weather quickly changing and rugging.

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zangels

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this week the forcast says that the temparatures at night are going to drop as low as 3 degrees and feel like 1 by wednesday. i am thinking this will be a shock to the horses as it is currently still 14 and 15 degrees at night. my horses are currently still living out and mostly naked except in heavy rain then just a light weight. With it being such a fast change, what rug would be best? I have a Cleveland bay cross Irish TB who is quite tough but dosnt reall grow a coat and a welsh who is a wimp and shivers if cold or wet even though she is growing in a winter coat. What will you be doing with yours?
 
Mine are all natives and already have woolies I expect thier coats will grow more with the weather turning colder. Clipping the cob next week, low trace will see jow she copes naked. In the deepest part of winter in snow or rain they will have their mw rugs on.
 
Iv got a tb who is a wimp this winter already i have had no fill, fleece lined, 70g and 170g on all have sometimes had neck piece on but not always. Currently he is in fleece lined no neck but when temp drop this week will likely be in 170 although will start with 70 with neck and see how he goes. Each horse is so different its got to be judged individually and take into account location and shelter.
 
My tb is fully clipped (has legs and half a head left on) is in a no fill and is warm, so he will have a 100g underug on under it when he feels cold (regardless of outside weather), then il see how he goes. My pony currently looks like a sheep, has so much grease in her coat the only way of getting rid of it is to scrape it off and as im going to try my hardest not to rug her this year, she will be naked. Unless of course she miserably shivers next to the gate... im a pushover really lol
 
Crikey! He's still in a fly rug and out 24/7 and not suffering in the slightest for it! Tried him a few hours naked the day he arrived and he just got all muddy and itchy! It's still pretty warm and muggy here crazy as that sounds!
 
Just make sure they have plenty of hay and don't worry about the rug. my mare hasn't been rugged this year and shes grown a lovely coat so Im not going to interfere.
 
My native is donning a woolly mammoth of a coat now, but all will be coming off over the weekend as i find it impossible at this time of year to exercise him in the evenings after work. He sweats within minutes of tacking up and it's not fair or healthy to him to turn him back out afterwards (he lives out overnight).

So i do what works best as far as keeping him working is concerned and he has a hunter clip so i can work him through the week.
 
Depends a lot on their weight- mine is fat so will be naked for a long time yet, then under-rugged until he is is running up a little light. If you're horse is a good weight I'd leave them be until they start to drop off a little and then rug.
 
My wimpy NF has a wooly coat and is in a sheet although the yard changes it according to the weather. he has been in his medium already. Gawd knows what he'll be like when i clip him!
 
I am another who says leave them alone. My Haffy lives out 24/7 naked and is always very warm. Sometimes he sweats just walking from the field to the yard. He now has a bib clip and is still out and naked. I prefer to keep him warm with as much forage as he can eat.

I personally hate to see over rugged horses, specially at this time of year. I know it is each to their own but people forget that horses have coats and are able to warm themselves up easily, but not cool themselves down. Feed them as mush as they can eat and leave them to work it out themselves.
 
My lad got clipped yest (high trace) hes a tbx (nearly 18) loses condition really quick but seems happy and snuggy in his lightweight/no fill/no neck rug, I've been letting him ajust naturally up to now as its so changeable.
 
I'm hoping the cold weather might encourage my lad to burn some of the fat he has accumulated in trying to keep warm.

I am hoping to clip in the next few days so might have to put a rainsheet on but that will be it for now!
 
Whilst it is nice to allow horses to thermo regulate themselves... & 1 I have the luxury of doing this with because she is rarely rugged & has a great coat, it isn't always practical for all horses.
1 of mine has been unrugged up to now, he is well covered & happy but still has a pretty pathetic coat. If the temperatures do drop to 1 or 2 degrees then he will have a medium weight on. However I won't put this on until the temperature actually drops & he feels cold.
The other horse is a poor doer, has no coat & hates being cold. He is still working hard at the moment (some issues at our last event has meant we haven't been able to start his holiday yet). Leaving him to thermo regulate & keep himself warm would be horribly cruel & result in an unhappy horse. No thanks.
If the temperature does drop significantly he will wear a heavyweight possibly with a fleece underneath it. Provided this keeps him at a comfortable temperature then I'm happy.
 
Oh & they are still out on excellent grazing with additional hay & Haylage plus 2 small feeds a day (token handfuls for the 2, proper feed for the poor doer)
I'd rather not chuck more money away throwing feed down the neck of the youngster for him to shiver off & look cold & miserable when he is perfectly happy being well rugged!
 
I am all for leaving them unruged normaly. I usually only rug for rain or snow. I was just thinking with the weather so far having been so mild mine havnt grown a winter coat so with the sudden more than ten degrees drop they wont have been able to adjust. I will see how they go.
 
Mine will all be going straight into no neck MW tomorrow evening, and probably keeping them on for a few days by the looks of things.
 
Our 3 (one retired fatty, one unclipped poor doer, one clipped poor doer) will each be rugged according to the individual horse and what I feel is appropriate :)
 
nikkimariet said:
Our 3 (one retired fatty, one unclipped poor doer, one clipped poor doer) will each be rugged according to the individual horse and what I feel is appropriate :)
Click to expand...

I will be doing exactly the same - rugging (or not rugging) depending on what the individual horse's needs. If the forecast is correct, then no neck MW rugs might be put on wednesday evening. The grey who is a warmer horse might only need her fleece lined, Smartex Rain.
 
The skinny one is still out naked for the time being. Torn on whether to up to a 50g, or a MW for tonight.

I hate rugging.
 
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