Why do we rug horses but not cows ?

[Gingerwitch]

As in the title can anyone tell me why we dont rug most cows eg dairy cows and they do t appear to get cold, but most horses have a rug of some sort of another on even if they are not clipped ?

 

[rabatsa]

Cattle have a huge fermentation vat of a rumen which gives off heat and keeps the cow warm. When milking them in winter it is like having heaters walking into the parlour.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Cow skin is also thicker than a horse's skin and of course horses are often clipped to be able to work in winter. Native ponies can live out very well without a rug, so long as they have their own winter coats, unclipped. Beef cattle sometimes live out too but dairy cattle usually spend the winter indoors.

 

[luckyoldme]

I think a lot of horses are rugged when they dont need to be.

 

[Berpisc]

Cows tend to be housed if cold or wet are going to affect them (as well as above answers)

 

[blitznbobs]

Most cows are housed in massive groups all winter . We tend to put horses In a stable all alone plus we don’t make cows exercise in the same way and clip them out for this purpose ( although a lot of cows are clipped when housed as they get too hot)

 

[sport horse]

I think a lot of horses are rugged when they dont need to be.

That is for sure - when did the fashion for lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight turnouts come in? And the need for these to be altered by the hour? Of course clipped horses and thin skinned horses do need rugging but native ponies, draught crosses and indeed many warmloods with full coats do not.

I have bred warmbloods for decades and I have not had one youngster that needed to wear rugs. They live out in a fairly exposed area but are brought in from Jan/end of March.

 

[Goldenstar]

My horses don’t wear rugs for fashion .
but in winter they are clipped so will need rugging .
Three of mine are clipped now ,non are wearing rugs but it won’t be long the nights are getting colder and it’s wetter they will be in 0 gram rugs shortly .

 

[Buster2020]

Horses doesn’t need to be rugged at all when they have a winter coat . Wild horses survive without rugs in very harsh conditions and they are completely fine . We rug horses to make life easier and the same goes for clipping . Majority of horses in the uk and Ireland don’t need to be rugged or clipped.

 

[sharni]

I think a lot of people rug horses just to keep them clean.

 

[Goldenstar]

Wild horses developed coats to suit their environment.
Theres a difference between a thin coated horse and a thick coated one .

 

[EventingMum]

Convenience, to keep horses clean and dry if they are going to be worked as well as the other reasons mentioned.

 

[cauda equina]

People don't (usually) ride cows, so they don't need clipping

 

[Summit]

Plus it would cost the farmer a fortune to rug his heard of 50 cows whereas we have one or two to rug

 

[Summit]

Horses doesn’t need to be rugged at all when they have a winter coat . Wild horses survive without rugs in very harsh conditions and they are completely fine . We rug horses to make life easier and the same goes for clipping . Majority of horses in the uk and Ireland don’t need to be rugged or clipped.

I kinda agree with you but we have domesticated them to a degree plus my old tb does not do well in cold damp weather

 

[TGM]

As said above people don't ride cows! Ridden horses are often clipped, and if they are not clipped, the regular grooming they are likely to receive can strip the natural protective oils from the coat. On top of that, it is much easier and more pleasant to get a horse ready to be ridden if it is rugged and not plastered all over in wet mud!

That said, I don't usually rug horses who are not in work as often their natural winter coats are all they need. There are exceptions though, we have one who has a very fine coat who shivers everytime it rains so he gets rugged whether he is working or not.

 

[Gloi]

But, but, match matchy

 

[Tiddlypom]

Poorly cattle get rugged sometimes .

 

[windand rain]

My tb broodmares lived out 24/7 unrugged thy did have excellent shelter though. My current bunch are all natives and are rugged if it is persistantly precipitating and a cold wind blowing as they have no shelter and no chance of getting any they dont do well being wet and cold.

 

[luckyoldme]

As said above people don't ride cows! Ridden horses are often clipped, and if they are not clipped, the regular grooming they are likely to receive can strip the natural protective oils from the coat. On top of that, it is much easier and more pleasant to get a horse ready to be ridden if it is rugged and not plastered all over in wet mud!

That said, I don't usually rug horses who are not in work as often their natural winter coats are all they need. There are exceptions though, we have one who has a very fine coat who shivers everytime it rains so he gets rugged whether he is working or not.

