# Rugging up a wet horse?



## kajabe (3 June 2012)

I'm in a bit of a pickle 
My mare wouldn't catch last night after about 45 mins of me trying so I decided to leave her out. I was only going to bring her in to put a lw rug on as it was forecast rain.

It's heaved it down overnight and is still raining now. She does have a stable but it is in a barn and no one else is bringing their horse in tonight and she will not stable on her own!
She is now cold and wet.

I know some people say not to rug them when they're wet but some people do.

I really don't know what to do as she is old so gets shivery when wet, so would it be better for me just to wait for her to dry out (rain is forecast for all of next week too) or just take the plunge and rug her when shes wet?

Choccy biccies and hot chocolate for anyone who gets this far!!


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## raspberryripple (3 June 2012)

I wouldn't rug her wet personally.

I would either leave her as she is or can you bring her in for a couple of hours now to dry off, rug her and put her back out?


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## katie_southwest (3 June 2012)

A while ago I got caught out and got to the field and my mare was soaked and shivering...I had 10 minutes before I had to leave for work so I towelled her off best I could (felt pointless at the time  ) and put her rug on - yes she was still wet - but it was either that or go to work and leave her shivering, it was forecast to be heavy rain all day.
When she was checked a couple of hours later she was bone dry and warm underneath. 

Cant beat Rambos


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## soloequestrian (3 June 2012)

I often put Rhino rugs on my horses when they're wet - they breathe and the horses dry under them.  If they are cold, I put one of the thicker rugs on.  I don't do it with their Amigos though - they don't seem to let the water out.  So if your rug is breathable, go for it!


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## maggiesmum (3 June 2012)

Can you put a cooler on with a turnout on the top? Then take the cooler off later?
thats what I do and it seems to work pretty well.


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## kajabe (3 June 2012)

Ill give you a list of the rugs ive got as I'm not very good with this sort of thing:
Lw masta no neck
Lw requisite with neck
Mw weatherbeeta one with neck and one with out
Waffle rug
Fleece rug
Hw with neck
Various stable rugs
 which one/combination do you think would be a good idea? Btw she is an irishX so fairly chunky 
Thank you!


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## Marydoll (3 June 2012)

Most of the new rugs wick away moisture, if youre worried towel dry as much as you can, and stick a rug on her, ive did it before with no problems, if its a l/w id stick a wee fleece on under it and take fleece off later


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## Shilasdair (3 June 2012)

Put something with some filling on, so that the water on her evaporates into the rug.
Then, once she is dry, put a different rug on, and air the first one inside out.
S


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## indie999 (3 June 2012)

Leave her would not rug wet horse


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## MyBoyChe (3 June 2012)

I was caught out last night too and was greeted this morning by a very wet, soggy and thoroughly cross TB, he really hates getting wet.  Im in the same boat as you cos he wont stand in on his own so I took his breakfast across his paddock (individual), parked us both under a hedge so with a bit of protection, used the sweat scraper to get the worst off then popped his lw on.  I have done this before and its always worked OK, its not that cold where we are, just very wet! TBH he would be OK without a rug but he does get very cross and grumpy when he gets rained on and is so much easier to deal with if hes dry and happy  I suppose its cos he used to be a pampered racehorse and takes exception to being subjected to real life!!


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## Shilasdair (3 June 2012)

indie999 said:



			Leave her would not rug wet horse
		
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Why not?
What is this nonsense?   

Putting a rug on a wet horse will warm the horse.  It is the same amount of moisture to evaporate from the horse and therefore the same amount of heat loss whether you let the horse dry naked and then rug it, or put the rug on the horse wet.

