Too soft on your horse?
How keeping him more naturally could make him healthier and happier
HORSES SAY NO to sweating it out
WE MIGHT LOVE rugs with all those fancy designs and new materials, but do our horses love them? Maybe not so much. “As we head into autumn, we reach for our body warmers,” says Dr David Marlin, a scientific and equine consultant. “Does this mean our horses need their coats on too? We’ve found that owners hugely overestimate how cold their horses are feeling.” Between 0° and 25°, it’s easy for your horse to regulate his body temperature — this is his thermoneutral zone. Outside this range, he employs other means to stay comfortable, including increasing his metabolic and respiratory rate and shivering. “Many owners are over-rugging,” explains David, “mostly because they think horses feel the cold like we do. But they don’t.” Feeling under your horse’s rug or behind his ears tells us nothing about how hot or cold he is. “Unless clipped or living out 24/7, our horses don’t need rugging. The exception is if they are young, old or ill,” continues David. “Even then, a medium weight is enough. Some very thick rugs have a tog rating of 15, which would only be needed for a very sick newborn, or very thin old horses in extremely cold weather.” The risks of over-rugging your horse include: Rubbing and friction, especially if he’s sweating. Fungal infection due to the moisture trapped between him and his rug. Reduced levels of calcium and phosphorous (needed to keep bones strong) due to the vitamin D he normally gets from sunlight not penetrating the rug. Becoming overweight as he’s not using his energy to keep warm.