A Winter Rugging/Clipping Question

floradora09

floradora09

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Sorry bit long =S

My 20 year old NF pony lives out all year round. He has a VERY (and I mean VERY- it's three inches long!) hairy coat in the winter, which as you can imagine is a complete pain as I often take him out and about. Last year he wasn't really clipped but was well rugged up (sometimes three layers) and managed to keep his weight really well, (if a little too well!) during the winter months. This year I'd like to keep him clipped out completely (leaving legs, ears and 1/2 face on). I have the following rugs:

1x fleece rug which covers neck
1x thin/medium under rug (no neck)
1x thick under rug (no neck)
2x heavyweight turnouts (no neck)
1x medium/heavy weight neck cover which will attach to the turnouts.

He does struggle with putting weight on if he loses it, so will be monitoring him weekly to keep an eye. What do you think? Clip him all out, leave it all on (....), or compromise with a blanket or trace??

Thanks! Help much appreciated!
 
I hate to think of a fully clipped horse being asked to live out throughtout the winter - but obviously that's just a personal opinion. And certainly an older horse that struggles with weight may not be the best horse to clip totally out in any event (whether stabled or not).

Why not start with a chaser, and go from there?

A really good rug to invest in would be the sort that offers you different options with 'weights'. So the multi liner ones. They work really, really well and are designed for the coldest weather. They also have the benefit of letting you use two liners at the same time.

A number of companies do these rugs now. I only have experience of the Rambo Duo and the Premier Equine Trio rugs. Both are excellent IMO.
 
Do you need to completely clip your horse out?
I always think that if anyone can avoid a full clip then they should, i would only go for a chaser or irish clip personally, whether your horse lives out or not.
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I was always taught many layers keeps warm, so I use thin layers to keep them warm starting off with a summer sheet, fleece no neck, duvet, fleece with neck, fleece with no neck, wool rug no neck and then top rug.

I would strart with a blanket chaser clip and go from there, if that doesnt work do a very high blanket clip.
 
Yes, maybe a full clip is a bit too excessive! Also meant to add that he doesn't really have much shelter in the field, although some fields have hedges but don't know the winter grazing plan yet.

Was looking at this website: http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl...l%3Den%26sa%3DG

And thought maybe fig. 7, the medium trace clip, would work well, if we took off 1/2 his face as it's hard to do up noseband otherwise for all the hair!!!
 
This is what I would call a "chaser clip" and have you thought about this style for your boy? He has the front half of his face left on, this isn't clear from the photo.

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I think it might be a bit of shock to his system if you take lots of hair off him if he needs 3 layers on to keep warm with a full coat. That one is ideal for him living out as he won't get a draughty bum.

I don't think its a good idea to put on more than 3 layers of rugs on them, although I did find I needed 4 on my NF who feels the cold in the very cold spells last winter. He got a woolen rug on as the extra layer which seemed to do the trick.
 
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Yes, maybe a full clip is a bit too excessive! Also meant to add that he doesn't really have much shelter in the field

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Wouldn't be clipping at all then I'm afraid
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Last winter I think I over-rugged slightly, as he actually put on a little weight in the winter! So probably taking off a little more hair wouldn't hurt. Also I'd be monitoring him closely so can take action before if and when he loses large amounts of weight. That looks like a nice clip, before now he's had a lower version of that which I found wasn't really enough off- hence looking at the medium trace.

Draughty bum is a good point though, will have to consider...

Thanks everyone for all your help!
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Yes, maybe a full clip is a bit too excessive! Also meant to add that he doesn't really have much shelter in the field

[/ QUOTE ]

Wouldn't be clipping at all then I'm afraid
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Ideally I wouldn't, but as he is SO hairy (other liveries have reffered to him as a yakt (sp?), mammoth, bear etc ect etc) I don't really have an option as he gets so sweaty and takes ages to dry off when he's sweated.
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i will prob have to clip my old boy this winter. he was always full clipped and lived out until he was 20 when he retired and he hasn't worked for the last 3 winters so has happily turned into a hairy yak and i mean seriously hairy and has lived out unrugged except on the worst days when he's worn a MW. this year he's back hacking out lightly though and he sweats up just walking round the field so he might get a low trace or a chaser.

my young one is 7 and he lives out all year round fully clipped and well rugged, no probs.
 
I don't think you'll have a problem tbh although I wouldn't get any more clipper happy than a blanket! If you're worried about a cold bum you should invest in a weatherbeeta rug. The tail flaps are brilliant and you can often pick up bargains on equestrian clearance. :-) Just make sure he has adlib forage and is well fed, oil etc.
 
He'll be fine! My cob was 21 when she had to live out 24/7 all winter (my yard was rebuilt, so had no stables). She was fully clipped out, by that I mean everything off, and she was absolutely fine. Ok so sometimes she had a full neck HW stable and T/O on but it worked fine
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