Of course the better suggestion is to rug the horse with one rug, then swap to a dry one.
This minimises heat loss and keeps the animal as warm as possible.
S


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## cptrayes (3 June 2012)

I've been breathable-turnout rugging both sweat-wet and rain-wet horses for 20 years and never had a problem. Never changed rugs after they have dried out either


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## Shilasdair (3 June 2012)

cptrayes said:



			I've been breathable-turnout rugging both sweat-wet and rain-wet horses for 20 years and never had a problem. Never changed rugs after they have dried out either 

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Agreed - if they are breathable you don't have to.
S


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## kajabe (3 June 2012)

What is classed as a breathable turn out? Is it really obvious?!


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## Shilasdair (3 June 2012)

kajabe said:



			What is classed as a breathable turn out? Is it really obvious?! 

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Most modern rugs are 'breathable' - the more expensive the rug, the better they tend to wick the moisture away.
Just chuck a rug on, and stop worrying .
S


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## cptrayes (3 June 2012)

Shilasdair said:



			Agreed - if they are breathable you don't have to.
S 

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Oh no! We've agreed again. Where will this lead  ?


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## Wagtail (3 June 2012)

Personally, yes I would definitely rug her. If you have a mediumweight then put that on, otherwise then I would use the fleece with the best LW you have on top.


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## Shilasdair (3 June 2012)

cptrayes said:



			Oh no! We've agreed again. Where will this lead  ?
		
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I'm game for marriage, personally?
S


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## padderpaws (3 June 2012)

Surely horses coats were designed by nature to keep them OK when it rained.  I understand to rug when a horse is clipped, very old, thin etc But a healthy adult horse with enough to eat should be able to cope with rain in June.


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## Shilasdair (3 June 2012)

padderpaws said:



			Surely horses coats were designed by nature to keep them OK when it rained.  I understand to rug when a horse is clipped, very old, thin etc But a healthy adult horse with enough to eat should be able to cope with rain in June.
		
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Nature didn't design modern horses - we selectively bred them for certain 'beneficial' traits.
So my Tb could run fast as hell on manicured turf, with a low heartrate, and huge lungs.
Shivered her arse off in a summer shower though as she had no coat.
Natives and more 'primitive' horses may be ok, but hotbloods and wambloods may not.
S


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## padderpaws (3 June 2012)

Well, I think you are talking rot.  Not all horses are TB and I say to you that most horses if fit and healthy can handle rain in June without any need for rugs.  Am entitled to my opinion if you don't like it, fine but you don't need to post snotty, huffy posts.


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## Marydoll (3 June 2012)

Shilasdair said:



			Nature didn't design modern horses - we selectively bred them for certain 'beneficial' traits.
So my Tb could run fast as hell on manicured turf, with a low heartrate, and huge lungs.
Shivered her arse off in a summer shower though as she had no coat.
Natives and more 'primitive' horses may be ok, but hotbloods and wambloods may not.
S 

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^ wot she says ^


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## cptrayes (3 June 2012)

Shilasdair said:



			I'm game for marriage, personally?
S 

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Oh bottom, I'm spoken for


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## Wagtail (3 June 2012)

padderpaws said:



			Surely horses coats were designed by nature to keep them OK when it rained.  I understand to rug when a horse is clipped, very old, thin etc But a healthy adult horse with enough to eat should be able to cope with rain in June.
		
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Temperatures fell as low as 5 degrees here overnight accompanied by high winds and heavy rain. My horses were shivering in their lightweights this morning. The mare and foal had been brought in for the night because they could not wear rugs. I changed the rugs on my two to their middle weights.


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## cptrayes (3 June 2012)

padderpaws said:



			Surely horses coats were designed by nature to keep them OK when it rained.  I understand to rug when a horse is clipped, very old, thin etc But a healthy adult horse with enough to eat should be able to cope with rain in June.
		
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I don't know where you live PP but here it is currently 6 degrees, a temperature which would be normal for December, raining and blowing a gale and my horses have summer coats, not winter ones.  Nature's coat design is not suitable for a return of winter in June 

Plus what Shils says!


