Don't understand why you clip horses in light work

[1t34]

Why can't you believe it? Does what I do directly affect you? As for the comment about money, what concern is it of yours what I want to spend my money on?

Not sure why you are quite so defensive and offended - I am offering a different point of view based on experience. If you don't like it you are welcome to express your own. No need to be quite so confrontational, in these times I would have thought money saving tips could come in quite handy, they do for me!

 

[PolarSkye]

This - having a grey horse is a nightmare

Yup. And having a grey horse with a long, fluffy coat is even worse.

Kal had last winter off due to my illness issues and was unclipped. Never again. It was a nightmare keeping him clean - even with lightweight rugs on. And it was even more of a nightmare when he started losing that incredibly thick coat . . . never, ever again . . . not even if he was off work or in light work.

That said, I would say that The GD is in medium work now . . . he works hard for six days a week. He is currently not getting sweaty because he is now much fitter, but if I let his winter coat grow in he would certainly sweat up. So . . . he'll be clipped - everything off except legs and face - in another two or three weeks.

Interestingly, I don't normally clip him until November - and then he only gets the one clip - but this year he's getting woolly earlier so he'll likely get a couple of clips - one in late Sep/early Oct and another in Jan.

P

 

[1t34]

Yes, and I used to ride an unclipped very hairy pony who got very sweaty, I used to wearing a polo neck and a hacking jacket for hacking, along with a mahoosive white hat with NO silk. I don't wear that outfit anymore, and I would never ride a hairy horse until it got that sweaty anymore either

Things change, with modern rugs I don't have to feed my horse tonnes more, keeping weight on him is not an issue, keeping it off is!

Clipping is a total pain, I agree but he gets done 2/3 times a winter and maybe once in the summer if in full work - far less hassle to clip than have to deal with a sweaty horse.

Too true, but I would also argue don't chuck the baby out with the bathwater. We had very few difficulties with overweight ponies, overfed sharp horses, unsoundness due to laminitis etc and with good basic horsemanship coped quite well with most eventualities.

I am not a Luddite and I am glad to see the back of some things, love the flexibitily of the newer rugs, but do retain what works from the past. Clipping is not a task I relish and I do believe there is some benefit from leaving a horses loins covered.

 

[carthorse]

I tend to leave some on but take neck and tummy off as hate them to be wet as then they get cold later

 

[PolarSkye]

I can't believe how many people here clip their horses out. I will have one in full work, going to shows and he will have a high trace clip, no need to take off his back (it's not like he will be having a full days hunting) much better to keep his loins warm when he's exercised or out and about.

Back in the day the only horses that were clipped out were hunting or racing, ponies or anything else had a bib clip or trace if they were in a little more work.

I can only think people have loads of dosh to feed extra hard feed to keep the weight on, we used to hunt a full day on ponies with a bib clip off grass. Drying horses off isn't difficult or that time consuming and we didn't have the tons of technical of rugs that are now available. Clipping is a complete pain and the less of it the better!

I don't have loads of dosh and Kal doesn't get tons of hard feed to keep weight on - he does though get rugged appropriately (including an exercise fleece to keep his loins warm when ridden/hacked in the winter) and a nice warm stable with rubber matting up the walls and loads and loads of fluffy, insulating straw.

Clipping is only a complete pain if a) you wait until the horse is well and truly wooly, b) you do it more than once or twice a winter; and c) your horse isn't easy to clip.

I would much rather KaliBear was clipped out to avoid him getting sweaty, itchy and possibly sore from rubs (he has very sensitive skin) and could dry out more quickly after exercise than worry about putting a damp horse out and him catching a chill.

That said, it's (pardon the pun) horses for courses . . . what works for me and my horse isn't going to work for everyone and theirs.

P

 

[paddy]

A former livery moved her box rest horse to another yard closer to her home. First thing they did was clip him and pull his mane as they couldn't bear to see ugly hairy things looking over the door and it brought down the standard of the yard.

 

[JustMe22]

Because they don't sweat, it's more comfy for him and easier for me..and because, in all honesty, I don't like how my horse looks with his winter coat.

