Who's rugging and feeding for winter ??

My cob has his waterproof sweet itch rug on and my older pony has her rug on as she has no meat on her bones....no change in feed though. Still have too much grass....
 
Wbs are in lw at night and if it's due to rain during the day. The tb aka pansy is in a lw during the day and a lw stable with his lw turn out over the top at night. Ive upped his feed a tiny bit but can see hes dropped weight ever so slightly so will up his feed and look at putting some hay out in the field .. not that his wb pal needs anything extra!! Lol
 
First off, it's not winter: it's the middle of September FGS! It's also quite warm, my horses are still on restricted grazing, and there is lots more growth in the grass, so why on earth would I feed porky horses? Horses are waterproof, didn't evolve to be "dressed" and have certainly survived very well for the last gazillion years without wearing "clothes". For goodness sake, they're not barbies!
 
My lad is fed the same all year round - few handfuls dengie hi fi lite for his supplements. I have worryingly large amounts of grass, it is growing like mad and I am having to restrict him to nibbly stuff. He is in at night all year round due to past laminitis.
Rugging according to the weather as he has had a few issues with arthritis flare ups this year, so trying to keep him stable.
 
Rugged in their fly sheets..............they are fed the same the whole year through aside from hay out in the field when it snows and lays.....i still have two muzzled and one stabled days and in a 80 x 30 bald paddock overnight, far too much grass in my measly 2.5 acres still and growing like mad.
 
Horses for courses as they say cortez. It has not been warm here over the weekend! I can only speak for myself, but my rugs are not on for the rest of the year but until this low front blows past.

ets: horses evolved without rugs yes. But then they were never groomed, so built up oils and natural protection. Imo.
 
whisp&willow said:
Horses for courses as they say cortez. It has not been warm here over the weekend! I can only speak for myself, but my rugs are not on for the rest of the year but until this low front blows past. X
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Absolutely; I don't have TB's or oldies or thin horses, but this trend for rugging EVERYTHING at the drop of a hat (or degree, or raindrop....) is madness. What do you think will happen if they get a bit chilly? Obviously if we take their fluff off by clipping horses need rugs, otherwise they DO NOT need to wear "clothes".
 
Cortez said:
First off, it's not winter: it's the middle of September FGS! It's also quite warm, my horses are still on restricted grazing, and there is lots more growth in the grass, so why on earth would I feed porky horses? Horses are waterproof, didn't evolve to be "dressed" and have certainly survived very well for the last gazillion years without wearing "clothes". For goodness sake, they're not barbies!
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No - they are not barbies, but they are living, breathing animals with individual needs . . . mine isn't porky, so he gets fed . . . and when I see him in the field with a stare-y coat and looking miserable, I conclude that he is cold and needs a little break from the wind and rain (exposed field/fine-coated sensitive boy).

I have owned him for nearly four years and know when he is cold, when he will drop weight/condition, when his workload/available grass/quality of hay merits an increase/decrease in feed.

Please do not presume to tell me how to manage my horse. I am sure you do the best for your horses . . . and I do the best for mine.

P
 
whisp&willow said:
Horses for courses as they say cortez. It has not been warm here over the weekend! I can only speak for myself, but my rugs are not on for the rest of the year but until this low front blows past.
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Oh this precisely. I am usually among the first on our yard to whip Kal's rugs off and have him naked . . . but I am also mindful of when he is feeling the cold . . . and the past few days he has been cold in the field and needed a little something (as in a rainsheet) to protect him from the relentless/all day rain and wind. If it warms up/is dry enough, he'll go out naked. Simples.

P
 
Can't quote on my phone. But I agree with what you say re. rugging for ruggings sake. If it weren't for the weather we are having just now they would still be naked. As you say, it's not winter yet! Hopefully they will be naked again soon, otherwise I will be too busy building an ark to be on hho...
 
Cortez said:
Absolutely; I don't have TB's or oldies or thin horses, but this trend for rugging EVERYTHING at the drop of a hat (or degree, or raindrop....) is madness. What do you think will happen if they get a bit chilly? Obviously if we take their fluff off by clipping horses need rugs, otherwise they DO NOT need to wear "clothes".
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Agree completely. It's become one of those 'fashions' in recent years with horses. "Oh no, my horse is stood with it's head down and it's raining, it MUST need a pile of HW's on!!"

As for the grooming side of things someone mentions - it's exactly why my horse doesn't get groomed throughout winter. If I ride she gets her saddle patch brushed. Plenty of oils in her coat over winter. :-) Perhaps that's why she doesn't shiver when it reaches arctic lows of 10 degrees celsius! ;-)
 
Moomin1 said:
Agree completely. It's become one of those 'fashions' in recent years with horses. "Oh no, my horse is stood with it's head down and it's raining, it MUST need a pile of HW's on!!"

