Detrimental effects of NOT clipping?

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HaffiesRock

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I have a Haflinger gelding. Fit and healthy and carrying more than a little too much weight.

He lives out 24/7 in a large field with woodland attached. Plenty of "out of the elements" places to stand and graze. He is kept naked and has grown a very good winter coat.

Due to work commitments he only gets ridden at the weekend and usually for no more than a couple of hours both days (hacking) He hasn't been getting sweaty bar a little bit under his saddle, but on Sunday he was very full of beans and really sweated up. It was also really mild as I only had a light fleece and I was cooking so maybe that was the problem.

Anyway, I always leave myself time to dry him off before turning out again.

My question is this, if I leave him unclipped, what detriment will my 2 hacks a week cause him? Baring in mind he will be fully dried off before being turned out again?

In my opinion (I know a lot of people wont agree) I don't see the point in taking off his natural hair, to then have to rug him up so I can enjoy a couple of little hacks a week? He is a lively boy who loves to roll and be constantly covered on mud. He belts around the field a lot too and I don't want to inconvenience him by rugging. If I were riding daily then yes I would clip with no doubt. My last mare (cob) had a bib clip and still lived out ruggless all winter. I may consider this for my boy as he will get plenty of hay when needed and if he lost a little weight, that would be no issue :p, but how much difference will a little bob clip make to him when ridden?

Thanks
 
TBH, on a warm day like the one describe, and he was able to move around and eat etc, I wouldn't bother waiting around for him to cool off, walking around grazing is the best thing for them to cool off imho. I only worry about them chilling if its a miserably cold windy day or if they're going straight back into the stable.
 
I think im just going to leave him.

He really doesnt do all that much, and even if he did lose a little condition, its probably a good thing!

I clipped my lasy Haffy and he just looked terrible! Ill leave him be and see how we go. I didnt think there would be any major issues, I would never push him really hard to the point he over heats either. I think i will leave him au Naturale :D For now at least anyway xx
 
Hoping none.

I am so fed up of full clipping, then the snow and ice coming and only riding once or twice a week. I've decided to just do less. Am going jumping on Sunday (clinic) but will just really focus on quality not quantity or work and see what happens. If I need to chase clip or trace even then will be much later.

Hoping this will also stop the snow and ice coming full stop in a sort of 'Murphy's law' type of way
 
None of the school ponies where I work get clipped, there's no effects that I can see apart from one of the cobs turning a greeney yellow as he's stabled and not rugged and seems to enjoy pooing then lying in it. Delightful.
 
It depends on their level of fitness and thickness of coat. Some horses have coats that are so thick that it can take hours on a decent breezy day to dry them off.

If they remain wet from sweat, which comes from the skin as opposed to rain, which doesn't get right through the coat, then its easier for even hardy cobs to catch a chill.

The fitter the horse the less sweaty although some are just hot animals whatever they do.

If I didn't want to clip, I'd work riding around the weather, so hack out in the morning and either leave them to dry off during the day if its mild and bright, or put a cooler on until dry. Try and avoid riding late in the day when temperatures fall during the night.

But a part clip might be your best bet particularly if he's over weight too. The other consideration is maintaining electrolyte balance as sweating loses a lot of salts from the body which may make him under par.
 
None of mine get clipped at all (although, being Arabs, they're probably nowhere near as hairy as your Haffy!). Two of them are endurance horses, so extremely fit - but this time of year, now the endurance season has finished, they have a sort of holiday (by holiday I mean that they get hacked at the weekends and that's all, justo to keep them ticking over until January, when the proper work starts to build up again). I don't ride at all midweek.

I have them in no-fill rugs, purely to keep them cleaner (as daylight hours are limited and I don't want to waste all my time cleaning off mud). As long as the rugs are of a breathable material, then any sweat dries off naturally after work, as they're mooching around in the field.

I'm not against clipping when/where necessary, but it my situation I haven't needed to - and I've been keeping them the same way for about 15 years without any problems due to sweat!
 
Thanks for your replies. I do ride first thing normally so that's not a problem. Didn't really think of the electrolytes though. Although I doubt he sweats enough to cause a problem...

He doesnt tend to sweat an awful lot but it was mild on Sunday and he was full of beans and this resulted in a very wet ginger beast! I felt a bit bad walking through the village as he looked like we'd been for a days hunting! xx
 
Op...have you pinched my haffie when I wasnt looking...this post is uncannily similar to a question I had! The only difference being ours is being worked as he is way to good a doer to give him a break, he also looks like he has been out for a days hunting and know your feeling of shame at the state they get themselves into ;) We gave him a hunter clip this weekend and I must admit he is so much more comfortable and looks mega smart too so that cant be a bad thing...is making my unclipped TB a bit scruffy.

Personally for the level of work you are doing I think some sort of bib clip would be fine, ours gets particularly sweaty in this area.
 
If he doesn't sweat much don't bother with electrolytes, you're only going to end up imbalancing everything. Really he will be absolutely fine - far too many horses are clipped these days in my opinion. In the good old days (I'm not even thirty yet and I can say that!!!) I used to compete twice a week on an unclipped horse, because there was no point clipping him, he didn't get very sweaty and if he did I would jsut let him cool off properly and rug him properly - no biggy. That was an Arab, but same goes now with my Welsh D - only clip if they're in hard work (or need it because they're particularly sensitive/sweaty individuals!).
 
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