PS I put this under 'Grooming' Cos it kinda relates to grooming... Well... More grooming when your ponies come back full of mud!

 

I just have to get over my own head telling me If I don't rug I am being neglectful.

I honestly think this is the reason that most people blanket their horses. Other than horses clipped for showing, if your horse has some break from the wind (shelter or trees) and access to hay to eat to generate warmth, they are perfectly fine outside without blankets. No blankets for our mares.

 

I only blanketed my one mustang/qh cross in winter, because darnit he wouldn't grow a winter coat! Same schedule as all my others but he just wouldn't. So I got him a blanket and no matter what style or how many cinches, he'd have it off in the morning and be shivering. Serves him right I think!

Now I just give up. All naked, all the time.
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Horses are made to be naked all the time in whatever weather. The only real reason i rug is because its flippin cold up here in the winter, and my horse looses weight easily. I also am at a boarding barn, so there is an indoor arena we ride in in the winter, so if we didnt rug our hroses they would get extremly hot when we took them inside.

 

Yay, I'm glad at your responses. I completely understand rugging if people are showing, or rugging if the horse has itch or an allergy to insects etc...

But I very rarely show, I don't clip, and my boys have other insect replellents (apple cidar vingar and this natural cream which is awesome!!! I even use it on my face and I'm sensitive to everything normally)...

So I'm really changing my way of thinking about rugging. Guess I was looking for other's opinions as I do really struggle with the thought that I am being neglectful - only as it was instilled that horses are to rugged... So it's a matter of changing my persective. Honestly these boys love being naked. And now I'm not riding in an arena but rather in the open cold during winter - as I don't do a great deal, not endurance etc, so they don't get too hot with their winter coats.

Oooo this is all new to me... Think I'll go and pack away my 15 rugs today, as it's now warm down here... Yep 15 for two horses that I have had for less than one year (as I said it was instilled that to be a good horse owner you must rug, so they have all sorts of different rugs for different weather)...

I can't imagine it being any easier to keep a horse unrugged - being even more grooming in place, so it's not a matter of convenience (oops here I go trying to proove to myself that it is okay again)...

 

That said - one of my boys will still likely be rugged as this winter showed me he doesn't develop much of a coat, and winters here get to -5 at night. The other horse runs hot most of the time anyway and had a great coat forming til I got him and started rugging...

 

shakenbake - I was speaking to my vet before I sold my horse. She was a really skinny TB, like emaciated thin when I got her. So I was asking about rugging to help her gain weight. He laughed, and said that in Australia we tend to really over rug our horses. Are you in the alps? If you aren't up that high, I would let them go nude

 

Nope, not the alps... Am up high (above sea level) and we did have a day of sleet/ snow (only one though) but definately not the alps. Did have to rug lots when we moved here - cos we came from Brisbane in the middle of winter, so big change weather wise... But it's now warming up nicely - generally around 15 at night and 26 during day. Funny though, cos in Brisbane my fanstastic instructor does rug 24/7 (appropriately, never overheating etc), but now I'm developing the idea of nude - plus now I have them at home I can actually see how happy they are when I take the rugs off....

 

Depends on the pony, the ponies work load, whether I am going to show it over winter, how I plan on keeping the pony (i.e. in or out) and any medical problems.

This is my lot:

Harvey: is heavily rugged most of the year, he is 30, difficult to keep weight on and can't be stabled as he panics.

Pride: is naked in summer doesnt matter what the weather is doing. If it is horrific I may bring him in, dry him off and stick a lightweight on him but normaly I dont bother and he is happier without.
In winter he has a heavyweight turnout rug on. He is a 28year old british riding pony, fat, sassy and lives out 99% of the time. I do not show him in winter.

RIAN: is a 19 yearold arab, is naked and turned out 24/7 in summer, and rugged heavily in winter as he has artheritis in his spine and pelvis which is made worse if he gets cold. He lives in at night in winter.

