coat question

[parsley]

I have been reading a post about rugging to avoid a winter coat. Quite a few people have said that it makes no difference to the winter coat how much you rug - its the length of daylight hours. I would be interested to know how people avoid a heavy winter coat - when I bought my son's pony in January he had a very light coat and although I kept him out 24/7 for the rest of the winter (in a heavy weight turnout) it never got thicker. Come spring he shed his winter coat for a summer one and now is shedding for a winter one. He is pure Welsh section C and I belive that he was kept for showing before I had him.

The question I was wondering was HOW did they get him to have such a light coat? I know it was a winter coat but it wasn't the thick, long coat I associate with Welshies? I am fully expecting him to grow a much thicker coat this year although I wonder as he is constantly in a Boet.

 

[vicm2509]

Is it possible he was clipped earlier in the year?

 

[parsley]

Quite possible! His coat looked exactly like a summer coat (which was lovely in the middle of winter). There weren't any clip lines but would an early all over clip do this?

 

[EllieBeast]

i'm afraid i can't help, as i just let El's grow, then clip it off. the thickness of the winter coat (from experience) is affected at least partly by how warm the horse is kept. so either he was clipped, or thoroughly rugged.
Sarah xXx

 

[parsley]

I think that he was probably clipped and well rugged! He won't have much of either this year so I expect he will look like a teddy bear

 

[parsley]

Right - so decreasing daylight hours persuades them to moult, increasing cold makes the coat grow more thickly? So having a Boet and a fly rug on might make his coat thinner?

 

[spaniel]

I find the daylight triggers the changing in coat and the temperature dictates the length. Hence a lot of horses have suddenly started to moult and thicken up since the intense sunshine stopped a week or so ago.

If you want to stop that trigger you would need to keep your horse in strong light (under lamps) in the stable for as long as possible. It only works to a degree though.

 

[parsley]

TBH I don't mind how long or thick his coat grows - I just wondered how people kept their coats so summery!

 

[sojeph]

Rugging makes the coat lay flatter which may make it appear more 'summery'. I don't rug any of mine generally so their coats fluff up and look woolly, same as my friends TB! Another friends welsh C is rugged all the time and has a flat smooth coat.

 

[vicm2509]

If he wasnt clipped but was well rugged then his legs were most likely still quite hairy (unless he had a full clip minus the legs).

I got my horse in April, hed had a full clip in february and his coat was like a summer coat although the hairs were a little more coarse, and his legs were like fluff balls!

 

[parsley]

He was summery all over, including his legs, although he did have good feathers. He definatly had a thinner lighter coat though, my cob was also rugged all winter and he had a really fluffy coat.