# To rug or not to rug



## Haphazardhacker (16 September 2013)

I help look after two horses. Their owner is now on holiday for 2 weeks so I'm in sole charge.
The other day when I did them it had been raining all day and I got to them and they were both shivering . I phoned the very understanding other half and he bought some rugs down , I tried to dry them off a bit with towels but they went on wet(I know its a big no no but they were shivering so short of bringing them home and blow drying them  I didn't have much choice). 
I have read some bits on rugs and see there are people saying that rugging now is too early and they won't get a winter coat etc. I'm sure that if they were shivering and tucked up that I did the right thing by rugging them.
They are a 4 yo old TB and a 15 yo Hanoverian. They live out 24/7 are in a field that have been in since June, they get minimal hard feed and no hay , the Hanoverian is a bit plump at the moment but nothing serious and the TB is neither fat nor skinny. We live in the South East , the field is at the top of a hill and has hedges on three sides and no field shelter.

What I'm looking to know is....
What horses has everyone here got and how do you decide when to rug them?

I have done the ear base feeling thing, what sort of temperature should they be on their ears?

I work long hours so can't get there in the middle of the day to do wardrobe changes so is it better for them to be too warm or too cold?

What weight rugs is everyone using at the moment?

I'm new to the living out way of life as with other horses I've looked after they have always had a stable if it gets chilly so I've had the option to stable them with no rugs . I just can't stand the feeling that they might be shivering in the field feeling unloved , while at the same time I don't want them being too warm or being rugged early so they won't get a winter coat and will be colder when it is proper cold. 

any advice much appreciated


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## twiggy2 (16 September 2013)

contact the owner and ask what they would like you to do


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## Meowy Catkin (16 September 2013)

If they were shivering, drying them as as best as you could and rugging was the right thing to do. With modern breathable rugs, it's not such a big deal to rug damp horses. My horses live out and I've had to do this with no ill effects.

You can always take the rugs off if the weather brightens up.


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## Micky (16 September 2013)

you can also put fleeces on them when they're wet, they dry out pretty quickly ( though then you have to dry out the fleece!)...agree, ring the owner and ask or put lightweights on if you have no phone joy


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## Moomin1 (16 September 2013)

Horses will not die because they are shivering.  Under rugging is much less likely to do as much damage as over rugging so I would always go for less is better.


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## Haphazardhacker (16 September 2013)

Thanks for your advice everyone,  the owner is far less experienced than me and these are her first horses so she has left it up to me whether i rug or not while she is away. Ive had horses before but not ones that are out 24/7 so just wanted to see what other people did so i can get an idea if I'm getting it completely wrong , or if rugging is very specific to each horse and ive just got to trust my instinct (and the weather forecast!!)


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## Shay (16 September 2013)

You can get very technical rugs these days which really help the animal self regulate.  At the end of the day rugging is very much a personal matter - you have to do what is best for your horse.  We live in the south east too.  Temperatures atm are about 11 degrees at the peak and down to about 7 or 8 at night.  I have a cob who, for a native coldbood, is one of the coldest horses I have ever known and he is now in a mediumweight full neck in the day and a heavy weight at night.  I also have an irish sports horse who, in comparison, is a lot warmer.  But he too is now in medium weights night and day.  (Both stay in at night).  I know in comparison with some at the same yard we rug quite heavily.  But long experience has taught us to rug to the horse - not to what everyone else is doing.

Rugging or not rugging has nothing to do with the coat coming in.  That is triggered by day length and nothing more.


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## pansy (16 September 2013)

Hi, I cant face putting MWs on yet - so I am cheating - the TB is in a fleece & lightweight on a night & the fleece comes off during the day & just a lightweight  if out during the day because he starts to melt if he get wet !!!!! The hairy one is being clipped again the weekend so he will be the same - they will be in from the end of October - sooner if the weather doesn't pick up -  If I put them in MW's now they wont be able to walk in January xx


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## xgemmax (17 September 2013)

Ours all have rainsheets on at night and in the day if its cold like today  I'd rather have them dry and with the chill taken off than standing there in the rain and wind being cold! Plus a rainsheet is hardly gonna make them too hot. Also I don't like to put their rugs on too late so their winter coat doesn't grow so fluffy and i can leave it later to clip lol. thats for a 6yo cob x, 19yo welsh x tb & 24yo newforest


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## brandon's mum (17 September 2013)

I'd like to join this conversation.  I've just acquired a yearling cob.  He's been out last winter - as he wasn't looked after.  He is pretty healthy and now has a headcollar that doesn't cut into his head and decent feed.  I want to overwinter him outside, but part of me wants to do that cuddly mum thing and rug him now, especially because ti is wet and windy.  Bearing in mind he coped last winter what do the experts here think?  My friend is in favour of no rugs and he's in her fields by the way.


