As detailed in pony club australia s revised syllabus of instruction c certificate manual every living creature has a tnz.
Over rugging horses australia.
Just like us every horse is an individual so changing your horse s rugs.
The owner may think the horse is losing weight because it is feeling the cold and so they put another rug on making the situation worse.
Are you over rugging your horse this winter.
If horses have access to shade they will utilise it in the heat of the day.
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.
With the arrival of winter your horse may appreciate an extra layer of insulation to keep them warm in cold temperatures wind and rain.
I often see horses rugged 24 hrs a day in winter rugs basically wearing winter rugs from.
Horse owners have different opinions when it comes to rugging your horse correctly for temperature rain humidity sun and protection from insects.
First the science bit.
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.
Risks of rugging or over rugging rubbing especially if causing the horse to sweat.
Overheating in rugs has got to be terribly unbearable for horses.
However if not monitored carefully over and under rugging your horse can have consequences for their health and wellbeing.
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 have a wonderful capacity of self care of which their internal thermostat is included.
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.
This is especially important for horses that have white skin over areas such as the nostrils and therefore get sunburned easily.
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.
So some horses will lose weight when they are too hot all the time.
Rugs and stabling prevent sunlight from reaching the skin which is necessary for the generation of vitamin d.
Horses have a very different thermoneutral zone tnz to humans.
Rugging over heating and other considerations.
All too often are horses over rugged as their owner is feeling a bit nippy.
A basic guide to rugging horses.
