Advice wanted on rugging up please

[no1putsbabyinthecorner]

I have recently got a Welsh Mountain Pony
She is 9yrs and was with the previous owner for just over 2 year.
(She came from the mountains)
Previous owner said she has never had a rug on her and has always lived out.

She will take a rug and she will stable if need be.

I planned on keeping this pony with my mums on her land, but now have decided to go to my mums friend farm instead.
Reason is my sister has one their that we share and farm has running water, electric and all straw included in the rent.
(at mums it was free but nothing included)

I think it will make life easier especially with two very young dcs.

Sorry I am digressing
My point is that the yard owner said that Pony has to come in as she has no other horse/pony that stays out.
The soft side of me loves this as I hate the thought of them being out in winter.

Question is do I rug??
Will she need a stable rug? will she need a rug for turning out in the day?

No experience of these tough little ponies, as used to rugging up TB.

I have had comments that I will be ruining her fetching her in, and don't rug etc..
and then I have had people say of course she should come in I would be cruel to keep her out and if she comes in she will need rugging.

[no1putsbabyinthecorner]

sorry late to reply and say thankyou for all the advice, I am sure I will be back to ask advice on something else at some point.

Thanks.

[Butkin]

At the moment the Sec As are still turned out all the time and get ridden about 4 times each a week - mostly just hacking but occasionally show practise and a little light jumping.

We've strip grazed them all year (with electric tap) and finally they are now turned out in the full field with our other two horses as there is so little left in Summer paddock - it looks like a bowling green.

They have a plastic beaker of low-cal balancer mixed with a double handful of hi-fi lite chaff each evening.

We monitor their weight closely all the time because they can lose condition going to shows - which they do regularly - but we are absolutely tough on them as regards calories, sugars etc to avoid laminitis.

Not much goodness in the ground now so pretty much OK but if we start getting frosts we'll throw out some old hay as frosty grass is too high in sugar for them.

In the winter (they will come in at night from November) we may start feeding them stud cubes instead of the low-cal balancer and add carrots now they are won't go off due to the heat.

To pep the roan pony up for shows we give him Pro-Plus with his dinner for a week before we go out. The Palomino 4yo was getting Magic before a show to calm him down but he is getting more used to things now.

[DailyMailNameChanger]

Mine were always just on hay except when they were hunted one year but that was clearly a whole different ball game!

If they are not being ridden (more than a turn or two around the paddock)and have hay when stabled at night then they shouldn't need anything really, keep a good eye on weight and condition in general, if she seems to be loosing then add a few pony nuts but I would say you are far more at risk of over-feeding ehr than underfeeding her if you are used to high maintanence TBs rather than survive on nearly nothing natives

[no1putsbabyinthecorner]

I also wondered what do you feed your section As butkin
She won't be doing much work so really is there any need??

Obviously she will have plenty of Hay.

[Pixel]

The clean pony is nice, but by the spring you'll have a very hairy rug that smells of wee.

[no1putsbabyinthecorner]

Thankyou thankyou for all your advice.

The pony 'charlotte' won't be doing much work. so won't be clipping.
Will see how it goes with the rugging then,although I like the thought of a nice clean pony.

[frostyfingers]

I have a 12.2 part welsh who was bred for the arctic circle rather than just Wales. He grows such a thick coat it's not true, he looks like a polar bear.

If he's in regular work I give him a bib clip, and unless it's especially cold and/or wet he doesn't wear a rug - at all. Obviously I do check him regularly, but both vet and person who clips him said that he is fine without. There have been times when I've woken to a storm in the night and rushed out to see if he's ok, and he's perfectly warm - they're a lot tougher than you think. If they're outside and cold, they can move about to warm up. My vet said that we are all prone to over-rugging, and that in most cases horses were better slightly cold, rather than too hot.

A lot of the time rugging is for cosmetic purposes which is perfectly understandable, but I think your youngster should be fine without any rugs at all. You'll just have to see how it goes I think.

[Butkin]

I can only tell you what we do with our 2 Welsh Sec As.

For the last month they have had their NZs no the field at night. This week they have also started wearing them at night and the 4yo now has his neck cover on as well.

They will start coming in at night in about a months time. When they come in they will not wear a stable rug until they are so furry that we have to clip them.

Then we give them a bib clip from their chins downwards - so that in profile you can't see they are clipped but from the front there is plenty of room for them to sweat!

Once clipped they will wear their stable rugs until warm enough to live out again around late March.

We find that rugging is great to preserve their coats and also to keep them clean and ry for when DD wants to go riding - which is most nights after school at the moment.

[mummydoc]

well i am in the possible fortuate position of having ponies on full livery , so no breaking ice on troughs at 6am in the dark BUT i have to work sooo hard to keep kids in school and ponies that we do not get much time with them. we can never get it right

[no1putsbabyinthecorner]

That is great, I am sure it will all be worth the hard work. We have the winter to put us to the test.

[mummydoc]

pony back at weekend, took him to hunt ( omg) withme holding lead rein and friend from schooling yard babysitting me along the way, he was fabulous, a bit like a kid wiht adhd at his first ever party but really didn't put foot wrong , not naughty and only spent 5 mins being a bit forward going then settled. my dd2 loves him so much she will learn with him i guess and older daughter has today been given a lovely old 12hh schoolmaster for free . he belongs to my best friend who also runs the livery yard, her children have progressed to more forward going ponies - we are very happy.

