Turnout rugs (sorry!)

D

daydreamer

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 January 2006
Messages
1,402
Location
East Anglia
Visit site
Hi,

I know this is opening a can of worms and it has all been discussed before but hopefully someone will have some helpful comments for me!

I am looking after a horse through the winter for the first time and am finding rugging very stressful! He is an unclipped warmblood out 24/7 with good grass. He is a good doer and still fairly well covered (i think he is fine going into winter like this, i can't quite feel his ribs) and i haven't noticed him losing a lot of weight (he was a bit overweight in the summer). At the moment he isn't on any hard feed and is worked around 5 times a week.

Until recently he was out nekkid :eek: and seemed fine, when i brought him in he was warm even if the temp was 9/10C. Recently the temp has been down to around 2C at night and he has just been out in a no-fill rain sheet, mainly because a) it has been quite warm and sunny in the day and i don't want him getting too hot and b) the next rug up i have is a mediumweight (i would guess around 220g fill ish) combo rug which might suit him at night but again may be too hot during the day.

Is a mediumweight too big a jump, i think it is a breathable rug so would that mean he wouldn't get uncomfortable? Should i try and buy a rug with 170/150g fill? Or a mediumweight without a neck?

I have to say it is very stressful and i do feel a lot of peer-pressure! Even if noone else says anything most horses on the yard have been out in rugs with necks etc for ages now! Sorry for the ramble!
 
I have a 17.1 warmblood, in at night now and out in the day, irish clip, worked 5-6 times a week. He is a good doer and is currently in a 70g rug with a detachable neck and is plenty warm enough at the minute. Probably not much help sorry!!
 
I have a 17.2 warmblood TB cross. Trace clipped and out 24/7 in a lightweight sheet - no neck. perrfectly warm even though it has been down to minus temps here. I am just about to move him into another paddock with loads of grass so won;t bother putting a heavier weight rug on him yet. My TB - hunter clipped is out 24/7 still with a 200g full neck rug, and again - he is perfectly warm. He is also moving into the new paddock with loads of grazing so will be fine in that for a while. They normally don;t get into their heavy weight rugs till Jan when it stays below freezing all night and most of the day. I don;t bring them in at night till November, possibly December if the weather is Ok and I think last year I used their heavy weight rugs for no more than 2 weeks in total. Most people actually overrug. I know someone who has a full neck medium weight rug on their hairy pony, it can barely move without dripping with sweat, but she says it needs it cos it gets cold at night.
 
Have you got a fleece you can put on under the no fill turnout?

This is what I do before jumping straight to a 200g, infact L has a no fill, then no fill with fleece and then no fill with 100g stable before a medium weight.
Although she's only out in the day she's got a irish clip and is still only in the no fill with nothing underneath.
 
Is there anybody who can change his rug in the morning? At the moment the tempreature seems to change so much during the day and night so i'd rug up well at night, and then have less on during the day.

Even my wimpy TB was only in a rainsheet and a fleece during the day yesterday, but was in a thick MW with neck at night as once the sun goes in it gets freezing

If you can't get somebody to change rugs, then I would go for less rugs and just keep him comfortable. He can always run around, shiver, stick back to wind if cold, but he can't do anything to cool himself down if he's hot.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top