what rug for my friesian in the winter?

T

Tazanne

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i was insistant i did not want to rug up my colt in the winter (or ever...). however, i've been told stories of how poor the grazing is in the winter, & how much hay they put out each day (as well as in stable at night time). they all fight for it too. now im not being stingey here, but we have to buy our hay from YO, & its VERY expensive. so im thinking that if i dont rug him, he'll need more food than if i do rug him. ok, i am being stingey. i must make this clear that i will feed him whatever he needs, but im just assuming that that might be a bit less if he doesnt need food to keep warm too.

so... he is a 2 yr old friesian. he's currently 15.1, so i think he needs a 5.9. thats irrelevant really. what TYPE of rug does he need? he'll be out in the day, in at night. im thinking one really good rug to keep on both day & night. i read on another thread that combo's are good for not rubbing manes.

his summer turnout that i havent used i 'think' is a rhinegold one. it doesnt fit well at all, as even though its too big (6.0), its really tight around the front & pulls really taut when he walks & grazes. so what rugs would accomodate this? i know nothing about rugs, so dont know which brands come up big, small, wide, narrow, good qual, rubbish qual etc.

help!
 
Calli lives out all year. I'm a bit mean and leave her unrugged until end of october ideally, then she grows a thick greasy coat. I then pop a middleweight combo on her through the rest of the winter.

I do recommend combos, her mane is 2ft long and they are the only rugs that havent ruined it. She is 15hh, and is onto 5ft 9's too, but im hoping to get away with her 5ft 6 saxon combo from last winter that just about fits;). I will get her a bigger WB landa combo as a spare though!

If you are looking for a stable and turnout rug in one, then maybe you could fold the neck back overnight in the stable? especially as being a Fresian (im assuming!) will have a lovely long mane to keep any chills away, and it gives the mane a break from the rug, if that makes sense:D
 
I bought a brill rug for my youngster last year (finally caved in at the sight of him shivering under a tree :rolleyes:) It was an ordinary Loveson M/W turnout, was breathable, totally waterproof, lovely fit, could be worn in the stable too and didn't rub at all despite him wearing it 24/7! Only cost £45 too!

He may well be bigger than 5ft 9 as he's not a fine type - my friend's 14.2 native is in a 6ft and he's not particularly heavy. Best thing to do is measure from the middle point of his chest back to roughly where the rug would finish ;)
 
All different types of rugs fit differently.
Saxon rugs fit Clip great, Masta ones are too tight across his shoulders.
You are more than welcome to try out one of Clip's many rugs to see which make fits Xander better. I've Saxon, Requisite, Masta, Derby House. :rolleyes:
 
I love combo's but be a bit careful about keeping them on 24/7,they get quite warm on the neck which of course makes mane fall out,so might want to leave him without a neck at times when weather not so bad.Maybe get a detachable neck one so can have the choice??

I am not a huge fan of leaving the same rug on for weeks on end.Have left the same ones on for a couple of weeks before now,but not longer as dirt,grease and grime builds up and can irritate the skin (not to mention how stinky they get;):p).Maybe get two rugs so can alternate?? Or get a fleece or something for when in the stable overnight,so doesn't have the same rug on all the time??

On the size thing,have you measured him?? My fell pony who is 14.1hh takes a 6'-6'3",so would be surprised if your lad is a 5' 9",although my lad is built like a tank so could be why:eek::rolleyes:
Don't go on the size of the rhinegold one BTW,I once bought one marked 4'3",but when I measured it was actually 5'6"!! They are often marked with european sizes,which is measured differently to UK sizes.