[no1putsbabyinthecorner]

mummydoc I read your thread and I have been thinking about you.

Has the pony come back to you?
How are you finding it?

I know what you mean about her being just as happy at riding school. DD doesn't even realise it is her pony.(obviously I knew this)
She just wants my sisters. points to her own asnd says 'baby one'

[mummydoc]

ohh loads of sympathy , have also recently bought welshie for dd2 aged 4 who loves her ponies but really would hav ebeen just as happy at a riding school once a week havign a plod round,but I really wanted apony again ( re living childhood) and mine is on full livery and i am still feeling over whelmed with responsibility

[no1putsbabyinthecorner]

I know he is being an arse.

I have said to dh I am not forcing it on her, and when she is older and does not like it then fine, but I will alawys want to be around them. I may change my mind after the winter though.

I wish he would just come and see how she is around my sisters sec D. she loves sitting on her and riding around.(obviously I am holiding her.) Or she sits in front of me when I am riding for a little walk round.

She even hets her joddies out of her drawer and says' go horse riding' all the time.
She even tried to do rising trot the other day. Well she said she was doing it.lol

I will just see how it goes for now, thanks for advice. I really appreciate it.

[DailyMailNameChanger]

Oh what a shame that your dh is being like that

So uncalled for, after all what harm is it doing if you have a pony now rather than in 18/20 months time?

Anyway, I did stick with it for a couple of years I actually really enjouyed it most of the time but the older dc got bored of the whole thing and the younger dc were not interested enough for the amount of effort I was having to put in IYSWIM so the ponies went off home to their owners and I finally got to sleep in past 6am

[no1putsbabyinthecorner]

Oh no.
Did you stick at it?
Did it get easier?

I am lucky in the fact that I have a good sized area outside the stables where they can play and be safe with a door on so they can't go outside.

I have took up little trikes and she has box of colouring things etc.. for when they get bored.
She does love it and does help. She loves being up there and around the horses.
Hard though as still a bit young to understand where not to walk.iykwim

It did cause a huge row with dh, but dd has hit and lashed out at ds since he was born and it is very draining and the only time she ignores him is when we are up at the stables.
fresh air bonus as they sleep better.
however dh has just bought some in car dvd players for times when its best they stay in the car. I can also pull car right to the stable block door.

I know I am a bit silly and should have waited a few year but My mum says if horses are in you, then it's just a way of life...
just need to get dh to see that. I have never had my own while I have been with dh, so as much as he knows what a commitment they are he hasn't experienced it first hand.
Also he will not contribute financially and has not even seen it yet, and does not want to.

[DailyMailNameChanger]

I have been where you are right now, I was that lady. I ended up with two fab ponies, the best you could want for your dc but it was terribly hard work - mainly as I had no support, no dh at home etc so it was just me and watching your 18mnth old dissapear into a horse poo puddle for the 4th time on a january morning whilst you try to muck out can rather knock the stuffing out of you after a while!

[no1putsbabyinthecorner]

thankyou.

I wonder why I do some silly things sometimes.

I have only had her about a month.
Dh not happy, wanted me to wait till she was about 4ish.

My mum has 5, my sister has 1 so plenty for me to ride, but frustrating as don't always get the childcare to go and ride, so I stupidly thought. oh why don't I get a little one for dd then we can all join in and I won't think arrrggghh I got a big one there for me and no time to ride.

You see I am still trying to justify it.
like the dcs don't keep me busy enough.

[DailyMailNameChanger]

So not so much riding going on then?

Well, I suppose it is up to you, the barn will be no colder than the feild, she will be fine without rugs, however, it is also fine to use them if you want to, it keeps their coats nicer and helps keep condition on them and so on.

To me it i interfearing a little bit, these native ponies are very well designed for the job and I like to see them in full winter fur - but that is just a personal taste thing!

Using rugs and stables means extra work, I would give it a go over this winter with a stable and no rugs and then see how you feel about it all next spring, as you say it will be a bit of a trial by fire for you

[no1putsbabyinthecorner]

Thankyou for that. She is only 11.2hh I got her for dd who is only 2.6yr [blush and eventually ds who is only 13 month

OK so she is for me really.

She has been in the stable for the first few days at new place as yard owner wanted her to use their wormer.

She was fantastic, really relaxed and chilled out.
(in fact I think she was starving)

The stables are open top in a barn iykwim.So just three very large stables inside a small barn. She will be in the middle of my sisters (who she seems to have bonded with in the field) and a youngster at the other side.

I am thinking if I can cope with winter with the dcs I can cope with anything. I know it all to well, but not done it with children before.
We will see...

[DailyMailNameChanger]

Oh my goodness people are keen to give their opnion arent they!

I would say that, at 9yo in good health and used to wintering out she will have no need of a rug at all. I would also say that bringing her in at night may stress her out - but that is something you will just have to try and see how it goes on. Some ponies hate it with a passion.

It will mean extra work for you daily. Mucking out with young dc in winter is not fun!

Rugs during the day, no she shouldn't need them however it depends if you want to ride her when you bring her in? If you do then a light waterproof rug would make it easier in winter.... anything heavy will compromise her ability to keep herself warm in the stable at night so best avoided IMO.