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## Auslander (3 June 2012)

I feel that the "Don't rug a wet horse" is a hangover from the days of jute rugs/New Zealands - which were blanket lined and therefore soaked up all the water and stayed soggy until they were removed and dried out properly. Modern rugs are fine - I've never had a moments doubt about chucking a rug on a wet horse if I haven't been able to dry it first.


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## Auslander (3 June 2012)

padderpaws said:



			you don't need to post snotty, huffy posts.
		
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Neither do you...


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## Shilasdair (3 June 2012)

padderpaws said:



			Well, I think you are talking rot.  Not all horses are TB and I say to you that most horses if fit and healthy can handle rain in June without any need for rugs.  Am entitled to my opinion if you don't like it, fine but *you don't need to post snotty, huffy posts *.
		
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Do you fancy me, is that the issue?
You should have said - I'll ditch cptrayes for you...

S   x x


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## PolarSkye (3 June 2012)

While it's amusing to watch people try to intimidate Shils, back to the matter in hand.  To the OP . . . chuck either a fleece or the waffle rug on the horse to wick the moisture away and put a breathable rainsheet on top . . . when horse is dry (if practical) remove the underlayer.

Seemples.

P


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## cptrayes (3 June 2012)

padderpaws said:



			Well, I think you are talking rot.  Not all horses are TB and I say to you that most horses if fit and healthy can handle rain in June without any need for rugs.  Am entitled to my opinion if you don't like it, fine but you don't need to post snotty, huffy posts.
		
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You have a problem PP.

Shils post was neither snotty, nor huffy. It was a good explanation to someone whose posts seemed to suggest that they were not familiar with non-native bred horses. 

It isn't rot. It's completely correct. I have had several horses of various different breeding whose feet would be rattling on the floor if they were unrugged in this weather, including the two I have just put rugs on to turn out.

You are entitled to your opinion that we are wrong, but please be a little more polite about it.


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## cptrayes (3 June 2012)

Auslander said:



			I feel that the "Don't rug a wet horse" is a hangover from the days of jute rugs/New Zealands - which were blanket lined and therefore soaked up all the water and stayed soggy until they were removed and dried out properly..
		
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Oh weren't they FUN  ? Not.   They weren't waterproof, they weighed a ton when wet and it was impossible to handle them without getting as much mud on you as there was on the rug. I bless the days of the breathables!


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## cptrayes (3 June 2012)

Shilasdair said:



			Do you fancy me, is that the issue?
You should have said - I'll ditch cptrayes for you...

S   x x
		
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Cow


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## Shilasdair (3 June 2012)

cptrayes said:



			Cow 

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You knocked me back first, for what I consider tenuous reasons.
S


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## Auslander (3 June 2012)

cptrayes said:



			Oh weren't they FUN  ? Not.   They weren't waterproof, they weighed a ton when wet and it was impossible to handle them without getting as much mud on you as there was on the rug. I bless the days of the breathables!
		
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And the delicious odour of a urine soaked jute rug... I'm sure that horsy people are slightly less smelly now that we don;t have to deal with those sort of rugs!

Coming down on frosty mornings to find your hunter clipped horse wearing a jute rug and 64 blankets as a bib, with a jute surcingle still fastened round his naked body...

We still have an old New Zealand in the barn at my parents. It's in perfect condition, and my mother keeps offering to bring it up for my new horse...Noooooooo


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## McNally (3 June 2012)

I will be sticking a fleece and l/w on my TB later, going to work for a few hours then change it or just whip out the fleece....the others can shiver a little "spring" grass fat off as i am evil!


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## Pearlsasinger (3 June 2012)

padderpaws said:



			Surely horses coats were designed by nature to keep them OK when it rained.  I understand to rug when a horse is clipped, very old, thin etc But a healthy adult horse with enough to eat should be able to cope with rain in June.
		