For good sized rugs around a broad chest and shoulder I would look at premier equine,masta (especially the check tech range),saxon,and the 'extra' model that rambo do.
Look for nylon lined ones as well,which minimises rubbing,if rug should become a little snug around big shoulders and chests.
 
thanks. he was measured by madlady before i bought him back, & he came out at roughly 6.0, which is why i bought the rhinegold one in a 6 but it doesnt fit properly :confused::rolleyes:.

he has only grown a touch since then - & thats only filled out a bit, not gone upwards.

i forgot - i do have a fleece, a nice 6' amigo one. its a bit big on him, but not terribly so). would this be ok on its own for what i want at night? (considering i wasnt going to rug at all...).

i didnt (dont) know what a combo is, i just heard that term on another thread :eek: so didnt know it had a neck so would be unsuitable at night. the last thing i want is him being too warm. i was considering getting 2 to swap every now & then, but if the fleece is ok, then maybe i'll stick with the one & just use it for the day time.

thanks A', i will try on some of clips, thats awfully kind of you again! i have only back-peddled my decision since you told me how slim clip went even though you were feeding him hay till it came out his ears! i wont be able to afford a bale a day! so maybe a rug will fend it off a bit.

i was so pleased with myself too, not molly coddling my brand new baby all summer, even when he was the only one out naked! i was determined i wasnt going to have a wussy horse!

do my reasons make sense btw - keeping him warm so he wont need to eat extra for warmth?

alsom, what about weights? i also meant to ask this but forgot. another thread has just asked something similar - would you go for a medium weight (which is what - 180???)? obviously not a heavy as he's pretty tough & not clipped.

just this has come up on me quite unexpectedly, & i havent got a clue about rugs.
 
Hmm.tricky one on the size,just can't believe he is smaller than my smaller lad if that makes sense??!! Mind you is nothing to with height really of course,so maybe your lad is just quite short in length and not that wide,suppose he could be a 5'9" if that the case?? Take no notice of the rhinegold though in terms of size,completey odd sizing I found!!

You could measure him just to check (middle of chest,around to point of tail)

TBH though,I would go for a 6' in a turnout anyway,as chances are he will grow and also if you ever wanted to put an under rug on underneath would have the room to do so.Can get away with a rug being a little bit on the big side anyway,but not so easy to get away with one being too small!!
Amigo's are a good rug for ones that are 'in between' sizes (I use them,fab for the money,forgot to put them on list on previous post sorry:eek:),they are cut quite small as rugs go,but still have plenty of room if that makes sense?? Try a 6' in one of those maybe??

The fleece will be fine for being in the stable overnight (I am right in thinking you said he is to be stabled overnight??),like you said he's not going to be clipped,and if he's in the dry out of the wind etc,then a fleece will be fine,nothing at all would probably be fine,but you will prob feel better if he has a fleece;).Good way to not have to buy too many rugs,and will save wearing the same one for too long.Can easily bung a fleece in the wash once a week too.
I would still buy at least 2 turnouts though TBH,what if one got ripped or you found it was leaking?? Or just got absolutely soaked and mud covered if weather really bad,might need a wash or rinse (don't wash properly of course if not re-proofing at the same time),and wouldn't have another one to use.

The combo's are fab rugs,just that think your boy has a decent mane that you probably don't want to risk falling out,which might happen if he get's too warm on nicer day's.Just thought if you look for one with a detachable rather than fixed neck,can take the neck off sometimes.

In regards to weight,well that's always a guessing game if want an 'all round' rug.I would suggest two rugs,one light-middle weight (70g is ideal if can get it,but anything 40-100g if not),and one middle weight 170-200g.All rugs are breathable now anyway,so as long as use each weight according to weather temp,shouldn't be any problem with being drastically too warm.
If he get's a really thick coat might even get away with one lightweight with no fill like a summer turnout (will get them cheap this time of year as well),and one light-middleweight.Either suggestion will be fine don't worry.Plan to use the lighter one for most of the time and the heavier one just for couple of coldest winter months.

Phew sorry for essay,just trying to think of everything lol.

Try and collar someone at your yard who has a couple turnout rugs in size you are thinking of and try them on,will see than about the fit before you spend money!!

ETA: You will still find BTW that he will eat whatever is there,they always do in winter,no matter how warm they are,no goodness in grass and doesn't seem to fill them up as much,so will eat whatever else is on offer!! What a rug will help with is will help stop him losing weight when food is scarce,as will not be using so much of his energy to keep warm.
 
