The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Pets & Working Animals => Horses, ponies, donkeys & mules => Topic started by: faith0504 on September 16, 2010, 12:56:23 pm

Title: winter coats
Post by: faith0504 on September 16, 2010, 12:56:23 pm
the weather is definately changing my shetlands are going fluffier by the day, my foal is growing another fluffy foal layer, and i have just put my big mares turnout rug on
how are everyone elses horses doing??
Title: Re: winter coats
Post by: Daisy on September 16, 2010, 02:15:16 pm
Fluffing up nicely
Title: Re: winter coats
Post by: Samantha on September 16, 2010, 02:27:54 pm
Hey there :) ... it's not cold enough here yet for me to start rugging and my Gypsy Cob only really gets rugged once the weather starts getting quite poor most of the time .. I rug him with a lightweight waterproof sheet just to keep him clean(ish) and dry. He has a mid weight if the weather gets very nasty, and he only ever has a fleece when stabled just to keep the draughts out :)

He is built to weather outside and I like to promote his fluffy winter coat as much as possible ... he is starting to fluff up and will end up looking like a great big teddy bear lol

Sam
Title: Re: winter coats
Post by: Rosemary on September 16, 2010, 05:16:18 pm
Smokey and Bugsy are starting to get their winter coats. I don't rug either although I do have a waterproof for Smokey to keep him clean, but I don't really use it. I reckon if he's burning calories keeping warm, he's not laying them down as fat  ;D
Title: Re: winter coats
Post by: faith0504 on September 16, 2010, 05:21:46 pm
i dont rug my shetlands they are natural, but my big mare never grows a winter coat, so i just help her out a wee bit
Title: Re: winter coats
Post by: scotelf on September 16, 2010, 10:09:31 pm
Big old mare in her lightweight coat, wee welshie and highland without. They gets their's once they've been clipped.
Title: Re: winter coats
Post by: daddymatty82 on September 17, 2010, 02:18:30 pm
my little filly just getting a nice winter coat on her this week  the other person who rents the land also has 2 shetlands  but 13 weeks ago when i moved in there they still had there winter coat and were a bag of bones but now since we been there the owner has fed them up as there so say laminotic they cannot go out on the grass  and stay in the yard which is old bricks and concrete with all the grass and stingers grow through and they are a nice weight now 1 has just been gelded   and in this 13 weeks they have lost all there winter coat so i hope i will grow back this season or it will soon  be a cold one for them
Title: Re: winter coats
Post by: ellisr on September 17, 2010, 02:49:19 pm
Thinking about putting Blues heavier coat on it was blimking nippy at 4am this morning when i went out to feed the animals.
Title: Re: winter coats
Post by: The Chicken Lady on September 17, 2010, 09:55:56 pm
I have a gypsy cob. He is only three and I have not had him long. I have put a light weight rug on him - just a cheap one as I didn't think he would keep one on. However he is not bothered by it so I am looking to buy something more substancial for the winter but am not quite sure what to put him in. He will be living out but will have a shelter. Should I put him in a medium weight or heavy weight and does he need one to cover his neck?
Title: Re: winter coats
Post by: daddymatty82 on September 17, 2010, 10:29:08 pm
not having a go or anything to anyone or anything  but i personally think if you let your animal get there coat through and let them do the natural thing my filly is still young but i got no rug for her but she is like a wooly mammoth already  if she is like that then i believe she can cope so i go with no rug till she struggles
Title: Re: winter coats
Post by: lazybee on September 18, 2010, 07:12:48 am
My Baudet de poutou donkey is shedding his dreadlocks now? for some strange reason they shed their coats in Sept/Oct................Strange animal ::)
Title: Re: winter coats
Post by: faith0504 on September 18, 2010, 08:09:32 am
i have never heard of those have you got a pic? please :wave:
Title: Re: winter coats
Post by: loosey on September 18, 2010, 08:24:24 am
My TB is in a medium weight at night now and a rain sheet if it's wet.

My big mare is naked but will be being clipped at the end of the month so will be in a medium weight at night also until they start coming in at the end of october.

I agree that if you keep shetlands and the like, that they should be roughed off suitably but if you keep horses for riding then a wet, muddy, sweaty horse isn't very practical through winter!
Title: Re: winter coats
Post by: lazybee on September 18, 2010, 08:37:19 am
i have never heard of those have you got a pic? please :wave:

(http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o367/lazybee_photo/MD000219.jpg)

Meet the Baudet de Poutou ;D

LB
Title: Re: winter coats
Post by: faith0504 on September 18, 2010, 08:44:45 am
gosh he is amazing, that is one heck of a coat, i thought shetlands were hard work when they moulted, how do you look after a coat like that? have you got anymore?
i really like him :) :wave:
Title: Re: winter coats
Post by: sabrina on September 18, 2010, 09:21:01 am
My stable ponies are wearing lightweight rugs just now as last week was so bad with gales and heavy rain. The two on the hill field use their field shelter so not rugged yet but will be when I take them inside. When I had horses all my youngster were rugged to save them using energy trying to keep warm. One of my neighbours has a 2 year old and yearling Welsh cross Warmblood, they have been out since born, exposed to all weathers, kept on poor grazing and now they are wondering why they are not growing up to height they are expected to be. Just do not have a clue how to raise youngsters, make my blood boil. They expect to sell them for lots of money when broken. Even my cob mare who is Friesian cross Highland was rugged in the winter.  :(