Rugs... When do they come off?

[Daneva]

Currently out during the day with lightweight turnout rug and in at night with lightweight stable rug.

When he arrives with me (two weeks) he will have to be in with a lightweight stable rug.

Turnout will soon be available so I will resume his routine of (in at night and then out in the day)
He has blanket clip (from early Feb)

How will I know when its time to take off the stable rug and turn out without rugs?
Or is it a gradual process.

[Mimi + Me]

Ooh, my mare who lives out 24/7 is still in her heavyweight turnout with neck, with another layer underneath! (Am I being an over-protective mum?!) She last had a blanket clip around January. Maybe its even colder where you are up north, but I'm finding it quite chilly down here in the south!

I can't wait to get her down to just one layer but they are saying it's going to stay cold for another week brrrr. I don't think she'll be going completely naked for quite some time.

Even when spring DOES finally arrive you have to remember that the temperature usually dips at night so even when the time comes for your horse to go without a rug during the day, they often still need a layer on at night.

[cvb]

harrumph - when it finally stops dumping snow on us ??!!

[Jessey]

I normally start removeing rugs when it is consistantly above freezing at night and above 5 degrees in the day, but I also take into account wind chill and rain.
None of mine are clipped, Bo is a little overweight and on box rest so gets a MW at night and nothing during the day unless it is very cold/damp. Jess is quite thin at the moment and has been stabled 24/7 since november (has no coat either) so is currently in a MW day and night and when she is going out for a few hours is having her HW on, the old boy Phoenix was clipped back in early December so has a fairly good coat back on him now so gets a M-HW on the cold or wet days and a L-MW on the nicer ones and a MW stable rug at night when he is in.

I am looking to reduce rugs fairly soon but with minus figures for the next week or so I expect it will be April before I can really start weaning them off.

J x

[Mehitabel]

yep - when it starts looking like spring! we haven't had much snow, but it is still extremely cold and as it is getting lighter they are all shedding, so rugs still important. we like ot get most of ours off as early as possible, after they've been in them all winter, but not yet this year.

[hApPiNeSs]

Its pretty warm down here now, i can go out without a coat on, and last night i tied the ponies outisde their stables for a couple of hours so they can bathe in the sun :p :p :p

no rugs during the day, lightweights on at night :)

[1 morejump]

It depends on the weather. Horses are very sturdy animals and can handel more than we credit them for. Lance lives outside 24/7. He has plenty of weight and his blanket is a medium turnout. If it is at least 20 degrees farenheight (don't know what it is in celcius) with no wind they can just go out without a blanket. Just because we feel cold doesn't mean they are, remember they were origonaly designed to be outdoor animals. However, if it is 20F and windy he will probaly get his blanket, wind chill really affects it.

It also depends on humidity, I live in Colorado where there is practicaly no humidity at all. So 20F here feels warmer than 20F anywhere else. The moisture makes it feel colder than it really is.

[hApPiNeSs]

ahhhh... it suddenly went into the minuses again :mad:

back to the heavyweights then.... :rolleyes: (i think i jinxed it with what i said earlier)

[Maddison's girl]

ahhh but the weather is bound to pick up now because I brought Maddison a new medium weight with full neck today as she was having problems with her other rug rubbing on her whithers! :D

[artemis]

We are forcast snow again on Monday:eek:

[Maddison's girl]

it tried to snow down here this morning but nothing much came of it. I do believe snow is forecast though

[Stella2]

We are forcast snow again on Monday:eek:

I can't take much more, its so not enjoyable being at the yard :(

Mine are in heavy weights with neck covers and they will stay on until its warmer!

[kirstie]

We are forcast snow again on Monday:eek:

it better not snow i've had enough of snow now besides monday is suppose to be the first day of spring so its not allowed to snow :D

amba wont be having her rug off until it starts getting warmer its freezing were i am at the moment :(

[Colour_Crazy_Gi]

Emmagardner - My pony lives out and she is in a Heavy weight wug and a Middle weight with a neck-peice! I am going to down size on rugs as soon as i feel the weather is getting better.

[Showjumper]

Dolly's been in a LW combo for about 2 weeks now with plenty of hay overnight. She was too warm under her MW at all times, and is ok in the LW but I'm looking forward to her being rugless! (Until the midges come out and she needs a fly sheet :rolleyes: )

[HairyCob]

It better not snow on monday! Dolly's new saddle arrives then:D

Dolly is a welshXarab, quite fine coated and fully clipped (by her previous owners, not me!) and she is out 24/7- middleweight half neck during the day, fleecy under rug and MW half neck overnight.

I'm sure by this time of year spring is usually well and truly here and rugs have at least been jettisoned during the day... but as there's no sign of a let up in the cold, I guess they'll be staying on!

ETA- Showjumper, we already have the darn midges here, despite the cold- little Carlito is horribly sweetichy, and has started already:(

[Laura+Phantom]

I took Cassie's mw off when they moved into the new field (tues) and she is unclipped and always feels warm. Phantom is trace clipped and was in a hw full neck but was getting too hot so he's now in a mw with full neck at night, in case it rains, or a normal mw in the day. The shetties are always naked and fluffy! :p

[GarnetFox]

I've recently realised that I'm now no longer a kid, because instead of being overjoyed at the snow, I got annoyed because it was stopping me doing things I had to do. :rolleyes:

Someone make a snowman with me so I can regress back to twelve years old please. :D