As for the grooming side of things someone mentions - it's exactly why my horse doesn't get groomed throughout winter. If I ride she gets her saddle patch brushed. Plenty of oils in her coat over winter. :-) Perhaps that's why she doesn't shiver when it reaches arctic lows of 10 degrees celsius! ;-)
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So do you compete with your horse? What colour is she? Kal gets groomed because a) he is grey; and b) he competes . . . I'm not rocking up to a dressage competition (or any other competition come to that) with him covered in poo stains and looking like he's been dragged through a hedge backwards . . . it's disrespectful to the organizers for starters . . . so he is brushed every day, spot washed through winter and bathed when it's warm enough and clipped out (full body, neck and half head) once he starts to get woolly. So I should leave him to shiver because he doesn't have oils in his coat or much of a coat to speak of?

I don't judge how you manage your horse . . . please don't make sweeping statements about those who manage theirs differently from you.

P
 
PolarSkye said:
So do you compete with your horse? What colour is she? Kal gets groomed because a) he is grey; and b) he competes . . . I'm not rocking up to a dressage competition (or any other competition come to that) with him covered in poo stains and looking like he's been dragged through a hedge backwards . . . it's disrespectful to the organizers for starters . . . so he is brushed every day, spot washed through winter and bathed when it's warm enough and clipped out (full body, neck and half head) once he starts to get woolly. So I should leave him to shiver because he doesn't have oils in his coat or much of a coat to speak of?

I don't judge how you manage your horse . . . please don't make sweeping statements about those who manage theirs differently from you.

P
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Did I say anywhere in that post you SHOULDN'T groom your horse in winter?
 
Moomin1 said:
Did I say anywhere in that post you SHOULDN'T groom your horse in winter?
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No, but your tone on this thread and the previous has been insufferably smug . . . and you did intimate that grooming in winter was bad management leading to unnecessary rugging . . . or that's how I read it . . .

P
 
Both my natives have rain sheets on and 100gs overnight, my arthritic welsh will go up to a 200g rug overnight if the temperature falls below 6 degrees. Works for me, they are both happy and healthy, my connie dropped weight last year and my welsh stiffens up when he is cold. I don't judge anyone else's rugging, horses for courses. What works for one may not work for another.
 
PolarSkye said:
No, but your tone on this thread and the previous has been insufferably smug . . . and you did intimate that grooming in winter was bad management leading to unnecessary rugging . . . or that's how I read it . . .

P
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Haha, so insufferably smug meaning not agreeing with you?

If that's the case, so be it. I'm insufferably smug! :-)
 
Moomin1 said:
Haha, so insufferably smug meaning not agreeing with you?

If that's the case, so be it. I'm insufferably smug! :-)
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Nothing to do with not agreeing . . . just very judgmental and righteous. You have every right to manage your horse(s) as you see fit . . . but you don't have the right to be quite so derogatory about those who manage their horses differently . . . the beautiful thing about horses and ponies is how diverse they all are . . . and that diversity necessitates different management . . . chuck in the many different jobs/lifestyles modern horses and ponies have and you have a myriad of scenarios for rugging/not rugging, grooming/not grooming, clipping/not clipping, stabling/not stabling, feeding/not feeding . . . none of which you seemed to take into account in your rather smug/judgmental posts.

You don't have to agree with the way I manage my horse . . . just as I don't have to agree with the way you manage yours . . . the difference is that you have been quite sweeping in your judgement on those who are rugging in this weather. Me, I don't care whether your rug, or clip, or feed or not . . . that's up to you . . . your horse, your rules.

P
 
Horses been having a handful of chaff and nuts not proper winter feed yet they normally get oil amd sugarbeet.
Rugged the d as just moved him onto good grass and theres not much shelter.
 
Moomin1 said:
I am extremely alarmed by the number of people who say their horses are coming in 'shivering'. It's September. It has barely dropped below 10 degrees at most. If my mare shivered at those temps I would be very very worried.
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Moomin1 said:
Agree completely. It's become one of those 'fashions' in recent years with horses. "Oh no, my horse is stood with it's head down and it's raining, it MUST need a pile of HW's on!!"

As for the grooming side of things someone mentions - it's exactly why my horse doesn't get groomed throughout winter. If I ride she gets her saddle patch brushed. Plenty of oils in her coat over winter. :-) Perhaps that's why she doesn't shiver when it reaches arctic lows of 10 degrees celsius! ;-)
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It got down to 3 and 4 respectively on Saturday and Sunday nights at our yard (rural Hampshire) . . . and reading what you've written above about rugging/grooming, can you really defend that as not being a tad smug and/or judgmental?

P
 
Hmmmm it might be only SEPTEMBER but at the moment the temperatures have dipped well below average for the time of year, given that my TB's naturally have no coats to speak of....let alone in September when they haven't had a chance to grow their pathetic winter woollies, I am rugging them slightly warmer than I generally would for this time of year. It isn't me treating them like they are made of sugar or following a trend but actually responding to their needs. Thank you.
One of them is a fit animal working reasonably hard & likely to drop condition so is fed well & the others get a token feed. I feed according to work load & condition requirements not what calandar month it is.
I have brilliant grazing but all my horses get some additional hay each day, I do this as its believed to reduce the risk of grass sickness.

