Note: You must be registered in order to post a reply. To register, click here. Registration is FREE!
T O P I C R E V I E W
doug ault
Posted - 11 Oct 2013 : 6:02:49 PM Don't over-rug this winter... Traditionally spring and the autumn are the most predictable time when bouts of laminitis, caused by sugar overload, are at their highest (45% of all laminitis cases). Recently however farriers are reporting a significant increase in the numbers of laminitis due to sugar/carb/starch overload, occurring all year round. The frost will bring an increased risk of laminitis because grass stores a higher proportion of fructose as the temperature drops in the base of its stem to protect it from frost damage and ensure survival. Thirty years ago most ponies were roughed off, turned out at grass to grow a thick and impenetrable coat and then come in ‘ribby’ in the spring before putting the weight back on in a natural yo-yo dieting fashion. The endocrine system will relay a whole series of messages about food consumption and storage, energy transmission, suppression or increase of appetite, depression of energy expenditure, coat growth, hair thickness and time to shed the excess hair. Part of this system is circadian in nature (around a 24hour period) and relies largely upon light, but part of the system relies on seasonal temperatures and nutrient availability. The problem with modern horses/ponies affected by metabolic syndrome is that the nutrients they receive are in excess of the nutrients they require and this is compounded by the fact that horses are no longer expected to, travel long distances in search of food, cope with extreme or variable temperatures, or grow thick winter coats and shed them at least 4 times throughout the four seasons of the year. Winter coat growth, hair loss and shedding use a metabolic energy (AKT) pathway which involves both insulin and glucose, this means lowering circulating levels of plasma insulin and use of an excess store of energy. Over rugging horses and native ponies or long periods in the stables during the winter/autumn/early summer months will deprive them of the ability to use up this excess glucose and fat storage.
14 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First)
gossy
Posted - 13 Oct 2013 : 3:51:32 PM Mine have been in lights for 2 weeks they live out at the moment but I will be putting mediums on tonight, torrential rain wind and cold, they do not have a field shelter just natural shelter from bushes and trees, mine have always been rugged this way and been fine.
Goldenmane
Posted - 13 Oct 2013 : 11:49:33 AM Rain persistent, I dried my Arab, out all year, and put on a rain sheet as he will not use shelter unless summer.
tamila
Posted - 13 Oct 2013 : 11:40:20 AM Great article. My boys and girls have always lived out 24/7 unless they have a foal at foot for 4-6 weeks. They were only rugged if clipped or old. Even then they only have the maximum to keep them warm. My daughter who is a vet in the USA says that they have a theory 'horses who live out 24/7 have less tendency to laminitis from grass' but there a re many reasons for a horse to have this nasty disease as it is not a disease in itself but brought on by numerous problems i.e Cushings, stress etc.
Callisto
Posted - 12 Oct 2013 : 4:35:42 PM I agree that some are over rugged, but also that rugging has its place, since the warm weather has turned in the last few days (colder and torrential rain) ours are in a range from no fill, 40 gram fill and medium weight depending on the horse - it's easy to put your hand up under the rug to make sure they are a) dry b) warm enough and c) not too hot. Strangely my welsh x tb pony with a longer coat than my Arab Lily feels the cold a lot more than she does - Lily is a warm girl, so she's always in a lighter rug than him. Ours are still out 24/7, and if it's warm/dry enough their rugs are certainly off during the day, and at night too if possible. But a very useful and timely article Doug.
Vik1
Posted - 12 Oct 2013 : 4:06:27 PM I agree with suzieq...sometimes you do have to rug. We had our highland in a lw or mid-lw (100gm) most of winter so that a saddle could go straight on without having to wait on her drying. It meant she could be turned out for longer. A problem with lw..as in the no fill rugs is in winter the volume of rain is too much for them. They get very sodden/leak and heavy (as heavy as they can anyway) which then stops the horse puffing its coat up underneath to keep warm..you end up with one very cold shivery horse! They are good if cold and dry though. In very wet weather a rug with a small amount of fill is better imo...doesnt soak through as quick therefore you dont end up with a horse looking utterly miserable, barely able to walk as its so hunched up with the cold.
Kharidian
Posted - 12 Oct 2013 : 2:18:01 PM Oh, I agree too! So many horses are rugged who wouldn't have been 20-30 years ago! I do rug my boys (out 24/7/365) but only with medium-weights without necks in the winter. I put no-fill rainsheets on when it's going to be persistent, cold rain as Rog gets the shakes when he gets cold and wet.
We even have heavyweight gypsy-type cobs rugged on our yard (unclipped as they're not working).
Caryn
Cinnypony
Posted - 12 Oct 2013 : 1:28:09 PM The New Forest ponies at the stud down the road have had rugs on for the last month - some of them middle weights!!!!
