Temperature drop! Rugs?

My lad has been roughed off for the winter for the first time since I got him (now heading into our 6th winter together) so at the moment he's still unrugged even with a small chaser clip. He has a sheet for when it's really wet and I'll play it by ear with what he gets when it gets colder. We're on the Surrey/Kent borders so still pretty mild here.
 
JM said:
Even in freezing North Yorkshire, where yes.... it's snowing!! my lad is only in a medium weight, no neck. The rescue ponies have nothing. They all come in at night, but the girls will grow thicker coats if they are cold, and he is toasty warm. Temp must be about 2 degrees.
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Yep, same area, same snow! My lad is in a MW combo and is out 24/7, warm and happy. :D
 
wench said:
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!
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This ^^

It is only Autumn and it's going to get a lot colder. I don't like putting anything mre than a HW on. Just one rug as I think you just add more and more weight and the top rugs don't reach around as far as they should and so you are probably getting more draughts!
 
GreyDonkey - fine coated sport horse with a full clip is still on box rest due to some wounds on his right hind that aren't healing (although he is in work). He has a deep straw bed (about a foot deep - no joke), a warm/sheltered stable but he was not terribly warm in his lightweight poly with neck this morning so I chucked a thermatex on underneath.

I have no car at the moment so can't get up to the yard to change his rugs for tonight (someone else will give him his dinner and his nighttime hay and skip him out for me/top up his water) so I'm hoping that will strike the right balance between today and tonight.

P
 
my 7/8th TB completely fully clipped - lives out - has tonight 300g on as forecast minus 4 - during day will have a rainsheet on if warmer or 100g liner if 4-5 degrees

but overnight has rug depending on the temperature - she isnt a warm horse and has kising spine so like to keep back muscles warm.
 
Everything is unclipped at the mo... the TBxWb and the ISH are both in middleweight normal neck t/o and stables. The cob is in a no fill turnout at the mo, and a lightweight stable at night, though I am thinking to change to a middleweight tonight? Its very cold and clear and going to drop below freezing. Can't decide! Help?
 
i dont think you can say , oh but its only autumn etc these days. Our seasons no longer exist and you have to go by the temperature here and now. So its October.. but its sub zero and snowing so rug accordingly. It may well be tropical come Jan, you just have to go with what youve got.
 
My unclipped WB mare is in a me turnout in the day and a mw stable or a fleece at night depending on the temp. Non have necks btw, except my superheavyweight blizzard turnout. Which i hopefully won't be getting out for a while
 
I'm in the west midlands (so slap bang in the middle!!) And my 21yo gelding (still fluffy) has had his 200g mw on tonight as temperature is set to hit 0.

I am conscious of ensuring he's warm at all times as he's arthritic and also has a 3 hour sleep every day from 7.30-10.30 so I like to make sure he doesn't get cold :o

Also this august he was out nekkid, then it dropped temperature overnight and he coliced!! :(
 
Mine are all carrying plenty of condition after flush of autumn grass. The coldest it will get for us is 2deg on Sunday night, so they will all stay in summer sheets, waterproof, till December.
 
My 20 yo has a mediumweight without neck on as he is on the slim side and living out and I don't want him to lose anymore weight. My 2yo is naked as his weight is fine and he's quite fluffy, if he drops weight at any point then I will start to rug him too though I'm hoping he can stay naked for quite a while.
 
Clipped and hunting fit, therefore very little fat on her. No fill sheet with fleece underneath in the day today, 200g medium weight rug tonight because of the dropping temperatures (out 24/7 atm).

Before today she's been in a no fill turnout all the time.
 
naked pony, unclipped horse in a stable rug and clipped wimp in duvet and one middleish weight top rug! Shes already grown her clip in two weeks!

When its real cold like -10 they will have base layer, duvet and heavy weight! I dont like clipping!
 
All have to be treated as individuals, it isn't a comp to see who wears the most or who wears the least rugs etc etc but i'll add my two penneth anyway as it is interesting to see what everyone is doing :-

All my tubbies are fully clipped just in rain sheets with sweet itch nylon/material neck rugs, i use the SI necks instead of proper full neck rugs, keeps them clean and keeps a little bit of heat in and they don't rub like full neck rugs do. Out 24/7 and plenty warm enough with full bellies from all my damn grass................oh and two are still muzzled 24/7........temperature at 6pm was 4 with a wind chill of baltic, i even had gloves on, is supposed to get down to minus around 2/3am but to be honest the heaviest rugs they have ever been in are 250g anyway, i must have in built toaster ponies, the only time I have ever seen a shiver is in driving rain in the middle of summer - LOL!
 
