Rugging/Clipping/Turning away - A question?

[Bobbin]

Right then, Bryony will be turned away next year, maybe for around 6 months, probably from Easter time to September, so basically over the summer. However she will probably only be doing 4 days of work over the winter anyway purely because I just do not have the time to do any more with her.

I clipped her about 6 weeks ago, however she is one hairy beast again. Now I am in two minds about whether to clip her again. What I would really like to do is leave her nakey on the days she isn't ridden and then just lightly rug her on the days she will be ridden. She will do a couple of sessions of long reining and probably 2 hacks, one of them being quite long.

So my question is 1) Even though she has been clipped but it has grown back well, can I start to leave her nakey or lightly rugged without causing her harm.

2) Is it acceptable to have a sweaty soaking horse when we hack and will this harm her.

I think I just want to start winding her down for her life as a field ornament and feel she would be happier out without a rug. I should also add she is in at night so she will only be out in the elements without a rug during the day.

 

[Mehitabel]

1 - see what she says about it. if she is cold, miserable, shivering and complaining then she needs rugging - if she is munching away happy as larry then she doesn't. i'd play it by ear according to the weather - forecast has said much colder after thew weekend. we only rug the ponies that are ridden - the broodmares (unclipped obviously) and youngstock stay nude all year round. what clip did she have? if a full clip then i'd continue rugging until it's grown back properly - if a chaser or bib then i am sure she is fine. however, i am not terribly keen on rugging half the time when it's not according to weather. i would say either rug all the time, or just when it's extra-cold. it'll confuse her body thermometer and i am not sure her internal heating will be as efficient if she is sometimes wearing a rug and sometimes not.

2 - it won't be very comfortable for her, she will lose electrolytes and salt from excessive sweating, and you'll need to dry her off before she goes to bed so she's not uncomfy with dried sweat all over her. if you can make sure she doesn't get sore or rubbed by being very sweaty under her tack, and have the time to dry her thoroughly and not leave her sticky and icky, and make sure to give her extra salt/electrolytes, then it's fine.

out of interest - why work her through winter when it's cold and horrid and turn away in prime riding weather over summer?

 

[AlexNI]

I'm sure she will be fine if she has grown back a decent coat, most of them seem to be growing back pretty quick at the moment. The weathers not too cold yet and if its only in the daytime, she's unlikely to get chilly. Someone put an article on here recently about horses and cold weather and apparently their temperature range for feeling cold is a lot lower than ours. Maybe if its really windy, wet and cold together you could put a light rug on her.

Sounds from your work plan she will only be doing one ride/wk where she'd get a sweaty anyway. I'd just make sure she's dried off after your ride before you turn her out again.

One of my boys is liveried at at trekking centre where the trekking horses work up to 5hrs each at the wkend. None of them are clipped or wear rugs and they live out 24/7. Some of them get very sweaty on the faster rides but they are allowed to dry off when they get back and then go out again. They never lose condition and all look really well and the owners been keeping them like that for 30yrs so it obviously works for them!

 

[fairlady]

I would agree with all of the above, just make sure she is dry before you leave her or turn her back out.

However I think you must take the decision to either rug or not rug and stick with it, I don't think she should be rugged on certain days and not on others it will upset her body temperatures.

It just means on the odd day that you do ride you will need to spend more time cleaning the tack area, but better for her in the long run one way or another.

 

[Bobbin]

I'm not bothered about cleaning the tack area, I am more fussed about her back being wet. In reality, it'll only be 2 days a week she won't have been in over night to dry off as I may ride her in the evenings. I may whip the rugs off and see how it goes. She's a chunky coblet who is going into winter on a good weight. I just think the old moo would be happier nakey.

 

[Mehitabel]

back wet not a huge problem as long as you use a decent numnah. when we have to deal with it we often use one numnah for the first school ride, then swpa them for dry ones for the others.