Reeco: he is naked in summer but has been rugged up since early september. This is because he is likely to be shown this winter. He will also go for breaking in Jan/Feb and It is not a wise Idea to have to clip him and then send him and would cost me more money. If I were not showing or having him broken he would be out 24/7 without rugs. Currently he is out 24/7 in summer and in at night only in winter. he is 3 years old

Stan was 20 years old. He was shown extensively over summer and because he suffered from sweet itch he was rugged with a boett in summer. In winter he was turned away and not ridden. He was left naked in winter to encourage his hair to grow back where he had rubbed it off. He was always turned out 24/7. He was however a purebred connemara who grew an enormous coat.

 

I never rug my horse. I see so many horses in my barn with their blankets pulled over there heads, or sweating buckets under their blankets. It gets pretty cold here but I have never seen him show signs that he is to cold. Why go through all the hassle when mother nature gives them a nice winter coat.

 

Shakenbake,

I am curious what the weather is like in your area. Sadly, I have never been to Australia (gotta do that one of these days soon) But my understanding is that though it gets cold for a few hours during the night in winter in your area, it isn't so cold during the day, even in midwinter. So, if it's cold for only a few hours, it isn't the end of the world if they feel coldness for a few hours.

We don't rug our horses at all where they are kept. They are out 24/7 with only a runin for shelter from the wind and rain. I used to worry about them and think how cold they must be. Then when I'd go see them in the morning, they would just be standing around as usual , even with snow on there fetlocks or rumps. They weren't shivering. It's amazing how sturdy they are.
Howver, I know some breedsd don't handle the cold well, or will go through a transition time.
I find it surprising that folks in Australia over rug their horses . I have this stereotype in my mind of Aussies as being really rugged folks who require their animals to be equally as rugged and disdain fancy-schmancy horse stuff.

P.S. I went for a vigourous trail ride of 3 plus hours up and down, trot and canter and gallop and the horses are all covered with long hair now. Of course they sweated, but that's how they cool off and they were fine with a quick towelling and a short cool down walk , into the trailer and home. Mind you, it wasn't THAT cold out (about 48 f)

 

TinyLily,

Well where I am now the summers are hot (40 degs C) and winter is generally coldish (down to minus 5 deg C). We had one morning of sleet/snow but this didn't collect and just melted away straight away. In my area the winds do pick up though and in winter can be very chilly, but then my block and paddocks have natural shade and also hills and rocks which break the wind.

Hehehe Aussies Rugged folks... Yep stereotype... There certainly are rugged folk who require rugged horses and some that will leave horses in a large paddock only with no particular care other than the basics (feet, teeth etc), but then there is the other extreme who will have their horses in Stables most of the day if not all day, in layers of different rugs including hoods, boots, tail bags and all, with every piece of tack you could imagine... So it's quite varied.

I don't need rugged horses, don't do long journeys or farm work etc... They are pleasure horses really. I only bought the first on in Feb and in an effort to be a good horse owner thought I needed many many rugs... My own studies have suggested that alla natural is the way to go...

 

Well where I am now the summers are hot (40 degs C) and winter is generally coldish (down to minus 5 deg C)..

That confused me at first lol. I think you'd be fine without blanketing as long as you have some form of shelter. For the past two years my horse has gone without a blanket because I wasn't riding him that hard. The only time I would blanket him is if it rained or got below -40 Celsius. This year, on the other hand, I'm blanketing because it will be more convenient for me.

 

I know lots of horses that are rugged 24/7, and I hate it! Especially during the summer months. I would much rather just let a horse be a horse. I will rug my girl the night before a show, as I don't have access to a stable, and mostly during the night over the colder months. Other than that she's nude and maintains a lovely, shiny, short soft coat over the summer.

 

I blanket 90% of the year. If we're not showing we're body clipped and out fox hunting or trail riding, so there's reason to have a sheet or blanket on.
Most of the year it's either cold and rainy or both so she needs something to keep warm and dry. In the off chance it's not too cold or wet, and we don't have an event, sure I'll let her run around in her horsie nudies!

