Fly rugs, do you or don't you?

carthorse

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Jan 6, 2006
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Today it's hot with barely a breath of wind and the flies are out in force - black flies & horse flies at the moment & I don't doubt the midges will be joining in later. Luckily one of the other liveries had brought her horses in for the day so at the moment he's is with a soaked net of hay to get away fro the flies & Heat & have a break from the hard ground, but I'm dithering about putting a fly rug on later simply because it's so hot. Would you or wouldn't you? On the downside I feel it's another layer, all be it a light one, but on the other hand it means he's kicking & stamping less which doesn't do his feet any favours on the hard ground. He has got plenty of shade he can get in later if he wants, though even in the shade it's hot today. I suspect I'll end up putting it on simply to stop him running round, but it feels a bit like a lose lose situation.

Summer weather - it's wonderful until all the nasty bitey things come out!
 
The boys are fine without, though I do have a diddy fly rug should I ever need it to cover a cut or something. The fly pester them but seem to be more of an irritation than anything.

Jess on the other hand gets eaten alive and left with huge lumps from the bites so she's pretty much always rugged unless there's enough wind to help keep bugs at bay. She does get hot in hers, sweats under it on particularly hot days as she rarely has the sense to get in the shade :rolleyes: if it's really hot I'll wet the rug to help keep her cool or put the lighter but less effective rug on. She also get fly boots when the leg biting bugs come out or she just stands stomping which is no good for her. I hate having her all dressed up but she hates the bugs even more.
 
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At our old place when it was super hot I used to put the girls fly rugs on. I know it is another layer and all that, and sometimes it did feel weird putting them on a hot horse, but I was always glad I had done. These days we don't get many days when they need them. Zi does not have one, I did think about buying him one, but there is thankfully mostly a breeze here and no need.
 
I rug. My two seem calmer and happier in them. I think of fly rugs on horses as being a bit like exercise wear on humans...sweat passes through and you remain quite comfortable.
 
I ended up putting it on, there seemed to be a lot of horses looking irritated by flies so I decided he as better off with it & standing in the shade if he got hot. Last I saw he was in the full sun with his head down munching, but not looking too harassed by flies.
 
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No, he suffers badly with static and allergy rashes with any rug that isn't cotton or wool lined! If I could. I would.
 
I don’t bother if there is a wind, I haven’t the last few days as it’s been wet and now Kia is in for an overnight as I’ve ‘popped’ and treated three big fly bites on his spine.

I got clothed them to get them to open then pressured and some gunky liquid came out so I’ve covered them in sudocrem and left him in so he can’t roll right over and rub off the cream. I’ll be stitching his fly rug tonight for it to go on tomorrow :)
 
It's a difficult one. I got back from the Funride today and said I think we'll just turnout they can have a good roll. I'll rug later. Got them out the trailer and the horse flies were like a magnet. So I said change of plan put fly sheets on now before turnout. The problem is that if they sweat under them, it just sets off rainscald I find.
If I've ridden I'll sometimes hose the horses, then hose the fly sheets or dunk them in a buckets of water then put them on sopping wet. If Im not riding then I have a bucket by the water trough and chuck buckets over to cool them.
 
I hate this problem, I was in turmoil yesterday over it.

I don't want them rugged they are rugged for to many months as it is. I like them out being horses rolling and having the sun on them with no pressure/rubs on them that rugs no matter how well fitted do cause.

But I also hate seeing them covered or annoyed by files. I sprayed them yesterday in the end as they were that bad. I have dig out their rugs so will use if they get bad.

It's chanter I feel for he is still molting and a little hairy he will get so hot and sweaty under any rug no matter how light weight and Ginger sweets just looking at a candle so he will be dripping under one.

I am currently thinking I may have done wrong by Chanter and should have let him go before the summer in the nice cool spring when there was no flies he was rugless and happy. Now he is hot, more tired and looks uncomfortable :(
 
@OwnedbyChanter that's just how I feel about fly rugs, it's deciding when they're the lesser evil. Would Chanter be helped by you clipping off the coat he's hanging on to? Done with coarse blades it wouldn't leave him clipped to the skin, but it might make him a lot more comfortable. The weather is so up and down at the moment, if it stayed a bit more consistent at least they could get used to it. Big hugs, there's never a good time to say goodbye & in some ways I think it's even harder when you have to make a decision :(
 
@OwnedbyChanter that's just how I feel about fly rugs, it's deciding when they're the lesser evil. Would Chanter be helped by you clipping off the coat he's hanging on to? Done with coarse blades it wouldn't leave him clipped to the skin, but it might make him a lot more comfortable. The weather is so up and down at the moment, if it stayed a bit more consistent at least they could get used to it. Big hugs, there's never a good time to say goodbye & in some ways I think it's even harder when you have to make a decision :(


Thank you @carthorse I can't believe how much I am struggling with this. I know what is right and fair on him but the thought of doing it just rips me apart. Luckily my OH is amazing and has told me outright that it would be unkind to go past Sept and to just enjoy him now.

The weather here is so strange sun burnt yesterday jumper today. He comes in on Mondays for his groom so will see how much he is clinging on to and clipping the rest of is a good idea thank you
 
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