Why do horses get coats and cows don't?

[noblegiraffe]

Today I was driving in the pouring rain past a horse field, and they were all, bar one, wearing coats. Then there was a cow field, obviously no coats.

Which led me to wonder why some animals get coats and others don't. Who decided that horses need coats, and why? Was the coatless horse just like a cool teen who will not wear a coat however much you tell them to, or a rock-hard horse who doesn't actually need one?

Why do some dogs get coats and others not? Did they try to sell coats for cats but cats said no way?

Do other animals get coats?

Also, some horses will be stabled, some won't.

Most horses don't need rugging. It's often more to make the owners feel better than the horses 😂

Some horses are clipped to keep them cool when in work. Some of these then need rugs to keep them warm.
Some older horses use too much energy keeping warm so by rugging them they lose less weight.
Some horses have a light weight rain sheet on to keep them dry (and cleanish) if they are going to be worked the next day. It's not good to ride a soggy horse as the tack can rub and cause sores.
In the summer some horses wear fly rugs to keep the flies off them and prevent something called sweet itch which is where they have an allergic reaction to fly bites and become really itchy.

🤣

We also rugged our horse because he was an arsehole and would be head to toe in mud- not enough time after school to clean it off (can't brush wet mud off, can brush dry mud off) and get him exercised.
Whether they stay in or out depends on breed, where they're kept, rules at place they're kept, age, weather, all sorts.

I bought my exotic house cats jumpers one particularly cold winter. Wrestled then on Cat1 just ran out the neck of her jumper. Cat2 (slightly more dense/not as slinky) went round backwards in circles trying to escape. The jumpers were not a success 😂

You might be right. I was googling horse coats and coming up with nothing, but now I've gathered the correct term is 'rug', look at all these snazzy numbers.

I don't know of a single cow that is brought into a shed over winter where I am. Most are hardy Highlanders though so I guess bred for harsh conditions.

It’s going to depend on the breed and whether it’s been clipped. Not all horses wear rugs.

So cows get a nice warm shed and some silage and horses get a damp field and a coat?

And I thought horses were the coddled ones!

Rugging is a contentious issue.
Some horses are never without a rug, they go from a fly rug in summer, to a light sheet, to a thicker rug, to a rug with a neck. The list is endless.

I have noticed 2 of my local vets have posted up advice on when to rug a horse.
But people won't change their mindset.

My previous horse was very rarely rugged, she hated having one on.
My current one is getting a bit sweaty when ridden now, so may need a sweat rug on to dry her off. If I don't have to clip I won't. If clipped, she will definitely need a rug on. My default is no rug if possible.

@noblegiraffe both would prefer to be outside!

I think they should all have tartan zip up slippers too

Horses get hay and other feed usually. Often a stable, especially during winter and blanket coats

Good luck to anyone attempting to get a coat on a cat 🤣🤣

This is all fascinating, I am learning lots!

While the people who know this sort of thing are around, if we give horses coats because we clip them, why do sheep not get coats when we shear them?

It's in summer usually and it's not as close of a cut. A horse clip is like shaving almost.

Generally they're not shorn in the coldest weather, and when they are, they're kept in.

Rugging and stabling are down to personal preference , activity , breed of horse etc . In reality most horses in our climate , particularly in the SE where I am could winter out with no coats if not clipped . However if you want to ride your horse a clip and a coat will make that easier . If horses are out all year they will need shelter be that a building or a good hedge line and hay . Personally mine have always been stabled at night but it’s important that they get enough hours outside .

Mine has had a light weight rain sheet on today. I call it her cagoule.

It has been absolutely pissing down all day but not particularly cold. If she gets too wet, she will get cold. I did bring her in for a bit this afternoon to dry off a bit, but she kicked the crap out of her stable door which is really bloody annoying so she got chucked out again.

She’s not clipped yet so when it’s dry (or supposed to be dry) she’s out without a rug. I will clip her at some point as she gets very hot and sweaty when ridden, but I’ve got to remember where I put the proper rugs when I put them away earlier in the year.

I used to have an elderly cob but despite looking like a hairy mammoth all winter, she still needed a rug as she really didn’t like cold or rain. She was old and arthritic so couldn’t keep herself warm very well.

Mine would not be impressed

Cows have their fluff to keep them warm 🥰

Cows are brought in in the winter mainly to stop them paddling up all the grass when the land gets wet. It would be a mud bath in many areas if they stayed out. It also makes feeding easier.
Some cows are clipped when the go inside. Ts to stop them sweating which I think can lead to pneumonia but I’m not entirely sure as we done keep cows.
Most dogs don’t need coats unless they are old. It’s more for the owner’s convenience of avoiding a wet muddy dog. Greyhounds and the like do need coats.
Horses are rugged for various reasons as pp have mentioned but they do eat less if you rug them and stay cleaner

Would horses look like that if they didn't have their hair cut?!

Because humans have weirdly decided that some animals are food, and others are pets, and they are treated accordingly.

I got told to take off my horse’s snazzy zebra rug because it was scaring the other horses and they were running around ‘wildly’ 😞