Rugging

[Doodadidi]

A yard friend was telling me that the British are pretty much the only nation who rug their horses in winter. Is this true?

I’m currently debating buying (yet) another rug to get my mare (warmblood) through this cold snap.

She is currently out 24/7 and in a 100g turnout with neck, currently just below freezing at night.

What are yours in?
Do other Northern European countries not bother rugging?

Most working horses need to be rugged if they are clipped, so I can't imagine it's any different elsewhere.
I do think we tend to overrug here, but one of my personal hates is a no fill rug on a horse, it may keep the horse dry, but flattens the coat so the horse can't keep warm by raising the hair.
Another pet hate is rugs left on for days and not changed or checked.
Some horses need rugs, some don't. Best to go by the horse instead of what anyone else is doing.

If the horses are clipped they’ll be rugged, whatever country they’re in.

An unclipped horse doesn’t necessarily need rugging, but it depends on all sorts of factors - the age of the horse, if they’re a naturally warm or cold horse, their condition, if they’re stabled or turned out, and if turned out, what the conditions are like - eg. Is there much natural shelter, is there plenty of grass or hay etc.

If your mare isn’t clipped, is keeping her condition on well in her current rug set up and doesn’t appear to be cold (shivering, tucked up etc) the she’s probably fine in what she’s got on.

Mine is fully clipped, he has a 300g liner, a stable sheet and another 200g rug on top - after he’s been worked he will be fine in just the liner and sheet and then have the top rug on overnight when the temperatures drop.

Your yard friend is talking trash, though many other Northern European countries don’t give their horses much winter turnout, but rugging is commonplace across the world, in or out.

I follow a rug guide.. so our clipped warmblood who is usually out is currently in a 250g rug with neck.

Fully clipped cob who runs warm is in a 200g combo as it’s down to -3 where we are overnight (herd out overnight, in a few hours daily).

My friend’s cob who is partially clipped is in a 350g, as he runs cold.

My young fully clipped but slightly growing out mini cob is in a 50g combo with lots of hay and a well positioned and insulated shelter out of the wind. She is in a herd with a 5yo highland pony with a neck clip which is also growing out and an unclipped (nov trace grown out now) 17 yo sports horse in a 200g combo. They all have access to a field overnight but if last night is anything to go by they will eat all the hay and stay near the shelter in the cold. -7 expected tonight but it is dry so these rugs are fine. In wet weather I would rug up more. Age and shelter/wet are big factors and heavy rugs are uncomfortable if not needed.

I’m in Australia. Depending on the area, breed etc, we rug in winter. I’m in a southern state and my rule of thumb is a light winter rug for my stockhorse, who’s out 24/7, if it’s going to be 4 degrees or less overnight. I imagine horses in the north would be rugged less.

To be fair I’m more concerned about overheating than cold, but he is visibly more comfortable with a rug at those temperatures, or when there is cold rain.

My TB is stabled at night, has a blanket clip which is growing out and is in a 200g rug at the moment. The most he ever needs is 300g and thats when its in the minus temps for a prolonged period and/or hes been recently clipped. Id rather make sure he has plenty of hay to eat to keep warm than weigh him down in rugs.

Of course they rug them but as with the uk it will depend on breed, whether they are clipped, age etc. As with the uk you will get people who under and over rug and those in between. I know people who have bought competition horses from Europe who have barely been out a stable except when ridden so perhaps that’s a reason you don’t see those types hanging about in fields with rugs on in some places. Healthy native ponies in their natural state of course shouldn’t need rugged in their correct country which is perhaps something some do here unnecessarily

Its normal to rug Germany, Austria and Switzerland. I know this cuz we life in germany with family in austria and switzerland.

I have lived in Cyprus (never rugged anything) and Holland where a full wardrobe was had.
But I just go by the horse. At the moment (Scottish Highlands, up a hill -10 the other night) my Highland is happily naked and sporting a layer of snow and my 21 year old field ornament (WB x Appy) is cosy in a full neck 200g Both are like furnaces warm and happy.

Definitely not true, everyone does the same as us. Rugs if they need them no rugs if they don't.
My biggest pet peeve with the rugging debate is people not understanding that horses all run at different temparatures and need rugging accordingly - then slagging people off for having too many/too few rugs on!
I had one WB that was always freezing and one WB that was always boiling so they never had the same amount of weight in their rugs.

Well my yard friend was evidently much mistaken!

It’s interesting to hear all of your individual experiences- much appreciated- and I love your snowy horse pics@crunchybiscuitandtea

In the end my mare has been weathering sub-zero nights in a nice new 200g full neck rug and feels about right.

How did they manage in the olden days haha?!

When i was a child, we layered up jute rugs with blankets - keeping them on was an art with those old surcingle's!

Yes and duvets and thatching with straw. Also old racehorse etc stables had fires. My family home is a victorian race yard with a massive fireplace in the yard Commonly I think most people had heavier horses, in work and in at night. I agree its so pointless when the equestrian world starts scolding itself. The largest factor for me in all animal care is age of the animal concerned which these blunt rules rarely mention