Clipping and rugging when warm?

HaffiesRock

HaffiesRock

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What are you all doing at the minute?

Pony is a very hairy cob and fluffing up like mad. She had an extended bib clip 2 weeks ago (chest and shoulders) and was still sweating so last weekend she had it extended to mid stomach so the girth area was taken off (like a low Irish I guess). Yesterday was 22 degrees and between shedding, mud, heat and flies she was a complete miserable mess and so we didn't ride. After today's rain it looks like a good week to 10 days of 16 degrees and sunny. I am so tempted to take off her body but then what do I do about rugging? She is still growing in her winter coat so if I full clipped now and left her naked during the day and rugged at night whilst it's 16 and sunny, is that acceptable? I would probably then do it again in a few weeks when the weather drops cold and rug her properly (was always my plan) but this warm weather and her hairiness is just making her lethargic and grumpy to ride.

Any advice appreciated as its my first time owning a hairy cob who is ridden 5 days a week.

Thank you!
 
My connie very quickly starts to look like a polar bear at this time of year. He had his first clip of the autumn on Thursday, a hunter clip. Yesterday he wore only an aussie allrounder during the day then a lightweight last night. We have very heavy rain forecast today so I have bought him in for a few hours. When he goes out it will be in his 50g. He will then probably stay in that for the time being.
He will need clipping again in a month and every month until Christmas, then he won't grow a single hair until spring! The heaviest rug he is likely to wear is a 250g. Can you tell I've owned him for 18 years!!!!
 
This pony is new to me so not sure how to play it.
She loves her stable and will be in over proper winter but not sure how happy she’ll be in rugs long term. Saying all that she is very unhappy right now being hairy and hot.

I might just bite the bullet and whip it off tomorrow or Monday. The forecast is lovely the next week or so and by the time it turns again in a couple of weeks she’ll have already grown some more coverage. It’s so hard to know what to do for the best!
 
Faran is getting clipped today. He is just too sweaty despite his coat not being fully through. Rode for 20mins yesterday and he looked like I’d been galloping him around for hours, foam dripping the lot.

So he will be clipped and a rain sheet or 50g popped on to keep the wet off him but not to keep him warm.

He gets a full clip and leg blend.
 
Mine haven't got any semblance of winter coat yet. However it's forecast to go cold after tonight and the draft in particular drops weight very quickly, so he will get a rug, maybe even 50g.

In your situation I'd think a bit more about how your horse will be living and what he'll be doing. If you're going to have him out until proper winter without 3 rug changes per day a bit of coat helps them regulate their temperature. It's also good to trap a, layer of air and hold a thinner rug off them.

So I think I'd extend your clip up into a mid trace maybe? Then get it all off for proper winter with appropriate rugging and shelter.
 
This time of year I do a bib clip to start, while the weather is still warm and super changeable. It works well, she doesn't sweat too much in work and doesn't freeze. If it's very wet and windy she gets a 50g on but it comes off as soon as the rain stops. That said, they live at home so it's easy to rug/derug as needed.

Later on I'll hunter clip and rug as normal. But the bib seems to be a good compromise for this time of year.
 
It’s going to be cold next week overnight!

Haven’t clipped yet, only slightly fluffy pony here and wearing a rain sheet today… my plan is to wait another week or 2 then do the first clip x
 
Mine is shedding and sweaty so I'm going to do a low blanket clip next week when the weather gets warmer and drier again. Mine have access to a barn so I still won't rug him - if yours has some shelter I'd be tempted to do the same. Then you can put a light rug on as and when it's needed. Autumn weather is so unpredictable, it's easier to clip it off and then rug appropriately.
 
If Irish clipped, naked & sweaty (or if you want to rug & sweating as is) then yes I would take the rest off.

No reason you couldn’t still leave naked on nice sunny days & rug at night if a naturally warm horse and if temp drops again then just fiddle with your rug weight.

I think if you’ve got a horse that runs warm & you want to rug then fully clipping can make things easier.

I did this with the Highland last year. He still had some naked nights as well as naked days when it was warm as he was still too warm even in a rainsheet. (I suspect the layer of fat helped!) The heaviest rug I put on him at any point was a 50g (& a lot of time when it was dry he was just in the rain sheet as was too warm otherwise). I expect most horses won’t run QUITE as hot as he did
 
My cob has full fine blade clip (except feather) all year round and is naked tonight but generally when it's below 7 degrees and raining, he'll have a zero fill rug. He gets so hot otherwise and very grumpy. While I wait for the temp to drop, use a waterproof fly rug as that keeps him dry enough during the day so I can ride.

Max weight rug he has is 50g and that's only when it's cold, windy and raining. Even then, when he feels like he's had it on for longer enough, he'll stand with his body alongside me and not move until I've taken it off 😄
 
My cob is booked to have her first clip of the winter this week. She’s been getting sweaty and uncomfortable on most of our rides now so it’s definitely the right time. We are doing a full clip for the first one whilst it’s still warm and then a trace clip later in the winter so she has some warmth on her back when it’s gets properly cold.

Currently I don’t rug unless it drops below 10 degrees, but once she’s clipped I’ll pop her in a no fill over 10 degrees and a 50g under 10 degrees and see how she feels.
 
How about a compromise.
Normally at this point in the year i’d be doing a full clip with Covercoat blades.
Basically give the thickness of a summer coat.
 
If she’s uncomfortable I’d take it off and rug as necessary. I’m clipping an old horse today who has cushings because he’s just getting too hot and he will be rugged.
 
I blanket clipped my boy … he was dripping after work and it’s worked well - I rug on cold days or if raining with a light weight and if it’s warm he goes out nude…
 
She is so unhappy. The last few days she’s been miserable and rising yesterday was awful. We only did 25 minutes of walk trot schooling and she was dripping and lethargic. It was 18 degrees yesterday so she got a warm bath and being clipped today. I’m thinking blanket to keep her back and rump covered.

She’s out 24/7 at the minute but has a row of trees against a barn she can go into. It’s like a long tree tunnel and it’s dry and away from the wind there.

She will be coming in overnight once winter hits/proper mud starts. At that point turnout will be minimal so she will need riding/exercising even more.

She’s currently ridden 5x a week (mix of schooling/hacking/just started jumping)
 
So pony has been given a variation of a blanket clip. She looks much happier and was far less sweaty and out of puff on our ride today. Hacking with a friend tomorrow so we’ll hopefully have a good canter and she’ll feel so much better!
 
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