My 3 year old non clipped has just gone into her medium weight combo although she doesn't have much of a winter coat and seems quite sensitive to the cold.
Very sensitive full clipped tb is in heavy weight combo.
Pretty hardy but full clipped 5 year old is in a medium combo.

All in at night and were in same rugs when out in the day.
It is freezing out there! We have strong bitter cold winds as well!
 
Tonight it's windy and set to be freezing point or below, so the pony (fine riding pony type, doesn't hold weight very well) has a 40g on and the TB (apparently a good doer, but we've only had him a week and he's dropped weight to the point where I don't want him to lose any more) has a 220g. Both are unclipped, pony not in work and horse in light work. Both look well and are warm without being hot, so I'm happy with what they have on.

Pony had lightweight on up until now, and TB has had lightweight until last night when he had his 40g on.

If they're healthy and happy, who cares if people are rugging / putting heavyweights on already?!
 
when i expressed a bit of surprise today watching a well known 4* star eventer where i keep one of my horse's on livery putting a clipped conni/tb x in:

a summer sheet, 2 medium weight stable rugs with full necks topped off with a m/w nylon outer and asked her why she really needed 4 rugs and 2 full necks in the first cold day of October, her reply to me was 'i dont like clipping'. :rolleyes:

They're all rugged up to their eyeballs.
 
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My TB and Pony (show type so like a mini tb lol) and both wusses are in medium weights(250g) at the moment. A bit soon for there heavies even though its been 2-4 degrees today and is dropping below freezing tonight. They have there heavies (350g)when i feel they need them but usually pop a fleece on under the mediums but it has to be bitter (around -3 to -5 constant) for the heavies to come out, then there ultra heavies (450g) after that when it turns totally horrible. I have thermatex rugs for under rugs if they really need them but last year i only used them once or twice when the temp dropped stupidly low. They are both out 24/7 and feel the cold though, even with adlib haylage. :D
 
suppose it does depends on where you live too, here its 2 degrees and could go down to -2 with a heavy frost tonight. Its quite exposed where they are and the wind off the tops is bitter and biting. They have shelter but dont use it. ;)

Some may say i over rug but neither of mine have ever sweat so i assume they arent too hot.
 
Down in the south east it's definitely got a lot colder with that wind - not that i have changed rugs at all though mind, he still felt warm enough in a MW with a chaser clip.

Where are all the people who have snow?!!! You must be in for a long old winter!
 
badgermyers said:
naked pony, unclipped horse in a stable rug and clipped wimp in duvet and one middleish weight top rug! Shes already grown her clip in two weeks!

When its real cold like -10 they will have base layer, duvet and heavy weight! I dont like clipping!
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UNCLIPPED horse?!! In all of that in these temps?!! Really?!!:eek::eek::eek:

Sorry, just re-read that the clipped horse is layered up in duvet etc! Still far too much IMO though!
 
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I'm worried for those with horses wearing HWs already. It's barely winter!

What are you going to do when it hits below 0 degrees? Throw 5 x HWs on and sew hot water bottles in the linings?! :eek:

My lad is out nekkid atm. Granted he's turned away for winter but even if he was in work and clipped I don't think he'd have a HW on. Well he couldn't, I don't own one for him!
 
Cobrastyle said:
I'm worried for those with horses wearing HWs already. It's barely winter!

What are you going to do when it hits below 0 degrees? Throw 5 x HWs on and sew hot water bottles in the linings?! :eek:

My lad is out nekkid atm. Granted he's turned away for winter but even if he was in work and clipped I don't think he'd have a HW on. Well he couldn't, I don't own one for him!
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doesnt matter if its winter/spring.. whatever season, because the seasons do not exist anymore. Fact is, here it may be October but its snowing, subzero temperatures and a vicious windchill. Chances are Dec/Jan could be more mild than the temps we have right now! In which case, we will rug appropriately too. You cant assume people are overrugging just because ‘its barely winter’.
 
Our three are all unclipped and out 24/7 on the top of a hill. Welsh mare is naked, native x has a 40g no-neck on and TB has a 40g with neck. They're all warm and happy - and I have been known to wander out in the middle of the night to check! :o
 
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