It was 12c when I left the yard at 5.30 last night & people were putting on heavyweight rugs, some of them full necks. All day there had been horses sprawled out in fields, and while there was a degree of sunbathing going on it was noticable that the heavily rugged ones were down more often & longer than the unrugged or lightly rugged ones. I have no problem with rugs, but why don't people use some common sense? Really guys, if you're walking round in a t-shirt does your horse need a 300g combo?!
Rugs - poor horses
- Thread starter carthorse
- Start date
Mad isn't it? I used to drive past a couple of horses rugged up to the eyeballs even in warm weather, I pitied them I really did. Can't think what folk are playing at, maybe they can't be bothered to check the weather? Maybe they only go see them now and again and put a heavy one on just in case?
I check the weather forecast every morning before I go down to the stables and rug or not rug accordingly, though you might like the opinion of the 3 who got wet when it rained when it wasn't supposed to......Bud had his rug on of course....
I have everything from 360grm to rain sheet, and will layer them as well, so I try to cope with all weather.
I have everything from 360grm to rain sheet, and will layer them as well, so I try to cope with all weather.
People might have good reasons for this, I stopped judging people's rug choices a long time ago, each to their own.
This.
It would be no different to a thread being started saying the same but seeing clipped horses turned out naked. Its alien on my yard and pretty alien to me as well but she is just too hot.
Everyone else is rugged here, they drop off, mine doesn't.
That said I never had anything more than 200g even when I had an elderly tb, but we had a sheltered field plus stable, plus AdLib hay.
likewise - the only thing thats does get me is when they are rugged in warm dry weather purley because the owner can't be arsed to groom them off - lazy -
we show and if we have to leave out overnight after bathing they get a fly rug on and a good groom before we set off even if its an early start.
Acorn is out at the moment with his lightweight on - yes a shetland with a rug on - but hes just been turned out 24/7 after nearly 4 months on off box rest - hes shed most of his coat and still has mobility issues - so he can't get wet or cope with the wind and cold on his muscles if we do get the promised warm spell it will be off during the day - no doubt there will be tut tutters from some riding by - turning poor pony out rugged and is obviously lame - but vet is involved and if we do get a do gooder reporting us then I will just refer them - there can be lots of reasons for equines to be rugged or for that matter unrugged - and folks can be just as crytical about that -
I am not judging anybody's choice for rugging, but it it does seem a little over the top seeing rugs on horses as in last summer - it was very very hot in Lancashire (a rarity mind) but to see horses in any rugs (apart from fly rugs) did not seem right. But still, maybe there's a condition I don't know exists.......that means they needed them. And I would like to add that it was a hot sunny day - not even remotely wet or windy.
I can see where those of you saying there may be a good reason for rugging are coming from, but these are horses & owners I know & that means I know the only reasons are thoughtlessness or can't be bothered to go & sort out a lighter rug. They also seem to be the owners who can't be bothered with other things, eg the horse that had colic who's owner decided that getting the vet could wait until she'd gone shopping & had her lunch & anyway there were people on the yard to keep an eye on him :stomp:
How do you actually know its heavyweight unless you checked the grams of it? Some rugs are those that you remove the under layers so the top always looks the same.
I wouldn't know who had a medium rug or a lightweight on here. I just know they have rugs.
I wouldn't know who had a medium rug or a lightweight on here. I just know they have rugs.
In a couple of cases because, in the winter, I've done their rugs when owners couldn't get. And in others because the owners are saying so, there seems to be a strange sort of ego trip in saying their cob is more heavily rugged than someone else's tb. Also it's one of those yards where people know because they'll do each others horses, pass or sell rugs on & get together to take advantage of bogofs.
Gosh -I would love to turn Dolly out naked, but sadly with a SI horse she just goes straight from one type of rug to the next throughout the year. I do agree though in general about over rugging, but I guess some people might think I over rug from a distance if they don't instantly know a SI rug from a rain sheet?
