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Post by hs on Apr 8, 2011 21:26:39 GMT
It was a lovely warm day today, this evening I was with my pony in his field and could see on the ground all these patches of hair where ponies have been rolling and loosing their winter coat.
None of the ponies in his field are rugged at the moment as it is so warm but quite a few horses in other fields are still rugged as they come straight out of winter rugs and into fly rugs and summer sheets. I feel a bit sorry for them not having the chance to ever roll in the dirt.
I know some people do not like their horses to get dirty but surely they could have a few days a year without a rug on and then cleaned up later on.
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Post by caron on Apr 9, 2011 2:13:30 GMT
I do love to let mine get nekkid and have a good scrub and scratch.I must admit though, mine are rarely ever without a rug overnight- last year they had a week or two when it was really stifling hot overnight when the rugs were left off but because I work nights, when I nip out for a cig, I think its chilly and therefore my ponies must be chilly- hence the rugs stay on at night  At the minute, most days mine are rugless, but there are mornings when its damp and drizzly and I leave them on after going to the yard straight from a night shift, go home, go to bed and then the suns cracking the flags and I think the poor things will be sweltering Mine are now mostly living out (optional stables that they don't use :  so I think I am going to have to invest in UV rugs, but guaranteed if I do that, we will have the worst summer ever, my field will flood and the ponies will be locked in for months! |
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Post by thecremellosociety on Apr 9, 2011 5:07:06 GMT
Have no option with my itchy one, so he gets furminated daily while moulting, cant risk him being bitten or stung to set off all his allergies, my new one has a fly rug too but does go out naked at times when not midgy, if you had seen the huge mosquito that sat on his neck before putting them to bed last night, we have to many nasties flying around,providing you remove the rugs and groom well a few times a week i dont see a problem, sadly with the changes in climate and flying nasties i always have a LW turnout to hand to go over bug rugs
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Post by hs on Apr 9, 2011 8:24:20 GMT
obviously it depends where you live as some areas are colder than others but horses have fur and their skin is much thicker than our so you can't really compare them to humans. If you think how warm a fur coat is then that should give you an indication of how warm ponies can get.
Some horses with SI will need to wear rugs but I am talking about healthy normal horses with no allergies and not clipped.
For those us with good doer native sorts on a diet the flies do help keep the ponies moving and encourage them to go into the shaded areas during the day to sleep, YO said this is natures way of restricting their grazing and keeping them moving and perhaps help prevent the dreaded laminitis! If you put a fly rug on then they just stay out in the middle of field eating and not moving about so much.
We have loads of mosquito midges type things but as my pony does not suffer from SI he is rug free in the summer. It is nice for the ponies to be able to groom each other as well.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 9, 2011 8:57:57 GMT
Mine are naked! I love it. The flys will arrive soon and then I will have no choice, but for now they are all basking in the sunshine, even though we have a show tomorrow. Nothing a bath wont sort out  |
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martinetaylor02
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Post by martinetaylor02 on Apr 9, 2011 9:45:53 GMT
heat stroke... seen a few over the years with it! my big mare gets nose bleeds too due to the heat and shes dark!
If too hot for a rug they have to stay in :-)
But i guess it depends on the person, Some people can go on holiday and sit on the beach! Personally you'd find me in the hotel in ice bath!!!! Lol
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sarahp
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Post by sarahp on Apr 9, 2011 10:09:07 GMT
Sorry, I don't follow that one martine!
Mine are all naked, only exception would be any with allergies.
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Post by showingfanatic on Apr 9, 2011 10:16:54 GMT
Mine are clipped and naked, summer coat has come through lovely and it must be so nice for them to be free of rugs after a winter of being rugged to their eyeballs! Left mine in just a fly sheet last night, and naked night before. When the midgies come out I'll coat them in fly spray and still try and leave them rugless as much as possible. Only exception was with my SP, he always seemed to get bitten badly so had a fly sheet on 24/7 through the summer. |
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Post by Wishiwasrich on Apr 9, 2011 10:55:23 GMT
we have very mashy fields which get millions of flys. The odd sunny day at this time of year is the only time i dare let mine out without fly rugs on. I agree it's a shame but when i started using them about 4 years ago, the change in the ponies was amazing. No more field walking constantly, no more broken fences from all the itching. they put on condition and seem so much happier.
