What time of year do you start rugging up??

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PnO

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I have a rather whimpy 15.2hh 18 yr old TB gelding, who i have always started to rug up early on. He has lived out all this summer for the first time in a few years as we have moved to a new yard with pretty of lush grass so he has enjoyed staying out at night and coming in during the day when its hot. Occasionally throughout the summer when it's been raining he's worn his light weight summer rain sheet at night and has been wearing it every night for the past 2 weeks as the weather has been horrible! Tonight though i put him out in his winter rug, which in the darkest depths of winter he wears with a rug underneath. It's not a particularly heavy weight rug, do you think i'm being a bit over protective?? As i have left my 2 yr old selle francis x Anglo arab filly out all summer and is still out now without a rug on, i just don't want my TB to lose any condition as he's looking sooo good...in my bias opinion
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I have put a rug on my cobby mare tonight!!! It isnt a heavy one, and I dont want her growing too much coat.....and it is cold!!
 
My 28 yo tb has her rain sheet on, i put it on last night for the 1st time and unless the weather has a sudden increase in temp she will be rugged all the time now, i will gradually increase the weight of her rug depending on the weather. She wears zero filling then 200gm then 300gm then 400gm then 400gm + under rug.
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at the mo it is very cold here so my part tb has a LW stable rug on, as he still has a very fine coat even though he hasnt worn anything warmer than a cooler since april?!?

tis very weird - at this rate i wont have to clip him!!
 
ive had a lightweight on my cob for last few nights as its really getting cold!!! some of the finer horses on my yard have started having medium weights on already and as long as shes not getting too hot and its only at night why not.
 
God thats alot of rugs Keltic!! I have 2 indoor rugs, a heavy weight and a lightweight, and a massive kingsize duvet which goes under the lightweight rug for when he's clipped, he looks so cute lol! He has one outdoor rug and 2 flecee sheet type rugs that go under the other rugs to stop the insides getting dirty and to provide a little extra warmth! I don't have a rug for the baby yet as she's grown since last year, must save up for one and stop spoiling the old man horse
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My veteran is kept in during the day (summer) and is in a lightweight turnout at night as rain is forecast most nights. If he is wet he does feel the cold and if the tempreture drops I will change his rugs accordingly. You know your horse so do whatever keeps him in condition and comfitable.
 
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as long as shes not getting too hot and its only at night why not.

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I'll be up there by about 9 or ten to bring them in for the day so will take it off then so can't imagine it being warm enough for him to get too hot by then.

As i said he's very whimpy and the condition has just dropped off in the past if he hasn't been rugged up. It might just be something i have to do for a few nights then it might warm up again and he can go back to the rain sheet for a little while longer
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Mine has been in a no fill rain type sheet, which he has had on for a couple of weeks. It was raining a few weeks ago and he was shivering like mad so put it on and left it on as the weather is going down hill.
 
we have just up'd from a lw with no filling with a lw with filling. he was just a little cold in the mornings. when hes clipped [bout oct time] will probs change him round so is out in the day instead of out at night so will have a fleece or lw in the stable too :]
 
Ellie is 28 and was clipped last week as the heat was getting her down but now the weather has changed she has a LW rug on during the day. Been glad of it too as its rained quite heavily at times over the past 2 days
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and has been in for the last couple of nights too as its been quite cold and had her PJ's on
 
Yeah it will soon be that time again to start bringing him in for nights with a fleecy on for a while and having him out during the day. Not sure when will clip him this year as didn't get him done till early november last year as had been rugged up so hadn't got alot of winter coat. The poor baby will be living out all winter, well thats the rough plan, will just have to see how it goes.

It think we all know our horses well enough (hopefully) to know when they need things changing for their best interests...roll on winter
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i rugged my mare for the first time last night, really glad i did too- it was dreadful, she is older now and feels the cold more, if she were 10yrs younger i would not rug her as she is a tough cobby type but as i say she feels the cold more now she is getting older, she just has a lightweight rain sheet on, just stops her getting soaked through, and then consequently cold
 
My trad cob was clipped 10 days ago and is sporting her LW turnout..... A bit much when they are sweating in August because of the Winter coat coming through
 
My mare AA/ISH is still without her rug and probably won't start being rugged for another few weeks at least - hope this doesn't make me nasty but she simply doesn't need it yet.
 
All four of mine had to come in today as their lightweight rugs were soaked through and they were all cold, so they are all out with medium weight winter rugs tonight! I don't particularly want them growing a huge winter coat early if I can avoid it (less clipping to do!).
 
She doesnt wear them all at once lol!! she wouldnt be able to move hee hee
She does have an extensive wardrobe though hmm lets see she has

2 rain sheets (no fill)
2 mw masta's
1 mw wb with neck
1 mw with 3/4 neck
1 hw masta
2 hw wb taka combo's

Oh dear she does have a few no wonder i have no money!
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She has a collection of stable rugs under rugs fleeces and coolers.
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In my defense she is a pampered princess and i pander to her every wish
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I suppose my baby is only going to be backed then turned away for winter so I want her to grow a huge fluffy coat to stay warm - hence no rugs yet! She has grown so much this past year though that she needs a whole new set of rugs!!
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My ArabX vet- (who drops weight when you've turned your back) has been wearing his 'rain mack' for a couple of weeks - hates the rain with a passion - he also has a fleece on at night when he is stabled. I will gradually build up his rugs depending on the weather and how he is clipped. The cob mare and the shettie are rarely rugged at all, unless the weather is really cold/wet...
 
All my rugs bar one thinnish outdoor summer sheet are still at the repairers. Wish they'd hurry up and I can get my boy into something warmer. If they don't get them back to me by the w/e I'll have to buy some more!! He's rugged most nights now and has been on chilly wet nights for a month or so.
 
Mine all have lightweight quilts on tonight, they were quite chilly when I went to do them even my cob was a tad cold!
I am opposed to over-rugging but the temperature has dropped off significantly this week so I would think most horses will be rugged up tonight.
So much for the indian summer!
 
I too have put LW (no fill) rugs on. Both live out all year, with shelter and stable access. Herbie will shiver at first sign of rain, and have only just got him looking good, so rather rug than drop condition.
Torrential rain forecast tomorrow, so may change H's to one with a bit of padding.

I was always one to let horses be horses, hated rugs, but am paranoid now so pamper them somewhat
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My WB has a rain sheet on in the day when he goes out (if it's forecast rain) and is naked at night at the mo. My TB has a rain sheet on in the day (to be upgraded to mw if it stays like this) and a lw stable rug on at night. Tbh she's been rugged at night most of the year as we haven't had that much warm weather and she really feels the cold/drops weight easily.
 
I am rugging for autumn already
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In fact P had a rug on at night before I went away, so mid August, which is ridiculous, but she was truely cold. She had a MW and a fleece on last night and the night before and she isn't at all hot, she is a cold horse and I am fighting to get condition on ATM. Hate it, shouldn't be rugging until October
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