When to rug

Mine has had a summer sheet on for a couple of weeks after he kept looking tucked up in the morning. He is a bit of a hot horse and even in the worse weather only had a hw on but if he is tucked up id rather put something on. He is out with nothing during the day unless the weather is really wet then he will have a thin sheet on and will probally stay that way until i clip. Just depends what the weather does and how he copes with it.
 
i agree that the 'date' in which you start rugging has nothing to do with it especially with the good old british summer! both of mine were out of rugs during the day by march when the weather was beautiful, and had lightweights on at night then it got colder again so we had to start rugging again, they have been out since begining of june un rugged beside fly sheets and both are always rugged if we're expecting heavy rain since they both suffer from sensitive skin (sunburn/mud fever/rain scald) but they are both rugged at night now - out naked during the day - because were trying to preserve their summer coats for some late season showing + the fact that my three year old, if not kept warm, suffers with locking stifles so i'd rather put a rain sheet on to trap some warmth than have to fork out for the vet everytime the temperature drops! Both are very happy with this arrangement which i think we all agree is the most important thing, that the horses are happy, i'd rather not have to rug so much but its just the way it works out. why can't they all be like my hairy foal? :rolleyes:
 
When the mud gets too bad, making grooming a pain in the a*se! :p

But seeing how the ground is still like concrete, I'm hoping it will be a while - although could do with rain to make the grass grow grrrr :-(
 
Lightweight on 24/7.

Sometimes she comes in during the day for a haynet though and shell wear a fleece or naked then.

Shes already growing some scary looking hair on her neck- and weve got a show at the end of sept!!!

So thinking about a lw combo soon- or even worse my mw at night....

Its not too cold yet- but my field is crap. Its so open and theres only one hedge and a bit of a tree for shelter....

Its the rain that worries me more than the heat...she shivers alot in the rain...and theres been soooooo mucchhhh rain :(
 
A rainsheet during the day when it's heavy rain and the odd night with a fleece on. It has been getting as low as 3 deg at night here and where the yard is, it'll be a degree or 2 lower.

Her weight is perfect, at the stage where I wouldn't want her to drop any but she won't be rugged properly until necessary.

Remember in the South it's a few degrees warmer than the North and each horse is different.

Mine may be clipped too, I've not decided yet.
 
I haven't read all the other posts,so I may be goning over old ground. My reminder to get the rugs out for my TB is when we get temperatures of 10 degrees or lower and that is often later than I think it might be. I start off with a no fill rain coat, day or night as needed. Of course, if it looks like being 10 degrees and rain and wind it will go on before it rains even if it is a bit warm yet. If temp goes below 5 degrees, the medium weight goes on and 0 degrees or lower I get out the heavyweight and poss a fleece cooler (warmer!) underneath. Hope this makes sense.
 
Usually ive clipped and mw rugged by now then usually when its freezing cold 0 to -10 like last year my boy had hw, under rug, (human)quilt and fleece hehe. But will be later in rugging this year prob mid oct as he needs to shift some weight then the clippers and rugs will be out!! The joys!
 
None of mine have had a rug on yet. I held off cos I knew it was supposed to warm up again this weekend.

My yearling still has a summer coat and is always toastie warm to touch. Gin has grown a fluffy coat which has been fluffed up but she has still been warm at the base of her ears.

If the temperature drops then Gin will have a rug on as she has had problems with her back and becomes stiff and grumpy if it gets cold. I will clip her in October then she will be in at night with a rug on 24/7.
 
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