Why do you rug your horses?

Montyforever

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Just curious!

I rug for conveniance, because i have a grey and i can be doing with grooming mud off her everyday! Honey is rugged because she has athritus and seems happier and less stiff when shes warm :)

But they both lived out 24/7 rugless before i got them so they could cope fine without them if they had to.

So why do you rug your horses?
 
Because Beauty is 43 and arthritic so she needs the warmth, she is also grey and on the days I don't rug her she is black, brown, green and litrally grey

Foxy is rarley rugged but when he is its because its throwing it down, but he still want to be out
 
D I rug because he's a wuss of a TB, he feels the cold really easily (this morning was a fine example, I left him in just his fly sheet as it was warm when I sorted him last night, but it was cold this morning when I got up and he was shivering and miserable) and drops weight so quickly.

The shetland gets rugged when the weather turns (only in a light weight anyway) as he hates getting wet and there is nothing worse that a shetland in a strop, when you have to handle him.

The exmoor gets a lightweight chucked on coz I feel guilty. He's happy with or without a rug, but I feel bad if the others have theres and he doesnt. It saves his back getting wet anyways... :o
 
Genie gets rugged in the winter according to the weather purely because she is clipped out. In the summer she only wears a mesh rug for travelling, and a summer sheet the night before a show to keep her clean.

Titch also only wears a rug the night before a show to keep her clean, and in the winter will have a lightweight turnout on for the same reason.
 
I rug one of mine for his arthritis to keep him snug and the fact he would happily stay indoors all day everyday, he is a wuss shivers and stands in one spot if rain touches him unless its incredibly warm day!! prior to retirement it was as he was fully clipped so needed his duvet on!
the others are rugged as they get too muddy to be able to ride and also once they are clipped. also rugged in summer to stop horrible fly bites!
 
Guilt!!if I'm inside all warm and cosy,with the JRT's in front of Aga and it's cold,raining and blowing a gale I have been known to say I'll just go and pop a rug on the old boy and bang goes my resolve not to rug any horse that has a shelter to get into.
 
I only rug when he's clipped. He is usually hunter clipped in Oct and will be rugged from then onwards, though he's quite a warm horse and even during the really cold weather, never needed more than a 350g. This winter I'm hoping he will go out 25/7 in Jan and have a holiday, so he will probably only have a blanket clip and be out in a MW.

I never rug him when he isn't clipped, though everyone at the yard thinks I'm terribly mean for leaving him out in the rain without a rug, despite his fatness. He hasn't dissolved yet so I think he'll be ok! I don't own a fly rug so he never wears one of those.
 
In the summer - sweetitch rugs to keep the awful flys off.
In the winter - to keep her warm. Fortunatly my girl runs warm so she doesn't get rugged an awful lot when the flys are done. I do look a v mean mummy when all the others are rugged up though and she is naked! Prob is if I were to rug her that much she really would melt!!
 
For warmth, amongst others.

I don't give a monkeys whether they have fur coats, won't melt and have been designed for it. If a horse is cold, or would benefit from a blanket for whatever reason and you can do something as simple as throwing one over them to help remedy the situation then it is plain negligence not to :)
 
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cos its cold and usually clipped in winter and doing alot of work, also I dont work damn hard to get her using her back muscles properly and nice and supple and then chuck her out in cold and wind and rain for her to stand with them all tense against the weather.
Summer evening temps arent always that high
 
He's rugged in the winter to keep him warm, dry and clean...

Don't rug in summer unless weather turns particularly wet and nasty.

Normally I rug to what to what he's telling me i.e. I don't care if it is the middle of July - if the weathers manky and he's cold, he'll get a rainsheet or appropriate rug thrown on.
 
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