Horse Rug Forecaster
Enter your town and our free Horse Rug Forecaster checks your local weather, then tells you what rug weight your horse needs today, tonight and over the next 3 days. It works anywhere in New Zealand.
Where's your horse?
Clip
Overnight
Next 3 days
Try other weather
Horse rug temperature guide
Use this chart for an unclipped horse in good condition with shelter. Go by the “feels like” temperature, because wind and rain make it feel colder.
| Feels like | Rug |
|---|---|
| 10°C and above | No rug, or a summer mesh or cotton sheet for flies |
| 5 to 10°C | No-fill (0g) rain sheet or waterproof mesh crossover |
| 0 to 5°C | Lightweight (50g) turnout rug |
| -5 to 0°C | Mediumweight (100g) turnout rug |
| Below -5°C | Heavyweight (200g+) turnout rug, with a neck in wind or rain |
Clipped or feels the cold? Read the temperature as about 3°C colder for a trace or bib clip, 6°C colder for a full clip, and another 3°C colder for older horses or poor doers.
Are you over-rugging?
Horses handle cold better than we do
Horses can regulate their own temperature from about 5°C to 25°C without any help. People need it much warmer, around 25°C to 30°C. Horses also have far more body mass and much less skin for their size than we do, so they hold heat in and lose it slowly. A healthy, unclipped horse with its natural winter hair, shelter and plenty of hay often isn't cold until it drops below 5°C. Horses that have adjusted to the cold can cope well below freezing. Digesting hay and grass makes heat, so forage is their built-in heater.
Menzies-Gow 2026, Royal Veterinary College (Vet Times)Losing a little weight over winter is healthy
Horses are built to put on fat over summer and burn it over winter. A UK study of 96 outdoor horses found 27% were obese at the end of winter, rising to 35% by the end of summer. In cold weather a rug can cut the energy a horse uses to keep warm by around 18%. Rug a horse that doesn't need it and it never burns that summer fat. It starts spring already carrying extra weight.
Giles et al. 2014, PeerJ Menzies-Gow 2026, Vet TimesExtra weight leads to metabolic disease and laminitis
Obesity is closely linked to insulin dysregulation, the core of equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). High insulin is an independent risk factor for laminitis. Even a short spell of weight gain can make a horse less sensitive to insulin. A horse that comes out of winter too heavy and then meets rich spring grass is at the highest risk.
Menzies-Gow 2026, Royal Veterinary College (Vet Times)Sweat, skin problems and heat stress
A horse that is too warm sweats under its rug. Damp skin that stays warm is ideal for rain scald and other skin infections, and the British Horse Society names over-rugging as a cause. Sweating also loses salts. In a study on a sunny day, horses in light cotton rugs had higher body temperatures and sweated more than horses without. The researchers said a rug is no substitute for shade above 25°C.
British Horse Society Padalino et al. 2019, Journal of Veterinary BehaviorThe horses were asked
Norwegian researchers taught 23 horses to use symbols meaning "rug on" or "rug off". Below -10°C most chose to keep their rug on. Wind and rain made them more likely to want one. Above 20°C every horse chose to take it off, every time.
Mejdell et al. 2019, Applied Animal Behaviour ScienceMost rugging is habit
A survey of 2,659 Australian horses found 85% were rugged, 7 in 10 owners weren't sure their horse needed a rug at all, and 1 in 5 horses were still rugged above 20°C.
Cox 2023, University of SydneyHorse rugging questions
What rug should my horse wear today?
It depends on the overnight temperature, wind, rain, whether your horse is clipped, and how well it holds condition. Enter your town above and the Horse Rug Forecaster gives a rug weight for today, tonight and the next 3 days. As a rough rule, a healthy unclipped horse with shelter doesn't need a winter rug until it feels colder than about 5°C.
When should I rug my horse?
Rug when your horse can't keep itself warm: when it's clipped, older, light on condition, or facing cold rain and wind with no shelter. Most unclipped horses in good condition cope without a rug until it drops below about 5°C. Check under the rug by sliding a flat hand behind the shoulder. Warm and dry is right. Damp or hot means too much rug.
What do horse rug weights mean?
Rug weight is the amount of fill, measured in grams. 0g (no fill) is a waterproof rain sheet. 50g is a lightweight rug for cool days. 100g is a mediumweight for cold nights. 200g and up is a heavyweight for very cold weather or clipped horses. Some brands use 150g, 220g, 250g or 300g. Higher numbers mean warmer.
Do clipped horses need a heavier rug?
Yes. Clipping removes the coat a horse uses to stay warm, so a clipped horse feels the cold sooner. As a guide, read the temperature as about 3°C colder for a trace or bib clip and 6°C colder for a full clip. Do the same for older horses, poor doers and anyone light on condition.
Is a horse rug the same as a horse cover?
Yes. In New Zealand the two names are used for the same thing. Turnout rugs and covers are waterproof for the paddock. Stable rugs aren't waterproof. Summer sheets and fly sheets are light cotton or mesh covers that keep horses clean and keep flies off without adding warmth.
Can over-rugging cause laminitis?
Over-rugging doesn't cause laminitis on its own, but it can add to the risk. A horse kept too warm over winter doesn't burn its summer fat. Extra weight is closely linked to insulin dysregulation and equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), and high insulin is a known risk factor for laminitis, especially when spring grass comes in.
Can a rug cause rain scald?
It can. Rain scald (also called rain rot) is a skin infection that thrives on skin that stays wet. The British Horse Society lists over-rugging as a cause, because a horse that is too warm sweats under its rug. Use the lightest rug that keeps your horse comfortable, and check the skin under it often.
Tell us what you think
Is the advice spot on, too warm or too light for your horse? Something not working? Let us know and we'll keep improving it.