My flimsy arabs - the 2 unclipped ones are still naked and Cinny who is clipped has got a light weight on.... ;)
Ari
Posted - 11 Oct 2013 : 11:28:02 PM Vik had the same with my old lady, skinny in later years so thought I was doing good with heavy Rhambo and she got itchy rain scald type symptoms that despite skin scrapes vet couldn't diagnose. Come spring rug off, lovely summer coat. She was too hot!
Sasha Melia
Posted - 11 Oct 2013 : 10:45:26 PM That article is doing the rounds on Facebook at the moment, interesting reading. I am a believer in not over rugging or rugging up too early
SuziQ
Posted - 11 Oct 2013 : 10:39:08 PM Whilst I do hugely agree about not rugging there does need to be a practical element to it. My horses are out at night and come in to a stable or outside pen during the day to have a break from the grass... when the weather is wet you may end up not riding as the horse is sodden, I am going to have to start rugging if it stays wet or I will rub the girls in the girth area, even if I towel them off.
Vik1
Posted - 11 Oct 2013 : 10:16:13 PM I do rug mine but I try to use the minimum weight possible. My boy gets a heat rash across his barrel if he gets too warm. He doesnt have to sweat to develop it either. Alot of people seem to think if a horse isnt sweating then it must be ok..not necessarily. My old mare would never sweat but would develop a rain scald type rash/bald patches across her rump. Very itchy at times. Took me ages to work out what it was and why. I had worried about it being -15c and her being skinny so rugged her up well..mistake! Even skinny horses can be over rugged and too hot without sweating..valuable lesson learnt! I look forward to getting some beef off my boy in winter ready for the spring grass. Id worry too much if he went into spring the weight he is now and he isnt that fat. I can still feel his ribs...just!
Ari
Posted - 11 Oct 2013 : 9:34:24 PM So agree, I see horses now rugged all year round for various excuses from fly rugs, to rain sheets, got to keep horse clean he/ she rolls, going to a show don't want coat to grow, it's madness and on hot days is a welfare issue believe me I voice my old school opinions! OK If a horse has sweet itch fly rugs or boets are needed. My boy (delicate Arab lol) is the only horse on my yard that does summer 24/7, no rug, fly mask, only gets a token feed when ridden. I see ponies that are confined to stable in fat club all summer being fed huge amounts of haylage from November on because they are hungry and may lose weight! Isn't that why they have spent hours of boredom confined to stable and is not winter the best time to slim em down and ensure a good start to a problem free summer? Not if owner wants to do winter shows (judges to please) or get their monies worth for their livery! I totally agree the natural life is best and we should only interfere for the horses welfare (and I do believe a bit of well placed protection from the harsher weather 100% has improved equine longevity) but it must not to be for our convenience or anthropomorphic take on things
Annette
Posted - 11 Oct 2013 : 8:21:38 PM Oh Doug, you are a man after my own heart. This is one of my pet hates- the over rugging especially of ponies that goes on today. Thirty plus years ago there were nowhere near the number of laminitics around as there are today, and anyone who can remember back then will know that very few outwintered ponies wore rugs at all. The only equines requiring rugs were those clipped and doing hard work. Nowadays we see the rugs coming out in early september at the first hint of a chill in the air, even Shetlands aren't immune from this rug fever. Seeing our native ponies with heavy winter rugs on is imo verging on cruelty , nature designed these ponies to be able to live out in all weathers. They must be so miserable as they swelter under their "cosy" rugs. And while no-one wishes to see horses starving, I totally agree with you that we should be looking to have our horses and ponies coming out of the winter in lean condition as opposed to good, or obese. Laminitis is such a horrible condition for ponies,we should be doing everything possible to ensure they don't get it, and like Doug I believe leaving them rugless is one way we can help them. An added bonus will be that there would be a lot less skin problems around as well, another problem caused by over rugging
Sharea
Posted - 11 Oct 2013 : 6:17:42 PM Thanks for the reminder Doug.
. This is one of my pet hates- the over rugging especially of ponies that goes on today. Thirty plus years ago there were nowhere near the number of laminitics around as there are today, and anyone who can remember back then will know that very few outwintered ponies wore rugs at all. The only equines requiring rugs were those clipped and doing hard work. Nowadays we see the rugs coming out in early september 
at the first hint of a chill in the air, even Shetlands aren't immune from this rug fever. Seeing our native ponies with heavy winter rugs on is imo verging on cruelty 
, nature designed these ponies to be able to live out in all weathers. They must be so miserable as they swelter under their "cosy" rugs. And while no-one wishes to see horses starving, I totally agree with you that we should be looking to have our horses and ponies coming out of the winter in lean condition as opposed to good, or obese. Laminitis is such a horrible condition for ponies,we should be doing everything possible to ensure they don't get it, and like Doug I believe leaving them rugless is one way we can help them. An added bonus will be that there would be a lot less skin problems around as well, another problem caused by over rugging