But even in the summer most of the time she'll either have a fly sheet for super hot days, or a cotton sheet to keep the dirty off.

If we weren't always out and about, I wouldn't blanket as much but yes I would still blanket when it rains and snows and I would still put her white cotton reflective fly sheet when it's over 95 in the summer.

 

I rug for my convenience, not because my horses need protection from the weather. My horses live out 24/7, with free access to their stalls. They would be fine, healthy and happy without rugs.

However, keeping them rugged does retard their coat growth somewhat and keeps their coats clean. Last year I started rugging them at first frost, and put rugs on whenever it was below freezing at night. Since they were only in light work last winter, I did not clip and was able to keep their coats at a managable level.

For me, the inconvenience of having to pull rugs on and off on days when it's warm during the day but below freezing at night is much less than the inconvenience of trying to groom a full winter coat or shedding one out come spring. I am debating whether or not to do the same thing this year, or to go ahead and clip. That's a similar calculation of convenience - will I be riding enough that the convenience of having them clipped will out weigh the inconveniece of extra rugging?

 

I guess I rug for similar convenience reasons as well. I clip b/c cooling out a full winter coat can take longer than the ride that caused it, plus drying a wet horse enough to ride in the winter is a hugetime suck. When it's an included service my barn provides (weekdays only), am & pm blanket switches on the weekends is far more convenient, than all the additional time I would have to spend just drying her.
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I rugged the first year i got my horse, like you i thought i needed to blanket him to be a good owner. Then i did some reading and haven't blanketed him since. I do have a medium weight that i have in case he gets sick but i've found that he gets so hairy that he sweats under a rug.

I considered blanketing this year for convenience but i know his pasture buddies would have that thing off him in a matter of minutes. If he gets wet or comes in wet at night i'll go along and dry him off, i have a cooler that i stick on him to wick away the worst of the moisture. I tend to try and get him so he can fluff up his hair on his own again and then he's fine.

He's half mustang so he's a sturdy type of horse, plus if he loses weight because it's cold good on him, he could do with shedding a few pounds

 

I blanketed Starlite the first year pretty much because I had to - bad boarding situation, she wasn't being fed much and was left out in the rain/freezing weather without shelter, when we brought her in we got yelled at. So really...it was best for her in that situation. Last year I blanketed her because I thought I'd be riding quite a bit - I didn't, and when I did I didn't ride her hard. This year, she goes naked and I must say it is ALOT less stress of having to worry about going up to the barn and getting her blanket on or off if it's cold or warm. I love her not being blanketed! Plus alot of people say it's better for them.

I was going to sell her blanket but you never know, so I'm keeping it...at home, so when I'm at the barn thinking "brrr I'm freezing!!" I won't be like "oh I bet Starlite's cold let me get her blanket!" LOL - it's my reminder that she is a horse and not a baby! Even though she is my baby...

 

None of my horses get blanketed, under any weather conditions, regardless of age. They have enough room to roam and tons of thickets and trees to hide under in harsh weather conditions, not to mention 24/7 access to good forage. So for them, it's all naked, all the time, from my weanlings to my 27 year old retiree. Never had an instance of hypothermia or illness because of it either.

I think the big thing is that people anthropomorphize horses and believe that they need all the luxuries that we like to have; a blanket when it's cold, food that really isn't healthy, etc. Hence why so many people blanket their horses from fall all the way into spring and overfeed them with horsey 'junk' food. If you are showing and need to keep the winter fuzzies to a minimum or the horse is clipped, that is okay but most normal folks that just ride for fun or work don't need to blanket their horses barring some extenuating health issue that deems it necessary.

 

So I was asking about rugging to help her gain weight. He laughed, and said that in Australia we tend to really over rug our horses.