 

[Double_choc_lab]

Coz it makes u look like a proper horse person and u can put a nike swoosh on it. Innit

 

[debsey1]

Coz it makes u look like a proper horse person and u can put a nike swoosh on it. Innit

That is right funny like

Seriously though, there are a lot of so called horsey people like that out there

 

[Lucyad]

A happy medium for me - he will have an Irish clip with a half head - this tidies him up a bit (beard etc..) and makes the sweat and mud combination in his armpits slightly easier to remove, as otherwise it hs a tendency to set like concrete (he is very hairy!). As he is a hot horse (or a heavy coated horse I suppose), he will still sweat when hunting etc.., so will still need cooled down, but will be slightly easier to keep critical areas like under the girth clean and comfortable.

He doesn't do enough work for me to justify clipping out, but if I had time to keep him fit enough to justify it, I wouldn't rule it out. Just seems pointless for the number of times he will get really sweaty though. It means he can live in his LW rug for most of the winter as well. (And no neck covers this year as I am fed up with his mane getting rubbed off!).

 

[Double_choc_lab]

Unfortunately I think there are a lot of people who, probably due to lack of knowledge through fewer riding schools and not going to pony club etc, follow trends. Not only with respect to clipping but also with biting and feeding. You only have to visit a few "horsey" facebook pages and you would be horrified at some suggestions.

 

[DragonSlayer]

Not sure why you are quite so defensive and offended - I am offering a different point of view based on experience. If you don't like it you are welcome to express your own. No need to be quite so confrontational, in these times I would have thought money saving tips could come in quite handy, they do for me!

I asked a question, I don't call it being defensive. These questions will be asked by people if you asked them face to face.

People would be better minding their own business that worrying about what others are doing...

 

[DragonSlayer]

Don't be offended Dragonslayer, this after all a discussion, a forum where we have opinions it's good to hear about others people's views no one is telling you how you should clip, rug or feed your horse.

I'm not offended, I am asking the question what someone does with their horse got to do with anyone else?

 

[Luci07]

I'm not offended, I am asking the question what someone does with their horse got to do with anyone else?

I am with dragon slayer...and the OP did come across as pointing the finger at that those of us, who god forbid, clip out. I couldn't clip my youngster today as after his lesson, he was dripping. Will clip him out tomorrow. As I said before, my horses, my money, my choices. Btw - educated guess but think I am prob in the same age bracket as OP but obviously have rather different ideas! Cant honestly say that I think that many of the old ways were better actually!

 

[VioletStripe]

Mine is in what most would call lightish work, but he's a Connemara and very hairy, and will sweat a lot when worked if he's not clipped! Would rather have to throw a rug on him than to leave him sweaty, cold and uncomfortable all night. I agree, there are many horses who are hacked lightly once or twice a week who are clipped and simply don't need it! However, it's up to the owner I guess. As long as the horse is kept warm and in good condition, they can clip if they like.

 

[mynutmeg]

My mare will get a low trace type clip reasonably soon, she gets very long warm hair and sweats up round her girth easily so much easier to keep her comfortable if she has a bit of a clip even tho she's only in light work (she's pregnant and due next may).
It makes no difference to me from a rugging point of view - she'd be rugged regardless of whether she was clipped or not, the only difference is the weight of rug she'd have on.
I did have to give her a trace one year when she was completly out of work due to injury. She was sweating up in her stable over night without any rugs on at all - the yard we were on required overnight stabling at that time of year.

 

[smellsofhorse]

any horse even in light work these days are clipped as we are all on tight schedules.

but i don't agree with over clipping.

just clip appropriately for the work load and the amount the horse swests.

 

[maisie06]

It actually makes less work for me!! I work full time so to have a clean, rugged and clipped horse who only takes a few moments to groom and tack up makes a massive difference to me in the winter! One of my ridden horses lives out full time so I can just flick him off after a ride as his clip keeps him from becoming sweaty and uncomfortable, therefore I and more importantly he do not have to wait around for ages on cold nights waiting for him to dry off, so it suits us both really.

