When to change to h/w rugs?

[racaille]

It's clear and cold here - minus 3C and holding. Even the sunshine isn't thawing the ground. I don't know when to change the boys into their heavyweight combo rugs - I was sort of waiting for minus 15 or something! Today is the first day I have left their m/w standard neck rugs on all day. They seemed warm enough today but at night .....?

I have noticed they are all eating a lot more hay, presumably to keep warm.

So what is your advice peeps?

[fimacg]

Mine are now in their HW's (with the exception of Dexter who is still naked and the warmest of them all).

I usually swap mine over after they have just been clipped, but recently the temperature was diving to -6/-7 overnight so they had their HW stable rugs on at night but MW TO's during the day, but over the weekend when the temperature never rose above -5 I swapped them into HW TOs too and put the MWs away.

And now it is 3 or 4 degrees outside, but it is due to get cold again by the end of the week so I wont be bothering to get the MWs out again.

[racaille]

Thanks for that Fi. It seems we are heading for minus 8 so I shall put the HWs on tomorrow - the boys seem fine for now and are charging around the paddock. (R has just ripped P't tail bit on his rug as they play chase )

T is naked but won't let me touch his ears to tell if he is toasty..... but judging by the size of him and his fuzzy coat I reckon he's fine. He's certainly eaten far more hay this winter than ever before

[haffyfan]

difficult one Rac...I usually change my rugs daily by the temp/forcast but then again I have too many and our weather is different to yours. I only use the heavyweights (450g) when it's below freezing and they rarely need to wwear them during daytime. Tonight they have their Orician combo's on (350g) and during the days generally wear the landas or sometimes when it's very cold (like last few days) the orician combo's basically going by temp

sorry not much use

[Blonde Donkey]

Depends entirely on the horse and how they react to the cold. Daints the TB is in her m/w, the other two girls are in their rain sheets and the boys are nekkid.

[solomon]

OUr boys going H\W tomorrow been -3 here at night. They aren't even eating all the hay, good sign I guess.

[spotti]

When d we swap to HWs? When there's about 2 feet of snow outside!!!! LOL.

Faith practically never wears her HW...she does have one though, but in the 2 and a bit years I've had her, actually, in the almost 4 years I've known her, I've only ever seen her wear it once...and even then she only had it on because there was snow on the ground and she had a choice of a wet, ripped, old ragged thing or the HW Masta!

She seems to wear her LW/MW stable rug with neck a lot now-a-days though - never with the neck fastened, but just folded back enough to let her move freely but keep her toasty ;D

It would probably be a different story if she was living out...

[racaille]

Well it's ruddy cold now and there's a wind chill so the boys are finally in their Orican combos .... a bit bemused by the neck but super toasty!

Haffy I took your tip and sized up for R - his Landa is the 'right' size but his bum seems to stick out a bit. He looks better in the Orican the next size up. Thanks!

[mossh]

Mattie is in his HW and a fleece but he does feel the cold really badly, is quite pathetic and a wuss (has a coat like a shetland too, I can hide my fingers in his coat) where as Rosie (rainbows pony) is in a MW and shes always toasty! Never felt her cold yet.

Our stable block is lovely and warm at night (enclosed and all together).


My dog has to wear his coat outside now, but he is a greyhound and also a wuss!

[scattymare]

Sancy and Myric are now in their heavyweights - but it is snowing. Eddie though only has two lightweights so she's in that. She has plenty of coat and ahem OK fat(!) to keep her warm.

[bonnyben]

Ben is in his heavy weight too. When I bring him in I take his hood down, it can be removed but is a bit of a hassle so I tend not to take it off, just fold it back. He has another h/w without a full hood, just a high neck and I think I will use that if it is cold but not windy.

By feeling under their rug you get a good idea if they are rugged right in my view. Toasty warm but not hot is the way I like him to feel. I know they can run about a bit which sweats them up but in this freezing weather they tend to be smart enough not to flee aboot the place, too sore on their legs and feet.

I can hardly believe you are getting such ropey weather Rac, surely snow and ice is a rarity in your part of the world??

What is going on? :oClimate change is it???