(can't quote on my phone)

That is a horrible thing for a vet to laugh at - especially an emaciated TB.

I left my 5yo healthy fad Arab mare unrugged this winter in Canberra and she lost a LOT of weight (coincidentally this was a good thing as she was obese, lol) but it certainly does get cold enough for horses to loose significant amounts of weight.

Winter just gone I rugged my riding/show horse 24/7 and left Latte naked as I wasn't riding her much. Their paddock has no shelter or trees and the only way to get out of the wind is to huddle together in the creek gully.

Next year I will choose wether or not to rug Katte depending on how fat she is. If she needs to lose again, I'll leave her naked. If not, I'll rug.

In summer I leave mine naked except for the night before a show.
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My mare that I have now has been the only horse ever, of mine, that has been blanketed in the winter; that was last year, when I body clipped her because she would get so sweaty and overheated when I worked her...she was miserable, and would get crabby, so I clipped and kept her rugged. During the day I would strip the heavy blanket, and give her a turn out sheet; at night, I switched back. She never seemed to get cold or too hot during the day with just the sheet.

That said, I am hoping to keep her nude for the most part, this winter...she does have a light waterproof sheet for days that are just too chilly, windy, or rainy, though; so I guess I've gone 'soft' a bit. However, unless I wind up body clipping, she won't get a heavy blanket at all...just the sheet when needed.

I grew up and MN, and we never blanketed our horses, and it gets COLD (like -40 F) for days on end...the horses never seemed bothered at all. As long as they have plenty of food to keep the 'furnace' stoked, a healthy horse should have no problems with the cold.

 

My first horse as a teen didn't wear a blanket at all and I lived in a very COLD area during the winter, never had a problem. I moved to WA which is a mild but damp area and pretty much had a light blanket on my horse all winter, not for the cold so much as the damp. Now I'm in KY with hot, humid summers and bitter, dry winters. I've gotten so use to blanketing that I have a hard time not but since I have 6 horses and plan on more... well that's a lot of money to spend. So right now I have blankets for most if needed but only one one girl is wearing one. She's a pregnant TB who dropped weight suddenly when all the grass dried up. She's looking better now but I don't want her burning all her calories keeping warm. My other girls have all developed nice fuzzy winter coats. I just bring them inside during the really bad (stormy and cold) weather.

PS. I always try to remember that things like stalls, blankets, supplements are people's inventions... horses are a lot tougher than we tend to give them credit for.

 

Well I did it... I took off the rugs (they have been nude lately during the day but at night one has been in a thin doona and the other just a polyester rain sheet - as he runs hot anyway)... But I took them off (picked the warmer nights to do it)... And they seem fine. Even didn't run out yesterday in the rain and put rainsheets on them, just left them to be ala natural.. And they dried quickly as soon as the rain cleared up and appeared to be warm throughout the night anyway...

Wow my AM routine is much quicker now, but PM they still get a huge brush as the rain has picked up some of the dirt in their coats - they need a bath! Just need to wait for a morning I am home to do it... Probably this Friday.

It's very strange for me... To see them nude.. They have a nice collection of rugs which I am washing and putting away this weekend, cottons, fly mesh, rain sheets, canvas's, doona and polarfleeces... Think I was rug mad for a while!!

But glad to hear other horses cope fine (PS both were unrugged before I bought them, so it's no new thing for them...) I'm just a paranoid owner that thinks if it's time to put a jumper on it must mean the horses are cold... Working on changing that though!

 

I'm just a paranoid owner that thinks if it's time to put a jumper on it must mean the horses are cold... Working on changing that though!

It's not paronia... it's love!! You care about your horses and want the best for them. It's just remembering they are horses and not humans that can be the hard part. Don't worry, you little guys won't melt!! But yes, they will be a whole lot dirtier and probably happier. I know there is nothing more my guys love after a bath than a good roll in the dustiest part of the pasture they can find. :wink:

 

I don't need to rug horses where i live, it is really hot!