using turnout rugs

[lucyjade2]

Hi there, I have recently started using a rug on one of my ponies as it is still very young and seems alot thinner than the others, (also weather been getting colder) I have since been told that once you rug a horse/pony you have to keep it rugged all the time. Can someone please enlighten me on this subject, because I did not realise this would be a permanent thing. I thought you could just rug a pony in winter and then that would be it. Do I have to keep it rugged all year round or what??
From very new novice!!!!

 

[Tia]

If you decide to rug during the winter then you need to pay attention to the temperatures. On warmer days (if the horse is not clipped) you need to lessen the heat given by a rug, so you may need more than one rug. On cold days the horse will likely still be warm enough if your rug is a m/w rug. Horses are far more adept at warming themselves up than they are at cooling themselves down.

Once Spring comes along, you can take the rug off and during Summer the horse will not need a rug. Not sure who told you the horse needs to be rugged all year round, but unless you live in the Arctic Circle, then I think they are messing with your mind, Lol!

 

[svincent]

No need to keep rugged all year round! It's not good for the horse as his skin needs to be allowed to breathe and you can't deprive him of the feelgood factor of the warmth of the sun on his back in the summer!

Good idea to rug him up now if you think he is losing weight as he will be using up all the food energy just to keep warm. The rug will give him a helping hand but watch out on milder days that he isn't too hot as Christiamas says above.

 

[amandathepanda]

Think of a turnout rug like you wearing a winter coat. When the weather is cold, you will put a thicker coat on. If it rains you will want a waterproof coat. On spring days you will wear a light weight jacket or even not wear a coat at all. Horse rugs are are same. When it is cold they need a heavy weight rug, if it is warmer then they need a light weight rug.

If you have got one that is losing weight putting a rug on will definately help with the weight loss problem but make sure the pony doesn't get too hot if we suddenly have some mild weather - ponies can sweat weight off too! You can rug a pony during the winter months with a warm rug, drop it down to a lightweight turnout (equivalent of a plastic mac!) in spring & eventually wean the pony off wearing a rug for summer.

One thing to remember is that when you start rugging a pony you remove some of the natural oils in the coat that act as a water repellant. When you stop rugging you need to give the pony chance to get these oils back before subjecting the pony to extremes of weather again without the protective oils. This might be why you got told to keep rugging your pony once you started putting rugs on.

 

[Donkeymad]

Did this person, on saying 'all the time'mean during the length of this winter, or permanently forever? I would think they meant for the rest of the winter, which I would tend to agree with.

 

[lucyjade2]

thanks for the help and advice, I would eventually like to leave it off and just let the pony use its own body to keep warm rather than using a rug. Do you think by next winter he will be fine enough with all his oils etc to go without a coat after all he is a dartmoor!