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my 14.2 fjord is a 5'9 but verrrry broad on the chest, i foud that saxon and shires are good for that....but wetherbeeta arent!
 
I would leave him unrugged and feed the hay - he should be on add lib anyway over winter, feeding him less just to save money and then rug him to compensate is a very bad idea, and won't save you money if he gets a stomach ulcer or a behavioral problem. Horses are trickle feeders and need food in their stomach all the time or the acid starts to eat the stomach lining.
Putting rugs on youngsters in the first place isn't ideal as it does affect their muscle development as they are less inclined to run about and the rug restricts movement - fair enough if you live somewhere where there is no shelter at all and they are not stabled then a waterproof is fine - but they should be keeping themselves warm from the inside - plus he's a growing baby so needs it.
Our horses are out all winter with add lib haylage/hay and access to shelter, it's only the under 3's we stable at night just so there aren't so many on the fields and to handle them - but always add libb available, we just vary the quality depending on how much weight they need to loose before spring but never cut the amount down, and no hard feed at all just a vitamin supplement.
 
I wouldnt think Xander will need a rug in the stable so i'd just get a decent quality newzealand rug. With my rugs i tend to get a fairly lightweight NZ then in the colder weather just put a fleece or something underneath it.

With Una this year i plan to rug her. i will probably have to buy a new rug as she has no doubt outgrown hers now!! She just has a saxon lightweight NZ that i got from Countrywide for about £30 :D I will probably get her another one of those!

I found that even with plenty of hay and 2 good meals a day, unrugged i couldnt keep the condition on her whilst she was growing so much so my advice would be to rug Xander, at least during the worst of the winter. But its completely up to you!
 
i'm hardly going to not feed him :rolleyes:
someone else put it better above.
he eats half a bale over night, he will have 2 good meals a day (hifi lite + vits + whatever fruit/veg i can find). he will be out grazing in the daytime for about 8 hours.
it is the day time hay im trying to limit. i hoped with his night hay, 2 feeds, & only 8 hrs out, he wouldnt need much on top of the grass that he manages to scavenge. i simply cannot afford £120 per month just on hay. hay that other horses will eat as he's out with 8 other geldings. i hoped rugging him would mean that he can manage with a touch less hay in the day time, as he wont be using so much energy to keep warm. im sure everyone would agree £120 per month on hay alone for 1 horse is extremely excessive. thats more than his livery bill!
 
Tazanne said:
i'm hardly going to not feed him :rolleyes:
someone else put it better above.
he eats half a bale over night, he will have 2 good meals a day (hifi lite + vits + whatever fruit/veg i can find). he will be out grazing in the daytime for about 8 hours.
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I'd say that would be plenty if he is rugged as well. The fact that he will be in half the day out of the worst of the weather, he shouldnt need so much food to keep the condition on :D Give him some sugar beet and barley (i've found those are great for maintaining Una's weight over the last year :D ) and he should be fine. I personally wouldnt over do it with the feeding, if he's having half a bale of hay at night AND daytime grazing he should be fine, you certainly wouldnt want him getting fat :D
 
thats my other issue Jess - i HATE fat horses. im not a slim jim myself, but that makes me even more aware of his weight. he's not overweight now though, so i am just concerned that he's due a growth spurt (so will likely to go gangly & ribby again anyway), & the other horses do get very slim there over the winter. so you reckon with a rug on, in all night, & all that hay at night he'll be ok? he gets 1 scoop of hifi lite now + veggies etc, i will increase that to 1.5 - 2 scoops twice a day over the winter, so thats still less than the recommended amount of 2 scoops twice daily. i'll think about the sugar beet, he does love it.
 
