Clipped heads - turnout hoods?

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Ginn

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Do those of you who clip your horses heads use turnout (of fleece when stabled) hoods to keep heads warm.

Unfortunately my mother has made me feel quite quilty about leaving my horse with a bald head when she gets clipped next week and I am wondering whether these really do make much difference with respect to keeping their heads warm when the temperature really drops??

And another quick question on the topic of clipping... madam hates the clippers and since dislocating someones shoulder when they simply turned them on next to her I now have her done when the vet is up to do teeth and jabs so she can be sedated for it.

In the last 2 years I've given her a blanket clip which has been fine but she always still ends up very sweaty under the saddle area which in turn becomes cold quickly after a ride and then itchy until I've given her a good brush. I am v.v. tempted, given that she will only be clipped once for the above reasons, to clip her out fully...

However, if we have another "big freeze" she is likely to end up with that period out of work and add to that that she will most likely only be worked 2-4 times a week I am just not sure if it is the right idea or particularly fair on her? If she was reasonably OK to clip I would have whipped the whole lot off 4-6 weeks ago and then be keeping her topped up with a blanket but I cannot afford £100+ each time she needs doing so it is one clip and that's that!

I should note that she is very well rugged according to weather and how much hair she has and has a full wardrobe ranging from hooded fleece PJs to the full spectrum of different weight turnouts!

So would you take the whole lot off or stick with a blanket?
 
No idea how much a hood would help but I would take it all off. My TB is only worked 3-4 times a week but he has a hunter clip as it makes it much easier for both of us, time is very tight so it's much better when I don't have to wait for him to dry after he's worked. He is in at night and has plenty of rugs that I can use if the weather turnes really cold!
 
I would clip out if it was my horse :)

I use full neck rugs but would never use a hood which covers the face (the ones with the eye holes) after witnessing an accident where one had slipped (was fitted properly); the horse ended up losing the sight in one eye :( I have heard many similar stories so wouldn't personally risk it.
 
Rhino - something to consider thanks. I had heard of similar things but have also not yet heard any bad reports about Snuggy Hoods so was thinking about one of theirs. However it won't be something I'll do without plenty of googling!

Racing Demon - do you find you have a gap between the top of the rug and the hood? My horse has (I think!) an extremely long neck and when she puts her head down to graze the neck on her full neck rugs only comes half way!
 
In the bad old golden olden days, horses faces were always clipped out with a hunter/full/blanket clip. Hoodies didn't exist. Don't recall any horse having a problem. And the rugs were fairly rubbish then, too. Bit like the awful clothes we humans were made to wear in them days. We also survived, just...
 
Ginn said:
Racing Demon - do you find you have a gap between the top of the rug and the hood? My horse has (I think!) an extremely long neck and when she puts her head down to graze the neck on her full neck rugs only comes half way!
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yes, on a couple of them, (one in a Masta Rug & one in a Fal bulldog,) the other 2 in a rambo & a Fal Bulldog have no such problems, & it does only happen when they eat, so when they roll, there isn't actually a gap so they do stay clean, & the gap isn't much, maybe an inch or so at the bottom, so again in the rain, no real problem,

personally i use them to help keep them clean, rather than for warmth, as TBH, they aren't going to make much difference to body temp if they are well rugged, but they do help keep the coat looking great and stop the fluffy chin bits, getting really really fluffy!
 
I ONLY use Snuggy Hoods - Turnout hoods, and Snuggy Jams, and haven't had a problem on any horses - I have 3 of my own who have hoods and jams each, plus any that have borrowed them.

The turnout hoods are brilliant at helping to keep them clean, but I feel the jams are better at warmth, because they cover all of the belly and between the front legs.
 
You can get lycra hoods that only go round the ears or ones that just come to behind the ears, either that or you could just cut the eyes holes from a normal one, as personally i don't like the ones that cover their whole face in fear of them slipping.
 
I usually clip the face out first clip, when it's not too cold, and then just clip half the face on subsequent clips. This way, the face and ears aren't really fluffy and there is a bit of regrowth by the time the weather worsens.

Mine lives out all year (yes, with a hunter clip) and I use full neck rugs but never felt the need for a full hood. Even if he was stabled he would spend most of his time with his head over the door so it would be no warmer and I have also seen a horse who's eyes were rubbed sore by a slipped hood.
 
Having had a near disaster when a lycra hood slipped (thanks to pony grabbing it!!) off our bog boy - fortunately because he coundn't see he stood pretty still - just pulled a shoe off in the initial panic!

Since then - pig oil on heads, ears and legs. Still get muddy but v easy to clean up!
 
No chance would I put a turnout hood on. Have seen accidents even with snuggy hoods. Just wouldn't risk such delicate things as eyes
 
Snuggy hood turnout hood damaged my horses eye, it had been sent back for adjustments for a good fit but was worth. I will never touch them again.

Instead I'm looking at the equi-snood.
 
My boy only has a low chaser clip, but I do take half of his head off, I just use full neck rugs and he never seems to get cold. He gets sweaty under saddle after i've ridden, but I just put on a fleece or thermatex type rug whilst I'm putting his tack away, sorting out hay etc. I then take it off, give him a quick brush and put his full rug on. Seems to work well and it means I can leave most of his coat on and not need such thick rugs. I am short of time in the evenings as I don't get to the yard till 7pm, so not as if I have oodles of time to wait for him to dry - just a thought.
 
I used to have a thoroughbred who lived out 24/7 with stables open to use as they pleased. I used to give her a hunter clip but I always left the front of the face and the ears on. If you clip where the bridle fits you can't see it when tacked up. I used a turnout rug with detachable neck and she was always as warm as toast. I layered up when the weather was colder.
 
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