| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| sab2 |
Posted - 26 Nov 2014 : 6:50:05 PM
My vets organised a talk last night by Prof Derek Knottenbelt from Liverpool university, it was about skin and its problems, his thoughts on rugs are that we should bin them and leave the horse as nature intended, not always as easy as that though is it. It was in aid of a charity he works closely with in the Gambia working to help the lives of the horses/donkies out there and the people who use them in survive. Hes got a good sense of humour and enjoyed it although my bum went to sleep as it was very long, kept having to shuffle about in my seat to get comfy  My friend had asked me to ask about herbal remedies and Turmeric but after hearing his thoughts on any sarcoid treatment other than using vets i thought it best not to in case i got wrong  |
| 14 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| heathermcbreen |
Posted - 02 Dec 2014 : 1:30:17 PM
I guess humans would survive without so many clothes if we had to ! But personally I like a warm coat when its windy and chucking it down. The idea of being outside shivering.... waiting to get used to being cold does not sound great to me. Besides for the horses that may not be getting much food a rug will help avoid weight loss. I heard a rug was equal to a bucket of food.... I know if I'm cold I feel starving hungry too. Having said that I have a mini Shetland mare that never needs a rug... is never miserable or shivering. The pure Arab and the American miniature stallion both feel the cold and they are rugged if necessary. The part bred is a bit more resilient but is still rugged if its really wet and windy. Mine are in at night as well, they dont really need to be as they have plenty of grass but they want to come in. They all stand round the paddock gates with hopeful looks on their faces, I'd feel bad to disappoint them. I dont need headcollars, just open the gates and they go trotting into their stables. |
| Ari |
Posted - 30 Nov 2014 : 5:31:20 PM
Glad somebody else doesn't wash their horses. Mine gets a hose down in summer on hot days after work and loves it but that's all. I was once asked "how can you not bath him" answer was; he's only had his summer coat a few weeks its not dirty and I like to leave nature to do it's job.
Sunny day here today so turned out with no rug, rolled within 30 seconds and so enjoyed it. Took me a good while to brush the field of him for a ride but worth it. |
| Goldenmane |
Posted - 30 Nov 2014 : 09:46:32 AM
My Arab is still unrugged as it hasn't been cold enough, but I keep a careful eye on the weather reports! |
| badders |
Posted - 29 Nov 2014 : 1:37:08 PM
We have a purebred who is rugged but the last few winters he has never been in a rug more than medium weight. He doesnt grow much of a coat but has EMS so we have tried to keep him as natural as possible. never clipped but then again never ridden.... the others (PBA 67%, PBA / PBW B and a mini) are all unrugged. The mini is as hairy as a shetland and just as round. The others are hairy but not excesively so, in fact the little PBA grows very little coat. They are in at night, out in the day but only if not raining. They dont like the wet. So although no rugs for the other I dont over expose them to getting wet and cold. They all molt quickly in the spring too which is great, very rarely washed, in fact none washed for 2 years.... mean daddy.
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| Ari |
Posted - 27 Nov 2014 : 6:04:27 PM
I agree it's wind and rain that gets to my horse but my "delicate" Arab is often the last with a rug on and the first to be out naked. I don't clip him so fine on a cold dry Autumn night and if we get a nice dry sunny day in winter I'll let him have a good role and a day with no rug, I don't mind cleaning him up afterwards.
Rugs have there place to protect from harsh elements but yes common sense is to rug for the horses benefit not the owners. I see horses summer and winter over rugged for a variety of reasons all to do with the owner.
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| zelus |
Posted - 27 Nov 2014 : 05:12:42 AM
I think we have to be sensible about this rugging issue and use common sense. I see hairy well covered cobs in warm weather with rugs with full necks on when my Arabs are rug less. If you want to ride horses in the uk you will need to rug as its wet here but use the lightest weight rugs. |
| MinHe |
Posted - 27 Nov 2014 : 01:25:14 AM
Our homebred stallion, despite never growing a winter coat, loathed rugs and would always rip them off - I got reported to the RSPCA for this! His dad however likes his rugs, and as he is a high percentage Egyptian with typical Egyptian body type, he also needs them!
