Being too soft

[dcp]

After spending a few days away in the countryside where the people don't take life so seriously it's got me thinking about how I treat my horse. Most country people think I'm way too soft with him and I'm starting to wonder.

I mean horses are horses ok he might be a thin skinned TB and if it's been a bit chilly (say predicted temp 13 degrees) his coat goes stary and looks very dull. Also other liveries comment on how cold he is. I know some people were horrified I was putting a rug on my horse in the hight of summer but how can I not when he looks cold and everyone else at the yard has rugs on their horses. However, a little further down they road there doesn't seem to be much fuss about it horses are out no rugs and it seems the norm.

It's not that I'm afraid of the hard work of rugging up my horse I just really don't want to turn into someone who totally smothers their horse I've known many who do this rugged to the eyeballs.

What do you all think? Is it needed? Can we suppliment feed for rugs? I thought it was good my boy has started to grow a tiny bit more of a coat but not other liveries, they think it's really bad as he has been cold. ARGGGGGHH HELP!!

[Pickles]

As with all areas of horse keeping different people have different ideas and all we can do is wade through the sea of information and try to do the best for our own horses.

I think lots of horses that are rugged up could manage with less, but once they are used to being rugged they then need that level of rugging.

I play it by ear with my two, my arab mare needs a rain sheet even in summer if it pours down but my cob copes fine in most weather.

You should be able to tell whether your horse is actually cold, feel the base of the ears and make sure he isn't shivering. If he is under weight err on the side of caution but if he could lose a few kilos then let him manage so long as he doesn't get to the shivery stage.

That's my twopennies worth, and I think it's an impossible job trying to do as others do or fit in, as every has such different ideas, he is your horse so just try to make sure he is happy and every one else can go jump!

[KarinUS]

I think my first approach would be to ask "WHY" not "HOW".
Why is his coat dull and he can't keep himself warm rather than focusing on finding ways to keep him warm.
If you can find the cause and remedy it you will be much better off than trying to work on the symptoms.
Like when I first got my horse he started to lose weight and I went along with the YO and just kept upping his feed. Instead I would have been better off to find out why he is losing weight in the first place. :rolleyes:
If it turns out that you are unable to remove the cause then I think catering your management approach to your horse's special needs is perfectly acceptable. My horse doesn't sweat enough in the summer so I outfitted his stall with mister fans. Ideally I would like to keep him as natural as possible (he's out 24/7, etc.) but I need to allow him to protect himself from a heat stroke.

Have you talked to a vet about his general appearance, perhaps run blood tests on your horse?

As far what other people think... who cares :D. You have to do whatever works best for that specific horse.

[sidesaddlelady1]

[QUOTE=Laurenc]

Also other liveries comment on how cold he is. I know some people were horrified I was putting a rug on my horse in the hight of summer but how can I not when he looks cold and everyone else at the yard has rugs on their horses.
QUOTE]

:( You can't win, can you!

The only opinion which matters here is the horse's. If he's more comfortable in a lightweight rug in summer then give him one. Just take care when the weather is hot that he doesn't get over-heated and make sure you take off the rug at least once a day to make sure it isn't causing rubs and soreness and to let fresh air get to the coat and skin.

My chap lives out in the summer and is a good-doer but he always has one meal a day - chaff, the recommended amount of a feed balancer (Lo-Cal) and his usual supplements (garlic and abroad spectrum vitamin amd mineral supplement). You may find that something like this might help your horse.

[chev]

Well... we live in the countryside :D and we still rug what needs rugging!

My feeling on rugging and feeding is that I try to avoid rugging too early - I like them to at least start to grow some fur before I rug them. Rugging too early means they won't grow their own winter coat so well anyway, and will suffer more in the long run.

Feeding... well, I don't honestly see the point of shovelling in masses of concentrates if a horse is cold enough that they're just using it up keeping warm. Better, IMHO, to rug first and then feed - that way you're feeding what energy is needed, rather than trying to keep them warm.

Of ours, only one really needs rugging or she drops weight. We have one living with us who's rugged for the same reason. I leave both until they're growing fur before the rugs go on, so there's less chance of making them needlessly dependant on rugs.

We do rug others coming up to show season, to help encourage them to lose winter fluff - but other than that, not really.

But every horse is different, every region has its own problems. I'm pretty certain that at least a few of the ponies we have that happily winter out without rugs would need at least some rugging if they were in Shetland rather than North Wales, for example.

Echo Karin about checking him out though - if he feels the cold that easily, and his coat suffers, it would be as well to eliminate any specific problem too. One of the ones we rug has liver problems, which no doubt contributes to her winter weight loss.

[dcp]

Thank you. I agree with your Chev on the rugging. I would like him to grow a bit of a coat before I start rugging him up. It was pretty chilly this morning when I went to the yard he had his l/w on and I checked the base of his ears and they were warm. He seemed happy to be brough in given a bit of breakfast then put out again without a rug. A blood test is something to think about it's easy to jump to conclusions that it's his breed or he's a nervous horse (i read they tend to loose weight more) or he's thin skinned but the problem could be totally different. Thanks agian. :)