Why do we rug horses but not cows ?

[TPO]

Beef cattle in my family were all harmed during winter. As above to rest the ground and fatten them up on silage and grain.

While there are no "wild" horses anywhere there have never been wild thoroughbreds for example. Man made breeds were each created for a purpose.

We moved them continents too in some cases. So given we've restricted their grazing by fencing them in and often adequate shelter isnt available then add in the different climates I think the least we can do is put a well fitting rug on when required.

As cortez has said a dry cold in America/Canada is totally different from a wet and miserable one here.

Not all horses need rugs but I dont see why youd deprive those that benefit from wearing them on a principal of "theure horses" and compare them to different breeds with thousands of acres to roam

 

[blitznbobs]

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.

I am from the farming community in Cheshire - I don’t know about the rest of the country but all the farms run as businesses have them inside as otherwise the fields are wrecked...

 

[buddylove]

The babies get rugs!!

 

[GoldenWillow]

All herds, both dairy and beef, are inside over winter around us. Our neighbouring farmer sometimes clips a strip along their backs if they are getting hot. We've had conversations about clipping as they thought it was strange as I tend to a do trace/chaser clip and they wondered why I'd take it off there.

 

[sbloom]

See horses turned out all winter in snow in USA and Canada, barely a horse needs a rug if it has a natural coat as a cow has, but I gather they do decrease their ability to grow a decent coat over the years, not sure how long it takes to restore that. Ask Lucinda McAlpine, she famously has hers unrugged and competing dressage.

 

[Leandy]

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.

Completely agree. Many horses are rugged for our convenience, or just preference, nothing to do with their welfare. Horse owners seem wildly susceptible to marketing pressures! Farmers less so.

 

[HollyWoozle]

I weaned ours off rugs completely as they don't need them, however I do think that rugging is required when we take away anything which can compromise a horse's natural ability to keep warm. Ours live out 24/7, have good shelter and decent forage (our grazing actually isn't great but they have hay twice a day), plus they are unclipped as they don't work. However many horses don't have access to all these things and I think rugging can then help them then.

My strong preference is to have them un-rugged and I strongly believe that many horses are still rugged when it's not necessary, but I have kept rugs for all ours and would not hesitate to do it again if I felt that one was cold and unable to warm up via more natural means. Others have answered about the cows and I agree with their comments - they often come in during the winter anyway, plus they tend to live in a group (which I think can help with a bit of warmth?) and have access to good forage to help generate warmth. I guess horses are more likely to be pets and live longer, maybe then requiring extra help as weight drops off?

 

[Hobo2]

Seeing as people are posting pictures of cows here are some of ours. Ours used to go out for 3 hours every day if they wanted to. Snow was a favourite if the sun was shining.

 

[Carlosmum]

We have beef cattle. The cows with calves at foot are housed in our barn, the young stock and dry cows are in outside yards. You can see the difference in coat quality between the 2 groups. The 'outside cattle do very well as long as they have a good dry bed to lie on. If the whether is cold and dry their pens stay much drier that those inside the yard. Of course when it is wet they use much more straw.

 

[Kaylum]

I have sold quite a few mini horse rugs to calf and goat owners.

 

[WandaMare]

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.

Its true they survive, but are they more likely to develop health conditions earlier than horses who haven't lived in such harsh conditions ?such as arthritis, skin or respiratory conditions..humans do so I don't see why some horses wouldn't be the same. Not that I'm a big pro rug person, but I think it must be a better quality of life for horses that do feel the cold to be rugged when necessary. We don't have to set our sights as low as survival, most people want their horses to have a higher standard of care.

Farm animals on the other hand would probably be nearer the survival levels of care. Most cows are taken inside during the winter in my area to save the ground. I worry more about livestock in the heat than the cold. We have lots of farms based around a moor near us with no hedges or trees, just grassland and ditches. In the peak of the summer they have absolutely no shade at all which must be horrible for them and a concern with the climate getting hotter.

