What d'you think you would do?

[Tia]

I have been deliberating over whether to rug our pregnant pony this winter. Cloud is over 5 months pregnant. She is a connemara X exmoor and is quite fluffy, however she has spent all of her life, apart from the last 2 years, in England.

The previous winters here in Canada I have rugged her but would rather not mainly because she will be foaling around the 1st April and I don't really want rugs in the way of this.

Our winters are nice - lots of sunshine and blue skies.......however our temperatures vary dramatically from some days being -10 celsius and often go right down to a dreadfully chilling -40 celsius. Winter sort of ends around April/May time.

So what would you guys do?

 

[serena2005]

sorry i said no but i meant yes!!! opps

 

[sleepingdragon10]

If she wasn't pregnant I'd say no....but if she's using energy to keep warm would that deplete the resources available for the growing foal at all?
Could you rug her at night perhaps as a compromise?

Sorry,that's not much help really is it?

Bethxx

 

[monica123]

see how cold the weather is........keep a rug at hand, but if it is warm enough then leav it -40 that is cold!

 

[Tia]

Trouble is that the buggers often foal during the night.

 

[S_N]

I said no.

a) she is hardily bred
b) if your winters are dry and cold, then she will manage just fine! As with any horse, just monitor her weight/condition.....

 

[filly190]

I would have exactly the same issue, to rug or not to. It's a tricky one and the scales of balance keep tipping when I am writing this, thinking of potential problems.

Have you considered contacting a stud farm in your area and asking what they do? It would be interesting to know and perhaps help with your decision.

Keep us posted, as this is really interesting and will be useful for other peoples future reference.

 

[Tia]

Hardly anyone in this area rugs their horses. Everyone thinks I am most odd because I rug nearly all of mine LOL!!

 

[Weezy]

I have said yes because you have before - I wouldnt change the management she has had before

Hopefully by April you can take the rug off again!

 

[Maesfen]

I know we don't compare as a species and don't know if anyone has done research on this, but when I was pregnant, it was like having inbuilt central heating; is it possible mares are the same? I foaled down in February and didn't wear anything other than a cardi (long before the days of fleeces!

) all winter long! On that assumption, I would say don't rug her.
Another thing if you do rug her; you'd really want the rug off a month before she foals to acclimatise properly, right? - what if it's so bally cold you can't take the rug off? You'd be panicing then in case she foaled with a rug on and all the dangers that go with that.
You'll obviously have her well fed and sheltered and being hardy anyway, I for one am sure she'll cope far better without.

 

[delphipuppy]

I rug all my broodmares in the winter, but i think most don't. However I live in Wales which as everyone knows is very wet, hence the rugs, even thought they have a big barn to go in.
I bring the early foaling ones in at night about a month before foaling and gradually reduce the rug weight till they have none just before foaling. Earliest is due March, the later ones aren't a problem.

 

[Tia]

Good point and one to which I don't know the answer. This really has been a bit of a dilemma for me. I would far rather the foal had been due in the middle of April as it is milder then and no flies around until the beginning of May. It was a case of going for 1st April or 1st May - both had things going against them, but after a bit of consideration I opted for the earlier time.

I'm really not sure what to do - the thing is I have experienced -40 and it really is so cold that if you stay outside for longer than 5 minutes your fingers start to go black.

We also have freezing rain! That is absolutely awful stuff! It is just ice falling from the sky and all the horses end up with a thick sheet of ice over them which doesn't break - they look like they are covered in very thick clingfilm!

We also have windchill factors of significantly colder than the real temperature.

Hmm I think I am talking myself into rugging her

.

Cloud is a little British pony and although yes she is tough enough to deal with anything the UK has to throw at her, I think I would be mortified if she came down with anything because I hadn't kept her warm enough. I have always rugged her since I bought her in 1997 so she's never spent a winter naked.

 

[Tia]

That's what I am hoping - you never can tell what the temperatures will be in April as they have been pretty mild but apparently that is not always the case.

I can bring her into the stables if it is too cold outside without a rug and we have a full stable block this year so it should be nice and toasty for her and the baby. I have a big foaling box so she should be okay.

I don't have any problems with keeping rugs on her after the foal is born so it would only be when she was actually foaling that is the problem. I've always had mares in rugs even with foals at foot and never suffered any trouble. I only use fillet straps though and keep the surcingles reasonably tight so as not to get little legs or head stuck inbetween.

 

[S_N]

Surely during the freezing rain you bring them in? That was the only time we brough EVERY TB in when I was in KY. It's tempting to say, "well you could rug her in the coldest part of the winter", but then that actually might make her colder - as in with her thick woolley coat she will be able to trap warm air in the hairs to act as natural insulation. Also as a part-bred Exmoor, does she have a double winter coat?

 

[Tia]

Yes I think that is a good idea.

 

[Tia]

No none of our horses come in ever. They all live outside all year round. It's their choice whether they go into the barns or not......most of them don't come in even when it is freezing rain....weirdo's, LOL!!

Yes she has a very thick fluffy coat in winter.

 

[Maesfen]

Well, just to confuse you even more!
I went to see a yearling last week and that had been dropped unexpectedly - as in they didn't know she was in foal at all!
They arrived next morning to the field, foal had just been dropped and mare had her NZ on and had luckily coped ok. After the shock of it and being complete novices, they never thought anything of leaving the rug on the mare until the warmer weather came, so it can be done but not to be recommended though!

 

[Tia]

Amazing isn't it. They are pretty resilient little critters! Perhaps we all worry too much over them....whether that be to not rug them or rug them and nature will always find a way to counteract our interfering, LOL!

 

[sojeph]

I'd say no. Cold and dry they do fine. Cold and wet - different story.

 

[Alibear]

I'd tkae my usual approach of see how she goes as the weather gets colder and I'd happily put a rug on her if i found her looking cold / miserable or starting to loose condition. But with the sound of things like ice rain then yes I'd rug her. She deserves to be spoilt anyway as she's such a special little pony.