Tazanne said:
thats my other issue Jess - i HATE fat horses. im not a slim jim myself, but that makes me even more aware of his weight. he's not overweight now though, so i am just concerned that he's due a growth spurt (so will likely to go gangly & ribby again anyway), & the other horses do get very slim there over the winter. so you reckon with a rug on, in all night, & all that hay at night he'll be ok? he gets 1 scoop of hifi lite now + veggies etc, i will increase that to 1.5 - 2 scoops twice a day over the winter, so thats still less than the recommended amount of 2 scoops twice daily. i'll think about the sugar beet, he does love it.
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I think he will be find on that with a rug on when he's out. Una went very ribby the first winter i had her and i think that was cos she was unrugged and because i wasn't feeding her, i took advice that, in hindsight, probably was incorrect. So last winter i did what i thought was best - rugged her at night throught the worst months and fed her welll and she did fine. As he;s not in work its ok for him to lose some weight over the winter, thats natural, but Una got too thin on her first winter so im very conscious of getting the right balance. I think two meals a day will be fine but if you're going to give big meals then split them into three as there is only a certain amount of food a horse can properly digest to get the best nutrition from it, so little and often is the best idea. So if you get a break at work and can get down to see him give him an afternoon feed too :D

As you know i also hate overweight horses, especially youngster! And with friesians they can be prone to joint problems so you have to be really careful! But then Una lost too much weight really so im very conscious of having her a good weight going into the winter and ensuring that she maintains her weight well through to the spring :) But with Xander being in half the day im sure he will be fine, its really only if they're out 24/7 you need to worry.
 
I did rug Vinnie last year he has just turned 2. Sadly our weather was so wet wild and windy he wasn't out as much as i would have liked. He got ad-lib hay in the night and 2 feeds aday this consisted of speedy beet and un-mollassed chaff. Towards the end of last winter he did loose condition actually i felt he lost too much so i added some barley but found out he was intolatent to is so instead increased the beet and chaff quantities. he has outgrown his rugs :rolleyes: so will have to buy more. Last winter he was about 14.3hh and fitted into a 5.6/5.9' masta rug now he is 15.2/3hh and is fitting into a 6.0/6.3' rug. To rug or not to is a really hard decision. I would love not to rug Vinnie but feel our winter weather is just a tad to harsh sometimes. When its rain and wind together he stands and waits to be brought in - expecting to be. On a couple of occasions when i thought stop being a woos, you can stay out he stood stamping his feet looking like he was having a tantrum! Boys!:rolleyes:
 
Any neck cover will rubb their mane, Are you having him gelded? He will lose more weight if hes starts to threat over mares or just just generally getting his hormones.

I would have at least 6'3 rug for him, my 13hh new forest about slim and in a 6ft rug, I would go for a masta, medium or heavyweight.
 
he was gelded last january.

i dont think i'll be getting a heavy weight one - surely those are only for clipped horses? i know rugs take away their own insulation system, but surely a medium will be more than enough on a non-wussy breed, unclipped horse? i was beginning to think of getting a light-medium, or just a light weight one, & putting his fleece underneath on really cold days.

i am gonna stay away from necked rugs. this isnt what i wanted in the first place - just didnt know what the different names are. is a no-neck rug a 'standard'? im going to measure him again before i do anything, then perhaps get one a touch too big so his fleece can go under, & so it will last a tad longer.
 
Amigo rugs are BRILLIANT!! They have a full nylon lining so don't rub at all and fit Sietske beautiful!

She had always lived out in a medium weight with 2 fibre based feeds (hifi and speedibeet with a touch of oil if she needed it) as well as hay and whats left of the grazing :rolleyes: She always did well enough to keep her weight OK, but lose enough for the start of spring so she didnt explode by may/june!!
 
For fit to be hones I haven't found one that fits the big girls properly yet although the weatherbeeta ones aren't bad. For the big girls I just got a longish canvass type (best way of describing) with very little padding or insulation and they only have theirs on in the absolute worst of the weather.

During winter if they are out they are on 1 big net per day (at night) their ususal feed - you know what that is ;) and whatever they can forage during the day we've found that if there isn't an awful lot of grass for them then they tend to move around more anyway foraging for grass which keeps them warmer anyway.

To be honest though I'd rather keep them in in the worst of the weather than rug them.

Not really answering your question though is it - Weatherbeeta should be worth a go but he will be a really awkward size, even though he will measure in at around 6' that is a horse size and he hasn't got full growth on his neck yet so a lot of rugs may be too wide around the neck.
 
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