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But this isn't a normal healthy horse.  OP's horse is old.
We have just brought our 3 in prior to taking onto a neighbour's field to graze.  The 2 younger ones were fine - the 30 yr old was the first to the gate (most unusual) and shivering.  We have given her a feed and rugged with a fleece and a medium-weight with a half-collar.  She is warming up as we speak and we expect her to be fine.  However, they may well be staying at home tonight after all, so that we can keep a close eye on her.

ETA, 30 yr old is a gypsy cob who hasn't yet lost all her winter coat.


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## asbo (3 June 2012)

I dont "do" wet,cold,shivery horses, so if caught short and it p**ses down i will pop a rug on, including the sec a.


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## Queenbee (3 June 2012)

Rug it... T'will be fine. PP there are many things us humans do and have done to horses that affect their ability to deal with weather changes, the 'au natural' horse has a good deal of natural oils in its coat, but I'm sure with the recent good weather many owners will have taken the opportunity to shampoo and set their horses. Excessive grooming can rip the oils out too. TBs are not the only horses that have been selectively bred, and if the poor horse shivers in the cold, why cause this to continue when op has the means to make her horse more comfortable. Op its not the same but my mare is in a full neck medium weight and it's not even really raining, she's still hiding in the field shelter too, and when she comes in tonight she will have her winter stable rug on, granted she has absolutely no muscle or fat on her at the moment, but rugging a horse isn't a crime.
By the way pp, taken to the extreme, perhaps all us humans should do away with clothes since we are not naturally born with them... Would you like to lead the way with this one?


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## Shilasdair (3 June 2012)

Queenbee said:



			By the way pp, taken to the extreme, perhaps all us humans should do away with clothes since we are not naturally born with them... Would you like to lead the way with this one? 

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And where were you when I was campaigning for a nudist sub-forum?
S


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## Queenbee (3 June 2012)

I was probably away on a hot deserted island buck neked!  any calmer now Shils or do you want me to FedEx you some humans to torture?


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## Black_Horse_White (3 June 2012)

Queenbee you've just said what I was thinking, the horses on my yard have been bathed nearly everyday whilst it was hot. They've come this morning shivering, mine who has only been bathed once was fine.


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## rhino (3 June 2012)

Shilasdair said:



			And where were you when I was campaigning for a nudist sub-forum?
S 

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You could reinstate it, even set up a petition as everyone else seems to be petitioning about _stuff_ at the moment.

I'm sure fatty would love some Jubilee weekend interaction  Otherwise he might get bored, and we wouldn't want that


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## MrsMozart (3 June 2012)

Will happily rug mine when they're wet. 

DWB is in her stable now as she was out nekked - and shivering like a jelly on a washing machine. She had good grazing, is a good weight, and is reasonably healthy, doesn't stop her feeling the cold/wet though. 

Little Cob was clipped a week ago and is in a mw with neck. 

Little Lad is surprisingly ok. Used to do the jelly thing in the rain. 

IDxTB is usually fine nekked, but rugged if raining and going to be worked. 

Am most put out that I'm no-where to be seen on Shil's list. Will have to stay with the D


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## Queenbee (3 June 2012)

I'm sure fatty would love some interaction with his *jubilees*  

Black horse white... Just call me god  op I hope your horse is all snugly buggly and roasty


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## undertheweather (3 June 2012)

No hesitation about rugging a wet horse. 
However I hate horses out in this weather in fly rugs, all soggy and heavy. (Well fitting all over sweet itch jobbies I will tolerate)


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## jeeve (3 June 2012)

marydoll said:



			Most of the new rugs wick away moisture, if youre worried towel dry as much as you can, and stick a rug on her, ive did it before with no problems, if its a l/w id stick a wee fleece on under it and take fleece off later
		
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I usually do this when my horses are wet, either a fleecy rug or a jute one underneath, take it off an hour or so later.

The rules I was taught were that it is okay to put a dry rug on a wet horse - it is not okay to put a wet rug on a horse.


