Clipping - oh what to do what to do?!?

[icklemadame]

I've always had slightly rotund fluffy ponies who if they've been clipped for winter & hunting have just always had bib clips/trace clips, mostly because it was easier and my mum always believed in leaving ponies in their natural state so they had protection against the elements!! Last year my pony had a high trace clip and hunted 1/2 days most weeks all season, but she lost a huge amount of condition, in her coat and with her weight, she'd come back from a day all tucked up and skinny and I was feeding her 4/5 feeds a day to keep any weight on her at all. Also to get her anywhere near clean enough to go hunting I was having to wash her fluffy bits (she's piebald with a lot of white, it's a nightmare for hunting!!) which wasn't helping, even though I tried really hard to keep her warm when I was doing this, any amount of shivering doesn't help her weight etc. On top of all this she is very very fizzy and works herself up into a frenzy out hunting - she actually starts shaking from the moment I get her in from the field and she works out what is going on, and continues on and off throughout the day!!

Anyway... this year I've done a blanket clip on her to try and not to have to wash her so much, but to still give her some covering, (although from this weekend she will be stabled overnight so this isn't as much of a worry) but out hunting on Tuesday I noticed that yet again all the other horses were standing around quietly and calmly and seemed to be warm, but by the end of the day Clover was cold, but she was the one with the most hair!! All the fully clipped/hunter clipped horses were fine, she was shivering, and I presume this was because her hairy bits were wet with sweat and hadn't dried, and that was making her cold? So should she be clipped more? Will this improve the situation? And if she is fully clipped, I'm then worried that when I take her out in the mornings (I ride at 7am during the week) that she will be very cold when I first start, but if I put an exercise sheet on she will be very hot by the end!! (I do lots of fast work in the mornings) Also... any tips for keeping her weight/condition on over the winter?

Sorry its so very very long!!

Emily xx

 

[gemmaw]

I'd full clip her, its worse for her to have cold wet fur sticking to her, when you ride put an exercise sheet on but when you come to do fast work pull it up over the back of the saddle and tuck the ends under your leathers to stop then falling back down. This ashould keep her warm enough in the mornings, when you're walking her back put the sheet back over her to make sure her muscles dont cramp, makes a nice comfy seat too!!

(make sure your exercise sheet doesnt have a fillet string though!)

no help on the weight/condition i'm afraid except calm and condition feed helps, its very calming in most horses, might help with her weight gain

 

[AmyMay]

I agree - if you are hunting regularly clip it all off. You are stabling overnight - so no problem there. Make sure she has some nice warm rugs to make up for the lack of hair obviously.