I've recently noticed rugs popping up on my yards in the evenings, it goes down to around 4oC here at night right now, and all horses are in their own fields, not in a herd. I personally am not too sure on rugging yet. My mare is a 16.2, 10 year old Irish Sports Horse, and I simply refuse to clip her for my own reasons. She has been rugged for most of her life with her old owner, and obviously it's unfair of me to deny her rugging now, so no rug is not an option.I was just wondering how cold it has to get before you start rugging. I myself will rug in horrible rain, and at 1oC or below, but should I be doing it at higher temps? I don't want to ruin the growth of her winter coat, and she gets hay and a feed every night.
Horses are made with internal heating systems. When it gets cold, they grow hair. It's natural. No one puts rugs on the wild horses;) A lot of people say that if a horse has been rugged or blanketed they always will have to be, but that is not true. You just don't want to start off using a blanket and then just randomly stop in the dead of winter. If a horse is fed a well balanced diet it will grow a super thick winter coat. It feels nice and adds extra insulation if you ride bareback in the winter. Also, horses that are allowed to grow their own coat usually shed out nicer and more thoroughly. Just make sure when spring rolls around you brush enough to get all that thick fur off when it's ready. In the wild, horses would find a good spot to roll and they would groom each other. Plus, I personally like the look of horse with long, thick, fluffy coats. My horses never wear blankets or rugs. And they are already getting fluffy;)
I agree with the fact that horses have their natural central heating when the weather get cold BUT and this is a very important factor, in the UK our winters are inclined to be very wet often accompanied with a bitter cold wind and no stock likes being soaking wet and very cold. At the moment my mares, foals and two year old horses are all out with no rugs, the weather has been extraordinarily mild and most importantly dry. I would hold off rugging until the wet weather moves in. Some people are getting beyond ridiculous with rugging the moment they think that it is going to get 'cold' and leaving them on during the day whereby the poor animals are sweating. Several days this week I have turned my clipped horses out naked as the weather has been so warm(they come in late afternoon)
While I agree with the other answers it should also be considered that horses in the wild are herd animals and therefore do group together either by sticking their rumps together to keep warm or sometimes horses stick their muzzles together and breathe on each other to keep breathing warm air. I would suggest the horses ears and behind them. Are they cold? If they are cold I would suggest blanketing/rugging them especially if the horses are going to be alone in separate fields. There are several types of blankets/rugs. Some are thicker and some are thinner. Lightweight blankets are for temperatures that do not go down past 40 degrees. Medium weights are for temperatures that do not go much past below freezing and heavy blankets are for the days when it is freezing. You can decided between the lightweight or the medium weight.
I also agree with the first answer. My horse is not blanketed during the winter and I live in Wisconsin where it gets pretty cold during the winter. He just turns into a very fuzzy horse during the winter. I do cover him after I have worked him so he does not get chilled then. Addition: If your horse is older, or possibly has issues keeping weight on during the winter it may be beneficial to blanket. But as long as your horse does not appear to be deficient in a winter coat then you should not have to blanket.
There is never a need to rug in high temperatures except maybe a fly rug here and there to stop nasty bites and stings popping up. Only rug when you feel the cold is enough to wear a coat outside. A horse will feel the same except only need a lighter one because they have a thick coat. When you step inside it feels really warm, just like a horse going into a stable so you take off the rug. Our gelding is part Arab and only in a lightweight in the field some days but at night because it is so chilly in his stable he wears a little fleece like we would. Hope I can Help.