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## Foxhunter49 (3 June 2012)

Shilasdair said:



			Nature didn't design modern horses - we selectively bred them for certain 'beneficial' traits.
So my Tb could run fast as hell on manicured turf, with a low heartrate, and huge lungs.
Shivered her arse off in a summer shower though as she had no coat.
Natives and more 'primitive' horses may be ok, but hotbloods and wambloods may not.
S 

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Load of rubbish!

Do you think that TB stud farms rush out to rug their mares and young stock or even bring them in? 

I have TB's and if they shiver a bit in a summer shower then so be it. It toughens them up.

Horses survived for years without rugs on at the sight of rain and they will survive again. 

It is a different matter in the winter. They have a coat already and all to often you see horses out in the fields uncomfortable because they have a rug on and it has stopped raining.


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## rhino (3 June 2012)

Foxhunter49 said:



			I have TB's and if they shiver a bit in a summer shower then so be it. It toughens them up.
		
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How on earth does shivering act to toughen a horse up? 

No-one has said they won't survive, only that they may be more comfortable rugged


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## PonyGalaxy (3 June 2012)

Ask a friend at the yard to put theirs in, let her dry, rug up, then turn out. Don't rug wet, you will have a damp rug and a wet, chilly horse!


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## Auslander (3 June 2012)

PonyGalaxy said:



			Don't rug wet, you will have a damp rug and a wet, chilly horse!
		
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No you won't. Modern rugs are fine to put on wet horses. Even if they dont wick away the moisture, horse will be warm and damp under a rug, rather than chilly. Simple Science.


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## foxy1 (3 June 2012)

I too have been rugging wet horses for many many years with no problems. My yearling lives out with no rug and is warm so didn't rug him, but my Welsh cob is shivering so rug has gone on.


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## horserider198 (3 June 2012)

i would chuck a rug on  there body heat between the rug and them will be warm and eventually dry them out!


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## Irishbabygirl (3 June 2012)

OP if you haven't done so already, put on the medium weight wratherbeeta from your list of rugs posted earlier. Absolutely nothing wrong with rugging a wet horse. They will be bone dry underneath in a couple of hours.


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## Capriole (3 June 2012)

Id sweat scrape and rug the old dear.



Queenbee said:



			or do you want me to FedEx you some humans to torture? 

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DH(hel)L, surely?


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## Queenbee (3 June 2012)

Capriole said:



			Id sweat scrape and rug the old dear.



DH(hel)L, surely?
		
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## cptrayes (3 June 2012)

Foxhunter49 said:



			I have TB's and if they shiver a bit in a summer shower then so be it. It toughens them up.
		
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Can I paraphrase you?

"I have TBs and if they shiver a bit in a summer shower then I don't care"




Foxhunter49 said:



			It is a different matter in the winter.
		
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It is currently 4 degrees C in my field with driving wind and rain. The only way that differs from winter is that my horses have summer coats. I care if they shiver all night in this weather. They are rugged.


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## ILuvCowparsely (3 June 2012)

Yes  I have many occasions  had to rug a wet horse.  The horses in question  were fine and within a short time they started to warm up and this in turn dried them successfully.


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## Foxhunter49 (3 June 2012)

I worry more about them being out in the sun and flies than I do with them being out naked in the rain.

I have walked around my lot and it has been raining heavily for at least an hour - they were all in the middle of different paddocks happily grazing.


A question for those of you that do rush out to rug as soon as there is a spit of rain

*How many of you practise Natural horsemanship?*


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## rhino (3 June 2012)

Foxhunter49 said:



			A question for those of you that do rush out to rug as soon as there is a spit of rain

*How many of you practise Natural horsemanship?*

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Define Natural horsemanship... Not that I see the relevance, but still


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## topstripelucy (3 June 2012)

I have rugged my full ID up wet tonight...he lives out and no where to bring him in to dry off.  I dont like doing it but have had to do it a couple of times and he has always been fine...no problems!


