WYYD - Rugging

[LaurenBay]

Horse is a non ridden unclipped Horse living out 24/7. No shelter currently. Horse is 13 YO and is currently a good weight, she was rugged over winter as it was her first winter out and I didn't know how she would cope (turns out pretty well!) she has shredded a great deal of her winter coat now (always the first to shred on any yard I've been on) so I am aware she hasn't got much of her natural coat left. I took her rug off about 3 weeks ago as the weather was nice and improving. Weather here today is bl**dy horrid, high winds and non stop heavy rain. I haven't been up to check her yet (she was checked on this morning by someone else) and will be going at 5.10pm to hay and check them. I am debating putting the rug back on as it is meant to be 3 degrees tonight and rain. But the grass is rapidly coming through and she is on 3 acres with only another Horse. I do not want her putting weight on too quickly and getting lami which is why I wanted her naked, but I now feel under pressure from others that are telling me to rug her again.

Please tell me I am not being mean to leave her naked? or should I pop a no fill sheet on her?

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Its getting the right balance, isn't it?
Leave them unrugged when its cold & wet & the weight ought to drop off a bit or at least the cold will compensate for fresh grass coming through. But, leave them unrugged and they tend to take up Olympic tag racing to warm up & turn the fields into a quagmire!

Mine is just about right shape wise at present and coping easily with 5/6 mile medium/quick rides on v hilly fields. She's in a 50 with neck today & tonight when in the diet paddock with a mini, will stay in same and I 'might' just pop some hay in a net to stave the pangs till morning.

Don't feel under pressure from others. Your mare can take up jogging to warm up!

 

[be positive]

It has not been raining that much here but the temperature is low, my oldie is in his summer coat and naked, as are all the others, and he will be monitored to see how he is rather than having one put on just because it is wet, I would not be put under pressure by others but judge the horse in front of you, tucked up and miserable then rug, grazing normally leave them be, I am amazed to read that horses are back in heavy rugs when many could do with dropping a little weight and most have plenty of grass now.

 

[JFTDWS]

My ponies are in rainsheets, my mare is in a 100g. The ponies could drop a few pounds, but we don't have lots of grass coming through yet, and we're on a big hill so it's very windy up there. We do have some natural shelter at the bottom of the hill and a small field shelter, but if they stay down there, there's virtually no grass at all, and when they have hay, it's up on the top of the hill too. The mare is a nice weight, but I don't want her getting cold and losing any at this stage, as I don't know when we'll get much grass, if at all - which is ideal for ponies, really!

 

[Hallo2012]

i think i would stick a sheet on?
its ridiculous, ours have gone from MW to naked and now in bloody HW today as wind was utterly baltic, making my face hurt.

sick.of.it.grrrrrrr.

 

[Templebar]

I would leave it off but then i'm a once its off its off person, even though the coat has shed, it should have built up some waterproof now. But i also don't know your conditions. If she has some other shelter then it could help to compensate.

Whatever you decide don't feel you have to give in to pressure.

Someone near me has advertised wanting a new rug as her horse has trashed hers, its a cob in a heavy weight, of course its going to trash it.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Rug by the weather and the horse in front of you, not by the calendar.

It's effing freezing here today, even though it's dry, so the rugs went back on two of the three .

 

[LaurenBay]

thanks all, If I decide to rug she will already be wet so will have to rug her that way. I do not have a stable to bring her into so I can try to dry her off as much as I can with a towel but that is all I can do

 

[Clodagh]

With modern rugs they dry ok underneath them.

 

[Antw23uk]

I put my fully clipped mare in her light weight again last night because of the rain forecast but this morning she was warm and by lunchtime (she was being shod) she was boiling so she has gone back in a no fill and to be honest even though the temps are dropping im just going to leave her in it.
The grey is pretty much summer coat now and he has a no fill rain sheet ... but mainly coz he's grey and it breaks my heart seeing him roll but he has been naked for about three weeks as well!

 

[Fiona]

Is your horse generally hardy or a wuss OP??

My TB mare grew very little summer coat, so if she got wet in the warmer months she would shiver dramatically. Hence I got used to just checking the forecast, and if there was more than the odd shower due I would pop their no fill sheets on.

She is away at retirement livery though, so I'm afraid will have to toughen up eventually, and of the four at home, three are hardy sorts so are naked at the moment.

The fourth (a 12hh welsh) is a total princess so will want her rug on if it rains...

Fiona

 

[mandyroberts]

I had turned mine out overnight but brought them back in last night - and one is rugged (thin skinned WB, lost all coat, perfect weight). Never done that before but usually wait until May/June before we leave out over night

 

[mandyroberts]

Should also say I have one retired out 24x7 all winter who used to be a wimpy chilly horse unclipped because he grew no coat. He turned into an obese furry mammoth and has had no rug since February - and did lose a bit of weight. They are all so different

 

[meleeka]

I shouldn’t think one night if wearing a rug, or not wearing one, will actually do any harm at all. Mine had theirs on last night and today as it’s been cold and rain forecast. They’ll be off again in the morning as it’s due to warm up. The ones that didn’t wear rugs all winter are still naked and shedding well but they have shelter if needed.

 

[LaurenBay]

So I left her naked in the end. Liveries Horse came cantering over to the gate looking miserable so put a no fill sheet on him. My Mare didn't even bother lifting her head to stop eating to come and see me. Hayed the livery (we have grass but he is a slightly poor doer so has hay for the time being) finally my mare wandered over, happy and content and plenty warm enough so left her as she is.

 

[Alibear]

I spent last week wondering why my little mare was so grumpy. Finally twigged that despite not being clipped and kept in overnight she was cold. So back in lw stable rug over night and no fill turnout rug during the day and I have my happy little mare back.
She confuses me as she was sweating even when stood inside in the cool during the hot spell the other week and generally is very warm to the touch, but she also really feels the cold. It's definitely an individual thing.

 

[Lorenzo zoil]

If she's cold rug. If not then don't bother. But be prepared to check am and pm to see if she needs to swap to naked/rugged