Over Rugging Horses Australia

Rugging over heating and other considerations.

Over rugging horses australia.

Rugs and stabling prevent sunlight from reaching the skin which is necessary for the generation of vitamin d. Horses are mammals and they maintain their internal body temperature at around 38 c through a well developed mechanism known as thermoregulation which has developed through evolution so that the body temperature is maintained within a narrow range. However if not monitored carefully over and under rugging your horse can have consequences for their health and wellbeing. Are you over rugging your horse this winter.

If this is an issue for you confine your horse to shade through the day in hot weather with access to hay and turn them out at night. As detailed in pony club australia s revised syllabus of instruction c certificate manual every living creature has a tnz. All too often are horses over rugged as their owner is feeling a bit nippy. Just like us every horse is an individual so changing your horse s rugs.

Horses have a wonderful capacity of self care of which their internal thermostat is included. If horses have access to shade they will utilise it in the heat of the day. Horses have a very different thermoneutral zone tnz to humans. 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.

With the arrival of winter your horse may appreciate an extra layer of insulation to keep them warm in cold temperatures wind and rain. Risks of rugging or over rugging rubbing especially if causing the horse to sweat. Over rugging actually causes many more problems than those associated with a cold horse and many manmade issues can be avoided with correct usage of rugs. This is especially important for horses that have white skin over areas such as the nostrils and therefore get sunburned easily.

Overheating in rugs has got to be terribly unbearable for horses. A basic guide to rugging horses. First the science bit. So some horses will lose weight when they are too hot all the time.

This is a temperature range at which the body can maintain normal body temperature without expending too much energy. I often see horses rugged 24 hrs a day in winter rugs basically wearing winter rugs from. Sweating causes the skin to become hyper hydrated the effect you get when you stay in the bath too long and more prone to damage and infection. Horses actually handle the cold better than heat and a common misconception amongst horse owners is that horses needs to be rugged at night as soon as it is getting a bit cooler at nights.