Clipping and Rugging Advice Please

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DressageDiva1962

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I have a new pony who is a nightmare to clip, his previous owners told me they had to get the vet to sedate him before they clipped him, my ponies do live out 24/7 with permanent access to a good shelter but I'm wondering if I should leave clipping him for this winter and not put him through the trauma of a clip and wait until he's settled with us a bit more next year ??

As he is a new pony to us so I want to spend the next few months bonding with him and just have quiet hacks round the lanes.... with a view to competing in the spring, he is getting a bit of a coat already so should I be changing his lightweight rug for a medium weight to stop too much coat growth ?? hmmm, not sure what to do for the best as I do want to ride him as much as possible but I dont want to get him too hot and he ends up getting a cold, although nobody can predict the weather, 2 years ago I clipped my other horse and then she had 2 months off because we were snowed in !!

All advice and opinions and feedback will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
 
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I'd just leave him unclipped, for quiet hacks it shouldn't matter if he's yak like. As for rugging, I just go off whether the horse is warm or not, assuming its otherwise in a healthy condition.
 
littlelegs said:
I'd just leave him unclipped, for quiet hacks it shouldn't matter if he's yak like. As for rugging, I just go off whether the horse is warm or not, assuming its otherwise in a healthy condition.
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They're all in good condition, but I wake up in the night worrying if they are warm enough when I hear the rain battering against the window !! he's warm under his lightweight but not toasty warm if you know what I mean..??
 
I think the lightweight, no fill, sheets can give a feel of a chilly horse underneath them.

I am putting a cotton summer sheet under a no fill sheet at the moment, on a very fine skinned horse. This seems to work and he is warm in the mornings without having big and heavy rugs on.

On the clipping aspect, unless he is getting hot I wouldn't bother clipping him, just make sure your tack is clean and doesn't rub him.
 
I don't like no fills used alone for warmth. If its purely lack of a waterproof coat in heavy rain to keep them dry, they are fine. But for warmth, I actually think a no fill makes them colder. They can't fluff up their coats in a rug & trap air for warmth, so if anything they do make them colder. Best guide is check behind the elbows, all horses have such different needs its impossible to say which his are.
 
littlelegs said:
I don't like no fills used alone for warmth. If its purely lack of a waterproof coat in heavy rain to keep them dry, they are fine. But for warmth, I actually think a no fill makes them colder. They can't fluff up their coats in a rug & trap air for warmth, so if anything they do make them colder. Best guide is check behind the elbows, all horses have such different needs its impossible to say which his are.
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Thank you, I agree ... its very windy up here at the moment and quite chilly at night, went down to 5 degrees last night ..
 
I use both a 40g and 100g rugs for just this reason
However I just got a amigo 1200 denier initially to go over a fly rug. I must say doesn't make them cold like a normal light weight does
I agree with the others if he doesn't get sweaty then don't clip
There are various theories that it is lack of light that makes the coat grow not cold. However if this were completely true how would they know just how thick to
Grow their coat?
 
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