Which rug for which temperatures

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cob2012

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i have a 21 year old cob, in light work and stabled at night. Recently I brought him in for the night and put his hw rug with neck on (temperature to 0 c) but was told he was sweating too much and I should change his rug to a fleece cooler. He is not clipped and has quite a good winter coat.

My rug choices as:
Stable: cooler/fleece
100g rug
200g rug
370g rug + neck

Turn out
200g rug
370 rug and neck

His stable is quite drafty.

Can you advise me on which temperatures should be used with which rugs and how I tell if he is over hot.

Lucy.
 
It totally depends on the horse - just because we might feel cold one day doesn't mean the horse will. They can regulate body temperature much better than we can. I prefer to under rug rather than over rug to be honest. You can only tell what suits your horse by feeling him - rest the back of your hand just near where the girth goes for a few moments and see how warm he is. I was always told that if they feel very toasty under the rug then they are too hot.
If he hasn't been clipped and had a good winter coat then he shouldn't need a hw with a neck. Save it in case we get another really bad winter.
 
For the likes of your 370 rugs I'd keep them for the - •c .

Could you perhaps get a 300? It's quite a big jump from a 200 to a 370.
 
I would feel his ears and see how they feel, my clipped cob is out in 200g. Step him down to lower rug. 370 g at 0, what will you do at -19, save it till then.
 
Hi Lucy,
Has he just come in at night - was he living out until then, and if so, what was he wearing in the field?

Most cobs are hardy and have a good coat anyway. Our cob and ponies all lived happily without rugs in and out while unclipped and in light work.

Is he a good doer and does he look well generally?

If you really feel he needs a rug, I would go for a max of 200g on him. You will probably never need your heavyweights on him.
 
If he's sweating he's obviously too warm, start with the lowest gram rug and work upwards depending on how he feels in the mornings. If he's got a good supply of hay overnight then he will keep warm from the inside out. As you say he has a good winter coat then he shouldn't need a lot of rugging atall really. The one with the neck wouldn't be needed until minus temps and moreso if he was clipped.

The fleece and cooler for me would be used after work when he is warm. Wouldnt use overnight as they tend to slip back and dig in at the withers.

His stable should be well ventilated so unless you have big holes or gaps then I wouldn't worry too much about it being draughty.
 
It depends a lot on your horse as an individual, as some feel the cold more than others - its hard to tell as obviously none of us will have seen him, but if he's an unclipped cob of a good weight with a thick coat, then chances are he's very good at keeping himself warm so won't be needing a heavyweight with neck - it's better for a horse to be too cold than too hot, as they cannot cool themselves down, though can warm themselves up by wandering around & munching hay. Feel at the base of the ears for his temperature, and put your hand inside the coat - it shouldn't feel too warm. You definitely do not want an uncomfortable sweaty horse overnight.
Just as examples - my mare who does feel the cold, is naturally lean, fully clipped and has just started to wear a 200g mediumweight rug at night - sometimes with a neck (when its very cold), sometimes without - and she's remaining the perfect temperature (I check her just before I go to bed and very early in the morning when I do feeds & then turnout). I want to keep her heavyweight (300g) for extreme cold, it got to -20 last year so I don't want to wrap her up too much.
Our 21 year old TB x is fluffy & wearing a 150g with neck indoors, and our little welsh mountain pony is still unrugged indoors as he's holding his condition well and is ridiculously fluffy.

What is your horse wearing during the day? Does he have plenty of hay to eat overnight when he's in, as this will keep him warm? x
 
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HI

Thanks for all the replies. The rug dilemma is not easy but the winter is really mild. He was too hot today in the field with a 200g and after exercise he is pretty hot....so he is going to have a trace clip which I hope will make him easier to manage. Talking to previous owners he is apparently a "hot horse"...wish I had known that before I bought the 2 new heavy weight rugs.
He is a good doer, has plenty of haylage and is in good shape. He is however rather static in the field, tending to wait by the gait from about 3 onwards to come in. Likes his comforts does the old boy.

At 21 he is in great shape - low mileage over the last 10 years so joints pretty good. He has had a new saddle, physio and a new training program which I hope will get him back in to shape gradually, respecting his age but giving him the stimulation he needs. He is loving being back in work and is raring for his next hack out.

Planning to keep the heavy wt rugs just in case we get a serious cold spell and then save up for a bucas power light rug which will manage a wider range of temperatures (father Christmas can't afford it this year though).

Happy Christmas to everyone

Lucy
 
Feel him.

I doubt many cobs need a HW in this tbh. And I hate judging by temperature outside. Doesn't take into account rain or wind chill etc. Drop down the rugs and keep an eye.

If I were you I'd be asking whoever told you he was too hot (assume YM/YO?) to show you how to check his temperature properly.
 
My clipped cob at the moment is stabled at night - no rug, out through day - either lightweight (no filling) if rain or no rug. She has medium with neck when it drops below zero. As already said they can regulate there temperature I find its better to be under rugged than over rugged. A horse on our yard was over rugged this weekend to the point steam from coming from under his rug, they took rug off and he was soaking. Scary!
 
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