To rug or not??

[shanti]

Does anyone just not rug at all?

I have tried multiple rugs on my new horse, 5yo Standardbred, however he gets really hot and sweaty under all of them. For context, I live in Australia but it's one of the cold parts lol. It has recently been getting down to about 4 degrees and is raining most of the time. I feel terrible leaving him naked but equally terrible knowing that he is sweating under a rug, even a rain sheet makes him hot. He has a 5 acre paddock with natural shelter from trees and masses of grass/unlimited hay. I'm just very confused ?

 

[Sossigpoker]

If he has shelter and plenty of winter coat then he's probably fine without a rug.

 

[Prancerpoos]

I did not rug my trakehner for the last few years, she hated rugs and lived out all year, but with access to a field shelter. She was fine, even when it was minus 5 or peeing down.

 

[Arzada]

In the last 12 months my horse has been rugged for about 10 days, not all consecutive. It was raining heavily and very windy. If your clothing made you hot and sweaty you wouldn't wear it.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I think it depends on your horse and your set up. My tb would die ( well he thinks he will) without a rug. He makes that very clear!! He hasn't got any shelter in the field either so I do make sure he is well rugged when needed.

 

[Bobthecob15]

I think we probably over rug horses if I'm honest...im probably guilty of this too! Your horse will be fine if he's got a bit of shelter and is in good condition

 

[Goldenstar]

The horse is telling you he does not need a rug .

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

Me…I hardly ever put a rug on my mare…I think two or three times over this winter..when it was raining, windy and cold and she was out for a couple of hours. She’s very hot. I get disapproving looks from people on the new yard I’m on but they don’t know my horse. I don’t even rug my oldie very much …again only if the weather combination is adverse.

 

[shanti]

The horse is telling you he does not need a rug .

He definitely tells me in his demeanor, ears back and tries to walk away when I try to put it on him!

 

[twiggy2]

He definitely tells me in his demeanor, ears back and tries to walk away when I try to put it on him!

Then listen to him and don't rug him,

 

[meleeka]

You could always think again if he’s not ok without, then clip to make him more comfortable. The chances are he’ll be absolutely fine and be grateful he’s not all hot and sweaty.

 

[Arzada]

He definitely tells me in his demeanor, ears back and tries to walk away when I try to put it on him!

So why are you rugging him?

 

[CanteringCarrot]

I wouldn't rug him then. Simple. You don't have to.

I rug mine because he is clipped, if he weren't, then I wouldn't. Their natural coat provides good insulation, even against rain. Their hair can be wet, but down at the skin they are usually dry. With a good/normal coat, and good weight, 4 degrees is nothing to worry about, and some do run warmer than others.

Edit: I mean 4 degrees Celsius.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Rugs are available to protect horses *who need them* from adverse weather conditions. Your horse is telling you very clearly that he doesn't need or want a rug. It is quite acceptable for horses to remain naked, unlike people.
I don't understand why you are persisting in rugging him, when you know that rugs make him sweaty and uncomfortable.
To answer your question, our 2 (a cob and an Appaloosa) have wintered out 24/7 for the last 2 years with a field shelter in a very exposed field without rugs and no sign that they might need one.

 

[Northern]

Does anyone just not rug at all?

I have tried multiple rugs on my new horse, 5yo Standardbred, however he gets really hot and sweaty under all of them. For context, I live in Australia but it's one of the cold parts lol. It has recently been getting down to about 4 degrees and is raining most of the time. I feel terrible leaving him naked but equally terrible knowing that he is sweating under a rug, even a rain sheet makes him hot. He has a 5 acre paddock with natural shelter from trees and masses of grass/unlimited hay. I'm just very confused ?

Ah yes, it's that time of year. Over the last few weeks I've watched winter rugs go on, not to be taken off until October (not actually kidding either). It's a valid question though. For those playing along in the UK, we have had the first proper winter storm come in overnight and the conditions are pretty dire with rain/snow and gale force winds sweeping through dropping temperatures by 15+ degrees in some cases (feels like -7C in some places). My paddocked mares have rugs on at the moment, we are exposed to these freezing Westerly winds and I would rather they don't stand under the trees at the moment (months of rain and strong winds bringing down huge gumtrees at the moment). The rugs will come off again once this blast is over. If your horse has plenty to eat and shelter and a good coat, I wouldn't worry about rugging at all. Standies are pretty tough creatures anyway! I would encourage you to put out some warm water though, we worry about horses not drinking at the moment with the sudden drop in temperatures. One of my mares sounds very similar to your boy (she's a TB!) so she goes without unless we have weather like this.