 

[tristar]

i think modern rugs are fabulous, lightweight airey comfy, and modern horsey wear for people

every morning i check the horses ears etc for temp, its very cold sometimes late in the night and chilly early

i can see no advantage whatever in letting any animal get wet and cold, in the case of my horses i am sure they love to be outside much a s poss but in a cozy rug, i dont clip, rugs suppress the coat and they moult early

 

[Sossigpoker]

Because "it's just a cow". We happily send it to slaughter as it's "just a cow". Same applies to all animals we just see as food /commodity. I have no doubt that a cow feels as miserable in pouring rain and howling gales that a horse does but our society doesn't give them the same ethical rights as we give to animals we see as friends, companions and hobbies.
People get outraged over horses sent to slaughter but don't worry about cows, pigs and sheep sent to slaughter.
It's just down to our attitudes and money - no one wants to pay for rugging massive herds of cattle.

 

[Auslander]

Because "it's just a cow". We happily send it to slaughter as it's "just a cow". Same applies to all animals we just see as food /commodity. I have no doubt that a cow feels as miserable in pouring rain and howling gales that a horse does but our society doesn't give them the same ethical rights as we give to animals we see as friends, companions and hobbies.
People get outraged over horses sent to slaughter but don't worry about cows, pigs and sheep sent to slaughter.

It's just down to our attitudes and money - no one wants to pay for rugging massive herds of cattle.

Why don't you read the thread, where a lot of people with cow knowledge explain why cows don't need rugging - rather than making this (admittedly ancient) thread an outlet for a rant on a completely unrelated topic?

 

[Errin Paddywack]

no one wants to pay for rugging massive herds of cattle.

Never mind the cost. Have you thought of the logistics of rugging dozens of barely handled cattle, most of which could well object strongly? Dairy cows possibly but very few cows are quiet enough to walk up to and sort a rug if it slips, gets tangled up etc. Beef cattle get very little individual handling and it would be dangerous to try. Imagine the time factor of checking and resetting dozens if not 100's of rugs each day even if they would let you. My sheep get a lot more individual attention than the average beast and none of my current flock would let me just walk up to them to check them over even the few that are 'special'.

 

[palo1]

We clip our cattle if they are too hot but we only have a few and although they are destined for market there are few enough of them to get pretty high levels of individual care. The blooming things are starting to take advantage and have my OH wrapped round their little fingers tbh. They prefer 1 trough over another so he walks them to the trough they prefer rather than making them man up to the one closest! We would rug our cattle if they needed that due to illness etc too. Cattle hair and skin are really, really different and in summer the cattle never really seem bothered by flies, in winter they can get too wet - they never seem to achieve 'native pony' quality of winter coat either and can start to lose condition so they are usually in then.

 

[ycbm]

Local cows are clipped out over a large area of their backs.
.

 

[laura_nash]

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Ridiculous generalisation.

Certainly some cows have lower levels of welfare but that doesn't mean all do. We care about our cows and keep them warm, though we don't rug them which they would hate anyway - they aren't that tame. We have a calf coat, though luckily haven't needed it yet.

The presence or absence of rugging can't be used as a "marker" of good welfare anyway. Rugging can be needed for welfare reasons, but its just as likely to be done for convenience or aesthetics (at the detriment of welfare sometimes).

Mine are very rarely rugged these days as I don't ride in winter and have decent shelter in all my fields.

 

[laura_nash]

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I get the distinct impression you are posting on a topic about which you know next to nothing....

 

[The Irish Draft 2022]

Cows stay in barn at the winter and it would cost a lot of money to rug 100 cows ?

 

[MinKo]

The beef cattle on our land live out 12 months of the year, no matter what

 

[maisie06]

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 ?

Firstly I don't think a farmer would have time to faff around with rugs!! Cows have built in central heating and keep themselves warm digesting fibre plus living in herds they can keep close for warmth too.

TBH the majority of horses in the UK are over rugged, many horses are nowt more than pets too and it makes the owner feel good rugging them!! Most are rugged for convienience to keep clean for riding or if they are clipped too.