Should you rug your horse?
Under most circumstances horses don't really need rugging. They have their own internal combustion system which keeps them warm even in the harshest conditions. Horses can regulate their core temperature very efficiently, unlike us humans.
Did you know that most body heat is lost through the circulation system ie blood vessels running close to the surface of the skin lose a lot of body heat. For this reason, mammals with a large body mass do not have very many blood vessels close to the surface of their skin which means they do not lose much body heat that way. Coupled with a dense winter undercoat that is semi waterproof horses have their own very efficient thermal heating system.
However, because us humans like to stable and yard our horses, this restricts their ability to move around and keep warm naturally. So, under those circumstances, people do rug.
It's also interesting to note that rugging a horse has very little effect on whether or not they get a winter coat. Rugging may control the thickness and length of the winter coat they grow but it won't stop the fluff from coming. That is controlled by the hours of daylight a horse is exposed to... if you want to completely stop your horse from getting a winter coat you'll need to keep it under lights for a consistent time span to simulate natural summer daylight hours. There are specifications as to what sort of lighting you need but my experience has been that even normal stable lighting (standard fluoros) works to a degree. The cons - as soon as you start turning off the lights a bit earlier it will trigger hair growth, especially if you've created an artificially 'long day'. So... you could end up with a fluffy coat coming into summer.
So - to rug or not to rug
If you're stabling or yarding your horse or it has no natural protection from the wind and rain then yes, you probably should. Otherwise, it's perfectly OK to leave them au naturale. Just make sure they have plenty of protection from the wind and rain. Horses can tolerate either on their own but the two together can make them extremely uncomfortable if they have no way to shelter from it.
One other thing... if you are not able to rug and unrug according to daily weather patterns then you're far better off leaving your horse unrugged. Horses can easily warm themselves up if they get cold but if they get hot and they're wearing a rug they can't cool themselves down. Heat stress is a serious condition.
My favourite rugs
I bought a Rambo for my stallion years ago when he was just a youngster and he is still wearing it. There is no sign of wear or any tearing either in the shell or the lining which is still nearly as thick and full as it was when the rug was new. The rug is so warm that most nights it's all he wears even when the temperature drops to around 0 degrees C; he has a walk in walk out yard and stable.
I'm also a great fan of the synthetic rug BUT I have to say that if you're planning on leaving one on 24/7 you may need to consider a canvas rug because they do 'breath' better than the synthetic ones. 'Breathing' means the air circulates through the fabric a lot better and the horse doesn't sweat underneath nearly as much. Because the synthetic ones have a silicon lining for waterproofing the air doesn't circulate through them and horses can get extremely hot and sweaty underneath.
How to correctly rug a horse
You might think rugging a horse is simply a matter of chucking it on and doing up the straps and buckles but there are safe ways to do it (plenty of dangerous ways too).
If you're rugging out in the paddock and you don't have the horse restrained, always start by doing up the leg straps first. That way, if the horse takes off the rug will slip harmlessly over the rump and not cause any damage (or hopefully get damaged). If you've done it up at the chest first and the horse takes off the rug will fall off around its front legs, potentially a very dangerous situation. You'll also end up with a wrecked rug most times.
When doing up the leg straps, do them up on the same side and loop the other one round it between the back legs. This stabilises the rug much better and stops the straps from rubbing against the insides of the back legs. Also make sure you do up the clips with the tongue FACING INWARDS OR AGAINST THE HORSE so that they don't get caught on anything. The number of times I've come across leg straps done up with the tongue facing outwards. Clips done up like that run the risk of getting caught or clipped onto fences - another very dangerous situation.
With colts and stallions, make sure the leg straps aren't done up so tightly they pinch a very delicate part of their anatomy. If the straps do start pinching their testicles you'll probably cop a kick the next time you try to rug them.
When you take rugs off make a point of clipping up the leg straps again so that when you put it back on the straps and clips don't fly around and whack the horse. Those clips can hurt if they hit hard enough.
Rugging pregnant mares
Pregnant and lactating mares CAN be rugged safely if required. When purchasing a rug just make sure the leg straps can be removed, that the rug has either a surcingle or cross over belly straps and just replace the legs straps with a breech cord under the tail to stop it flapping around in the wind - make sure one side of the cord has a clip on it so it can be undone in an emergency. Also make sure there is not enough room between the mare's belly and the belly straps for a foal to get its head caught. I call them 'maternity rugs.'
Buying rugs
One of the first things you need to know is -
How to measure your horse correctly for a rug.
Measure from the centre of your horse's chest, along the side of the barrel to the point just before the tail. This is your horse's rug size in inches. If your horse is between sizes, round up to the next size.
If you live in the US you measure rugs in inches (60"); if you live in Australia you'll measure in feet and inches (6'3").
Well, I hope this article has provided some information for you about rugging horses.
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