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## AdorableAlice (17 September 2013)

brandon's mum said:



			I'd like to join this conversation.  I've just acquired a yearling cob.  He's been out last winter - as he wasn't looked after.  He is pretty healthy and now has a headcollar that doesn't cut into his head and decent feed.  I want to overwinter him outside, but part of me wants to do that cuddly mum thing and rug him now, especially because ti is wet and windy.  Bearing in mind he coped last winter what do the experts here think?  My friend is in favour of no rugs and he's in her fields by the way.
		
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Keep your yearling cob with a belly full of fibre and decent hedge. He won't need a rug and will be safer without one.


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## JennBags (17 September 2013)

brandon's mum - in your case I wouldn't rug - do your fields have some sort of shelter?

Another one in the SE here.  My IDxTB is living out at the moment, and in either a sheet or a LW (maybe 100g filling?) - the LW has a neck cover, and that is on when the weather is looking particularly horrible (like today).  He is quite good at temperature regulation, he's rarely too hot or too cold, so I don't worry too much about it.

In this weather, you are not going to be over-rugging them or doing them any harm at all if they are in sheets or LWs.  I wouldn't want my horses shivering with the cold, so you did the right thing IMO,


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## Antw23uk (17 September 2013)

My 7 yr old TB is in a light weight and has been for a week now. He comes in at night where he generally keeps the rug on to save time turning him out in the morning. Weather dependent he will most likely go into a medium turnout in a week .. hopefully two but it will depend on the weather and will depend on him. Its not only an owners personal preference but its down to the horse and if its feeling the cold.

My TB is going into winter slightly under weight which is why I've taken to rugging now.

I think you did the right thing.


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## xgemmax (17 September 2013)

brandon's mum said:



			I'd like to join this conversation.  I've just acquired a yearling cob.  He's been out last winter - as he wasn't looked after.  He is pretty healthy and now has a headcollar that doesn't cut into his head and decent feed.  I want to overwinter him outside, but part of me wants to do that cuddly mum thing and rug him now, especially because ti is wet and windy.  Bearing in mind he coped last winter what do the experts here think?  My friend is in favour of no rugs and he's in her fields by the way.
		
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In this case I would probabaly leave unrugged, seeing that he's only a yearling so you can leave him to get as hairy as he likes as wont need to be clipped. Providing he has decent forage then he should be fine


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## pansy (17 September 2013)

pansy said:



			Hi, I cant face putting MWs on yet - so I am cheating - the TB is in a fleece & lightweight on a night & the fleece comes off during the day & just a lightweight  if out during the day because he starts to melt if he get wet !!!!! The hairy one is being clipped again the weekend so he will be the same - they will be in from the end of October - sooner if the weather doesn't pick up -  If I put them in MW's now they wont be able to walk in January xx
		
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Change of plan they have both got mw's  on now & if this weather keeps up will be in on a night from the weekend xx


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## ZoeF (18 September 2013)

I have my Arab in a rain sheet now, he's keeping plenty warm enough anyway but atleast he's not soggy and it helps to keep the chill off overnight as he lives out 24/7. He's still carrying weight from the grass and has a small hard feed each evening too. As I can only get there in the evening after work each day its now a case of relying on the Met office report to know whether to rug or not so I'm happier knowing he has something on


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## Haphazardhacker (18 September 2013)

Yeah im constantly checking the met office, i thknk they should tailor a report for horse owners.


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## CaleruxShearer (19 September 2013)

brandon's mum said:



			I'd like to join this conversation.  I've just acquired a yearling cob.  He's been out last winter - as he wasn't looked after.  He is pretty healthy and now has a headcollar that doesn't cut into his head and decent feed.  I want to overwinter him outside, but part of me wants to do that cuddly mum thing and rug him now, especially because ti is wet and windy.  Bearing in mind he coped last winter what do the experts here think?  My friend is in favour of no rugs and he's in her fields by the way.
		
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He should be fine without, as long as he's got a decent bit of hedge for shelter,plenty of hay and a few nuts he should be absolutely fine. At work all our yearlings, 2 year olds and 3 year olds are out 24/7 with no rugs on, and they are TB's or foreign bred eventers! We felt sorry for the yearlings when it really snowed last year so just put rain sheets on them overnight, checked them in the morning and they were sweaty! You will also find when it snows if he has a good thick coat the snow on his back won't melt...so he isn't letting out any heat!


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## squidsin (20 September 2013)

My cob is living out and isn't rugged up yet. She has a winter coat already and is holding onto her weight, and I don't think it's quite cold enough yet where she's kept (in quite a sheltered valley.) I've got the mediumweight ready for action but want to leave it as long as possible!


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