Rugging in Winter is a hot topic every year, with a lot of information out there, so we will keep this as simple as possible!
There are both benefits and drawbacks to rugging horses, such as:
Some benefits include:
- Prevents your horse from growing a long Winter coat
- Can help to prevent your horse from dropping weight, as they don't need to burn extra energy trying to keep warm
- Helps to keep them clean
- Keeps their coats smooth and shiny
Some drawbacks include:
- The possibility of over heating and heat stress
- Weight gain can be an issue for a horse that is prone to weight related laminitis
- The necessity of unrugging in the morning and rugging up every day, which could be difficult and time consuming if you do not have easy access to your horse twice a day
- Rugged horses need to be checked at least once per day to make sure they are not tangled up in their rugs
*Please note, that these guidelines are to be used as a reference only, and you need to take into consideration each individual horse's body weight, age and work load.