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## Shanny_mare (3 June 2012)

The weather here today has been as bad as in winter - 8 degrees C and a cold easterly wind. Horse has a SUMMER coat at the moment, not a winter coat. If she shivers, she's cold and in her case is on limited grazing with a muzzle so can't eat to get warm. I had no issue with rugging her, even tho' wet. She's in tonight, with her haynet - UNrugged as she is now warm and dry


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## Echo Bravo (3 June 2012)

My 3 boys still come in at night so no rugging,but my 2 mares are out full time, the younger one was ok, but my old mare shivering and yes she is TB, so went home and got her rug, tonight when I got the boys in they were ok, young mare ok and my old mare as happy as a bug in a rug and if my young mare is cold and shivering in the morning, I'll rug her up as well. The weather doesn't help from wet and cold to very hot and dry back to wet and cold, so you do what you think is right.


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## Auslander (3 June 2012)

Foxhunter49 said:



			I worry more about them being out in the sun and flies than I do with them being out naked in the rain.

I have walked around my lot and it has been raining heavily for at least an hour - they were all in the middle of different paddocks happily grazing.


A question for those of you that do rush out to rug as soon as there is a spit of rain

*How many of you practise Natural horsemanship?*

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I don't - I'd put myself firmly in the no-nonsense school of horsemanship. My horse is new to me, he's 15, and has come from a competition yard where he has always been rugged. Hes out in a field with no shelter, natural or otherwise, so I think its only fair to him to protect him from the elements. He comes in during the day when its hot and sunny, and he has come in tonight  because he has no rugs, and it's lashing down sideways. If it were spitting, he would be out - but it's horrible, and he was very pleased to come in and dry off. Last seen crashed out having a kip in a nice deep straw bed.


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## Echo Bravo (3 June 2012)

Forgot to say what do you mean NH?


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## mulledwhine (3 June 2012)

I was always told neverto rug a wet horse, but that was when NZ rugs were all you could get!!!!

Now if mine are wet and deffiantly cold, I rug.

Modern rugs breath , so I do not have any worries in popping a LW on to help them dry out x


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## Starbucks (3 June 2012)

Ours have got rugs on tonight (turned out). We've got a new one who has been clipped and and was used to having a MW + HW stable rug on 2 weeks ago (WTF?), he was out naked last night and the poor poppet was frozen this morning!

I don't know why people seem to have such an anti rugging opinion on here when everyone in RL seems to have them rugged up to the eyeballs when it's not even cold.

What's wrong with common sense?


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## all about Romeo (3 June 2012)

kajabe said:



			Ill give you a list of the rugs ive got as I'm not very good with this sort of thing:
Lw masta no neck
Lw requisite with neck
Mw weatherbeeta one with neck and one with out
Waffle rug
Fleece rug
Hw with neck
Various stable rugs
 which one/combination do you think would be a good idea? Btw she is an irishX so fairly chunky 
Thank you!
		
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I would put cooler/waffle rug on then light weight with neck on over the top.
If my TB is wet or needs washing down after exercise I do this and it works really well x


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## smellsofhorse (3 June 2012)

Agree decent rugs breathe and allow horse to dry.
So although not ideal if caught out and I have lack of time I do put rugs on my horses when they are wet.


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## ausipaliboi (3 June 2012)

I have never hesitated to put a rug on a soaking wet horse, have never bothered trying to dry off first (during a tropical storm there is no point!).  Rug and leave.  Always come back to a perfectly fine dry horse.


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## Luci07 (3 June 2012)

Crikey...getting a little heated!!!  And opiniated! Seem to have a bit of an anti rug mafia on board..

Had horses for donkeys years,   Yup remember the lovely jute rugs though dispute that they smelt worse than modern ones! 

My young ISH is out tonight. Over the last week he has been out in a fly sheet, then a rain sheet and tonight rain sheet with filling but no neck. I will rug him as I see fit! I choose to keep him in a certain manner ( so groomed, bathed etc)' therefore I rug to compensate. My horse... MY choice!!!


