Do we over clip our horses

[Xmas lucky]

I saw a lot of over rugging thread and kind of wondered do we over clipping our horses . I have nothing against clipping the thought just crossed my mind.

 

[Lipglosspukka]

Oh absolutely, however it's not a welfare concern if rugged appropriately so who cares

 

[rara007]

Anything other than a full clip seems to be out of fashion!

 

[poiuytrewq]

Anything other than a full clip seems to be out of fashion!

True, you rarely see horses out with a trace or blanket ever.
I didn’t clip at all last year, Horse wasn’t in hard work and was ridden at coming in time so easy to wash and dry off properly. He also never grew much hair anyway luckily.

 

[PSD]

Anything other than a full clip seems to be out of fashion!

You rarely see anything other than a full clip these days. I like an Irish clip personally, keeps them cool enough when working but covers the important parts to keep them warm.

 

[HorseMaid]

Well we are hugely unfashionable then as ours have either Irish or blanket clips, they live out (rugged!) so need the extra protection. Friends otherwise very pretty horse 110% needs clipping even if not in hard work as she channels her inner moorland pony and is like a yak from mid September. I'd not do a full clip on one that lived out.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

I think so. Mine has a high trace clip of sorts (I make a design, this year it's a bit dragon themed). I leave as much as possible, but he's a heavy sweater and while his coat isn't long it's thick. So thick. He lives out and is rugged.

I just can't be there for 2 hours cooling him off, he also gets quite itchy. So clipping works best. If he wasn't in work, I wouldn't do it.

I did hear a girl the other day say, "I bought my horse a new rug for when he's clipped. He doesn't sweat when he's worked though." OK...so why clip? Especially with this underweight horse. She just saw others do it I guess ?‍

I wouldn't if I didn't have to, it's a pain in the arse, even though mine is very well behaved to clip

 

[cauda equina]

Unfashionable here too; the hot but not woolly horse usually gets a Irish-ish clip, the woolly but not hot horse doesn't get clipped at all

 

[MissTyc]

At this time of year the horses on my yard all have blanket or Irish clips. full clips later in the season. We are terribly unfash!!

 

[HappyHollyDays]

I went from the usual Irish and blanket clip depending on which pony it was, out naked in all weathers or just a rain sheet if it was pouring to a full clip last year and much preferred it. I did keep legs and head on but I found it suited my EMS pony much better and he went into the spring much slimmer than he ever has before. Both roughed off and woolly coated at the moment and won’t be clipped until they come back into work.

 

[WWO]

I have one clipped out every 6 weeks from August to February as she's a chunky monkey in hard work and sweats lots. The other has cushings so it's more comfortable for him to be clipped

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I clip the racehorses because I have to not because I want to ? none of my own are clipped as they are not in work. The birds like gathering the rolled out hair or standing on the horses backs to pluck hair out to make their nests with in spring

 

[saddlesore]

My excessively hairy cob ? has already had his first full clip and will be getting his second soon. He’s a hot horse with really sensitive skin, he’s a shoe in for a skin infection of sorts if I don’t clip so I can remove all sweat. He has a lovely wardrobe to compensate ?

 

[teddypops]

You rarely see anything other than a full clip these days. I like an Irish clip personally, keeps them cool enough when working but covers the important parts to keep them warm.

I do Irish clips. I sometimes do a hunter on my sec D but only if we are doing lots of clinics and competing. She’s a very hot pony!

 

[catkin]

Another who likes blanket and chaser clips but it very much depends upon the horse, what work they are doing, how hot or itchy they are with full coats and how they are kept.

 

[Cragrat]

I've just come in from doing a blanket clip on my TB. I leave the front of his face on too, because heis out all day every day. A full clip is so much easier- no-one can see if your saddle patch is wonky if you are tacked up, but I like a blanket clipt to keep his back warm when hackin. His second clip might be a full, depending how much work he is doing and if he needs it, but then I'll have to faff with exercise sheets.

 

[hollyandivy123]

a slow slung irish, and i leave the head on and shock horror...........its out naked, but it is a yuk and barrel

 

[Surbie]

Very untrendy Irish and blanket clip here - my horse is just too hot to leave woolly, even in the small amount of work he is in. Am doing an Irish on a friend's pony this week too.

I also clip and under-rug for weight loss. Right now he is portly, but should drop over the next few months to look a bit on the ribby side by spring.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

I tend to do a cross between a blanket and chaser unless the horse is in a lot of work, showing or has other medical concerns. I don’t think really unless you are under rugging (to cause harm not use calories) and it cause excessive weight loss or issues then it’s much if a problem. I tend to stay out of rugging concerns with other peoples horses. I know people that rug too much or not enough to MY standards, however that’s such a sliding scale that I don’t think it’s something that people should be judged on. We don’t know the horse essentially.

With mine, Kia got a full clip when we were showing, a Hunter when hunting, a special (above) when we were lightly competing during winter and he got a hunter with no pad area when he got diagnosed with Cushings. The wee guy I will probably give a special to until he’s hunting/competing and in a lot of work.

Stella I clipped all summer as she had a heavy summer coat and the common ridings were hard in her without one, she got a special in winter as well as she loved out but did a lot of hacking to keep her fit and lean as she inhaled calories ?.

