can i keep my highland pony out all year without a rug even in the snow. i feel a bit bad but what would be the best way.
Ach, he's a Highland! He's built for it! Provided he's unclipped he has all he needs to keep him going all through the winter. There are Highlands all over the country living out naked; the Highland, more than almost any other breed, is exceedingly well equipped to cope with harsh winters. HiPos have got great coats - there is a very dense short under layer which sits a lot like fluffy fleece, and over that are the long hairs which are quite waterproof. The way the long hairs ripple in the wind is like a field of barley in the spring. If you have clipped him to ride, he will need a rug. If he has not been clipped he does not need one, and putting one on him will intefere with what he was bred for. His own winter coat will keep him much warmer than any rug could; Highlands, like Shetlands, can be out at night with snow on their backs and ice in their whiskers, and so long as there is some hay to eat they are plenty warm enough.
Snow is less of a problem than driving rain. As long as your pony can get some form of shelter, even a wall or hedge, then Highlands are well capable of coping. Older ponies may need more consideration, but generally speaking, well nourished Highlands can cope. You will often see snow lying on their backs, unmelted. This shows how well insulated they are given their body temperature.
i live in upstate NY where we have have winters with lots of snow and temperatures that can drop to below 0 [f]. i seldom use rugs on any of my horses and they do just fine. this assumes your pony is in good health, not old, not clipped, and has some sort of shelter to block the wind and protect him from rain. a rug left on all the time will pack the coat down and can lead to more heat loss that there would be without the rug but with the coat in its natural condition
Your pony is not a human! She or he is perfectly suited to liive outdoors without silly human comforts such as rugs and 4 walls. You are doing the best thing for its health and happiness, by keeping it in the natural environment it was designed to live in! The biggest factor in keeping your pony healthy is making sure it has enough hay to stay warm. The process of digesting hay creates heat in the horse, so it is more important than grain for keeping warm. Hay, open water (not frozen), and a wind break are the basics, and a roof is optional. Any more than that, and you're probably asking for more problems. Much damage is done by human interference in horses' lives, trying to treat them as if they are human. Horseshoes, stables, clipping, rugging, all have their drawbacks, but there are people who think that because we would be more comfortable with these 'helps', the horse would too. Please don't feel badly about keeping your pony outdoors and uncovered. It's the way they were intended to live, so you're being a very responsible pony owner!
