Rugs??!!

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EmmaRuby

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Welwyn Garden City
I’ve just clipped my mini I live in the uk.
mum struggling to know what rug to put on her the people at my yard say ‘she’s a Shetland she’ll be fine’ I’ve explained she’s not like a million time but given up. What temp for which rug?
I have fleece, 100g and 200g stable, no fill ,100g, 200g turnout
 

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It's really hard to say which at what temp. What's it like there now? The rule is you put on what you took off. If it's warm and sunny let her be naked. If it's colder and wet no fill or 100g turnout should be OK, keeping her dry is most important. If it's colder still then the 200g. Maybe go by keep the 200g for when you think it will be coldest, no fill for start of fall, 100g for in between. It's 5-10C at night and 15-20C with rain during the days here right now. I have a no fill rain sheet on most and a couple that get colder in a 100g. When it get's to about 10C during the day they will go into the next one up. I leave them on instead of changing them morning and night this time of year, mostly to make my life easier and they do fine like that. Hope that helps? By the way, she's very cute!!
 
Very pretty girl! She looks well loved, too My rule of thumb is watching my horses. If they are shivering, they get a blanket. Otherwise, I leave them uncovered.
If wet/cold weather is predicted, I will go ahead and cover them. One of mine has a soft, fine coat and I watch her for comfort. My other horse has a heavy pelt-like coat. He always has stayed plenty warm in winter, but now he is 25 so I watch him closely. I clipped him last month, as he was so hot, but he is growing out fine for winter now.
I use the Kensington blanket. It is mid weight. It has always seemed adequate. This past spring we had a "record" cold spell. The horses could probably have used a heavier blanket, but they did fine. The wind chill was -46 F for several days. It was brutal. When the sun came back out, I removed the blankets.
Plenty of free-choice hay and shelter, I think that is most important in the winter.
 
Hi EmmaRuby! Your mini is very pretty and her mane braid is wonderful! You also have a great wardrobe for your little friend!

Like Taz and Marsha have said, keeping your mini dry is more important than a blanket. In the summer months when we get rain showers the minis will often stand out in it even though they have free choice barn access. In the Fall and Spring when it rains or rain is forecast, I close the barn door with the minis inside, so their heavier coats don’t get wet leaving them shivering.

We had a terrible cold snap similar to the one Marsha endured this past winter in Minnesota. It was around -30 F for about 10 days - if memory serves. The minis also had free choice barn and hay and chose to be outside most of the day.

They did not have blankets as their coats were excellent and I’ve been told a blanket can flatten the coat limiting its insulating capability? (They are already well on the way to a nice thick coat and it’s only September. 😵)

We did have sun which helped quite a bit!

They did much better than I did! 🤣
 
She is so cute!! I love her braid too, very cool!

“She’s a Shetland she’ll be fine” might be true if she wasn’t clipped. As soon as you clip a horse you have to always be ready to blanket a horse. Sounds like you have lots of blankets to choose from so that is great!

I usually follow a chart similar to this one:
F30FC7DA-2A47-40C4-9863-62E680E38D7B.jpeg

But you do have to keep in mind that every horse is different, just like people. Some people/horses are cold natured and others are always hot, so you’ll have to figure out what she likes and do what is best for her. Good luck!!
 
clipped changes the game, you took off her "normal Shetlands will be fine" coat, so now it's up to you to replace it with blankets. The chart above is a good guideline. [Unclipped, would probably be fine naked, but he's clipped, so needs clothes.]
 

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