Haha..cue photograph of a cow being ridden!

 

[NinjaPony]

Honestly, comparing horses to cows feels pretty pointless in terms of what it can teach us about horse-care.

Horses and cows are very different creatures; different digestion systems, different life purposes. Cows are bred for meat or milk, horses are bred by and large to be ridden animals. Cows are also largely kept in barns during winter.

You just can't really compare the two. We have spent centuries domesticating horses, they aren't 'wild' any more. The majority of performance horses are thin-skinned. Trying to keep a horse fit (by which I mean more than a weekend hack) in winter, if it is unclipped and unrugged, is nigh-on impossible.

I think most of us on here agree that over-heating horses through rugs is best avoided. But at the end of the day, most of us keep them for our own pleasure, so for most owners, rugging is part of modern horse management.

 

[Arzada]

Horses doesn’t need to be rugged at all when they have a winter coat . Wild horses survive without rugs in very harsh conditions and they are completely fine . We rug horses to make life easier and the same goes for clipping . Majority of horses in the uk and Ireland don’t need to be rugged or clipped.

First winter with Arzada lovely winter coat, not clipped, sheltered fields with high hedges, run in barn, lots of rain = rainscald. Haven't repeated this and now rug in consecutive days of wet windy weather.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

Barbara Woodhouse kept a herd of Jersey cows. They had fantastic living arrangements and wore specially designed rugs. She said her milk yields improved a lot. Far too much work for bigger herds though.

 

[Buster2020]

Cows are giving a horse a run for there money

 

[SpeedyPony]

Young natives generally don't need rugging at all, unless it's for convenience, but older horses or clipped animals tend to need rugging to keep the weight on in the winter, cows generally don't live long enough for that to become an issue.

 

[Goldenstar]

And vast numbers of cows are in sheds in winter .

 

[dogatemysalad]

Horses have owners that like visting tack shops.
It's only been a few decades since manufacturers started making water proof rugs, a relatively short time in the history of the domesticated horse. They are handy, time saving and convenient for humans. Now, fly rugs, summer sheets, fleeces, lycra bodysuits and ear bonnets have been added to the list of essential kit.
Rug manufacturers saw an opportunity in the market, just as dog owners now suddenly think that their dogs need coats and fleeces.
Don't know how horses and dogs have managed to survive for centuries in sometimes, extreme climates, without clothing.
I'm just waiting for jackets for squirrels and rabbits and umbrellas for ducks.

 

[honetpot]

Most cows are housed in massive groups all winter . We tend to put horses In a stable all alone plus we don’t make cows exercise in the same way and clip them out for this purpose ( although a lot of cows are clipped when housed as they get too hot)

I think that not actually true. Dairy herds may be housed because most are milked twice a day, and you want to have some control over what they are eating, food input and milk production and its constituents are closely monitored. Beef breeds tend to live out as much as possible, with supplementary feeding, because if you can avoid bedding and labour costs you have got a better chance of making a profit.
As soon as you get cattle indoors especially calves there is a greater risk of disease, there is a lot of information available for free online, and there are enforced guidelines.
https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/improve-beef-housing-for-better-returns.

There is always the argument among farmers whether you have the larger heavier breeds that need more additional food and that need to come in more, or natives that will live out in all weather and survive on rough grass and straw, and which makes you more money when they go to market. Most of the farmers I know keep them out, they calve outside as well.

 

[Cortez]

Cattle usually come in over winter to save the land and enable feeding. I will only rug clipped horses, and have kept WB's and TB's out unrugged over winters in Colorado (LOTS of snow, but not too wet). If it's driving rain and wind I will rug the wimpier ones, but almost all mine (Spanish) have been rugless. The only horse I've ever had that shivered in the cold and rain was a heavyweight hairy cob (and yes, he got a rug).

 

[rabatsa]

When bringing the beef cattle in for winter they got the top of their backs clipped otherwise they sweated a lot. Calves did not get turned out when very young on our system and finishing cattle were housed for intensive feeding as they had to hit target weights before 30 months old otherwise they lost a lot of value.

With the dairy herd we had a lot of teenage cows that had to be culled when regulations changed with all the bse palaver. It was sad seeing 17yr old cows who could have lived happily for several more years walk up the ramp and away.