black horse - summer coat coming in. Clip?

NeverSayNever

NeverSayNever

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 July 2008
Messages
4,437
Location
uk
Visit site
my jet black mare is clipped around october time, she stays black. The round about Jan her coat goes this horrible minky brown colour:confused: Last year it was JUNE before it all came out and her summer black came back in! This winter she has been on a balancer and linseed to try and help but the same is happening. Lots of other horses are shedding and have summer coats coming in but not her. However she knocked herself onher hip a couple of weeks ago and took a small patch of hair off, its come back in jet black! Im wondering if clipping her again would stimulate new growth all over :confused: Any ideas? Cheers:cool:
 
I wouldn't. My friends black horse is looking a little motheaten at the moment but she is hoping that when spring finally arrives, it will encourage him to sort his coat out. Next year, try a full clip before the end of Jan which is what I always do. My very dark bay has a full shiny summer coat as a result.
 
I'd clip :) I always clip this coming weekend and have always had show standard summer coats on mine :) One gets a bit of a funny coat as he barely moults at any time though!
 
If you clip now, you will clip the summer coat and all that will be left is a rough coarse coat. Listen to amymay.
 
Thanks for the replies... If I clip now - how can i clip out the summer coat when there isnt one:confused: Not disagreeing, just not understanding? I clipped in Jan last year and it didnt help so this year havent clipped since Oct.

Here is this year's progression

summer coat (Sep 2012)
S0053365.jpg


a month after clipping in Oct

S0224523.jpg



this was her in Dec
IMG_0479_zpsd065b540.jpg



This was May 2012:o!! I can see her starting to go the same way this year too...
2012-05-09125044.jpg

2012-05-09125024.jpg
 
Our black mare currently looks a little tortoiseshell, but I'm not worried as there's definitely lots of shine coming though. I'm leaving her to sort it out :)
 
Puppy said:
Our black mare currently looks a little tortoiseshell, but I'm not worried as there's definitely lots of shine coming though. I'm leaving her to sort it out :)
Click to expand...

thats one difference this year - she is shiny and healthy looking unlike the pic above so I think the linseed and balancer is helping. No sign of any shedding though and she didnt shed until June last year!
 
Friends smart horse looks exactly the same but the very fact that he is patchy means the coat is starting to go and she doesn't want to ruin his summer coat. Try the full clip next year!
 
amymay said:
Does she have a neck on her rugs?
Click to expand...

well you can see from the pic that she doesnt ;) The state of her mane in that pic is because she lost the entire lot the winter before:(:o It took a year to grow back. She gets a neck on in the worst weather but thats all. In those pics she's just had a lw rain sheet on.
 
Luci07 said:
Friends smart horse looks exactly the same but the very fact that he is patchy means the coat is starting to go and she doesn't want to ruin his summer coat. Try the full clip next year!
Click to expand...

she was fully clipped :confused: do you mean do it again later in the year?
 
I've always clipped around this time of year mainly to tidy everything up. I've never had a problem with the summer coat (I show my Tb/Welsh D horse in cob classes). I don't think its true regarding spoiling the summer coat as new hair is continually growing.
 
Have you had your forage analysed? A copper deficiency can cause coat bleaching. It might be worth looking into, but definitely don't supplement copper without proper analysis and advice as too much can make them ill.
 
Can't advise whether to clip or not ( personally would not bother) but my black boy always gets big flecks of grey, which finally go when his full summer coat is through.

This was his first time being clipped, so I will wait and see :)
 
NeverSayNever said:
she was fully clipped :confused: do you mean do it again later in the year?
Click to expand...

Yes. I always do a full clip towards the end of Jan including legs. Its a massive cheat but means I miss out on the entire moult or pretty much. Was annoying this year as thanks to the awful weather, ended up having to put wraps on my boys legs. I hung on as long as possible this year due to it being really hard to actually work him properly and didn't want to take what little protection he had off just as the weather went bad again. My friend missed out the final clip with the weather being so foul though, hence hers looking a little patchy right now.
 
Luci07 said:
Yes. I always do a full clip towards the end of Jan including legs. Its a massive cheat but means I miss out on the entire moult or pretty much. Was annoying this year as thanks to the awful weather, ended up having to put wraps on my boys legs. I hung on as long as possible this year due to it being really hard to actually work him properly and didn't want to take what little protection he had off just as the weather went bad again. My friend missed out the final clip with the weather being so foul though, hence hers looking a little patchy right now.
Click to expand...

hmm thanks, see last year i did fully clip in Jan though :confused: Although i didnt take her legs of as dont want to spoil her feathers.

The fact that where she knocked herself on her hep the other week has grown in black is whats making me thing clipping now might stimulate the new growth?
 
Clipping now will only clip what is there at present. The hair is growing back blacker on thesection that she hurt because it is fresh hair growth not clipped. :) Black horses always look a little motheaten at this time of year, its just aesthetic really, some just take a while to get rid of the coat. Mine wasnt clipped this year and head neck and legs are nice, shiny and smooth but the middle still looks like a yak.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top