Would you rug loads to lose winter coat?

Prince33Sp4rkle said:
no, i didnt, perhaps i should...i guess i just expect people to think about why i might be doing what im doing rather than jump on the bandwagon and start berating me!

i fully accept that i rug up a lot more than most people,but my horses are perfectly comfortable and healthy......maybe one day ill have a really hot horse and i ll have to adapt the way i work,who knows.
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Must confess I would like to be able to rug like this, as properly done I think it's actually beneficial. But, it's only really an option if the horses are at home. My mare is on livery and rug changes aren't included so have to stick with one rug 24/7 and change only a couple of times a year with big changes in temp, she's currently in a 200g no neck which comes off in the day if it's warm. Saying that though her coat looks fantastic, she's fairly heavily rugged, but is a thin skinned TB that doesn't hold weight well, and she's the only one on the yard who's got her summer coat through having been fully clipped around Christmas time.
 
doris2008 said:
I'm confused as to why you think his summer coat wouldn't come through without rugging him??! :confused:
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I never said I didn't think it would come. I never really explained myself. He's been out of work for 3 years and un-rugged all that time so was very hairy. I'm bringing him back into work and didn't think it was very fair when he work picks up for him to be very hairy and sweaty and uncomfortable. I haven't over rugged him he mostly had just a fleece on maybe a m/w indoor but i found it did help with loosing his coat ( and an awful lot of grooming lol)
 
No, we keep Toto nice and warm in winter, and when he starts getting a bit woolly, he's clipped and again is kept warm enough with HW rugs and layers :) Then his rugs are gradually reduced in weight as it gets warmer, and now, if it's a warm day he's rugless during the day, and has a fleece rug on if it's going to be very warm at night, or if it's a bit cooler he has a fairly light weight rug on in the field, and a stable rug at night. He has a good scrub with a rubber curry comb to help him shed his coat, he loves it and goes to sleep! I'd much prefer to have him happy and comfortable than too hot just so he sheds his coat! :)
 
how would that even work?
no. rugging them really well at the start of each winter and throught would prevent a big coat from growing. but over heating a horse wont make is coat come out faster?!
 
There is no way that any horse wearing 3, 4, 5, 6 rugs is perfectly comfortable. Forget the temperature factor, it's about the bulk, the weight of them all, the ruffling up underneath, the straining back at the chest. Lying down with all that material pulling across your chest must be horrible. I'm no bunny hugger but really and truely, is this what we're doing to our animals....
 
PoppyAnderson said:
There is no way that any horse wearing 3, 4, 5, 6 rugs is perfectly comfortable. Forget the temperature factor, it's about the bulk, the weight of them all, the ruffling up underneath, the straining back at the chest. Lying down with all that material pulling across your chest must be horrible. I'm no bunny hugger but really and truely, is this what we're doing to our animals....
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the pressure on the withers, the multiple belly straps etc etc etc :( mine lives out clipped and rugged, can hardly wait this time of year to get the rugs off completely!
 
Coat growth IS governed by daylight hours not temperature.
Sorry if it has already been said but I don't have a chance to go back and read all the posts.

Studies have been carried out to trick horses; keeping some in a floodlit barn which resulted in the horses keeping a summer coat.

Also I think that over rugging to the point of sweating is cruel. When we get hot we can take off our layers, horses cannot.
 
I think it's hilarious there's a belief the sun can 'damage' a coat?!

Sun is brilliant for the coat- get the sun on their backs for happy, shiney, healthy horses who are able to make sufficient vitamin D
 
TheMule said:
I think it's hilarious there's a belief the sun can 'damage' a coat?!
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sun will bleach black horses and sometimes still give a ginger/singed look to dark bays etc...esp manes etc - hence why people say sun damages the coat - as the coat is changed(damaged) by the sun

and can obviously cause sun burn on horses too - i know that's not technically coat damage but it can def cause problems - just as it would if we stood out all day in it ;)
 
heather_bambi said:
I think that over rugging to the point of sweating is cruel. .
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i don't think anyone would disagree with that ;)
however - i do think people need to realise that lots of rugs does not automatically = sweaty horses
all horses are different and all owners like to manage horses differently - so what if someone decides to put lots of rugs on and someone else decides not to =- does it really matter?! i do not know ANYONE who'd advocate making a horse sweat under rugs - it would cause the horse to loose condiion etc pdq
 
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posie_honey said:
sun will bleach black horses and sometimes still give a ginger/singed look to dark bays etc...esp manes etc - hence why people say sun damages the coat - as the coat is changed(damaged) by the sun

and can obviously cause sun burn on horses too - i know that's not technically coat damage but it can def cause problems - just as it would if we stood out all day in it ;)
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This ^^ :) My mare's black mane goes brown at the ends, and her tail gets red streaks in it (she is bay). I don't mind - actually I quite like it. Blonde hair in people also gets lighter with the sun, doesn't it? :)
 
Prince33Sp4rkle said:
in the depths of winter they will wear at least a thermatex, a normal neck HW stable rug and a couple of HW combo rugs. sometimes wool blankets as extra layers at night, hoods and leg wraps.
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:eek: I am genuinely gobsmacked that you use that many rugs! TBH i dont think its necessary. Horses become accustomed to wearing rugs, as they do not wearing them. But that is ALOT of insulation and would be very heavy on the horses backs.

I used to work in a very posh hunting yard, turnout was very important. the horses were fully clipped, the yard was in an exposed, cold position and the most the horses wore at night was a duvet under a normal neck HW stable rug, with the odd horse wearing a witney blanket as well. I have also got native ponies ready for HOYs with nowhere near that amount of rugs!

You must have a huge laundry bill too :)
 
No as it does not work - like others have said it is the longer day light that triggers it - which is why some producers have special lights they can leave on in the stables that mimic daylight.

What heavy rugging might do is keep the hair flat so they look less hairy. If they are naked they can remove their own hair by rolling around and having a good scratch - I think they get itchy when their coats change and unless you have time to take their rugs off several times a day and give them a really good groom it can't be that comfy being itchy and not able to scratch.
 
ok, i promise you that i have had ponies go to oct/nov and jan/feb shows, with a summer coat, not just a flat winter coat!!!!!!

if rugging up did not work then professional producers would not do it, simple.they dont have the time to make unnecesary work for themselves.

daylight IS important but so is temperature (and thus rugging).
 
PoppyAnderson said:
There is no way that any horse wearing 3, 4, 5, 6 rugs is perfectly comfortable. Forget the temperature factor, it's about the bulk, the weight of them all, the ruffling up underneath, the straining back at the chest. Lying down with all that material pulling across your chest must be horrible. I'm no bunny hugger but really and truely, is this what we're doing to our animals....
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I completely agree :(
 
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