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Post by ilovebuckroox on Apr 9, 2011 10:55:43 GMT
My little one is always out naked when the sun is out! She loves it, she is a naturally 'warm' pony! However, my other one has just been put out naked for the first time this year, he is loving it! We used to have one with really bad SI, he always had his boett on otherwise he would rub his mane even more. And he already had about a foot missing!  |
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Post by boots & saddles on Apr 9, 2011 17:11:58 GMT
mine are all naked apart from my itch cob whos in a cooler/fly rug, but its a cool coat so i would think its designed to keep him cool as some are, i would sooner he was rugged than bald and sore.
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Post by laurajazmine on Apr 9, 2011 23:47:30 GMT
My mare is never without a rug. She has a lightweight on at night and a rainsheet in the day, unless it is boiling like today and she has her Cool coat on. Its not cruel, she is groomed properley each day and rarely rolls in the field anyway.
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Post by iluvmyponies on Apr 10, 2011 0:26:15 GMT
My mare is never without a rug. She has a lightweight on at night and a rainsheet in the day, unless it is boiling like today and she has her Cool coat on. Its not cruel, she is groomed properley each day and rarely rolls in the field anyway. Mine are the same, they always have a rug on. My Section A feels the cold terribly, he shivers all the time, so he is always rugged. My 14hander is really sensitive to flys & the others all have summer coats so they are just the right temperature wearing rugs. Modified for spelling. |
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Post by daizylindsay on Apr 10, 2011 7:20:27 GMT
I think over rugging is unnatural as is tail bagging, hoods etc, our horses are now naked, I think if used occasionally and sensibly e.g before shows to keep clean it is ok but don't agree with it all the time.
When I was on a yard some horses were rugged up to the eyeballs and in my opinion it was cruel. (I'm talking about horses being out with layers and layers of rugs).
Our natives are happy as larry making fur angels in the field!
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martinetaylor02
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"If you can dream it, you can do it." Walt Disney
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Post by martinetaylor02 on Apr 10, 2011 9:51:01 GMT
every horse is different what suits one Wont suit another. Bet please do be careful of heatstroke. Thats why fly sheets as white to reflect the sun.
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sarahp
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Post by sarahp on Apr 10, 2011 10:43:25 GMT
Wouldn't it be easier just make sure they have shade in the field to stand in? I've never heard of a naked horse out in a field with shade and free access to water having heat stroke in this country. Hard exercise is another matter, that's why they were throwing buckets of cold water over the National runners as soon as they had finished yesterday, the best way to cool them in a hurry. I would worry that the fly sheet would prevent sweating so cooling, I prefer to let the air get to the skin. Certainly any of mine wearing midge-proof rugs, albeit pale beige not white, for sweetitch were always hotter than naked ones.
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Post by bowditchblobs on Apr 10, 2011 13:31:36 GMT
Im flabbergasted at some gypsy cobs down the road from me that are rugged!!!! They have been rugged non stop, its got to be in the high 60s here, new zealands i mean not fly rugs, stupid people. My fells in his uv fly rug, dont want a bald bay pony to be honest, many midgies here even in april. The others are naked out 24/7............lovely
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Post by bonnieheather on Apr 10, 2011 21:48:29 GMT
I have to agree with them being naked, after the long, cold winter, rugged up it must feel fantastic for them!!! And I know, they don't have to be rugged in winter. Personal choice and circumstances I guess...
I think the cool coats came from Oz, white sheets to repel the heat...
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Post by mandmfan on Apr 11, 2011 1:16:02 GMT
I personally think it is unkind for a pony to be always wearing a rug. To see a naked horse having a good roll after a winter spent in rugs is a lovely sight. I know that when the flies and midges are bad some horses need fly rugs but where we are at the moment the weather is lovely but the flies are not out in abundance so all the horses are nude and loving it. I think the over-use of rugs is often more due to owners' anxieties than the horse's actual need of them (and the fact that a rugged horse can never get as dirty as a nude one).
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sarahp
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Post by sarahp on Apr 11, 2011 7:32:34 GMT
I couldn't agree more m&mfan! And another point I thought of - like humans, horses need to get some sun on their skin to make Vit D in the body, I wonder if they go short if rugged all the time? It is not found in grass, only in naturally cured hay or as additives in hard feed apart from that, and is required for correct bone growth. Mine all sunbathe when they can, standing side on to it to soak up the rays.