 

[Wishfilly]

I would try him naked, especially on dry days if you get some, and see what happens. If he starts dropping condition etc then you know a rug is probably needed. If he's fine, then you have your answer.

If you're planning to turn him out naked in the rain you do need to be a bit careful about grooming and bathing to avoid removing the natural oils in his coat, but there's no reason horses have to be rugged in the rain!

I don't think by not rugging now, you're making a commitment to never rugging- but why not try it and see how he copes?

 

[shanti]

Thank you everyone. To answer the question of why I'm persistent in rugging him, this is my first winter in a cold climate (I moved from tropical weather in Queensland to what feels like Antarctica in South Australia) I have only ever had experience with horses in the heat. Everyone horse I see here is rugged to the hilt, over rugged in my opinion, but it has made me question how I'm doing things. My husband is from the UK and says this weather is very similar so I thought asking on a predominantly UK forum would help me get a better idea of what I should be doing. I have honestly never really rugged before as I never needed to, I'm just not used to this weather?

 

[Equestrian Poet]

Rugs are a good sales gimmick and overrated! the only time you need to rug a horse is if he/she is stabled in a heated barn during the winter months and being turned out for a few hours. Such as show horses. Other than that they have their own rugs that nature gave them and they will adapt to their conditions. Rugs make YOU feel better because you're not wearing a fur coat! It's also likely your horse will not use the shelter in bad weather, unlike you seeking shelter out of the rain. Just my opinion!

 

[PurBee]

If you’re not clipping off the winter coat the horse grows, they can withstand the cold very well, provided they have food/hay, which generates heat.
Mine are unclipped in winter - theyve had minus 10 stints of cold weather unrugged - the weather was dry, their coats dry, with shelter.

Its a different story if your horse is out in torrential rain getting soaked and there’s a cold wind blowing and they have no shelter- that combo is deadly and so providing they have shelter from the worst weather, and they're unclipped, even my arab bloods cope amazingly. Although i reason desert conditions of stupidly hot in the day and stupidly freezing at night, gives them blood to cope with most extremes!

But if you clip the winter coat, you’ll want to rug. If your horse sweats in everything you try, thats a good sign its too hot and doesnt need the rug.

I once found a study yrs ago regarding cold/heat tolerance in horses. They said horses metabolism can more easily generate heat, than cool down. The majority could easily withstand freezing temps to what we would think a shocking level, and on average minus 25 was when the bodies natural metabolic homeostasis was disrupted by the cold and assistance essential i.e rugs etc.
The takeaway i got was theyre fine if there’s shelter and food in most cold places (except canada where it can get colder than -25), but if we clip their winter coat off, we need to replace it with rugs, and clipped horses appreciate the rugging and dont sweat.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

There is a SB stud near me, their mares and foals winter out with the only shelter being provided by a house that the land surrounds, there are no trees or other buildings, and the lay of the land with wind from 3 different directions. They all seem to do extremely well, with hay provided

 

[Tiddlypom]

Whilst I mostly expect my horses to do what they are told, they are all allowed to call the shots as to whether they want rugging or not, and if so what weight.

Their body language as I approach with a rug makes that all quite clear! Or if I approach them in the field to take a rug off and they move off, I let them keep it on!

 

[Leandy]

If he is too hot under the rug then he definitely doesn't need it! He only needs a rug if he is too cold without it. If he gets wet and this makes him cold and shivering, then I would try to rug to keep out the wet when it is expected to rain but if he is not shivering even when wet then he is fine without a rug.

 

[Winters100]

Far better for him to move about a bit to warm up than to sweat under a rug.

Don't take any notice of the 'guides' that you find online, in my opinion they all recommend more rug than is needed for most horses. Also the horses themselves are totally different, at the moment my older poor-doer pony is wearing 100g at night, one gelding is wearing a cotton sheet and the other nothing. With plenty of food and shelter he will be much happier without a rug.

 

[Neck]

I’m in NZ. And find the synthetic rugs too hot for my horses, so Have gone with canvas. A good quality one lasts for years

 

[Muddy unicorn]

I wish I didn't have to rug mine - he's not rugged in winter but needs a sweetitch rug in summer - I hate putting it on him and he's not that keen either but it's the lesser of two evils

 

[HollyWoozle]

We only rug our elderly loan pony, all our own horses and ponies were weaned off rugs and thrive without them. This includes an ISH mare (primarily WB/TB) - I have seen her at -13C with icicles in her coat and she was lovely and toasty underneath her natural coat. They live out 365 days a year with free access to good shelter and plenty of forage.

I think we should always ask "do they need a rug?" rather than "do they not need a rug?" as the majority probably do not need a rug in my opinion. I would certainly scrap the rugs in your case, you'll soon notice if your horse shows signs of being too cold.