Rugs and weather: keeping your own arrangements clear
Keep the weather information, the arrangements for your horse and the availability of each rug clear to everyone involved in care.
In brief
- Keep forecast conditions separate from what someone has observed at the horse’s location.
- Use the instructions agreed for your horse, with the intended rug clearly identified.
- Check when a rug’s availability was last recorded, and keep a planned change separate from a completed one.
On this page
Put the forecast in context
Check the location and period covered by the forecast. Keep its source and retrieval time with any weather information you share. Compare the forecast period with the turnout or stabling arrangements you have actually planned.
- Forecast temperature, rain and wind, with their units and times.
- Planned turnout and stabling times.
- Conditions someone observed at the horse’s location, with the time of that observation.
- What was observed about the horse, its coat and the rug it was wearing.
A forecast describes expected weather. It does not establish the conditions at the horse or which rug the horse is currently wearing.
Write down your horse’s arrangements
Keep the existing instructions for this horse, including who supplied or agreed them and when. Name the rug and describe the circumstances covered by the instructions.
Include any agreed checks, who is responsible and who to contact if the circumstances change. Keep temporary instructions with their agreed start, end or review point.
If a question arises after clipping, a change in health or a change in where the horse is kept, take it back to the owner or professional responsible for the instructions. Record their answer without adding an assumed temperature or rug weight.
Check which rugs are available
Identify each rug clearly enough for another carer to find it. Keep its storage location and latest checked condition with the record.
- The rug’s name or identifying description.
- Where it is kept, or whether it is on the horse.
- Its observed condition, including whether it is drying or awaiting repair.
- Who checked it and the date and time.
An older availability record may no longer describe the rug’s condition. A rug being available does not establish that it is suitable for the planned use.
Hand over the change and record what happened
When the arrangements change, state what needs to happen, which horse and rug are involved, and who has agreed to carry it out. Include the intended time if one has been agreed.
Keep the request, the person’s acceptance and the completed care separate. If the intended rug is unavailable, contact the person responsible for the plan to agree the next step.
After the care, record what actually happened and when. Include the rug put on or removed and where the removed rug was left. If you do not know the outcome, leave it unknown.
