To rug or not to rug?!

 

Don't they look smart? This was 2016

There’s no more ‘winter is coming’ it’s here and it’s here to stay. I hope not for too long, it’s such a hard time of year with horses. No daylight to ride, mud everywhere, horses in and having to be mucked out and fed and let out, the list goes on…….

Apple picking....

A question that everyone asks from September onwards is ‘to rug or not to rug?’ Now I love rugs……it’s an illness. I haven’t bought a rug in over a year though ( so there’s been progress!!). As I love rugs, I have passed this love on to my horses. Fred loves his rug and he is always rugged in winter. He’s not clipped and won’t be until January. I don’t have the time or the daylight to ride more than a few times a week and he may sweat up the odd time, but not enough to bother clipping him.

Another reason that he is rugged is because he absolutely loves a roll. EVERY. DAY. MUD EVERYWHERE. If you want to be able to ride and you have time constraints (which is nearly always), you don’t want to have to spend an hour grooming.  A rug is a necessity in these situations.

The rug in question is a lightweight Rambo original rug. This is a fantastic rug. I’ve had it two years now and managed to score it in the bargain basement at a Horseware sale. I got two of them at the time. I brought him in the other day when it was lashing, sure that he’d be a bit damp underneath because the rain was relentless. But no, as dry as a glass of Pinot gris!

Do I look good in this??!

Cu Chulainn on the other hand is currently off duty. I did have a rug on him but decided to take it off. He is fluffy and muddy and enjoying life. He also loves having a rug but he’s grand, for now anyway. It’s a nice rest for his mane too as they always get rubbed by the mane – Fred’s too, so his is taken off at night (most of the time).

I have rugs for the two of them in every weight, with hoods and without (I’d love if they all had hoods, but it’s not the case). I have very little use for the heavyweights in the last few years. Our winters have been mild enough in temperature.

So to answer my own question, I’m a rugger…….whether or not they are clipped, and really whether or not they are in work. Cu Chulainn will be rugged if the weather gets worse, also because I want him to hold on to his good condition and he needs a bit extra minding in winter time.