Wet horse needs a rug - help please!

[Charla]

So it has been pouring all night and up until now where I am. My pony lives out 24/7. I left him out without a rug yesterday because it was about 12 degrees and sunny. It wasn't forecast to rain! However, the temperature is due to drop to 0 degrees tonight and it's suppose to carry on raining. I need to put his rug on but when the rain isn't going to be stopping, what do you do with a wet pony that needs rugging??

 

[Hippona]

How about putting a fleece on to wick the wet away, and a LW rain sheet over the top? Thats what I do......(prepares to be shot down in flames)

 

[ThePony]

Can you bring him in for a couple of hours to pop a fleece on to dry him out? If not then I would do as Curious Yellow suggests, then change his rugs this eve as I would expect the fleece will be a bit damp. Not ideal admittidly, but what can you do in all this rain?!

 

[Shazzababs]

Rug him up and like the others have said if you can't bring him in at all put something between the rug and his coat to absorb the water.

The old fashioned way was to use a layer of straw, but today a fleece rug, or even a summer sheet will do.

After a couple of hours when the extra layer has done its job you need to take it off as the wet layer will make him cold after that. Alternatively if you have 2 NZ's and nothing else just rug him up in one and then swap it for the dry one in a couple of hours.

BTW If your pony is of the native persuasion and unclipped (and obviously not cold and wet through to his skin) he might be better off without the rug.