Clipped Shetlands?

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Nakita

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Hi all :)

I have a mini shetland, Rocky. I've owned him since he was a foal, he is now seven. He has always been out all year with no rugs. At current yard he now comes in at night time as no other horses are out over night to keep him company! He has a massive thick coat atm and I noticed he was sweating over night, so thought about giving him a bib clip.
He has for the first time ever got rain scald due to the terriental rain we have had the past few weeks! His coat is so thick and long that this would be difficult to treat and also his actual skin under his coat is generally dirty and 'gritty' because the brushes clean the top of his coat and don't get right down to his skin.
I have came to the conclusion I'm going to give him a full clip so I can treat the rain scald efficiently and get his skin healthy again! Was wondering if anyone else owns any clipped shetlands and how what weight rugs they get on?
 
I would say rug according to needs.
So a rainsheet, a lightweight and a mediumweight for when its bitter. Shouldnt imagine he would need a heavyweight unless it got seriously bad (but then you could pop a fleece under a mediumweight to layer him up)
 
i know the problem well!
my standard shetland often has bid clips... then extra taken off as he sweats quite a bit due to his coat.
i would just advise rugging as you would a larger one, especially if its a full clip.
Good luck with it :)
 
Yes agree with others, rug him according to the weather conditions. Even though he's a shetland, if you give him a full clip he will have no coat so will need a decent weight turnout rug to compensate. Hope he gets over it soon.
 
Yes yes yes. The 3 shetlands I used to look after all needed full clipping in winter, especially the two oldies. Unless your winter showing do it, he'll feel tuns better. Lightweight to start, see how he goes. :D
 
He is a mini shetland, so technically, clipping does matter. Mini horses are (must be?) clipped to be shown, but mini shetlands are just small shetlands, and as such are not routinely clipped. The Society states: 'Only working ponies of four years old or over may be clipped in the interest of welfare, otherwise ponies are shown in full coat. Under no circumstances should foals be clipped.' Having said all this, if I felt it was in the best interests of my ponies to be clipped, society rules or no, I would clip them.

Shetlands do have amazingly thick coats, so if they ever have any skin condition, it can be amazingly difficult to treat without clipping them. I've never yet had one get rain scald, but a lot of them do seem to be getting sweaty at the moment, in or out, due to the fairly mild weather, so can only assume this has played a part for you.
 
we clip our mini shet. every year, right out bar his legs for the rais scald reason, his coat is so thick he gets really scaby, a few scabs are ok if they are living out roughed off , but if he's asked to do any work it just gets worse under the saddle. We do clip him totaly in the spring too, legs head the lot, bald, so that his summer coat can grow through with no lines....
 
I clip my shetland every spring and in the autumn. She gets too hot otherwise and seems weighed down by her thick coat, she's always happy when it comes off. She also gets VERY dirty and as OP says thick coats are hell to groom, they remain soaking wet over the winter too which isn't healthy.

I hunter clipped her last in mid September which seems to then let her get a bit of growth so she's not totally naked over the winter, it just stops her getting a super thick coat. I've got a basic shetland rug, don't think its terribly warm as such but its waterproof which is the main thing - she never seems cold, and she gets loads of hay and permanent access to open stables.

I clip depending on the horse. I couldn't care less if its "correct" to do so or not! I have competed a hunter clipped Welsh D in showing classes fine.
 
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