Why do horses have rugs on when owners are in t-shirts?

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Pingu42

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This makes no sense to me! My girl has trace clip with whole neck off and a 50g rug on at night. I take it off, first thing in morning even when raining or she would bake! I was sweating today poo picking and had to take sweatshirt off as was so warm! Why do people rug horses in this weather?
 
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I was so undecided this morning as yesterday was baltic here, so ours have their lightweights on. However its now sunny rather than the forecast overcast :(

Fiona
 
I totally feel the same! my horse is always the last one at the yard to be rugged!! and he still comes in sweating some times!

I'd put a rug on him on Monday becuase it was meant to be heavy rain and it was pretty light in the end!! he had white sweat on his shoulder and around the neck of the rug!! so he's clearly very very hardy!

but I see cobs in stable rugs all year round, turn out rugs when there is a slight chance of rain!
 
My girl only has a rug on at night because she is clipped. My other mare who is retired has done three winters without a rug. I can sort of understand rugging an unclipped horse at night as the temperatures have dropped! But why have a rug on in day in this weather? I hate driving past fields and seeing poor rugged horses, stood looking miserable because as soon as they start moving, they get even hotter! When I'm working, rug gets taken off at 6am although at a push, my lovely yard owner will take it off later if necessary!
 
It's a funny time of year, can get warm in the day but pretty cold at night, can really vary from day to day and there have been some rainy windy days. I had to stay late at the yard for a delivery last night. By 7pm I was cold in a thin jumper and coat. I'd been too warm earlier with my coat left hanging up on a hook.

Mine are still on night turnout and are tbs whose coat hasn't really started to grow yet and one will drop weight really quickly if cold so they have rugs. However when they come in during the day they are naked. If it's the YM turning out at about 4pm there is probably an hour or so where they too warm but once it drops they'd be just right.
 
I have to make a decision in the evening what my horse will wear for the next 24 hours and at this time of year I'm never going to get it right.

Horse is on full grass livery but YO doesn't do rug changes. I don't have time to get to the yard before work to change rugs so on the days I'm at work she has to stay in whatever I put her in the night before. Normally I'd keep her unrugged at this time of year but we keep having sudden, heavy showers and as she has been diagnosed with arthritic changes in her back, I need to try to keep her warm and dry. So currently she's in a lightweight (no fill) which seems the best compromise.
 
Unless you live on site and can keep changing rugs you are going to get it wrong at some point. Mine has gone out in a no fill after riding today as I am not down tonight and my YO does not do rug changes. I can't even get it right for myself in the morning with all the weather changes right now!
 
mine is still naked-a lusitano, 1300 foot up on a moor. As are the Exmoors but then, they consider anything over 15 degrees too hot :D we've been having little ground frosts for about 10 days. Horse's are big animals, quite efficient at not losing heat. He does need a rug in the winter so I prefer to keep him naked as long as he's happy to be.
 
It seems like I'm in the minority then with thinking it is crazy to put rug on horse in day when it has a full coat of hair and it is warm and sunny. I would rather put no rug on than over rug!
 
Pingu42 said:
It seems like I'm in the minority then with thinking it is crazy to put rug on horse in day when it has a full coat of hair and it is warm and sunny. I would rather put no rug on than over rug!
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Surely it depends on the horse? Last year I wouldn't have rugged yet but now we know horse has a health condition that will worsen in cold/damp, I'm having to keep a sheet on her.

Most people are going to do what they believe to be in their horse's best interests and unless you know what that is, I don't think you can really judge.
 
The two horses that are fully clipped have been going out for the last few days (about 7.30 am) without rugs as it is mild and sunny and the fields have good shelter with big hedges and plenty of grass. They have fleeces on when they come in at night. The unclipped horses are rugless at the moment.
 
One person might be in a t-shirt and the person next to them might be in a jumper and feel the cold! Horses are no different!!!
 
My unclipped PBA feels the cold (and yes shivers, not my imagination) so he's been rugged. When he went to the vets the other day he had to go in the solarium to warm up after being out in the wind trotting up to stop shivering before they could do more! He doesn't grow and winter coat and my others fully clipped have more coat than him and wouldn't dream of shivering if it's above 0*C. If you think that's over rugging as he's not clipped I don't care :p My fully clipped Welsh D spent the whole winter in 100g without a neck and my other ponies only own 200g rugs and have never needed more in 10 years.
 
Caramac71 said:
Surely it depends on the horse? Last year I wouldn't have rugged yet but now we know horse has a health condition that will worsen in cold/damp, I'm having to keep a sheet on her.

Most people are going to do what they believe to be in their horse's best interests and unless you know what that is, I don't think you can really judge.
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But it is warm and sunny today! Can't see any people in coats! I'm not debating rugs at night as know that the temperature drops but hairy horses in rugs on a warm, sunny day, I just don't understand!!!!
 
