foal rug sizing and introducing it?

[Deleted]

As my poor baby foalie and Violet, have to go and live out I need to order Velvet a little rug.

Just measured her from chest to bum - and made her 48 inches.

I was going to order a lightweight for now and a heavier one for in a month or two

Do you think I better wait and see how much she grows in that time, before ordering the heavier weight, in case she grows into the next size?

Do you just put them on and hope for the best? Or do they go mad and get upset?

[Nightshirt1111]

Hi I wish I could help but our foals are alot older and stay out until december with no rugs on ... I'm sure someone will help and I'd be interested to see how they do it.

[sjc]

Lovepink our little boy had one on for the first time with no upset at all. Just placed it slowly over him with very little fuss and he was absolutely fine with it. Suppose they all act in different ways. Good luck xx

[harrythepig]

My 3 month filly has been wearing a rug as when needed for the last three weeks. I had no problem putting it on her as she has been very well handled since birth.
I find that letting her smell it and then rubbing her all over with it before placing it carefully over her back.

You will find that you will get through a few rugs in the first winter as they outgrow them quickly. How big is your foal expected to mature at?

I have one 4ft 3" foal rug and then move up to full size Saxon rugs as they aren't too deep and aren't too big around the chest.

[holiday]

I must admit to having alsorts of sizes and can pretty much guess which will fit so cant really help without seeing velvet!!!!!

However I have found with some of the mares they will not accept the foals having a rug on and have totally lost the plot to the fact I could not leave them together.

We bathed our coloured foal the other week for the CHAPS Champs and chucked a rug on her not thinking and to be honest I think if id left the mare with her by the next morning we would not have had a foal!!!!!! She totally was beside herself even when I put the rug on the foal whilst she was watching!!!!!!!

However she was also beside herself at the CHAPS Champs whene ever she saw a coloured foal go past and tried to claim it!!!!!! Maybe she was just slightly neurotic!!!!!!

We are very care in introducing mares and foals to rugs in general "just in case" but most mares are not too bothered!!!!!!

The foals when well handled might bounce about a little but we just put them on, and leave them to it, they dont object much at all however we would never put them on outside always in a stable so they get used to them in confines!!!!!!!

She will grow quite quickly so I would order a little bit bigger size!!!!!!

[Deleted]

Thanks all for the good advice! I will get one a bit bigger xxxx Found a lovely pink and grey one xxxxx

[paulal]

We have just put a rug on our little Hattie. Oh it was hilarious - she is normally quite cheeky and quick but we put it on her very carefully - let her smell it etc. When we put it on her - she didnt move an inch - not very impressed to say the least and kept looking behind her to see if it was still there! Hardly moved with it on - I checked her an hour later and she was fine - am just going out now to check if she still has it on!!! Our colt last year was scared to death with the very noisy velcro - hated it - but they soon get over themselves. Good luck x

[Deleted]

Velvet loves the noise of velcro! She takes her mums fly hat off 100 times a day, just to hear the velcro noise LOL

I just laid Minis 4ft 6 summer sheet on velvet. She didnt mind at all, but it was like a marquee!

[horseyll81]

Hi Lovepink,
I try not to rug the foals through the winter if I can help it as it lets their skin toughen which can benefit later on in life!! I do however have a couple of practice runs when they're in the stable just in case I do need to get one on if the weather is horrendous.
Velvet, like all of mine, is well handled so you should have no problem getting near her with a rug. I would simply let her have a sniff of it and when she looks reasonably calm, start to touch her (at shoulder first) with your hand with the rug over your arm. Gradually slide your hand away so you are then touching her with the rug instead. Once accustomed, slowly place it over her back. I would usually have a headcollar so if she does panic slightly, she can circle around you so you grab the rug off quickly without her getting tangled. I tend to fold the rug so it only sits over the back, i.e doesn't go over her bum at first. You can then slowly 'unroll' it back when she seems ok.
I must say, if the foal is well handled, you generally won't get too many problems......foals are however extremely unpredictable!!!! Give me a shout if you need a hand xxxx