Rugging Horses In Australia

You want to protect your horse from insects and prevent sun bleaching but you also want to ensure your equine friend is cool and comfortable.

Rugging horses in australia.

Why do we rug our horses during the warmer months. Rugging in summer is difficult. Rugs are primarily used to shield horses from varying weather conditions and climates. As a general rule if your horse is not clipped and in healthy shape the following temperatures may require rugging if your horse is stabled.

Make sure you use a combo rug. Negative 10 to 0 degrees 1200denier with 300gram polyfill rug with a quaity cotton or fleece rug underneath is recommended. The main parasites that horses can be afflicted by are ticks lice worms and bots. One of the horses i saw in winter rugs during my ride on that warm winters day standing in the shade to try and cool down.

Don t rug horses based on how cold you feel. Horses that suffer from queensland itch which is an allergic reaction to midge bites do need to be lightly rugged in summer to reduce insect bites. There are 5 main types of rugs available. What about rugs in winter.

Rspca south australia rspca tasmania rspca queensland and. Older horses young horses thin horses and clipped horses will need rugs first for most horses unless clipped and living out 24 7 rugs should not be considered before temperatures overnight begin dipping towards 5 10 c. In part 1 we discussed the reasons why many owners. The right blanket choice will help to regulate your horse s body temperature and maintain a healthy condition.

Bathing a horse in inclement winter weather in cold water is not ideal and is an important consideration in a basic guide to rugging horses. As the warmer months approach horse owners are faced. Many owners feel their horse s skin to see if it is warm but this is not accurate and can lead to over rugging which can have negative effects on the horse s health. The horse has a core inside body temperature of around 37 38 o c and horses are very efficient at maintaining this when the environmental ambient temperature is within a certain range known as the thermoneutral zone tnz.

I often see horses rugged 24 hrs a day in winter rugs basically wearing winter rugs from the start of winter through to the end of winter and rarely having those rugs removed. Ideally start with lighter rugs and move to thicker rugs as it gets colder. Rugging your horse in summer many horses are still rugged during the warmer months for a number of reasons. In cold wet weather a good quality and well fitting rug can help the horse to maintain condition as a cold wet horse will burn a lot of energy keeping warm.

Providing your horse with the best fit comfort and protection is vital to your peace of mind. Overheating in rugs has got to be terribly unbearable for horses.