To rug or not to rug?

LauraGeeGee

Active Member
Oct 5, 2008
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Collier Row, Essex
I feel a bit bad as Rosie is almost the only horse out in the fields naked at the moment!

I don't think it's THAT cold here though we have had rain. It feels chillier today however. I'm tempted to put her lightweight turnout on today as we're supposed to be getting heavy rain. Also she was absolutely covered in mud yesterday, I have no problem with that for me, I don't want to rug to keep her clean to suit me. The excessive mud tells me that she felt a bit cold and was after the natural insulation? She rolls normally and likes to make poo pancakes in her stable. This time she'd really covered herself though!

Her coat is fluffing up nicely and she's also got a lot of Summer coat coming out too.

I was thinking of putting on her lightweight turnout today just to see how she goes. I'm thinking I may be doing this out of guilt and also because I'm excited about putting a new rug on!

Are most of you rugging lately?
 
Mine came in shivering last night (I dont need her to lose weight really) so I felt awful and stuck her amigo fleece on and stabled her overnight then turned her out again this morning with a waterproof sheet on, she will be turned out with that on from now on unless we get brilliant sunshine!
 
I am the wrong person to ask :p Mine are in and rugged - they have been out and rugged since August (in rainsheets!). I have Rocky (who has his own little internal furnace) in a lightweight rug with a standard neck of about 100g. Alfie is fully clipped in a full neck 220g and Stevie is unclipped, he was in a 300g but it's warmed up a bit so he's in a 150g high neck. (Stevie is very soft though).

The best way to decide if she needs rugging is to check if she's warm enough - feel the base of her ear and behind her elbow. Also, does she look tucked up and fed up? I would give her a going over with the plastic curry comb - if she's covered in mud, her hair won't be able to fluff up and insulate her.
If you rug now, remember you can't really take it back off once they're used to wearing it. So if she's coming in soon or you are planning to rug anyway, then there's no harm in rugging her up. However if you want her living out for a good while longer, remember that you will need more and more rugs as it gets colder. It depends on your aims really - I am quite happy to have mine in 3 or 4 rugs if needs be, but some people prefer them in few/no rugs. Also, how is her weight? If she has none to lose, perhaps its best to rug her. But if she's a porker - leave her out there! :)
 
4 of mine have been rugged for over a week now, with the 5th one being rugged last night.
2 are poor doers, and i don't like them to lose weight, one shivers off her feet at that sight of rain, one i need clean to ride and the other is an oldie who sulks if unrugged in the wet/cold!
 
mine are naked! all on the yard are rugged though. I have only just today turned Rosie out without her sweetitch rug on...that will prob be going back on though when the rain stops.

Moets coat is coming through really thick, so depending on how sweaty shes getting during rides i will prob look to clip her at end of Oct/beginning Nov. Then she will have a lightweight rain sheet on during the winter. Shes still carrying a bit of weight and i would like her to lose it this winter.

I am planning on leaving Rosie unrugged this winter. She is generally happier unrugged and the rugs she have dont fit her too well due to her very broad shoulders and they caused bad rubs last year, plus this year she will do barely any ridden work, and anything she does will only be a gentle walk for 30 mins...so no point clipping her.
 
Thanks guys!

It is an awkward one. I have given in slightly and put a rain sheet on for now:redface:. I'm going back up in a few hours and see how she is. I doubt she'd be too hot in it as it's literally just a sheet but I'll see in a few hours. She seemed happy enough when I stood out there watching for half an hour. Her in a rain coat and me shivering and damp in a t shirt! I felt she was almost looking at me like this: :mstickle: :bounce:

She has got a bit of a belly, not excessive, just from our lovely grass since she came to me two months ago so I certainly don't want to over rug her. I do plan to clip her if she needs it later in the year. I have already got an assortment of rugs for every conceivable weather/situation as I wanted to be prepared! I won't use them unless she really needs it.

As it's our first Winter, it's all trial and error! I don't even know if she'd been rugged before, I'm assuming as she was hunted in Ireland that she would have most probably been clipped?

I'm lucky that she's not bothered about a routine, she's equally happy in her stable or out. She lived out last week as I was away, she could have come in as I had others keeping an eye. She's been in the last two nights and out in the day, I'll bring her in for a bit later for a bit of work/fun/pampering then she'll probably go back out overnight until tomorrow. She is pretty chilled. In the Winter there's only daytime turnout for 6 odd hours. I want to make the most of the 24 hour turnout at the moment!
 
Kal's out in a lightweight (waterproof) with neck and is wearing either his fleece or his l/w polywarmer in his stable at night . . . but he's quite fine and a bit of a wuss and feels the cold. If it stays this cold and manky, I will start putting him in his medium-weight (with neck) during the day. Also, he's not clipped, but his coat is very fine . . . because he's not in heavy work (yet), I won't be clipping him until mid/late October.

Thing is, you know your horse. If she's fine unrugged, then I wouldn't worry about it!

N
 
Juneys out in a rainsheet - but it does touch her ears because I feel like a mean mummy - I saw the way se was last winter before i bort her. Jazzy however in his little 17 month fluffy state will live out unrugged this year as tbh he dosent need it! He's only a baby will be doing no work at all for atleast another 18+ months!!
 
My TBX is still unrugged at present and we had a right thunder storm yesterday evening and last night. his field mate is a pure TB and still unrugged as well.

Will finally have to give in a pop a rain sheet on now as I like to tide everyday. Will be looking to clip in a week or two as we do a lot of work so will pop a thicker rug on then but he will be out until as late as possible. last year he made it until middle of Nov and out again in middle of march so aiming for the same this year.
 
I am in Chelmsford, Essex so not too far from your area.

My Trakehner is still living out unrugged. I will however put a fleece under his rainsheet tonight as temps are set to drop a bit compared to how it has been.

In the coldest of winter, he only wears one rug, a heavyweight with neck, and stays lovely and snug. Has never dropped weight over winter since I've had him so I must be doing something right.

Can't bear the thought of horses weighed down with lots of rugs.
 
mine would be out rugless but he did a show last weekend so was bathed 5 times so I've had to rug till the oils return as its rained a lot this week!

if he's not cold and coping, I'd not worry
 
My 2 are naked. It's windy and rainy now and they are standing out in it as chilled as anything, even Mattie who is a French arab with a thin coat. The last time it was really cold overnight (6 degreeses) I zoomed over to the field at first light to check his temperature, and he was warm as toast. I'll rug him from October onwards perhaps.
 
Both of mine are naked. Even wimpy baby Kai's grown through a nice fluffy coat and was toasty warm when I checked him last night. Neither of mine will get a rug on until they're actually cold, but then again neither of them's in work.

I used to whack a lightweight on Dolly when the weather turned wet so she couldn't plaster herself in wet mud and be unrideable but now she's retired I plan to see how she gets on living out naked. Don't know yet whether getting cold will trigger another attack of azoturia but I have plenty of rugs to put on her if she seems stiff, so fingers crossed.
 
Both of mine are out naked, but Harvey did have a rainsheet on yesterday as it rained really hard.

He will start having a rainsheet on in the next week or so though I imagine and is being clipped in a few weeks so will have a 100gram or a medium weight turnout on then. He could do without losing more weight though.

Piccolo is out unrugged and unclipped. Doesn't do enough work to warrant clipping and is a bit porky. Her coat is really thick and greasy though already so not sure exactly how that is going to work out in winter...great for her but not great for my daughter when she wants to ride lol
 
Naked apart from sweet itch rugs :)

I am contemplating using a lw on madam when SI rug comes off as riding more so need her back dry for that (lives out). But otherwise out naked unless several days of rain are due
 
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