am I doing the right thing or should the RSPCA take my pony away

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klipped

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Dramatic title!

My 7month old foal bless her little heart is literally a mammoth! She has a baby coat,winter coat and god knows what else underneath her!

She literally stands and sweats, am talking 7degrees and she needs air con. She's itchy and basically its all too much. She's in a lot purely because she waddles from her paddock to her stable as she's defiantly more of an indoor kinda girl! (She's not stabled, she has free access to turnout I just leave the door for her to do as she pleases!)

Anyway I have the luxury of hot water and heated washroom. Due to her discomfort thought give her a good scrub. 10 hours before shed dried off! And I never even reached skin! There's no lice or any sorta medical reason she's just basically a minger.

Soooooooo.. Clipping her? Wrong? Cruel?

I can't bare to see her Irratated. Vet says its fine, but I know people on my yard will have summat to say! What you think?

Forgot to add!!! She has rugs and will wear them so she's not gonna be naked and freeze!!!
 
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We need pictures of your mammoth! :D
But yes, I'd say clipping might be in order, and maybe a skin treatment to get everything healthy again. And even sunlight on her coat will be good for her, once it can penetrate to the surface!
 
klipped said:
Dramatic title!

My 7month old foal bless her little heart is literally a mammoth! She has a baby coat,winter coat and god knows what else underneath her!

She literally stands and sweats, am talking 7degrees and she needs air con. She's itchy and basically its all too much. She's in a lot purely because she waddles from her paddock to her stable as she's defiantly more of an indoor kinda girl! (She's not stabled, she has free access to turnout I just leave the door for her to do as she pleases!)

Anyway I have the luxury of hot water and heated washroom. Due to her discomfort thought give her a good scrub. 10 hours before shed dried off! And I never even reached skin! There's no lice or any sorta medical reason she's just basically a minger.

Soooooooo.. Clipping her? Wrong? Cruel?

I can't bare to see her Irratated. Vet says its fine, but I know people on my yard will have summat to say! What you think?

Forgot to add!!! She has rugs and will wear them so she's not gonna be naked and freeze!!!
Click to expand...

For a start it sounds as if she doesn't need rugs. I have a wooly mammoth pony, she's living out in this weather and is perfectly fine. So if she's sweating, don't rug her.

If the vet has seen her and says she's fine, then she's fine. I would not clip a hairy foal. Is the vet happy with her weight and what you are feeding her? Have you suggested that she should be clipped to the vet?
 
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Simple answer - REMOVE THE RUG!!!!! You are being cruel to let your horse overheat. Horses cope with the cold far better than you may realise.

Far far kinder to remove the rug than even consider clipping the poor youngster.
 
Sweating in a warm temperature, because the coat is thick, is perfectly normal for a foal. It's just basic thermoregulation, not an illness, especially, if the vet says she's fine. Don't ruin that for her and avoid clipping a foal. :) AND SHE DOES NOT NEED RUGS! She will cope perfectly fine with her coat alone!
 
I dont think she is rugged now , in think op is stating if she clips her she has rugs and the she is happy to wear them.
 
I think OP means she will rug her if she clips her, not that she is already rugged? And vet said its fine to clip?.
 
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Goldenstar said:
Put the rugs in a chest put the foal in the field .
Click to expand...

This ^

Anything with a full winter coat will take up to 3 days to totally dry right out anyway. Rugging over the top when wet can really result in problems as you trap in moisture & prolong the drying process.

If you really do have to bring her in, give plenty of hay & leave her to it. At that age she WILL want to scrub round the box to try to set her coat right.
I never brush, let alone wash a sodden field or young pony with a full winter coat, this can wait till drier weather arrives, tho feet picking up is still done.
 
I would say clip if it was for a medical reason or if she is itching to the point of breaking the skin, but normally I would say leave well alone.

Ive got itchy fingers with my 19 month old filly and her hairy coat but have left the clippers be.

Would be nice to see a picture though :D
 
Shut the door to her stable during the day whilst the weather's this warm, especially if she has any feed in there which would encourage her in and leave her coat well alone. The worst of the winter is yet to come and if you clip her and rug her and we have a couple or three months of freezing cold you may find yourself having to buy shedloads of new rugs that won't be any use to her in a few weeks.
 
"I can't bare to see her Irratated. Vet says its fine, but I know people on my yard will have summat to say! What you think?"

The thing is, it sounds as if the vet has seen the pony and doesn't think anything needs to be done. In which case I'd suggest that is the advice to follow. It's very rare to need to clip a hairy pony unless there is some sort of infestation or medical problem. It appears there isn't.
 
I may have read it wrong, but I don't think the OP is rugging at the moment, she just has a youngster with a very thick winter coat.

Unless there is a medical reason which is causing her to become uncomfortable I would leave her coat on - last year the worst of the snow was in March/April and if it turns again you will have put the horse and yourself at a disadvantage!
 
Woooooo firstly can I put out I am NOT rugging my overly warm, already sweating pony!!!! And at no point do I say I am!
It clearly says.. She has rugs.. So wouldn't be left to get cold IF I did take it off!

By tea time she is wet. So for this reason she has a light wickering fleece to stop her getting cold over night. Other than that nothing!

Today we took a bit out of her neck, her coat measures nearly 3inches thick from skin, to end! Its no suprise she's uncomfortable.

The vet has said take as much or as little off as I like. There's no way of knowing if there's anything irratating her underneath as you literally can not get to skin through her coat!

Feed wise she's just on a balancer.
 
Ooo forgot to add! No there's nothing of interest in her stable! Bar a bit of hay! She's got more grass than most have in spring! She's just happier inside!

Agree with people saying about weather turning. Its just frustrating to see her uncomfortable whilst we wait for it!

Also I have other foals, and yearlings. I am not a first time foaler trying to make my pony look pretty! She's not comfortable and I am asking for advice, I'd much rather not clip her! As someone pointed out rugging her now will be a nightmare! Shed be in a new one each week.

My concern is my pony 100%
 
Oh and the person who posted about "the poor foal" she literally has a life of riley! She is a perfectly happy (when not itching!), playful little girl! She's sweaty! Again NOT rugged!!!!
 
If she's itching non stop and could damage the skin itching so hard I would do a little neck and belly to see what is underneath and make sure there is no infection/lice etc
 
OP- my friend clipped her Shetland goal on advice of the vet- shed rubbed herself raw and would almost hang herself with the lead rope scratching her neck with it given the opportunity.
Clipped her and she was much, much better- and it was easier to treat the area she'd rubbed.

Was an interesting experience clipping her though. She reared up and landed in my lap. And the bit me LOL.
 
Light wicker rug at tea time to dry her off!

Yes I think as she sweats mainly around the neck were going to try a bib. Just see if that helps. Its not going to effect her enough for her to get cold but may just prevent the sweating, and requlate her else where. Try that a few days and if not take a little line out of her body.


We've had combs through it there's nothing in her coat. Its either her skin, or the fact she's too wet and hot underneath x
 
Lol, I swear this foals half dog! She literally doesn't bat an eyelid at a thing! We had a great concreting lorry mixing on the yard. If shed of got any closer shed of been a permanant fixture lol.

She isn't bothered by a thing! Am sure wed have no problems lol
 
Give her a neck and belly clip if she has a very thick coat. but I would have named your post much better, cause you never know someone from the RSPCA could be ready this post. :D
 
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