes:)

Old boy is out in the day in a LW no fill and MW at night. If wind drops / sun comes out rug comes off.

Only reason I am rugging him is he is slightly ribby and I don't want him to loose any more condition going into the winter. At 37 I feel I need to give him a bit of help and not let him use all his food energy up on keeping warm.
 
I've just been out and put LW's on the geriatrics as it is going to belt down in a bit and out of 5 olds only 1 looked at me and walked away (hint taken) the others practically climbed into their rugs. :D
 
Sam_1985 said:
Just looked on the news and seems Cornwall and Devon are the warmest in the Country today at 8.4 degrees a few miles from where my boy is kept and a little higher in Plymouth :)
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Cold wind today tho! It has been very warm though, mine were all out naked yesterday afternoon, and were naked at the weekend during the day too (near Truro).

Brr, all you people in the north and Scotland, I'd be putting HWs on too!
 
FGS sometimes I dispear at horsey folk who think just because they do x, y and z anyone who does x, b and d are cruel!

Horses ARE individuals and each one is different! My boy is unclipped and in a LW Medium with neck today. I couldn't give a flying fig what others are doing tbh, each to their own as long as the horse doesn't suffer.

I don't care if some horses are unrugged as I said each to their own but it annoys me when some comment 'they can run round if their cold' as that's the last thing I want my boy to do! It churns up the grass and results in him injuring himself. I'd rather keep him warm.

It's the same with feeding threads. Some horses can do without hard feed and some horses can't!

Sometimes it like the livery yard tea room in here!

Sheesh. I will relax now!
 
I've just done a big rug order for my new horse on Hope Valleyas I don't have a thing to fit her - Big in both ways 7ft and loads of them !! She isn't clipped yet and only came with one medium TO so I've been putting off rugging her at all. It is going on tonight as will be one degree Young man hs a medium weight to on today and will have a HW stable rug on tonight
 
see this is my dilemma as Taz is fine in a medium but im a little worried about Rio... hes only been in the country 5 weeks and it hasnt dropped below 11 degrees and hes been in a medium since he got here as it was 37 degrees in spain when he left and now hes having to put up with this.. its going to get down to 2 degrees tonight and im contemplating putting the heavy on him as in the field hes stood with his bum to the wind at the moment :( but he is stabled at night... ahhh dont know what to do but i dont want to over rug him too early and then have nothing for when its really cold!
 
Mums cob is in a MW as he clipped, my haffy got a lw on & hoping to clip him tomorrow & my other horse is in a 200g MW rug as he is a bit of a wuss & feels the cold. It has only been 6/7 here today & going to be about 0 tonight :(
 
Mine are both out 24/7 unclipped naked. Although I might put my boys lightweight on overnight but only cuz I am feeling soft, I know her doesn't really need it!
 
He was fully clipped out 2 weeks ago and is stabled. He is in a MW turnout, he had a thin stable rug underneath just for the first couple of days following clipping, took that off once he was keeping warm. Tonight I'll be swapping the MW for a HW turnout as I find two layers too hot and the MW not quite enough once we are down to low single figures. He only goes beyond this when it drops much lower or following second clip if needed. His weight is just right and his stable is in a barn so he tends not to need serious rugging unless we get a -14C winter again.
 
Polotash said:
Cold wind today tho! It has been very warm though, mine were all out naked yesterday afternoon, and were naked at the weekend during the day too (near Truro).

Brr, all you people in the north and Scotland, I'd be putting HWs on too!
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Yes the wind is a bit nippy!!! My boy was out naked at weekend but came in muddy and ruffled up and grumpy and had a face on him like i had abandoned him! Better start hunting out the MW and HW cos when i got his LW out of the tack room there was a whacking great spider set up him in it!!!
 
OMG I even have my HEATING on !!!! This forum is hilarious sometimes :p

Just digging out his knitted socks to keep those feathers warm and toasty too while I'm at it.
 
Ludoctro said:
I'm sat in my car right now , temp on clock is -2 and its only 3.00pm

My feet are freezing

So all those with the faces of horror at H/W rugs, what do you want a poor clipped horse to be out in..?? Nothing..??

Might be 15degress as someone suggested in the bottom of England - but I find that hard to swallow by up north here

IT'S BOLTIC..!!! And snowing heavy.
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OP isn't up North though. Down here imo it certainly isn't yet worthy of HWs on the average horse. I was out today in a t-shirt and I don't have a fur coat!

Mine have been out in -11 naked and quite happy, always temperature checked. No worries on snow, never had a cold horse in snow. Temperature is irrelevant, imo. The wind/rain/sleet have far more to do with how cold they are.
If conditions are bad and the horse is feeling the cold then absolutely rug. But far too many people either focus on what everyone else is doing or on what they feel like, or on X degrees to rug with X rug.

The number of rugs I removed last year off sweating horses in my care whose owners were asking me to up the rugs was ridiculous. Took actually getting them to walk up to the field and feel the horse to realise that they were sweltering.
 
shysmum said:
OMG I even have my HEATING on !!!! This forum is hilarious sometimes :p

Just digging out his knitted socks to keep those feathers warm and toasty too while I'm at it.
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Our office building backs onto a yard. One of the owners came round recently to say that one of his horses was very happy as our radiator backs onto his stable!
 
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