Yep, another rugging post...what rugs are yours in (particularly TBs with a clip)

the TBx mare I am looking after for a friend who is pregnant is currently unclipped AND living out (shock horror) is wearing a summer sheet a huge wooly fleecey and duvet with a medium weight to rug with a neck (she isnt hot and sweaty either)
 
lexiedhb said:
"keep their coats good" what do you mean? coat is dependant on DAYLIGHT predominantly not temperature!!
Click to expand...

I do chuckle to myself when I hear people at the yard say ''I'm rugging up already to keep his winter coat away'' when like you say it's mainly to do with the daylight. It's dictated by the amount of daylight hours.

That's why some professional showing yards have artificial lighting to 'trick' the horses coat into shedding. I suppose if the horse was rugged enough it may keep the coat slightly thinner, would have to be a lot of rugs though and well before autumn starts.

My horse isn't clipped yet (due to being off a couple of weeks) and is in a medium outdoor neck cover rug and a medium stable rug. He is 7/8ths TB so nearly there. He needs to be kept warm to keep weight on him. When he's clipped his even thicker rugs come out.
 
lexiedhb said:
Jeeeeez they have all that on at approx 15 degrees? what do they wear when we hit the minus numbers????? Unless of course you live in the north pole or somewhere!!! :)

"keep their coats good" what do you mean? coat is dependant on DAYLIGHT predominantly not temperature!!
Click to expand...

I know that coats are light dependant but if you look at my horses which are not under lights they have their summer coats due to being heavily rugged. They do not sweat and are comfortable. Might get a bit of fluff on their tummies and that's about it. I don't know if there are many showing people on here but I am sure my rugging isn't as heavy as theirs. All my horses (apart from the Paint X TB) are TB's and very fit and don't really grow much coat anyway. Having spent over 20 years prepping yearlings for the sales, TB's in and out of training and horses racing through the winter, I would like to think I have a rough idea on how to keep a coat good and horse physically in good condition!! (This includes having them under lights as well.) I am not presently in the country so do not know the temp in the UK. What I wrote is what they wear in a typical Nov in the UK :) Makes me wonder why we post on here sometimes - I merely mentioned what rugs my horses wear.....
PS Janey - you don't trick the horse's coat into shedding - the last thing you want if you are showing or selling during the winter is for the coat to shed. As soon as it turns there is nothing you can do to stop the winter coat be the animal under lights or not. Lights are also used on studs - the increase in "daylight" hours can get the mares cycling earlier for Feb coverings - along with yards producing horses for the sales. You can't use your run of the mill lightbulbs. We have the walls painted white, 3 large white light strip lights on each stable ceiling and they are on timer so go off automatically.
 
Last edited:
My friend only has tb's, and she has 2 rugs on round about now, and if the weather gets colder, puts another one on. I dont agree, but then i dont have tb's, just irish cobsm that dont need the same pampering!!!!!
 
my tb has a blanket clip and is out in a mw with neck in day (very open field on top hill) hes in at
night in a fleece or if its colder a lw stable rug with neck. :)
 
TB not clipped yet but will probably clip him next week.
In at night naked, even when it was cold a week or 2 ago as the stable is quite warm. In the field this week he has had a rain sheet.
He is quite a warm horse and hates being over rugged so I try to put the minimum on depending on the weather.
 
DWB (close ;)). No clip (not in enough work). No fill rainsheet, and that's so as there is a clean saddle area :D

Cob - no rug.

Welsh x - no fill rainsheet due to rainscald (damn pony rolling like a mud monster!).

IDxTB - no fill rainsheet, again to keep saddle area dry/clean. No clip as not in enough work yet.

*sigh* I have a box room full of pretty rugs of all weights and colours *sigh*
 
Mine arent TBs, but my warmblood who isn't clipped is in a lightweight no fill rain sheet if it rains, nothing if it is dry during the day and a fleece at night in her stable just because she has struggled to put weight on all year and i have just managed to get her to look well again and don't want her to drop any.
Little Sec A oldie has a chaser clip and is in a medium weight rhino wug at night and he is just right, he is a wuss and hates being cold.
 
some days where no rain have been in lightweight just to keep clean - but it been chucking it down with a cold wind i think my horse is pleased to be in a 200g rug when out in it 247. She hasnt been overly warm but not cold and thats what i am aiming for - she is fit and lean and therefore i am not going to put her in a rain sheet and lose any condition or let her back muscles get cold and tense when i spend all my time trying to get cond. on her and also a nice soft back for dressage. So it may well have been 15 deg according to weather reports (certainly hasnt felt it here) And as of tonight when dropping to 1 deg she will be in 300g rug.
 
My ex-racer is in a 300g combo turnout and has been for about three weeks now. He's got a chase clip and seems very comfy - is not sweating at all. He's a rangy type that takes a fair amount of feed to keep in tip top condition so I always try to rug efficiently so I'm not simply plowing feed in him for him to use it all to keep warm. He lives out 24/7 with access to a stable for shelter when he feels like it and has plenty of ad-lib hay/barley straw. I'll monitor his condition throughout winter and rug accordingly. On sunny days he'll have a few hours out naked to let him 'breathe' a little but he HATES being cold.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top