Wet Turnout rugs

I have done this if the rug is only wet on the outside, but if it's started to get heavy and water is seeping through I'd rather change it. If you think about it, the reason a rug is dry in the morning is because you've used the horse's energy and body warmth to warm and dry it - just like putting it over a radiator. I wouldn't leave a wet coat on me to dry it off because I'd feel chilled until it had dried (even a breathable gore-tex coat) - I guess the same is true of a wet rug on a horse? Does mean you need spare dry rugs though, no point putting the cold wet rug back on horsey in the morning
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I leave them on now too, it's so much better. The others are the unenlightened ones!

If the rug is still dry underneath, but wet on top, the heat from the horse will dry it really quickly. If you take it off, the wet comes back through into the lining and you get a damp rug.

Also, I believe that when you take a rug off, you lose that nice pocket of warm air the horse has created under the rug, then put a cold one on top, so the horse has to work to warm himself up again.

Makes no sense to me to take them off.
 
Well I'm in the minority then because if Henry does come in I change his rugs. He's usually out 24/7 but on the odd night he comes in (if it's been really wet and cold) and then I like to put his under rug and stable rug on - he's fully clipped and to me if the weather neccessitates bringing in, then it neccessitates having a warm dry rug on over night! My turnout rugs are slung over a string in the barn and whilst they might not be totally dry on the outside by morning, they are never wet on the inside and that's what counts!
 
If her rug is dry when she comes in I take it off and put on her stable rug. However if it is soaked like tonight it stays on and dries on her. Been doing this for years and she seems none the worse.
 
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