Clipping an older Shetland - do or die?!

[Fleetstreet_sky]

I have a 20 year old Shetland gentleman who currently has a nightmare coat. Year on year shedding has become slower and slower and he looks awful and patchy for most of the summer, maybe looks half decent for a week or 2 before the next winter coat starts to come in again. He also nearly ALWAYS ends up with lice which we treat with Coopers Spot On and always quickly does the trick. This is the first winter we rugged him as he seemed to struggle a bit and lost some weight - he was tested for Cushings in the summer but it came back negative to even the vets surprise!
Long story short I have never clipped before as I prefer my natives natural and he isn’t being ridden/exercised however he has rubbed himself silly and currently has a bald bum and shoulders and is very scurfy. We all know how dense their coats get but no amount of grooming helps and I am very tempted to fully clip him out to hopefully provide some relief/start from scratch.
Just a bit confused about rugging etc as obviously he doesn’t normally wear one at this time of year, would he need to be rugged until the summer months? How long would it take for the summer coat to grow in?? Would love some advice from clipping experts please? ??

 

[honetpot]

I clipped my 20yr old Connemara yesterday, he is dark dun and gets so hot, and was starting to rub where he sweats, so I took all his front end off. I made the mistake last year of putting him out, and then we had a hot day and I think he got heatstroke, he was completely exhausted. He was so relaxed when I clipped him, I think he just thought, relief. He has no rug on, and I have a cheap set of Masterclip dog clippers which I use, you not have to worry about the tension, they are quite, and the blades just clip on, although I have full size horse clippers.
He will look moth-eaten for a month and then the summer coat comes through, the dog clippers do not clip that close, so I can see the new coat coming through already.

 

[catkin]

We used to clip out our elderly shetland to help her with her coat. Introduce the clippers carefully just as you would with anything new - if your chap is anything like our old girl he won't mind once he's heard and felt them. Just do it carefully if you are not used to clipping - blades flat on the coat, long sweeping strokes where you can, gently round tickly bits and keep the blades cool and well oiled. Don't worry about if he looks a bit tufty as a summer coat will be through soon and it's better that the pony has a good experience the first time rather than faffing about to tidy up (that can come later when you are both at ease with the process - it's likely that you'll be the only one to notice the tuft under the belly and the wonky line at the top of the leg )

As for rugging, go with the weather and what the pony tells you. if it is raining then he'll probably appreciate a rug, likewise if it is cold or windy.

 

[Equi]

Do it. There is no greater pleasure than watching your hot itchy pony turning into a racehorse/bronc after being clipped. Ah natural is great over winter but shetlands are not built for warm summers.

 

[Iris1995]

My mini companion Shetland has had a hunter clip every February for the past 12 years as she used to get sweaty just standing in the field. She lives out and only has a rain sheet on when very wet and windy. She always seems very happy after she is clipped.

 

[Nudibranch]

Definitely clip. I did my elderly PPID shetland year round in the end. It gives them a new lease of life! I'd have something like a 50g or no fill rug for cold nights/terrible weather at first but I'm sure after a couple of weeks naked 24/7 will be the way to go. Even in winter mine never needed more than 100g.