Would you consider an 'app' to help you rug your pony???

Would an app be useful?

  • Total voters
    0
  • Poll closed .
catroo said:
There's an app that shows you the risk of laminitis apparently, on a facebook group a young girl was adamant, despite all the usual indicators being there, that her pony didn't have laminitis and it must be something else as the app had said it was low risk.
Click to expand...
My heart sank reading this. It was a fear I had when it was introduced.
 
I just use a weather app. My horse is a proper wimp so a rugging app would have me under rug him for what he actually needs. Too many people live by apps now. Help your daughter's make a chart for Elvis and get them a thermometer for outside his stable. I bet they'd enjoy getting pictures of him in all his rugs to cut and stick on paper and then laminate with variables written around each pic!
 
I think with every new piece of technology like this that comes along, the human race collectively loses some of its intelligence and common sense.
The more apps we have telling people when to breathe in and out, the more they lose the ability to think for themselves IMO.
 
I have one - it's called the weather forecast ;). Tbh, I think there are too many variables to factor in to make an app a viable piece of horsey kit . . . nice idea though, especially for those who rely on others to take care of their horses who may not be that knowledgeable (un-horsey parents/family, etc.).

P
 
Patterdale said:
I think with every new piece of technology like this that comes along, the human race collectively loses some of its intelligence and common sense.
The more apps we have telling people when to breathe in and out, the more they lose the ability to think for themselves IMO.
Click to expand...

Very true - we all need to take responsibility for our own decisions, good or bad. How else do we learn and grow?
 
What has happened to good old fashioned common sense?

My last two horses that I had at the same time were the same breed, one was a little fatty who I struggled to keep weight off and never needed more than a mediumweight even in the vile winter we had last year... the other was a hatrack type, who needed feeding like stink all over winter and had two HW's on at the worst last year.

They looked the exact same, in fact people struggled to tell them apart, but had completely different needs.
 
I have an amazing device already, my hand! Put it under rug, if it feels hot, put a lighter rug on, or remove rug altogether. If it feels cold, do the opposite.
 
I have voted 'great idea' even though I would never use it because I don't need help deciding whether or not to rug the horses. I think your poll needs rewording because you are not going to get a good representation of whether or not it is a good idea. You should add some options such as:

Even though I would not personally use it, I think it's a good idea.

Undoubtedly there are people who DO need such an app. A quick search through the threads on here will bring up countless threads on rugging. I think such an app would help people who are either inexperienced, not confident in their own judgement, or who just like doing things 'by the book'.
 
Wagtail said:
I have voted 'great idea' even though I would never use it because I don't need help deciding whether or not to rug the horses. I think your poll needs rewording because you are not going to get a good representation of whether or not it is a good idea. You should add some options such as:

Even though I would not personally use it, I think it's a good idea.

Undoubtedly there are people who DO need such an app. A quick search through the threads on here will bring up countless threads on rugging. I think such an app would help people who are either inexperienced, not confident in their own judgement, or who just like doing things 'by the book'.
Click to expand...


The trouble is that those people will then go blindly by the app without realising that maybe their animal is not typical of the breed and is sweltering hot or still far too cold. People need educating, not to follow blindly.
 
Maybe if you could put in certain criteria yourself. Say if its 8 or more at night mine will be naked. If its under 0 they will have a heavy. So more if a weather app that would can set your horses rug requirements to.

Mine are the same breed. One 28 and clipped the other is 3 and I clipped but the 3 yr old isn't as warm as the old clipped girl.
 
I don't rug mine but a big problem with apps is that it's humans that use them and they are not created equal re common sense! They are an aid and only one small part of a complex picture. Personally I think prescriptive apps are dangerous.
 
my daughter has been responsible for rugging her own pony and then horse since she was ten, she learnt if she lets them get cold they are fresh, if she lets them get wet they are fresh and grumpy, if they are too warm they are lazy and grumpy. she soon learnt to look at a weather forecast and see how the pony felt to the touch and behaved and rug accordingly.

teach them how to tell if the horse is too cold or warm to the touch and look at/listen to a weather forecast-it is not rocket science and the ponies wont drop down dead if they get it wrong.

sorry if it comes across as short but i think we are all losing our common sense and apps are taking over
 
It's not something I would use and as others have said I would be slightly worried by anyone who felt they were unable to tell what rug their horse needed.

However, if something like this was going to be made then I think it would need to be in a flowchart kind of way. It could store your horses details (age, breed, condition, illness, clipped, stabled etc!) in your phone as a 'base' but then ask you questions such as 'does he feel warm under his current rug?' with multi choice answers that will gather information and then suggest which rug may be best for that particular day.

I'm still not sure it would be all that reliable as there are so many variables to take into account.
 
I'm guessing, knowing a friend who has created an app & the amazing things that can be created, the OP is suggesting something a bit more scientific/tailored than 'it is x degrees & going to rain your horse needs a heavyweight'
However even if it could be completely personalised to take in all of the parameters that each individual horse requires with respect to rugging it isn't something I would purchase or use.
Firstly because I know how to rug my horses correctly & bar the odd slip up where the changeable weather has caught me out, I get it pretty spot on.
Secondly it would potentially stress me to high heaven. I could just see me settled in for a long day at work & 'ping...today your horse needs a heavyweight'
I would then spend the next few hours stressing & trying to slope off early because I turned them out in MW & I've convinced myself they will turn to ice.
When the reality is they'll just eat a bit more/move around a bit more/be keener to come in...but they will be fine for just this once.
 
In theory it is a good idea but it would need it be a lot more complex than you have suggested.

For example, if it could take the temperature of your horse, and combine that with a lot of other information such as weather forecast, type of horse, normal temp of horse etc, it could probably be quite useful.

But these things are no substitute for experience with an individual horse.

For all those saying how simple and easy rugging is - lucky you! I constantly agonise over what rugs my horse should wear, every time the weather changes, when he is clipped, if the temperature will drop much or not overnight. I find rugging a complete headache and it's not because I am a numpty with no experience!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top