
When to rug your horse
Before reaching for the warmest rug for your horse, it’s worth considering whether they really a need rug at all.
Many horses and ponies are able to keep themselves warm during the winter months without a rug. Over-rugging your horse can be detrimental to their health, so it’s important to think about your horse’s individual needs when deciding when a rug may be suitable.
Find out how your horse keeps themselves naturally warm, when it may be suitable to rug your horse and the risks of over-rugging.
How do horses maintain their body temperature?
Horses have evolved to adapt and survive in cold weather and have done this for thousands of years before domestication. Horses can maintain their internal body temperature at around 38°C, regardless of environmental factors like the weather.
When we feel cold, it is very easy to assume that our horses do too which can lead to over-rugging, over feeding and stabling when it is not necessary.
Horses can usually regulate their body temperature well when the environmental temperature is between 5-25°C, which means many horses and ponies are able to keep themselves warm without a rug all year round, as long as other basic management needs such as shelter, access to forage and company are met.
There are lots of different natural methods that your horse will use to keep themselves warm. It’s important to allow your horse the choice to use these, rather than assuming they feel cold and need a rug.
These methods include:
Your horse’s coat
Your horse’s coat is an effective insulator which grows thicker and longer in the winter months. The hair is covered in natural grease, which repels water and stops their skin from becoming wet. The longer hairs on the outside of your horse’s coat also allow water to run down and off, keeping the inner layer dry.
Horses’ hair can also keep them insulated by rising or standing on end, which traps warm air in between their hair and skin.
During the winter months, if your horse lives out, it’s important not to overgroom your horse, as it can remove some of the natural oils that are needed to keep your horse warm and dry.
Tip
If you can see snow and frost on your horse’s back, this shows just how well insulated they are. Little body heat escapes through the hair to melt the frost, like a home with good insulation. This is a good indicator that your horse is warm.
Grazing
Your horse can graze for up to 19 hours a day. As they eat, the digestive process of breaking down the long fibres of grass, generates heat and keeps your horse warm from inside.
Grazing is such an important part of keeping your horse warm, so always make sure that access to forage is readily available. This is particularly important in very cold weather when it is likely you will also need to supplement their grass with hay or haylage.
Blood flow
In extreme cold, horses will reduce blood flow to the surface of their skin and divert this to their internal organs to maintain a core temperature. This can cause the tips of their ears feel a little cold, as the blood flow has been diverted away from the surface.
If you want to feel how warm your horse is, you can place your hand in their arm pit or deep into their hair. This is where you should be able to feel your horse’s warmth.
Movement
Large muscles in your horse’s body generate heat through movement and activity. Heat can be generated during the natural process of movement through grazing, and also by playing with companions in the cold weather.
Weight
In the wild, horses will lose a little weight over winter as they use fat reserves to keep warm. This will be replaced when the spring grass arrives.
A domesticated horse is over-rugged and over fed, may come out of winter overweight and will be put at higher risk of weight related health conditions such as laminitis when the spring and summer grass arrives. Don’t be tempted to over-feed your horse in winter – it’s important to keep them at the right weight all year round.
More on obesity prevention and management
Natural shelter
In extreme weather horses may turn their backs on wind and rain to protect their head, neck, eyes, ears and belly.
It is a good idea to provide a man-made shelter for your horse, but they may also seek natural shelter such as trees or hedges and keep together as a herd to share body warmth. Providing both manmade and natural shelter will help your horse protect themselves from the elements and choose where they wish to stand or graze.
Which horses may need a rug?
While it’s important to let your horse keep themselves warm by using natural methods, there are some horses that may benefit from wearing a rug. They include horses that are:
- elderly
- suffering with dental problems that prevent them from taking in enough forage
- unwell
- clipped
- a lighter breed, such as thoroughbreds or Arabs who may grow thinner coats
- restricted with movement, such as those that are stabled
If you decide that your horse does need to wear a rug, choose one that is the correct weight for their needs. There are many different types and thickness of rugs, so seek advice if you are unsure.
It is also important that the rug is a suitable size and correctly fitted. If you are not sure if your horse has worn a rug before, be sure to introduce it gradually and safely.
Important
If your horse does need a rug, look out for signs that they may be too hot under their rug, such as sweating.
What are the risks of over-rugging my horse?
Rugging your horse when they do not need one can affect their natural ability to keep themselves at the right temperature.
It can also cause your horse to sweat under their rug, which creates a moist, damp environment that could allow bacteria to grow and cause uncomfortable skin conditions.
If your horse is over-rugged long term, it can affect their natural weight control systems. In the wild it is normal for horses to put a little weight on in summer and lose it during the winter months. If your horse is over-rugged and too warm over winter, they may gain weight, putting them at a higher risk of weight gain in spring and summer. This can increase their risk of conditions such as laminitis.
Before putting on the warmest rug for your horse, remember to consider whether they really need it, or if it could be detrimental to their health.
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Reviewed
• 18 October 2024
Next review
• 18 October 2027