As for not grooming thoroughly in winter.....yuck! No thanks. I'm not taking a greasy, muddy horse anywhere off my yard...not even for a hack around the block let alone a competition! My horses get tons of turn out (24/7 for as long as they are happy with it)but they will be clipped appropriately well groomed & rugged accordingly not filthy & hairy [shudder]
 
Feeds haven't changed. 3 of mine are in lightweight full neck rugs. 1 because he came to me in a very poor condition in March, 1 because I got fed up of doing battle with his beautiful mane (Friesian), the other cos he's grey! :D The welsh and dartmoors are still nekked :D They only get rugged when the weather turns really evil because there aren't any windbreaks or shelter in the field (nothing I have control over. :( )
 
I am always amazed when people comment on how other people care for their horses. Surely it is no one's business if someone chooses to rug their horse, or not? Every year, we seem to have the rug police condemning those who choose to rug, with some rather sanctimonious comments about how their horse can stand in a gale force wind in sub-zero temperatures and never need a rug. I say good for them, others choose to rug, good for them too.
 
HBM1 said:
I am always amazed when people comment on how other people care for their horses. Surely it is no one's business if someone chooses to rug their horse, or not? Every year, we seem to have the rug police condemning those who choose to rug, with some rather sanctimonious comments about how their horse can stand in a gale force wind in sub-zero temperatures and never need a rug. I say good for them, others choose to rug, good for them too.
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My horse is rugged every winter. Just not with 8 hw's in temps which aren't that rivalling the depths of the Antarctic. My horse is also clipped most winters. I am not saying they shouldn't be. I am saying that without a shadow of a doubt a lot of people over rug to ridiculous proportions.
 
This is a regular subject on forums.
The thing is, most forums have members from all around the world, never mind all around GB so any one giveing a valid reason for someone else rugging or not rugging is not really possible.

My opinion, for what it's worth, is that rugging is useful and necessary in many situations.
There is however a massive problem with some owners over rugging some horses.

One size does not fit all !!!!

The problem lies with inexperience and people judging the need for a rug by their own body feeling cold.
It doesn't work like that, a horse is not a human.
The situation will not be improved by strangers disagreeing without ever having contact with individual horses.

After 6 years of watching a lovely lady battling with laminitis, skin conditions and breathing difficulties in her two overweight, unclipped cobs. She now has good weight, happy healthy horses.
It was achieved by showing her that whilst my clipped, competing TB's needed more rugging, my unclipped TB brood mares just needed a light sheet in the worst rain.
So after replacing heavy weight full neck rugs from sept to April with rain sheets when out in the rain and nothing otherwise she has horses that no longer itch, and do not wreck rugs fences and stables in their dis comfort.

It involved much more than rugs, in her management, but that's what's being discussed here.
She is a wonderful lady, but treated her dogs and horses as if they were human and despite her intention to care for them before her own needs she was in fact causing them unnecessary suffering.
After many years of gently showing her the way, she now understands their needs, and hers are very different.

I have to say, with no help from her vet, who made huge amounts of money from her with endless samples and tests and potions for skin issues caused simply by overheating.
 
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the thing is, its TOTALLY different preparing a horse for winter that will mostly live out, do minimal work and is a relatively good doer, to one that needs to be fit, clipped, clean and ready to compete.

there is NO point encouraging the latter to grow a thick coat with minimal or no rugging, only to have to keep clipping it off (which is a PITA job for horse and human alike), far better to keep them rugged a bit to keep the coat down in the first place so you can clip less often, it grows back less often, and you have less sweating when worked (which can lead to muscle / skin problems or dropping condition).

If they are living out on mainly fibre, fine, they dont need extra feed yet, but if they are being kept hard fit and on hard feed already, they probably WILL need extra feed as soon as the temp drops in order to maintain topline.

you cant NOT groom and bath a competition horse, particularly greys or those with a lof of white markings, so again keeping them rugged has the double benefit of a thinner coat which dries faster, and a thinner coat thats easier to keep clean so less bathing required to start with.

no one is saying rug them until they sweat, just as i am sure no one is saying they leave their horse rugless even if they are cold! maybe LISTEN to what people say and stop twisting it............

its ridiculous to suggest that stable competition horses should be treated in the same way that those in very light or no work and living out, should be.
 
no one is saying rug them until they sweat, just as i am sure no one is saying they leave their horse rugless even if they are cold! maybe LISTEN to what people say and stop twisting it............

Prince33,
Just wondering who you were aiming the above comments at.
 
I dont understand why others feel the need to poke their noses in if there are no welfare issues

Does it matter that some people dress their horses up like Barbie horses and have a rug for every day of the month and every eventuality? does it matter that some are rugged now and others arent? does it matter that horse are dressed in a sparkly onesies sometimes? If people want to lavish loads of time and money on these things as long as the horse gets the vet, farrier, good quality feed, good turnout, company etc too then what honestly is the problem?

I'm sure people will come on here and tell sad and probably very true stories of horses that have suffered in a heavyweight during a summer shower but these are not common occurances so do credit others to use their common sense with regards to weight of rug and the weather conditions and the individual horse.
 
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