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Post by hs on Apr 11, 2011 19:55:10 GMT
I find it hard to believe that a normal healthy horse or pony would be so hot or so cold during the day when it is 20c and sunny that they should need to wear a rug? I did not realise horses could suffer from heatstroke that easily in the UK climate that they would need to be rugged on a nice spring day. I presumed that they are better at regulating their body temperatures than that? It is easy to forget that a horse has a different way of regulating its temperature compared to humans and what we may feel is comfy for us is not always so comfy for them. I too like seeing them sunbathe in the sun and the patches on the grass where they have rolled. That is a very interesting point Sarahp about vitamin D, so I did some googling and yes they can get a deficiency if they are wearing rugs all the time especially if they are dark colour. I found this interesting article about it www.dressagedaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5600:vitamin-d-deficiency-has-many-dangers-for-horses&catid=18:horse-health&Itemid=427 |
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sarahp
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Post by sarahp on Apr 11, 2011 21:28:27 GMT
Very interesting, thanks - although it is an article linked to someone trying to sell something! I had a quick check in my horse health text book before I posted above, which touched on Vit D briefly, I must try to find some proper research articles when I can.
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Post by hs on Apr 11, 2011 22:35:22 GMT
I just realized they were using the research information to sell some magic mushrooms! It is quite hard now to find unbiased research as lots is now funded by feed companies or used to promote their products etc. Even if is is not true I still think there must be some health benefits for most horses to have some turn out time on a nice day unrugged. We use mud packs on ourselves so maybe some mud is good for their skin. Very interesting, thanks - although it is an article linked to someone trying to sell something! I had a quick check in my horse health text book before I posted above, which touched on Vit D briefly, I must try to find some proper research articles when I can.[/quote |
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Post by ruftytuftyrider on Apr 11, 2011 23:15:26 GMT
My Welsh C has been naked all winter and has been far happier than last winter when he was rugged up (albeit checked twice a day and if too hot or too cold rug changed).
He is a real happy chappy and loves a good roll especially after I have groomed him lol!! He has a field shelter but seems to use it more in hot weather for shade (there are also lots of trees but these are still waiting for their leaves) than in cold/wet weather when he is usually found in the middle of the field playing in the rain!
Last year fed him a fly repellent supplement and made my own flyspray and had no problems with any bites or lumps so plan to do the same again this year.
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sarahp
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Post by sarahp on Apr 12, 2011 6:51:24 GMT
The info' I gave above about feed sources of Vit D are valid and from The Equine Manual. It was my own extrapolation to wonder if those at grass in the summer rugged up are therefore going short as none is supplied in the diet which it would be over the winter.
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Post by hs on Apr 12, 2011 8:56:11 GMT
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sarahp
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Post by sarahp on Apr 12, 2011 12:43:26 GMT
Yes I know it is a hot topic for humans - I have supplements prescribed because of chronically low levels - and I get plenty of sun, eat lots of oily fish and take the cod liver oil recommended by specialist for me joints.
There is now much more worry about too much sunshine causing skin cancer that I think many people don't get enough Vit D.
As far as horses go, many of the consequences of vit/min deficiencies crop up later on and are not connected to the diet.
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Post by nici on Apr 13, 2011 13:47:03 GMT
Our Shetlands spent the winter naked, and the two mares spent late winter / spring naked. One Shetland is still naked and in the last few days has finally started to shed his winter woollies - about time too, especially after last weekend's temperatures! The other three have had late clips and are now lightly rugged while they adjust to losing their winter woolies, but they do have the rugs off on sunny days to enjoy the sun on their backs. A degree or two of general overall warmth and they'll be naked again apart from night before shows, except for the itchy Shetland in his SI hoody and fly rug. I'm finding that even he can spend time without his fly rug though, as the hoody covers his itchy spots on his mane - he's ok on his body & tail. They spend a lot more time bonding and mutually grooming each other when they are naked, and we like to give them as much time as possible to just chill out and be ponies. As for keeping clean, well as others have said, that's what bathing is for  |
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so I think I am going to have to invest in UV rugs, but guaranteed if I do that, we will have the worst summer ever, my field will flood and the ponies will be locked in for months!
