Should I rug/blanket my horse or not?

is to give your horses constant access to hay Ive seen a cold shivering horse stop shivering within 10 minutes of eating hay. The energy produced from digestion is enough to warm a horse from the inside out. We all know for ourselves how much food is comfort in cold weather.
My 30 and 33yearold mares have never looked better in winter for having constant hay to eat. It is a natural feed and will put on more weight than many highprotein and highenergy feeds.
Their arthritis has also improved from being able to move around more.
Of course if your horse is sick or unable to move very much through injury or illness then a rug might be necessary for the recovery period. If we initially allow our horse to grow a thick winter coat then we have extra warmth when the horse needs it and we can remove the rug once recovered and leave it off.
Think of the money you can redirect to hay and shelter provision when your rugs dont need annual replacement or repairs.
But most of all think of your horses and what is more natural for them.