I do hate seeing hairy cobs in duvets though, totally unnecessary in the majority of case IMO, but non of my business if they aren't mine really!:wink:
I do hate seeing hairy cobs in duvets though, totally unnecessary in the majority of case IMO, but non of my business if they aren't mine really!:wink:
My three are out naked now, even overnight. One has a full coat still, the other two have sort of trace clips which were redone 3 weeks ago. I am confident they will be fine overnight 
I feel it will only be a week or so and ill have to fully clip Rosie and tog her up in her SI rug!
I feel it will only be a week or so and ill have to fully clip Rosie and tog her up in her SI rug!
Rubic is still a hairy mammoth. In fact her coat blows about in the wind like something out of a Loreal advert. I felt bad putting a rain sheet on her the other week but I genuinely thought it was worth a shot to see if keeping her dry cheered her up a little, it came off the minute I realised it wasn't making a difference. I don't think anyone at my yard really over-rugs, they all seem fairly sensible however there is one person who leaves the same rug on her horse constantly (even in the stable overnight) and takes it off to give her a groom on the odd occasion (not even every night) and that annoys me. Can you imagine wearing the same clothes for weeks on end and only taking them off for a quick 5min only to put them back on again. Her reasoning is that the rug dries quicker on the horses back but to be honest I think it is just sheer laziness and convenience for her rather than for the benefit of the horse. The horse doesn't need thick rugs. Personally, if I was that worried about putting a wet rug back on a horse I'd buy a couple of rain sheets and just alternate the rugs while one dries off.
Oh well, each to their own
Oh well, each to their own
The boys are now out for summer :biggrin: hopefully.
Anyway both are fully clipped and out today naked and very happy boys in the sun. Tonight they have 200g with neck on it is dropping to 3 degress tonight and it is their first night out they have no natural or man made shelter tomorrow they will be naked again.
Anyway both are fully clipped and out today naked and very happy boys in the sun. Tonight they have 200g with neck on it is dropping to 3 degress tonight and it is their first night out they have no natural or man made shelter tomorrow they will be naked again.
Tobes went out naked after riding yesterday and I took pity on his fieldmate and took his heavyweight rug off too. He was sweating under his rug, poor boy.
I then had two muddy monsters to groom to put night time rugs on! Some in our yard didn't unrug. No reason really other than they couldn't be bothered I guess.
I then had two muddy monsters to groom to put night time rugs on! Some in our yard didn't unrug. No reason really other than they couldn't be bothered I guess.
Ive been nakey all winter and cob is loosing hair in chunks! The hard to catch 3rd muskerteer in my field is still in a MW but has decided she will under no circumstance be caught. She lays down alot mind. But no one can get near her to remove it :|
em_123
Active Member
Mine had both days over the weekend naked,then today still in their middleweights! It's freezing here, or at least feels a lot colder because it's about 10 degrees colder than yesterday. None of mine are too hot. I look at the forecast every morning, and I am lucky that I have someone close by to off rug them if the weather gets warmer while I'm working.
I rugged up last night, left it until I absolutely had to go home, which wasn't long before dark, it was still 10 degrees when I left and I popped their middleweights on. But I knew within a short space it would drop down in temp and it did. It's still getting below 5 degrees over night and mine wouldn't cope with just lightweights on over night and with a small child I can't go back and rug them heavier later on if they needed it.
I'm sure some people probably go past sometimes and think they need rugs on or off, but fact is unless you live on site it's not always possible to go backwards and forwards to change rugs, sometimes you have to look forward and see how long they would be either too hot or too cold and weigh up which rug is best for them to be as comfortable as possible as soon as possible.
I rugged up last night, left it until I absolutely had to go home, which wasn't long before dark, it was still 10 degrees when I left and I popped their middleweights on. But I knew within a short space it would drop down in temp and it did. It's still getting below 5 degrees over night and mine wouldn't cope with just lightweights on over night and with a small child I can't go back and rug them heavier later on if they needed it.
I'm sure some people probably go past sometimes and think they need rugs on or off, but fact is unless you live on site it's not always possible to go backwards and forwards to change rugs, sometimes you have to look forward and see how long they would be either too hot or too cold and weigh up which rug is best for them to be as comfortable as possible as soon as possible.
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