wimpy pony! 18deg qnd shivering!

why does everyone jump when someone says they had a rug on in august, the weather isn't always nice in august although we did have an amazing summer this year, but as usual we do get the days that are torrential rain or cold for the time of year and this also depends what part of the UK we are in. It seems that some people assume the horse has a heavy weight turnout rug on all through August. Put your claws away :)
 
Woohoo thanks PS I will join the club please!

I look after a shed load of horses and some are naked some are well rugged each horse is individual! Gawd wish I'd never posted!!
 
shannonandtay said:
why does everyone jump when someone says they had a rug on in august, the weather isn't always nice in august although we did have an amazing summer this year, but as usual we do get the days that are torrential rain or cold for the time of year and this also depends what part of the UK we are in. It seems that some people assume the horse has a heavy weight turnout rug on all through August. Put your claws away :)
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The issue isn't about rugging. It's about rugging to the extent where a horse then shivers in 18/19 degrees without one. IMO, it is not conducive to welfare to be interfering with a horse's own temperature regulation to that extent.

There's rugging to individual needs, then there's just downright ridiculous.
 
Moomin1 said:
The issue isn't about rugging. It's about rugging to the extent where a horse then shivers in 18/19 degrees without one. IMO, it is not conducive to welfare to be interfering with a horse's own temperature regulation to that extent.

There's rugging to individual needs, then there's just downright ridiculous.
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I have to agree. Sure, if it was wet and windy then I could understand the horse being cold (even with a temperature of 18/19 degrees), but otherwise - as others - I'd be concerned.

And before anyone comments - I'm a rugger through and through, and need very little excuse to chuck one on.
 
I'd be worried if my horse was shivering at 18c. End of.

I'm the sort of person who rugs as and when needed. I also rug with a rainsheet if I want to ride, so totally selfish. But to me a horse reacting that extremely needs their management sorting out.
 
i would hazard a guess OP horse is a picture of health and in no need of HHO managment team help...................................

a lot of what we do with them in un-natural and over rides natural instinct and/or response, especially in competition horses. As long as we accept what we are doing and the concequences (may need more rugging year round and/or more feed), its no more of an issue than doing it the otehr way:
You want your horse to know to grow a good thick winter coat as soon as the autumn chill sets in as it suits you in terms of horse living out longer, needing less forage to keep warm, and it ties in with your managment set up.

i dont want mine to grow a thick coat as they will be fully clipped anyway and are already in hard work and poor doers.

so i start to rug lightly, earlier in the year than you and accept i must then continue to rug year round.

its not hard to understand!

i think both our very fine coated, super fit TB's would shiver in 18 deg if it was breezy and raining. They arent used to it, thats the point, and they dont need to be used to it, im happy to rug to keep them warm.
 
Prince33Sp4rkle said:
lol lol lol! have you seen the new Euro Star stable rugs on fur feather meds? they are absolutely the most stunning things EVER but such a shame to get them covered in poo and stains! or the trust stable rugs (look at the Equitain page on FB, the wither pad idea is genius!)
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Love the Trust stable rugs ! Trying to remember if its the same as the rug I saw on a Dutch website. The idea of taking the pressure off the wither is brilliant. Will have to try and find it again.
I'd like a Kingsland turnout, they are just the coolest design ever, but unattainable in the UK, I think.


That said, my rug fettish means I have a very full tackroom because even my fine coated WB seems to prefer as little rugging as possible, much like every horse I've ever owned.
I'm doomed never to have a whimpy horse that loves my rug collection.
 
Is it bad to admit that I really look forward to clipping my horse so that I can put her under rug on and have her all warm and cosy? :p

Disclaimer, I dont clip her just so I can put more rugs on her, she genuinely does need clipping!
 
Guys, seriously?!?

You're all going mental over whether the person does/does not rug their horse and I don't think 1 person has mentioned a basic bit of equine first aid.

OP have you taken your horse's temperature? What is his pulse (bit harder to measure as a layperson) and respiration rate?

Pulse should be between 28-44 bpm.
Respiration rate should be between 10-24 breaths per minute.

What are his gums like?

Shivering even though not cold, reddened mucous membranes and raised pulse/respiration rate are all indicators that your horse is ill.
 
undertheweather said:
Guys, seriously?!?

You're all going mental over whether the person does/does not rug their horse and I don't think 1 person has mentioned a basic bit of equine first aid.

OP have you taken your horse's temperature? What is his pulse (bit harder to measure as a layperson) and respiration rate?

Pulse should be between 28-44 bpm.
Respiration rate should be between 10-24 breaths per minute.

What are his gums like?

Shivering even though not cold, reddened mucous membranes and raised pulse/respiration rate are all indicators that your horse is ill.
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Yeah but, but, but...

Actually initial responses were along the lines of being concerned about his health and getting him checked out but OP replied that he was fine but was used to being rugged through the summer heat.

That's when the thread diverted to the old familiar You Rug And I Don't theme.
 
shannonandtay said:
why does everyone jump when someone says they had a rug on in august, the weather isn't always nice in august although we did have an amazing summer this year, but as usual we do get the days that are torrential rain or cold for the time of year and this also depends what part of the UK we are in. It seems that some people assume the horse has a heavy weight turnout rug on all through August. Put your claws away :)
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this ^^^ lol

The weather is pretty changeable in different parts of the country all year round so everyone is different! personally if my horses need a rug they wear one no matter what anyone else thinks, i know them and know what they need :)

currently my 26 year old is in a mac at night, cob is naked but may have a lighweight on at night once clipped out on saturday :)
 
My horse is another absolute wuss - feels the cold something awful, probably due to his PSSM. He has a thin coat, which doesn't really grow - possibly because last winter was the first in his life he'd wintered out! I had to really rug him up over the winter to keep him comfortable. In the summer, he always had either a fly rug (and a thick Aussie Allrounder one that's water-resistant too as it's the only one he wouldn't trash) or a rain sheet on for certainly every night, and a fair few of the days once the initial heatwave was over.

