Do we over clip our horses

[First Frost]

A have 3 horses. 2 Connie's and a Connie x TB. The Connie's are full clipped but have half head as they are turned out for 10 hours a day and I hate the idea of their ears being cold. I have to clip them from early September otherwise they sweat really easily. The Connie x TB has a blanket clip, his coat is much finer and he is only 5 so not working as hard as they others.
I think a blanket clip is really useful and looks very smart - if you can get the lines right!!!

 

[eahotson]

I haven't clipped my cob for the last two to three years.He wasn't doing a lot of work and he is getting old now and I thought he would be better off not being clipped.I always regret it in the spring thoughwhen he starts moulting.

 

[Hepsibah]

Mine live out unrugged for the most part so get apron clipped only.

 

[blitznbobs]

My cobs are clipped out … look a bloody sight if not — i dind it much easier to keep them clean and in work
Without having to stress about getting them presentable and dry. Everything else gets a hunter clip. Clipping and rugging is just so much easier to manage in my opinion

 

[AmyMay]

Clipped out for me too. So much easier and horses always looked super smart. Modern rugs mean that their toasty warm, without the weight of layering up.

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

Pony just had the underneath of her neck, her chest and then underneath her belly to the girth clipped last year. Basically everywhere that got the most sweaty. I did it once in early November and she was out during the day unrugged for the whole of winter. Pretty much all the other horses at the yard had a full clip.

 

[asmp]

Our two are fully clipped because:
it’s easier and quicker rather than trying to level up on both sides
it’s easier to work out what rugs to put on
wearing rugs means they are clean when it is time to ride
I don’t have to put up with moulting in the spring.

???

 

[J&S]

Native type pony has a chaser and veteran mare has slightly less. Veteran is rugged but native only has a rain sheet if due to be ridden as I want her to keep her newly found figure!

 

[M1lbie]

My Connie has an Irish clip as he lives out all year round, only wears a lightweight rug mainly to keep him clean so I can ride! Clipped him this week and he’s out in the day without a rug and lightweight at night. Only has a heavier rug if it snows. Other two are retired, left hairy and unrugged unless very wet and windy when the 29 year old has a lightweight or rainsheet.

 

[little_critter]

I gave my retired mare a neck & belly clip yesterday. I do it every year. She grows a thick coat and even though not working, at this time of year is sweaty and uncomfortable.
My in work gelding hasn’t needed to be clipped these last 2 years. I expect if I did need to clip him I’d do an Irish or trace clip.

 

[Gloi]

I've been trying to clip pony for a couple of weeks, just neck and chest for now, but I need to wait for colder weather because he's too damp to clip at the moment.

 

[Tiddlypom]

It's a darn sight quicker and less hassle to do a full clip than to fiddle about getting the lines right on a chaser/trace/Irish clip .

 

[Widgeon]

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.

This a hundred times over! This is the first year I've ever had a clipped horse (blanket clipped cob) in the winter - always had hairy ponies before - and life is so delightfully easy. I can groom in ten minutes if I have to - no need for scraping the lumps of mud out, trying to dry wet mud out of a thick coat, washing sweat off afterwards and then needing to turn out a still slightly soggy pony...none of that. Clipping is wonderful - it leaves more time for riding. Now I just need to learn to do it myself rather than pay someone else to do it for me. (dances into the sunset clutching a set of clippers)

 

[meleeka]

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

Both my Shetland and cob have this most of the year. They’d look really odd worn heads clipped (although i trim the cob’s beard)

 

[criso]

It's a darn sight quicker and less hassle to do a full clip than to fiddle about getting the lines right on a chaser/trace/Irish clip .

Chaser/Irish aren't so bad as it's a sloping line however I see so many dodgy trace and blanket clips, getting that straight line front to back with the neat half circle takes real skill.

I used to have my old tb chaser clipped and current one a blanket clip both with half head left on as the shape suited each one better. It's enough for the work I do.

 

[Tihamandturkey]

My ISH mare whilst TB in the brain is definitely Connie/ID in the body - she's like a woolly mammoth atm but am hanging on til beginning of November to clip to coincide with her coming in at night (she's out 24/7 atm).

Have only ever had to clip any of of my own horses once per year as I'm seriously/scarily obsessed/paranoid about rug weights for every weather condition ?

A hunter clip for Madam works the best - tried an Irish one year but any fast work & she was just too sweaty ?

 

[iknowmyvalue]

Pepsi is fully clipped now. He gets very hot so I need him to be able to dry off quickly after work as they usually live in turnout rugs. Plus we are out competing/lessons/clinics most weeks so I like him to look smart.

He doesn’t grow a very thick coat, so could probably get away with less clipping, but 1) I think it looks smarter 2) I couldn’t clip a straight line if my life depended on it.

