Are neck pieces necessary for fully clipped horses?

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Aoibhinn

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First off I would like to apologise for yet another clipping/rugging post! :D Just wondering about people's opinions of neck pieces on heavyweight rugs. Previously would have thought them necessary for a fully clipped horse but somebody said to me that really they are designed to be used in much colder climates where they get snow and the like. Appreciate any opinions :)
 
They are not necessary but the horse neck hair will grow back quicker than the body and look scruffy clipped horses never had neck covers when I was young .
We often use thinner no fill necks on warmer rugs .
Our fully clipped horse are out at night in 100 g rugs ATM one has a no fill hood on the other has a bit of padding but it's the only one that fits that rug.
 
I know I don't live in a particularly cold part of the country - only time I tried it the horses ripped the fastening off and wandered about with them folded back (Mine do have a quite a lot of mane though, even the TBs did).

I presume some horses are OK though IMHO the critical part to keep warm is the horse's back.
 
I don't own any rugs with necks. My horses have clipped necks. Doesn't seem to worry them but they are only out in the day and come in at night. In extreme weather they stay in anyway, doesn't happen too often I think they were in an extra 4/5 days last winter. I don't have a problem with coat growing back uneven either. I think you have to do what is right for your horse, mine are not young, not old and are healthy. If the weather is colder or they are doing more work they get extra hay.
 
I don't know if we would class SE England as particularly cold - but I always use neck pieces for the horses when they are clipped. We took the hair they would normally have away - we need to offer them something back for protection! Each horse is different in how warm they prefer to be. I have a total wuss who shivers and looks utterly miserable in the slightest chill. (Unless he is hunting!) He always seems to be rugged more than others - even my own. But he likes it that way. If you have a "hot" horse who doesn't need that level of protection then great. We need to rug for each individual horse - not the opinion of others.

That said I'm not sure they grow hair back unevenly. But I do know that if you let them get cold they will grow the clip out more quickly. For my lot the growth is even though. Not a problem if you only a clip a few times a year. A bit of a pain if you have a very hairy but fully clipped out hogged hunter who has to be re-done every few weeks!
 
I hate the trend for everything to be trussed up in neck covers. I have them, and I use them in very wet/cold, but I take them off for the drier/milder spells, even on fully clipped horses. I really think there is the potential for horses to overheat with them on
 
Agree with Shay, if you choose to remove their natural protection (coat) then replace it. Also rug up as to your horses needs, some are hotter than others, same as us. You should know if your horse is cold or not and rug accordingly - to my mind it's a waste of expensive feed if your horse is using it all to keep himself warm.
 
Thanks guys :) I will probably use a no fill one on both of them and then adjust according to the weather. TB type seems to get cold easily but haven't clipped him before so will see what suits him this year. Mare should probably be ok with a no fill neck (might not need one at all) as she is very warm all the time, especially at the moment when ridden but holding out on clipping so it only needs to be done once, can't deal with this crack of clipping 2/3 times! :D
 
I have rugs with detachable neck covers, but rarely use the neck covers unless it's really wet. Alf lived out 24/7 two winters ago-fully clipped, including legs, and was fine in a stable rug and heavyweight turnout without a neck cover. Most horses are fine as long as the back and quarters are well covered - the vast muscles over the quarters are the prime spot for losing heat, so as long as they are covered, the horse should stay warm.
 
If you want no mane go ahead and use a neck cover! I have kept horses for years and never had the need to use neck cover, felt I had to try to be modern so bought a few and lost every mane. All full neck rugs are now banished! However I would never do more than a low trace clip on a horse if I could not stable it.
 
Neck covers didn't used to exist but plenty of horses were fully clipped and quite warm enough.
Personally, I use them as cat blankets . There's one in the cat box at the moment.
 
Yes I use them but my horse is on top of a mountain in Scotland and is half warmblood. He won't keep weight on if he gets cold so our conditions are a tad different to most places in England. Think it just depends on the breed of horse and where you are. Mine isn't even clipped yet either.
 
I only use neck covers if they need it, one of mine gets itchy if he gets too hot so he has no neck on in the day and a neck one at night at the moment because I need to buy him a standard medium turn out.
 
They definitely do grow a thicker coat on their necks if you don't use a neck cover. Mine looks like a teddy bear on her neck if I leave her without, but the rest of her coat, which is covered by her rug, stays quite fine.
 
I don't have neck covers but mainly use the Rambo wugs which have half a neck cover built into them.

I don't think the hair grows more quickly without a neck cover but it may have the appearance of looking more fluffy as neck cover like rugs squash the hair down a bit so it looks more sleek looking.
 
Hate neck rugs with a passion and will not use them unless it is the vilest of days and then if it is that bad the horses will stand in for the day anyway. I think last year they wore neck rugs 3 times. They rub manes, slip and never fit well. All were fully clipped out and didn't give a monkeys and didn't feel remotely cold. Every yard I have worked on has never used necks on rugs - this included one of the top NH racing yards in the country and they still managed to go out and win races...

Again, as somebody else said, there wasn't such a thing as 'necks' when I was younger, crikey I can remember my ponies first none canvas rug! All of the survived with no ill effects then and worked alot harder than most ponies these days.
 
I hunter clip my boy every year, and have never owned a neck rug, neither does he ever wear more than one rug just a 200g or 300g in the coldest weather - though he is a native :)
 
It's pretty much each to their own, you know your horse best. The showjumping and dressage yards I was on all used them but the horses were only out for half a day anyway. My tb's always had them on, never had rubbed manes but I used rugs with nylon type lining so doesn't rub, plus my boys had the choice of staying out or using their walk in stables, mostly they chose to stay out and as they were completely clipped out were kept well rugged up. Rugs have moved on from times gone by so do a pretty good job these days although you get what you pay for. On one yard you can have horses in various weight rugs so it's never one rule for one horse. Rug to keep YOUR horse warm.
 
I'm another rug neck cover hater. I appreciate some (a mere few I bet) horses do need them, but the majority don't. Often used for convenience, but more likely to be used as an 'in-trend' thing.
Under 5ft snow, in Germany many years ago we had a blanket neck and hood for the 2 TB's, the shetland never knew what a rug was... oddly enough, didn't see a neck cover/hood for about 30 years after that winter, and I still can't relate to those who insist their native x needs one! (they have no idea!!) Rugs then didn't even have tail flaps - I've got used to those mind!! lol
 
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