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## Cobbysmum (4 June 2012)

It has rained constantly for 24 hours here, old pony, young pony and usually pretty tough TB all very wet, cold and miserable.  All rugged this morning and happy as larry ( whoever he is) tonight.  Don't practice NH, am not a fluffy bunny hugger and have owned horses for 47 years.  Mine were cold, they let me know the only way they could and now they're cosy, where's the harm in that


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## Kallibear (4 June 2012)

If I couldn't rug up whilst wet the horses would never get their rugs off! They live out 24/7 and I can't rush down the road every time it rains (which is pretty much constantly in Scotland!).

Even the shiveriest, wettest, coldest horse warms up quickly once rugged. For a horse like that I put a thicker-than-normal rug on: it's the body warmth that drives moisture out of the rug, so they need to be warm to make the rug 'breathe'. That's why many lightweight rugs don't seem waterproof: they don't generate enought heat to force the moisture out.


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## Ladydragon (4 June 2012)

Foxhunter49 said:



			I have TB's and if they shiver a bit in a summer shower then so be it. It toughens them up.
		
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*sigh*  I consider a 'summer shower' to be an actual shower - in temperatures of 15 deg C +...  Not pelting down with rain, heavy winds and 5 deg C...  My TB would be cheerfully naked in a summer shower...

If he needs a rug, he gets one and has had one on the last two days and tonight...  Ditto the others but at the moment, the two hairy native ponies are wet but warm as is the yearling D and QH so don't need one...



Foxhunter49 said:



			A question for those of you that do rush out to rug as soon as there is a spit of rain

*How many of you practise Natural horsemanship?*

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As we're not talking a spit of rain...there's no relevance to you point...


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## Enfys (4 June 2012)

indie999 said:



			Leave her would not rug wet horse
		
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So you'd leave her out to get cold? 

If a horse is cold then rug it,  simple .

My old (23) mare gets a blanket tossed on her if she's shivering whether she is wet or not. In her case she'd shiver weight off overnight, warm and damp is better than cold and sodden to the skin. Overnight, for a few hours I don't think it will kill a horse, it isn't as if the temperatures are dropping down to 10 below at this time of year.

As always, everything depends on the individual horse. That mare I mentioned is a purebred arab and a poor doer, I've had other arabs that winter out, unrugged, in feet of snow and -25C as an average temperature. Horses for courses.


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## Enfys (4 June 2012)

Shanny_mare said:



			The weather here today has been as bad as in winter* - 8 degrees C* and a cold easterly wind. Horse has a SUMMER coat at the moment, not a winter coat. If she shivers, she's cold and in her case is on limited grazing with a muzzle so can't eat to get warm. I had no issue with rugging her, even tho' wet. She's in tonight, with her haynet - UNrugged as she is now warm and dry 

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MINUS 8C?  Hopefully I read that wrongly.


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## hunteress (4 June 2012)

padderpaws said:



			Surely horses coats were designed by nature to keep them OK when it rained.  I understand to rug when a horse is clipped, very old, thin etc But a healthy adult horse with enough to eat should be able to cope with rain in June.
		
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I left my cob with out a rug for th 1st time ever while this rain is around his field is sheltered so probably put a rug on if it was windy cold !! but I too thought its june looked at the temp still above 10 and he was very happy he is a thin coat cob but this time of year got a good round body not like when he's hunting fit. my 2 year old colt was also without a rug .


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## hunteress (4 June 2012)

Wagtail said:



			Temperatures fell as low as 5 degrees here overnight accompanied by high winds and heavy rain. My horses were shivering in their lightweights this morning. The mare and foal had been brought in for the night because they could not wear rugs. I changed the rugs on my two to their middle weights.
		
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Toatally agree I watch the temps and wind .


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## Shilasdair (4 June 2012)

It seems to me that those of us who have quality, expensive horses, are the ones who can buy the best breathable rugs, and are therefore willing to ensure horse welfare is optimum.

