Rugging A Wet Horse

Horses that are used to the colder weather and have spent most of their time.
Rugging a wet horse. My boy is 17 and a tb so i am still a little reluctant to send him to bed without any rugs on it is still getting cold at night and occasionally quite wet. So i m going to start with the pros and cons of rugging horses to help you make an informed decision with the welfare and best interest of your horse in mind. Over rugging may also mean the horse warms up under the rug but not in other exposed areas. Over rugging or putting a rug on too soon can compromise a horse s ability to do this.
Combined with which rugging is very different for every horse as it depends on breed weight climate his work load and even their coats themselves. Horses that are clipped under the weather or elderly for example will require more rugging through the colder winter months than good doers native breeds and. If you do decide to rug your horse during wet weather a rain sheet or unlined canvas is the best option as these rugs deliver rain protection minus the warmth factor. Rugs are usually sized in three inch increments.
Never rug a wet horse for the night the rug will absorb the moisture and hold it close to the horse s body for many hours to come chilling as the temperature drops. His bed is a large open paddock not stabled. Generally it is better for horses to be slightly too cold than too hot. If he is hot under his rug his ability to cool down naturally is lost too.
Rationing hay for a variety of reasons many performance horses are on rationed hay or haylage. The measurement refers to the distance from the centre of the chest of the horse around the body of the horse to the rear of the quarters where you expect the rug to finish. Rugging your horse may seem like a minor decision but as are all things with horses it is something worth thinking about.