 

[Jango]

I full clip my mare, the first winter I tried a blanket clip first, she was still soaking after work. So she gets 3x full clips during the winter and she's rugged appropriately. I wouldn't fully clip a horse that lived out 24/7 all winter. But around here (other than young stock/retirement livery) on every single livery yard I am aware of locally, everything comes in over night over winter. There are so many more actual issues to get concerned about than fully clipped horses in my opinion!

 

[Reacher]

My mr H gets a low Irish clip (didn’t realise before this thread that it was an Irish clip! - I thought it was a trace clip ) as otherwise he gets sweaty.
I never clipped my retired mare as she barely grows much winter coat.

I freaked myself out when I googled clips as I found a photo that was the spitting image of mr H , except it’s missing one of his socks !

 

[Auslander]

I couldn't give a shiny shite if people have an issue with me clipping out my semi retired horse, who lives out 24/7. He has a lovely life, is never cold, hungry or miserable, and I like him looking smart, so I clip him.

 

[SOS]

When I had more than one horse in varying levels of work I still swayed towards fully clipping, as:

- I find it easier to rug them accordingly as a fully clipped rather than partially clipped horse
- I like clean horses so bath quite often, even in winter so they need to be able to dry quickly
- The two fit ones were hunting so would of sweated profusely and then stayed damp all day which is not good
- The two less fit ones would sweat more as they were unfit when they did work so didn’t want them staying damp either
- I think it looks smarter

None of them suffered for it, and dare I say I quite like clipping! I have occasionally given mine Irish clips but would never do a blanket as getting the lines equal would drive me crazy.

 

[GreyDot]

There's people on the yard who clip all year round, obsessively. None of them are really worked, none go to shows, they just seem to be obsessed with clipping. Unfortunately, the ponies then also suffer from sun burn quite regularly and imho never have a nice shiny coat as it is always clipped to within an inch of skin.

 

[Pippity]

At the start of the year, I tend to go for a full clip, except for head and legs - legs stay on for protection from mud, and head because that's just too damn complicated to clip. As it gets colder, I go for some kind of over-enthusiastic Irish - straight-ish line from withers to stifle, with legs and head still left on. Basically, taking off the bits where she gets sweaty. Once it starts to get warmer again, I go back to full-clip-except-legs-and-head. And then, once it's dry enough, I clip everything, including legs, and my feral hairy beast is back to being a sleek, smart cob.

I tried to leave her unclipped and unrugged the first winter I had her but, oh, boy, she's a yak. She was getting sweaty just naked in her field, and inevitably came in too wet and muddy to ride. So now she's clipped and rugged and I can actually ride her.

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

My oldie has never needed clipping as he’s got a fine coat and doesn’t really sweat much. First year I had him clipped because it seemed like I should and never bothered again. My younger horse has had Irish clips the last two years just done once in about November. He’s doing more work now so may graduate to a trace or blanket this year.
I think some people don’t clip when they should. I see some very uncomfortably sweaty horses that never dry. Greys and coloureds also are easier to keep clean if they’re at least partially clipped.

 

[bouncing_ball]

When I had more than one horse in varying levels of work I still swayed towards fully clipping, as:

- I find it easier to rug them accordingly as a fully clipped rather than partially clipped horse
- I like clean horses so bath quite often, even in winter so they need to be able to dry quickly
- The two fit ones were hunting so would of sweated profusely and then stayed damp all day which is not good
- The two less fit ones would sweat more as they were unfit when they did work so didn’t want them staying damp either
- I think it looks smarter

None of them suffered for it, and dare I say I quite like clipping! I have occasionally given mine Irish clips but would never do a blanket as getting the lines equal would drive me crazy.

I think I’m similar. Once my fit horse is sweating in normal workload I full clip.

He is out overnight, but I use a no fill combo turnout and whatever weight of liner he needs to be comfortable.

I find full clip so much easier over winter for working / travelling / keeping clean etc over winter. Some of my work will be done in an exercise sheet if slower / very cold etc but I can whip it off if start to get too warm.

There are no options for an over heating unclipped / half clipped horse working hard / on warm day other than sweating and getting wet and sticky.

 

[Goldenstar]

No as long as people rug appropriately there’s no welfare issues with clipping it makes horses more comfortable when they work .
My in work horses are clipped all year round they are heavier types and feel the heat

 

[Nudibranch]

Depends whether they need clipping!
My Dales can't even do 45 minutes in walk without getting lathered if she's not clipped by mid October. It's also much more efficient in terms of my limited time. No spending 20 minutes getting dried mud out of a hairy native coat before riding, and no washing down a sweaty horse after.
I've had a couple of TBs make it though the winter without needing clipping but everything else in work has needed something, even if it's just a chaser or trace. Personally I find a hunter clip most useful.
I've never needed more than a 200g rug on anything though, even hunter clipped in the worst January weather.

 

[scats]

I fully clip out Millie every year- she’s in work and is generally a very warm horse. She never needs more then 100g even in the coldest of weather.
Polly needs sedating to be clipped so I don’t bother. She doesn’t work much.
A lot of people fully clip I think because they can’t be doing with acres of hair come spring. I don’t blame them to be honest.