Those who have the more common-bred, poorly conformed animals, who are perhaps more suited to pulling flat-bed trailers, may look at their extensive musk-ox/yak type coarse coats, and decide they would rather invest in another bottle of 'Buckfast' or 'White Lightning' than purchasing a decent rug.   They term this neglect 'natural horsemanship' and to an extent it does reflect nature in that horses are left to die without human intervention in the wild.

I do hope this clarifies the position for all.
S


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## asbo (4 June 2012)

Foxhunter49 said:



			I worry more about them being out in the sun and flies than I do with them being out naked in the rain.

I have walked around my lot and it has been raining heavily for at least an hour - they were all in the middle of different paddocks happily grazing.


A question for those of you that do rush out to rug as soon as there is a spit of rain

*How many of you practise Natural horsemanship?*

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I rug mine and nope i don't paractice NH, most people i know who are into NH leave theirs out naked!


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## Queenbee (4 June 2012)

Shils rock!


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## cptrayes (4 June 2012)

Shilasdair said:



			It seems to me that those of us who have quality, expensive horses, are the ones who can buy the best breathable rugs, and are therefore willing to ensure horse welfare is optimum.

Those who have the more common-bred, poorly conformed animals, who are perhaps more suited to pulling flat-bed trailers, may look at their extensive musk-ox/yak type coarse coats, and decide they would rather invest in another bottle of 'Buckfast' or 'White Lightning' than purchasing a decent rug.   They term this neglect 'natural horsemanship' and to an extent it does reflect nature in that horses are left to die without human intervention in the wild.

I do hope this clarifies the position for all.
S 

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Laughing in spite of myself 

Where do I fit Shils? I have expensive horses and the cheapest rugs I can find on eBay?


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## Shilasdair (4 June 2012)

cptrayes said:



			Laughing in spite of myself 

Where do I fit Shils? I have expensive horses and the cheapest rugs I can find on eBay?
		
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They should never have let you back in - you are clearly a troublemaker.  
S


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## Shanny_mare (4 June 2012)

Enfys said:



			MINUS 8C?  Hopefully I read that wrongly.
		
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Oops! Was meant to be a dash. But it did go down to 5 degrees last night here so I hope cold wet horses were rugged up


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## Auslander (4 June 2012)

Shilasdair said:



			It seems to me that those of us who have quality, expensive horses, are the ones who can buy the best breathable rugs, and are therefore willing to ensure horse welfare is optimum.

Those who have the more common-bred, poorly conformed animals, who are perhaps more suited to pulling flat-bed trailers, may look at their extensive musk-ox/yak type coarse coats, and decide they would rather invest in another bottle of 'Buckfast' or 'White Lightning' than purchasing a decent rug.   They term this neglect 'natural horsemanship' and to an extent it does reflect nature in that horses are left to die without human intervention in the wild.

I do hope this clarifies the position for all.
S 

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Laughing my socks off!! 
I am an anomaly though. My horse is a common old carthorse/racehorse cross, and cost me next to nothing - but his record makes him rather special, so he should really come under the quality/expensive bracket. However, I have NO rugs, until tomorrow, when I plan to go and buy him the cheapest one I can find! What does that make me?


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## B-B (4 June 2012)

The fabrics used today are breathable.  So I would rug if concerned.  I have left a younger horse but rugged an older one who didnt cope as well.

The idea of not rugging a wet horse came about before the modern fabrics and I think it had more to do with wet as in sweat than rain.

Can anyone remember why?


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## touchstone (4 June 2012)

B-B said:



			The fabrics used today are breathable.  So I would rug if concerned.  I have left a younger horse but rugged an older one who didnt cope as well.

The idea of not rugging a wet horse came about before the modern fabrics and I think it had more to do with wet as in sweat than rain.

Can anyone remember why?
		
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I'm sure that it was because the horse would remain wet and so risk chilling.


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