Keren |
| debs |
Posted - 26 Nov 2014 : 10:19:09 PM
Ah what a lovely man....
Ali also had the Liverpool treatment, 3 years running on the same ones, first round killed a couple but 2 were very stubborn to remove? He had quite a big whole where the worst one was, lots of hard scar tissue around it. But to date.... No return. Thankfully x |
| sab2 |
Posted - 26 Nov 2014 : 9:09:26 PM
I have used the Liverpool cream in the past, took two attempts but did finally go and never returned. Some of the pictures were really nasty of the sarcoids. He also told us about time he has spent in the Gambia and one very sad story about a family who brought him a donkey on a cart which the whole family pulled for miles, sadly the donkey had tetanus . The owner got on his knees and wrapped his arms round his legs in tears begging him not to pts the donkey, sadly he had to pts. He said it was heartbreaking watching them walk away with the dead donkey on the cart pulling it behind them, he was so moved that the following day he sent them a donkey. My Arab mare feels the cold, the first winter she was here even with rugs on she shivered but has over the last few years improved but still would not like rugless, as its still so mild she is wearing a 100gr at the min, others are in lightweights and the clipped mare in a med. |
| Callisto |
Posted - 26 Nov 2014 : 8:23:05 PM
I don't think I am particularly soft - I rug as required, and while ours cope fine with cold, they really can't take wind and rain (which we have had a lot of lately). Also my welsh x tb gelding, who sports quite a shaggy coat in the winter, feels the cold a lot more than my Arab mare - so he gets a heavy weight rug and she rarely gets warmer than a medium weight even when the temperature really drops. The only time I have found her shivering was in the summer in howling wind and rain and she only had a lightweight waterproof on.
He is the expert on sarcoid treatment, but Lily still has one on her chest which 4 rounds of Liverpool cream haven't solved (worked on others on her body though, no more have appeared within the last 5 years, and the one remaining is where she catches her chest with her front feet when she lays down, but it is the round flat variety, so I am leaving it alone now unless it changes shape). |
| Ari |
Posted - 26 Nov 2014 : 7:54:44 PM
When it comes to Sarcoid treatment he is the expert and I am very gratefull for the advice given to my vet on referral to Liverpool as my horse's sarcoid gone with no other symptoms 4yrs on.
As for rugs, local racing yard turns out TBs on field next to moorland so very exposed to all weathers and they came out of winter just fine with no allergies or skin problems going into summer.
Maybe we are all too soft on our neds. My boy has rug on late November to end of March. |
| debs |
Posted - 26 Nov 2014 : 7:50:42 PM
Bet he was very interesting! Don't think he would be impressed with the alternative remedies :)
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| Vik1 |
Posted - 26 Nov 2014 : 7:37:28 PM
I think any horse can be conditioned to grow a decent coat to cope without a rug. We have 2 tbs at my yard, neither have rugs and are wintering out. I am in a very wet and windy part of scotland and my yard is quite high up. Both have wintered out for the last few years. It has taken quite a bit of time to condition them to it. At first they needed rugs during the worst of the weather or they were stabled but with no rugs and neither have their coats disturbed with washing etc. It was a process that took about 3 years altogether.
My old tb mare didnt do well in wet weather. As barbaras she would shiver if wet in summer months. I still think with time and patience she could of been conditioned better but it was just easier and more convenient to rug, esp if you ride. |
| barbara.gregory |
Posted - 26 Nov 2014 : 7:04:54 PM
Would love to have heard it.
Sadly I think Arabs need rugs here. I sold a mare to Sweden several years ago and the people rang me and asked if she had ever been rugged as she was so cold! Despite the really low temperatures there they don't rug them as it is a dry cold and they grow long coats but my poor mare wasn't used to it and was nearly frozen. They were surprised when I said she had Rambo rugs with full necks in our temperature but it is the cold and wet which they can't tolerate. I have had my horses shivering badly when I got home from work in July when we had driving wind and rain. Sorry, I will stick to rugging.
Barbara |
