To rug or not to rug?

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Friesianfoal1999

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Question, my mare is currently in a 100g at night with the cold spell and huge amounts of hay. Tomorrow is going to be 3-4 degrees but sunny. Obviously this is quite cold but I was thinking of taking her rug off at sunrise and putting back on at sunset.

What are your thoughts? is it too cold to let her be naked in the day?
 
TB, Fat and thick coat. But this is where i have the question that people say allowing her to use her own coat is much better than keeping a thin on e on as that flattens their coat and doesnt allow it to stick up and keep them warm. So is nothing better than a thin one or do we just keep a thicker one on
 
Dave's Mam said:
If well covered & fluffy, the coat will stand up & trap air like a string vest! A thin rug can actually be counter productive by flattening the coat & stopping it trapping air.
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Hi Dave, this was exactly what i thought. I have been learning this. Thats why i feel its either rug with layers to make an impact rather than a thin rug which may stop it.
 
I rugged my two natives today, they’re both over 20 and usually I’m hard on them but I can’t supplement with hay as mine isn’t allowed it at the moment so they’ve had rugs, 3x fast fibre and some new grass.

I don’t think you can have hard and fast rules. You just have to hog by what’s in front of you.
 
Friesianfoal1999 said:
Question, my mare is currently in a 100g at night with the cold spell and huge amounts of hay. Tomorrow is going to be 3-4 degrees but sunny. Obviously this is quite cold but I was thinking of taking her rug off at sunrise and putting back on at sunset.

What are your thoughts? is it too cold to let her be naked in the day?
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What is the actual forecast temperature, wind direction and speed?
This morning (and all day, here) has been gloriously sunny, blue skies, but minus 2degrees with a ‘feels like’ forecast of minus 7! My personal ‘feels like’ is bloody chilly, I can tell you, and despite brilliant sun rising first thing, it took a long time to feel any benefit at all. Plenty of sparkling snow, very crisp crust, livestock ‘digging’ for frozen grass.

Does your horse have lots of room for a gallop round to warm up?
Are there hedges, buildings, walls etc to shelter against a bitter wind?
Is the field going to be largely in shadow from a low winter sun, long before it actually sets?
Is sleet, snow or rain possible in the forecast?
If she is young, fat and fluffy, plenty of hay and water, and was happy outside overnight in 100g, she’d probably enjoy nudity, particularly if minimal wind.
If there’s chance of precipitation with current temperatures, you might be safest to leave it on, or downgrade to a 40g or 50g turnout instead. (No fill rugs are only rainsheets, flatten the coat and make horses colder)

For a reasonably accurate forecast, with ‘feels like’:
try BBC weather, type in your area, choose from sub options the location most closely matched to your horse’s (ie, rurality, altitude etc) and get the hour by hour projection which includes wind directions and speeds.
Click on a particular time, for a more detailed picture including ‘feels like’ temperature at that time.
(FYI, it’s now minus 6 degrees, and the sun hasn’t quite set...)
 
Exasperated said:
What is the actual forecast temperature, wind direction and speed?
This morning (and all day, here) has been gloriously sunny, blue skies, but minus 2degrees with a ‘feels like’ forecast of minus 7! My personal ‘feels like’ is bloody chilly, I can tell you, and despite brilliant sun rising first thing, it took a long time to feel any benefit at all. Plenty of sparkling snow, very crisp crust, livestock ‘digging’ for frozen grass.

Does your horse have lots of room for a gallop round to warm up?
Are there hedges, buildings, walls etc to shelter against a bitter wind?
Is the field going to be largely in shadow from a low winter sun, long before it actually sets?
Is sleet, snow or rain possible in the forecast?
If she is young, fat and fluffy, plenty of hay and water, and was happy outside overnight in 100g, she’d probably enjoy nudity, particularly if minimal wind.
If there’s chance of precipitation with current temperatures, you might be safest to leave it on, or downgrade to a 40g or 50g turnout instead. (No fill rugs are only rainsheets, flatten the coat and make horses colder)

For a reasonably accurate forecast, with ‘feels like’:
try BBC weather, type in your area, choose from sub options the location most closely matched to your horse’s (ie, rurality, altitude etc) and get the hour by hour projection which includes wind directions and speeds.
Click on a particular time, for a more detailed picture including ‘feels like’ temperature at that time.
(FYI, it’s now minus 6 degrees, and the sun hasn’t quite set...)
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Appreciate you writing that actually! She went naked and was happy as larry. Its 4 degrees where we are - curious where are you?
 
Friesianfoal1999 said:
Appreciate you writing that actually! She went naked and was happy as larry. Its 4 degrees where we are - curious where are you?
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😀 that was nice for her, hope she has similar tomorrow!
if it’s dry and still, crispy snow, a healthy fluff-pot usually better without rugs! We’re c.1200’ - that makes the difference - altitude! And yeah, still feels cold.
 
Definitely rug the horse in front of you. My mare is 'turned away' for 6 months, but amazed me she is the the only naked one! She is fat, fluffy and has plenty of room with hedges to shelter. She felt warm between her back legs in -3 yesterday but she isn't a TB.

The only bit I'm wondering about what to do is the extreme heavy rainfall we're expecting this weekend.. I can pop a lightweight on and remove it I suppose. Not sure what is for best. Don't want her getting rain scald at the start of winter.
 
Hormonal Filly said:
Definitely rug the horse in front of you. My mare is 'turned away' for 6 months, but amazed me she is the the only naked one! She is fat, fluffy and has plenty of room with hedges to shelter. She felt warm between her back legs in -3 yesterday but she isn't a TB.

The only bit I'm wondering about what to do is the extreme heavy rainfall we're expecting this weekend.. I can pop a lightweight on and remove it I suppose. Not sure what is for best. Don't want her getting rain scald at the start of winter.
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Our Sat morning forecast is for heavy snow, turning to rain by late morning, temperatures rising, followed by the next named storm....sigh.
My priority for rugs in high winds is a stout pair of leg straps. In torrential, winter rain - breathable rug with integral hood.
If she’s going to be rugged, really should go on before she gets wet, and a weight that won’t make her sweat as temperatures rise - dampness underneath rugs can predispose rain scald. Prolonged wet and cold are the real enemy.
Perhaps worth checking your ‘feels like’ temperature, and wind direction forecast? (spend half my life doing this); horses are much better at thermoregulation than us, particularly if they’re well fed, with hedges against the gale - like yours!
 
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