If he gets wet, he miserable, and if it's windy it just strips the heat from him, but a rain sheet during the day and a 180g middleweight during the coldest nights (when it was windy and clear skied so temp dropped) was the heaviest he's worn. For him, the difference of one layer can really warm him up, so it's on-off with rain sheet/100g lightweight fill atm.

This winter I also plan to clip him, so may well need to look out my 400g hw with neck for this winter... it hit -15 here last winter so better be prepared!
 
Sparklepony said:
Oh FFS people

You don't know me or my horse it what I mean by well rugged. Well rugged for August meant a fly rug or rain sheet + a cotton sheet at night.

This forum is getting completely out of hand. Everyone gets jumped on for nothing.

Get a life honestly.

Justabob every post I read from you just makes me realise what a vile lonely person you must be.
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Just seen this, *vile* is not a word I would ever call anyone on this forum or anywhere else. I may be too forthright sometimes and if you are offended by my posts there is always UI button. *Lonely* no, my house is like Paddington Station. I merely had an opinion on your first post that stated that your horse was "well rugged since august", as you have corrected that by informing us that it only had a rain sheet on perhaps your original post should have been a bit more specific. Oh, and for the record I do rug, but when the temperature gets to a level when my horse would need one. I have a Thoroughbred and because of my routine he never shivers and certainly not in 18 degrees. It is a long winter ahead of us when rugs are on until spring and I would rather put it off until it is necessary.
 
I apologise for calling you vile, it's not nice and tbh not at all like.me to be rude about someone I don't know. So I am sorry for that.

I was annoyed at what was meant to be a funny post. No I wasn't clear on my op as I posted off my phone and it's super annoying doing long posts off a blackberry!

Anyway I am sorry, was out of order on that one.

Regarding his health he is 100% fine if I had any incling that he was poorly vets or my lovely fellow experienced liveries would of helped, in fact his previous owner called me to say he was sulking as he doesn't do naked!
Yes it may be my own fault but he's happy he's well managed and that's just how he is, I do love horses tucked up in rugs but have no problem keeping horses naked either! Each to their own and didn't mean to start a war!

Be happy its nearly Christmas!
 
Sparklepony said:
I apologise for calling you vile, it's not nice and

Anyway I am sorry, was out of order on that one.

Regarding his health he is 100% fine if I had any incling that he was poorly vets or my lovely fellow experienced liveries would of helped, in fact his previous owner called me to say he was sulking as he doesn't do naked!
Yes it may be my own fault but he's happy he's well managed and that's just how he is, I do love horses tucked up in rugs but have no problem keeping horses naked either! Each to their own and didn't mean to start a war!

Be happy its nearly Christmas!
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Thank you, I accept your apology completely. :)
 
Hazel and Arnold said:
I was just going to post to see what people thought about me putting a medium weight on tonight as the temp has really dropped but I think I may stick with the rainsheet after reading this!!!
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If your horse needs it then by all means put it on. I was freezing last night and had the heating up full blast, the dog on my feet AND a hot water bottle! None of us here know your horse and we don't know what the weather is like near you, just because it's dry in Surrey at the moment it doesn't mean that another poster hasn't got rain :)
 
No idea what temp it was last night but went go my new-ish loan mare in at about half 6 and she was hunched up at the gate with a slight shiver over her neck! Put my hand on her armpits/ears and she was just warm. Must be because she's used to be rugged up quite toasty with her previous home!
It's sunny where I am today but really windy, and our fields are open and the wind coming across is FREEZING so tb is out in a 200 liner, clipped sec D is in a 100 and the 18 month old is also in a 150-200 ish rug. They do wear lighter rugs at night though as they live indoors and the heat generated from all the horses being in together is lovely!
 
Thanks Broke But Happy. He's a 17 year old arab who is really underweight due to having summer rao this year so he's just getting over that and I'm trying to keep the weight on him. He's living out with ad lib hay and I've only had a rainsheet on the past few nights so I don't really want to go up a rug but I think he may well need it. It's so hard to do what is best - the weather forecast is rarely right so that doesn't help. He has a bad back too so if he gets wet then he gets sore. However, saying that he is quite hardy compared to other horses I've known!
 
Rugging is such a complex problem, or could be.

When I had my boy at home and stabled at night I only ever used a fleece. However he was in a wooden sheltered stable and always toasty warm and checked between 10 and 11pm regardless of outside temperature. He was not clipped and had good weight.

When I moved him to a livery yard he was in a stone American barn, so much colder. I used a middleweight rug on him, especially as I could'nt check him last thing. I do feel rugging is very subjective. I would however be very concerned if he was cold at 18 degrees and assume he was under the weather or worse.
 
I havent read the whole thread.
But no healthy horse would shiver at a genuine 18 degrees.
The wind chill factor can make a huge difference to how warm it feels.

Or your horse is ill.
 
Hazel and Arnold said:
I was just going to post to see what people thought about me putting a medium weight on tonight as the temp has really dropped but I think I may stick with the rainsheet after reading this!!!
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do what you think is right for your horse.

it is absolutely blowing a gale here today and really quite chilly, mine have got HW on and would be utterly miserable and frozen in a rainsheet!

they have got magnet sheets and MW on overnight in the stable (albeit may upgrade to a HW, will see how it feels after ive ridden).
 
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