 

[hoggedmane]

My mare is in light(ish) work and I am contemplating clipping her out in the next few weeks. I do do some sponsored rides on her and occasionally a small HT as well a regular hacking and a weekly lesson. She lives out fully clipped in winter 24/7. She is 21 17hh TB x shire She doesn't get hay in the field and isn't fed any cereal based feed but still looks great. If I didn't clip her I would be virtually unable to ride her as she sweats a lot and doesn't dry easily. Today she sweated from head to toe and even after a wash and on a sunny day she was still wet an hour later. I can't put a rug on her if she is not clipped as she will sweat under it. Clipping also totally transforms her from carthorse to smart horse!

All the horses at the yard apart from 2 live out and most of them have some sort of clip.

 

[Welly]

I had to clip my old boy when he was retired! he used to get such a big coat that if the weather turned warm in winter he would sweat a lot and go of his food.

 

[Patterdale]

As somebody who gets paid to clip horses, I am all for clipping.
Clip em all, I say! The more the merrier!

 

[Spot_the_Risk]

I think the OP should be now understand quite well just why some people clip horses in light work!

My 20 year old native type lives out 24/7. If I give him a bib, he'l continue living out unrugged, a cheser and he'll have a l/w on. Unrugges, he's a sweaty foaming lazy horse, too hot to trot!

 

[Countrychic]

You don't NEED to understand. If you can't work out the reasons that lead people to clip their horse that's your issue. All you need to understand is if people love and care for their horse you should be happy for them. Judging what people do won't help your horse. Also, you never know what the future will bring. Your horse could develop cushings, you could develop an allergy.

 

[Pipkin]

My mare is in light work (hacked on wekends) she starts off with a blanket but I end up taking it all off because she sweats buckets, she doesnt get hard feed and she wears a medium weight all winter and is always toasty warm, never drops weight in fact I have trouble getting weight off her. Even if she wasnt in work she'd get some sort of clip because she gets hot an uncomfortable.
OH's mare gets a bib because she's not sweaty.
Welshies are babies so no clips but the two three year olds will be bip clipped this winter and no doubt the ginger beast will put me in hospital

 

[3Beasties]

To me it's making extra work for yourself and unnecessary worry whether you've under or over rugged your horse.

I think quite the opposite, clipped horses are generally easier to keep clean / get clean and don't need any time spent waiting for them to dry off.

My TB will be getting clipped ASAP, he will only be hacked lightly a few times a week but he will be far happier clipped out and not getting sweaty.

 

[curran]

Don't understand why people have been so hard on Debsey1. She clearly states that its just her opinion. The main view seems to be that it's easier to keep and ride a clipped horse, so there you have it. It's almost always about saving time isn't it? Whether our horses are 'happier', as many people claim, is hard to know - if the horse could talk I guess it would prefer to live a more natural life but that's not how we keep horses.
I've changed yards and now have a lovely big open barn that the horses can access from their field. I'm considering leaving my mare unclipped and will see how it goes. So far, I've been spraying the sweaty bits with Winter Wash and rubbing her down with a sponge. Doesn't take long and dries quickly so I turn her straight out and brush out any stains easily next time I groom. It works for me. I'll probably put a rug on when the weather gets cold but I'm not in a hurry as I usually have time to brush her before riding and I'm not too fussy about her being hairy.

 

[Sameru]

Pat will be clipped as we plan to hunt after Christmas I might even give him a little personalised swoosh of his own

 

[poiuytrewq]

I will be clipping mine and he is only in light work.
I do so because my field/bog will be deep clay all winter and it sticks like concrete to his bear type winter woollies.
Riding time is so limited I'd rather a quick brush and a longer ride rather than spending hours cleaning him up to get on for 20 minutes!
He also hates being scrubbed with a passion and it makes us argue ;-)
Then come almost spring I will clip him out completely, this is for selfish reasons. I'm allergic to horse hair (asthmatic) and on going moulting is a nightmare for me.