Pingu42 said:
But it is warm and sunny today! Can't see any people in coats! I'm not debating rugs at night as know that the temperature drops but hairy horses in rugs on a warm, sunny day, I just don't understand!!!!
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Yes it may be warm and sunny today but the weather forecast yesterday evening said wet and miserable, my horse has arthritis of the spine so cannot get cold and damp as he will be in pain if he does. I put a LW rug on him last night as my YO does not do rug changes and I am in work from 6.30am!

He feels the cold and wet a lot due to his arthritis but even prior to developing it he was a complete wuss who wanted in at the slightest hint of rain.

Oh and Just for the record I am wearing a jumper today and my OH left the house in a short sleeved shirt this morning, people and horses feel the cold differently
 
Pingu42 said:
But it is warm and sunny today! Can't see any people in coats! I'm not debating rugs at night as know that the temperature drops but hairy horses in rugs on a warm, sunny day, I just don't understand!!!!
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But I cant get to the yard to get the rug off! I wish I could, but I cant. So last night I had to decide on what she would have on from 6pm yesterday until 4pm today. On the days I'm not at work then I will always whip her rug off when needed but some days I have no choice.
 
Caramac71 said:
But I cant get to the yard to get the rug off! I wish I could, but I cant. So last night I had to decide on what she would have on from 6pm yesterday until 4pm today. On the days I'm not at work then I will always whip her rug off when needed but some days I have no choice.
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I'm lucky as at our yard there is usually someone around to take rugs off if necessary. I took rugs off my friend's horses this am as she isn't due to come up until tonight. I appreciate it is hard to make the right choice with regards to rugs. However horses are different to humans, they have hair which naturally fluffs up to trap air and warmth and they can also move around in field to get warm. I wish I hadn't clipped my girl already as I wouldn't have the hassle of flipping rugs already.
 
4 of mine are now clipped and everyone is wearing a shires performance bug rug with a waterproof strip along the spine. I find they are great for the i-dont-have-a-clue type of weather days and only circa £50 so not too expensive either
 
All on our yard are still naked except for one who wears a rug pretty much all year round as he's such a wuss. He'll stand shivering and drop weight if he gets a drop of rain on his coat or the temp dips below 20! He's half Welsh so should never really be like this but he is so you have to treat every horse as an individual.

Mine will have lightweights as soon as I can get them on them simply because they're grey and they're starting to find the mud but it's still too warm for them at the moment so I'll have to put up with the mud a bit longer.
 
Mine hasn't had a rug once yet, unclipped 20yo Welsh.
YOs horse has been rugged on and off all summer, 37yo TB with very poor condition and cushings (in YOs own words, 'he refuses to die!' [FYI he's joking, he adores that horse.])

Others have been rugged at night etc.
 
Normally I wouldn't have had a rug anywhere near Frank by this time of year and he has for most of his life been a hot bod. However I have found at 22 and not carrying any extra weight he is feeling it more. He is also currently in a paddock with no shelter on the side of a hill so have found myself erring on the side of warmer and drier whereas historically I would have told him to stand under a tree/run round :p. Horses for courses.

I really wouldn't want to have to rug the same for 24 h periods though.
 
Why do people heat up their houses like a furnace and then sit around watching TV in a t-shirt? I nearly passed out going into one person's house, and have almost dozed off because of the temperature more than once. But they still scream blue murder about the cost of the gas and electric bills!
 
because trying to decide whether to trust the weather forecast at 6am in the pitch black and fog is pretty hard?!

this week its been hot sun one min and then pouring rain and wind the next, impossible to call.

expect Bruce is a bit warm today but it was supposed to be colder than yesterday and yesterday he was spot on temp wise so i went for same rug..............now its LOADS warmer, grrrrrr.
 
fatpiggy said:
Why do people heat up their houses like a furnace and then sit around watching TV in a t-shirt? I nearly passed out going into one person's house, and have almost dozed off because of the temperature more than once. But they still scream blue murder about the cost of the gas and electric bills!
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I don't I heat my house up like a furnace and then wrap myself up in blankets and jumpers whilst my oh sits and sweats and complains it is boiling.
I normally shut him up by putting my ice like hands and feet on him.

I'm one of those people who are naturally very inclined to feel cold. Our office temp is set to a balmy 23 centigrade all year round but I normally have to wear a jumper and today my hands are freezing and I'm not all that warm I have been considering puttin my coat on
 
Caramac71 said:
I have to make a decision in the evening what my horse will wear for the next 24 hours and at this time of year I'm never going to get it right.

Horse is on full grass livery but YO doesn't do rug changes. I don't have time to get to the yard before work to change rugs so on the days I'm at work she has to stay in whatever I put her in the night before. Normally I'd keep her unrugged at this time of year but we keep having sudden, heavy showers and as she has been diagnosed with arthritic changes in her back, I need to try to keep her warm and dry. So currently she's in a lightweight (no fill) which seems the best compromise.
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Same here, although sometimes I am up twice a day. Yesterday I left him naked and it chucked it down, today he is in an anorak and probably too hot - cant win!
 
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