 

[MuddyMonster]

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 seem to only ever Irish clip mine! I prefer my native to be rugless most of the winter (he literally wears a cooler if he's gotten very hot and/or a no fill turn out if truly vile weather) as it helps with weight loss maintenance but he's also ridden 5 or 6 times a week and would just get too hot with only a bib clip for the work we do.

This is the best of both world's but there's no denying he'd look a lot smarter if I fully clipped and rugged him (and sometimes if I'm at a clinic or something I wish I had) but he doesn't care ?

 

[honetpot]

I think in general our weather is much warmer than it used to be, I hardly ever wear a thick coat. I have clipped out all year, there is nothing worse than an animal stood sweating in the heat, so if they look uncomfortable off it comes, leaving on half faces to the bridle line and leave the ears, I like a natural look, with their whiskers on.

 

[Boulty]

I'm debating this at the moment... Have only ever Irish / trace clipped in the past but I think if Fuzzball ever gets to the point of being in proper work it will all have to come off as his coat is stupidly thick & I've bib & belly clipped the last few years unrugged to help with weightloss anyway. Just a scary thought to take it all off as I can't stick it back on! And then there's the joys of rugging as don't want to over rug him but don't want him stood shivering either.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I hunter clip both of mine they are generally warm horses and although they are not really hairy they do sweat a lot when worked, they are generally warm horses and I have lots of rugs and liners and they have lovely Rambo fleece rugs to ride in.

I must admit I hate the spring moult so they tend to have a late clip so I don't have all the hair to deal with.

 

[Kaylum]

My Clyde was fully clipped all year round as he was in work and fit but had a thick coat so would sweat. The dog is the same clip her in warm weather but she is still very fit.

 

[milliepops]

I'm really allergic to horses so any horse in work and not poor in condition gets a full clip. anything to help keep the grease, dirt and hair to a minimum. The retirees and young ones grow their full coats obviously but I keep them at arms length!
I did clip a bib in one of my hairy oldies a few years back, the spring was warm early on and she sweated standing still.

I can't bring myself to get remotely bothered by what other people do so long as the horses are comfortable.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

It's a darn sight quicker and less hassle to do a full clip than to fiddle about getting the lines right on a chaser/trace/Irish clip .

This is why I now only clip racehorses and don't do anyone elses! Half head and legs on, all the rest OFF! So much easier!

 

[GinaGeo]

I keep all of mine fully clipped for winter. I do try to time it so I’m clipping as infrequently as possible and leave half heads and legs on in later clips.

They’re mostly hairy pony crosses. Riding after September would not be possible me if they were not clipped.

I am careful not to over rug and rarely use necks - I find the horses get too hot and take them off anyway ?

They do all get stripped daily and they relish their naked mutual grooming time and I don’t rug at all in summer.

I try to strike a balance between practicality and letting them be horses.

 

[oldie48]

All our horses have been worked regularly throughout the year so get a full clip as soon as they start to get too warm in work. there's nothing worse than a hot itchy horse when it's so much easier to clip and sponge off the sweat as required. Our competition pony (conniexTB ) was fully clipped all year round, always looked smart and was never cold because we rugged accordingly. I've got a selection of Q sheets which I use depending on the weather. I pay someone to clip as they do a much better job than I do so I'm not overly keen to waste money. Mine have always been clipped for a reason.

 

[Shilasdair]

In my lengthy experience with horses, I don't recall seeing that many expire through 'over-clipping'.
Or die from either hyperthermia or hypothermia due to poor rug choice.

Why are so many (amateur) horse owners so keen to impose their views on others?

And for the record - I did consider clipping one of my retired horses last year - purely so I could see the start of erythema multiforme skin disease on her, as an early warning of an impending allergic flare up. Bet the busybodies wouldn't think of that as a reason...

 

[Fransurrey]

I never used to bother until I bought a hairy yak. Even then I'd have left him fuzzy, but he gets incredibly hot. Even with an Irish clip he's mostly unrugged (wither to stifle, with a stylish curve because I like it so ner). I am contemplating taking the rest of the body off for his early spring clip, just for convenience. Maybe I will, maybe I won't. Don't think he'll drop dead from it either way.

 

[spotty_pony]

I think a lot are… mine aren’t clipped at all yet but I think they will have a trace or a blanket this year as they will be living out a lot (rugged well)

 

[Winters100]

I must admit that there are some horses in our stable who I wonder why they are clipped as they seem to do very light work, but I don't concern myself with it as they wear rugs, so if the owner wants them clipped no harm done. I don't clip mine, just give them enough time to dry off in a fleece if they are sweaty in winter, but I don't see it as a welfare issue either way, and I think a horse is better off clipped than turned out in a rug while still wet underneath.