Clipping - Am I being a meany ?

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Spangles

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My gelding is being fully clipped tomorrow (leaving his legs but just tidying feathers) after having a trace clip (of sorts) up until now. He gets ridden 5 days a week and has top quality warm rugs, both turnout and stable and comes in overnight, so in my mind he is going to be fine. He does get a bit warm around his girth area and under saddle but not a sweaty mess.

If we were having freezing conditions or likelihood of snow and plummeting conditions, I wouldn't give him a full clip but he's quite a warm horse and he'll look much neater without compromising his well being.

But, am I being mean ? I know you shouldn't really interfere with horses coats towards the end of Feb as it can affect the summer coat hairs underneath so this will be his last clip before Spring/ Summer. I know I will get some 'glares' and 'huffs' from some of the other liveries for giving him a full clip and I don't have to justify my decision, but I'd appreciate some perfect come backs should I get asked 'Why ?'. Polite practical ones please ha! ha!
 
Due to illness mine hasn't been clipped at all this winter and she also has a 350 rug. I am going to - as I have been advised - give her a full neck and tummy clip leave on saddle and over bum hopefully clip her out fully in mid March. X
 
I am having the same thing done on Friday :) we have been gradually increasing our work load and now he is getting uncomfortable in his growing in trace.
 
Take no notice of other people. Your horse, your business. You don't have to justify your actions to anyone.

It won't affect the summer coat at all.



Comebacks eh ?

Suppose it depends if you want to keep talking to people.

Mine would be :

Why not?
 
Answering a question with a question drives nay sayers nuts :D Then if they give you a list, the correct answer is "twaddle!" or something along those lines.
 
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Just say you understand the old fashioned worries about damaging the coat, but you place welfare above aesthetics. Difficult for them to argue with that one!
 
Theocat said:
Just say you understand the old fashioned worries about damaging the coat, but you place welfare above aesthetics. Difficult for them to argue with that one!
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Agree with this and with a little laugh, emphasis that you thought *everyone* knew this old fashion idea was wrong nowadays.

My horse is clipped out all year round.
 
Enfys said:
Take no notice of other people. Your horse, your business. You don't have to justify your actions to anyone.

It won't affect the summer coat at all.
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Actually clipping late does affect the summer coat - it takes the round end of the end of the hair and may make the coat look dull.

If you are a true showing person you don't clip after the third week in January.

If you are not fussed about how the coat may look then clip whenever you want - I know many of the showjumpers here in NZ clip year round as our summers can be extremely hot.

Once you see coat coming out the summer coat is growing well and almost set.
 
So glad I joined here I mentioned about having my new boy clipped as he's unfit now I'm working him he's literally sweating buckets because of his fluffy Ness but iv been told I can't until March? ! Whaaat? Lol iv only had cobs previous so never needed to clip really.
 
I've never had an issue with a dull coat due to late clipping.

Here is my mare 1 week after getting a full clip (over a blanket clip) in March 2015
IMG_0858.jpg


1 month later in April:
IMG_0934.jpg


And in Jun:
IMG_1070.jpg
 
I haven't clipped my boy this winter - came close then decided we weren't doing the work/it'd dropped cold enough again. Slightly regretting it now though as chances are he'll have to have a small clip in April when the sun comes out like he has for the past two years!

Just do what you want - as long as you rug accordingly there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. :)
 
As others have said, do what you like. The horse's comfort is paramount as far as I'm concerned. I'm sure there's some truth in the fact that the summer coat is affected if you clip when it's starting to come through, but unless you're heavily into showing, I can't see that affecting the good majority of horses/ponies.

I intend to fully clip my retired oldie at the merest sniff of warm weather. He currently has a growing-out chaser clip, but his winter coat won't shed out quickly enough before it warms up, and I'll need to help him out. I think I'd be considered cruel if I didn't - he'd simply overheat with his super-thick coat.
 
I full clip my boy even if his workload doesn't really warrant it for a few reasons.

1. He's a very warm horse and even fully clipped is plenty warm enough in a 200g most of the time and a 300g if it's VERY cold (he's not worn it for 2 years)
2. I can't do straight lines
3. He's a mud monster so the shorter his coat to get the inevitably caked mud off, the better. He gets it all over even with a rug on.
4. He has an incredibly dense coat so any bits that do get left on and get a bit sweaty take forever to dry.
5. He's grey and I can't bear the white hair when he moults in Spring. Just the bits that come off his legs and top half of his face are bad enough. He's moulting already this year.
6. My horse, my rules!

I'd maybe go for the last one as a response. Said with a lovely sweet smile of course.
 
I wouldn't say you are being mean at all, my horse hasn't been clipped since november as i have been working away from home, we are moving to a new yard on the 9th of march, and he will get fully clipped a few days before we travel, and travelled with a fleece on depending on the temperature (200 mile trip) as when we get there I will be living on site and with my new job I should be able to ride 5/6 times a week again, and the last thing I want is for him to be uncomfortable being all sweaty and too hot.
 
Tnavas said:
You can see the clip line, her legs are different to her body
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While I agree you can see a clip line in the middle photo (which you'd expect, since it's only one month after clipping) I can't see any difference between legs and body in the final photo. Regardless, the coat looks lovely and clearly hasn't been ruined by clipping late.

I personally have never seen a coat damaged by clipping after January. I worked with showjumpers and they would routinely be clipped in Feb/ March/ April but if we then wanted to let their summer coats come through they always grew out nice and glossy and shiny.
 
Do what is right for your horse and ignore everyone else.

I clipped one of mine at the weekend, she is in a 40g turnout and still warm. My other one I didn't re clip as she is malting at an alarming rate so I will just take her rugs off at the end of the month and let her roll her winter coat away.
 
do what's best for your horse and stuff what anybody else thinks. my 2yr old cob had a full clip last week because she was sweating and itchy (also found a few crawlies to douse in deosect too) although I say full clip, we ran out of clipped oil and they gave out half way through so bum is still really hairy! she looks so funny even the neighbours came over to ask what's wrong with her as we led her past, unfortunately I didn't get time to finish it off and my friend has now sold them!! I can't stop laughing at my poor pony she looks atrocious lol
 
Huffs and glares! Who do these fellow liveries think they are? I don't think we have this sort of behaviour at our yard, or at least they do it behind my back.
 
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