To rug...or not to rug...?

alipene

That is the question...

Many of us are experiencing very cold weather at the moment. What is your rugging behaviour?

My girl is recently clipped and to bed (stabled) with 4 (I take advice from the experts at the yard). My brother's horses are un-clipped and live out with nothing or lightly clipped, (stabled) with 1 or 2. I've also heard that the body's thermostat adjusts according to the temperature so rugs should be kept to a minimum.

Just curious again...

BellehavenfarmDawn

Glad you asked!! ????????????

First let me add a disclaimer. I am absolutely no fan of Dr. Hiltrud Strasser (German) when it comes to barefeet hoofcare and trimming. In fact I think her trim frequently borders on surgery.

Her thoughts on horse keeping however really resonate with me and so I follow them. My horse is not rugged... We call it blanketed, except in rain and wet snow.

I have checked him in blizzards in below freezing conditions and he was dry and warm. I believe blanketing interferes with their hemodynamic system. I try not to mess with nature. Strasser goes into detail in her books.

Because Sun is a busy OTTB who eats only when he must, he requires top grass hay, free choice as much as possible, to stay warm. Since I board I can not always get what I want. He does have access to the best hay, all he wants at night. He and a new friend, who is below him on the pecking order, live in a front field with a very large shed. there are large bags of hay in the shed and along the fenceline when there is no rain, otherwise we hang bags under the over hang. (The other 10 boys are stalled and yes I actually pay, we call it full board, even though he is field boarded. the pasture is fantastic!) $500/month in case you're interested.

during the day, when everyone is out, the lower quality hay is freely available. the high quality hay is in home-made hay bags using deer fencing. the boys have to work at it to get the good stuff! some work. UH OH! I got off topic but forage in the hind gut, fermenting, is what creates heat in lieu of blankets and rugs. (Took an on line nutrition course)

Rugged horses look prettier though!

I never clip because honestly I don't ride that hard. I back off is he starts to sweat.

If I had horses in serious training or I fox hunted, I would have to have some type of clip and appropriate blankets. I still wouldn't stall. I just think horse do better out and about...unless of course they are very old or sickly or very thin. even then I like a stall with an attached paddock. But boarders can not be too fussy, I sure know that.

Barn Manager Emily just wrote that Sun was dropping weight so we tweaked a few things to help him out: switched friends from a dominant to non dominant horse, Nipped bits of the home-made hay bags, so he could eat as much as possible. AlsoEmily slips him a few loose pads of hay before she goes to bed! LOL We baby them for sure and we have have to sneak around the old, cheap farm owner just a nick! ????????

Can you tell I have given this tons of thought!!! Every winter. It's like a mission! LOL If only I had a big ole fat warmblood! Just kidding!

Dawn

SheilaG1963

I don't blanket. My Foxtrotter was born and raised within 35 miles of where I am, so he is used to the Missouri winters. My mustang mare is a daughter of a BLM mustang from Nevada. Gypsy handles the cold very well and would rather be out in the horrible weather than inside. They have a shed and a round bale from which they can eat all the time. Gyp has lost no weight this winter and EZ has dropped about 25 pounds, which he needed considering he weighs about 1400!

SheilaG1963

I also don't clip them Gypsy would have a heart attack!

EZ gets a bridle path cut in the spring on his mane, but other than that, they have natural coats. They shed off beautifully in the summer! Nature does a fine job of providing what they need!

BellehavenfarmDawn

Sheila...LOL Many of my friends have fat horses and I tell them that Winter and Muzzles are their friends. LOL! at the farm we have a gigantic foodaholic Percheron who was a stallion for 8 years! His neck is the size of his waste. Photos on Facebook Tory Hill

suzetteducrepe

I don't blanket at this point in life. My horses live outdoors with a run in shed, and since they aren't in heavy work in the winter due to lack of covered riding arena, they live as they are. I increase hay rations overall, and double hay when it's really cold, fed in the shed to force inside time!

My horse is a BLM mustang, and I refer to his as "a long haired breed," and I never worry that he's spending a chilly night out there. Most days, I'll look out and see him standing out in the snow, wind, rain, he doesn't even care. My other horse, a "domestic" hand raised appaloosa grows a much different fluffy coat, and sometimes I do worry a bit about him. But anytime a cloud comes in, he takes himself to the shed. I check 3 weight spots by feel at least once a week. Over the withers, along the ribs, and fat pad around the head of tail, to make sure no one's dropping weight under their fur, and so far so good this year!

I have waterproof turnouts that fit both of my horses that I keep with my camping gear. When I take them camping, we go up to high elevations and it gets really cold at night, in the summer when both horses are in their short coats. They do wear blankets at night when they are camping. It's nice to have blankets on hand too, just in case of the worst possible weather, but I haven't blanketed them at home in 7 years.

When I was younger and rode working hunters, we did the trace clips on those horses, and all the fun blanketing that goes along with it. Those horses were in heavy work though and worked up big sweats every day. My horses might poke down the trail for an hour or so in the winter, and if they work up a sweat, they'll be OK!