Full Clip & Turnout

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vicm2509

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My horse is currently out 24/7 until the 1st November when he will be in at night and out during the day.

I have just started to put his lightweight rug on in the last 2 weeks. I was wanting to give him a full clip at the weekend. I have ordered a medium weight rug with full neck but im worried about leaving him out at night. Do you think its really too cold for him to be out at night with a full clip? He not really wooly now and IMO a clip with a rug would keep him warmer than he is now in just his rainsheet with no neck cover.

I dont really want to keep him in at night if I dont have to so its either clip now and use medium weight or wait until 1st November which I really dont want to.

What does everyone think? Are people turning their horses out at night with a full clip?
 
My boys out 24/7 fully clipped. He has his mwt wug on in the day,a dn a full neck lwt over the top at night. Hes very happy, always warm and not loosing weight, wanting to come in, so im happy with him being out until it gets colder/wetter.
 
I thought he would be ok but one of the girls at the yard last night said I couldnt possibly turn him out at night with a full clip. In 3 weeks he will be in at night anyway and he has plenty of rugs I can put under his MW if it gets colder or his HW is it comes to the worst. Its just he is quite a sweaty horse anyway and its taking him quite a while to dry off and cool down at the moment.
 
Oh and thats meant to say NOT wanting to come in!!
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my horse has lived out 24/7 fully clipped for the last 3yrs. he's 20 now - not a aproblem for him as long as he has a good rug on. he only wears a MW in the day and HW at night with neck cover for most of the winter. only if it goes below freezing do i use the HW in the day and an underrug at night.
 
Mine was clipped about 3.5 weeks ago and although he's getting hairy now it isn't much more than a summer coat on most horses (he gets v hairy normally). He is out 24/7 with a LW with full neck on. He'll probably be done again in a couple of weeks or so, most likely another full clip, and will stay out 24/7 still. He's going to be clipped out all winter and I don't plan to bring him in til mid Jan, not at all if I can get away with it..

He's much happier out. I feel he keeps warmer as he can keep moving, constantly has something to eat (unlike if his hay runs out), plenty of shelter in the field, plus 4 friends to play with.
 
24/7 turnout and fully clipped is not something I would never do - I think it's terribly unfair.

However, think I may be in a minority on this one
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Tell that to my big mare...she'll kick a stable down rather than be in if there's 24/7 turnout going!

Horses for course and all that...
 
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Surely if you compensate whatever you clip off with a rug, then it's acceptable ?

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I'm sure you're right, and it's my own predjudices which would prevent me from doing this.

However, if you stripped me naked, and then stuck me out in a howling gail and lashing rain - with only a coat on that I couldn't wrap round my whole body - I don't think I'd be too impressed.
 
See where you are coming from but if the horse is properly rugged and it's head and legs aren't clipped (I think they be left hairy if horse is being turned out personally), then in theory said coat would be covering all exposed parts of your body!!

Have confused myself there but think you get where I'm coming from!!
 
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then in theory said coat would be covering all exposed parts of your body!!


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Not their lovely big bald tummy!!
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But as I said - that's just my opinion. Plenty of people do turn out 24/7 fully clipped, and their horses are absolutely fine.

It's just not something I would choose to do.
 
Leave their tummy hairy
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Sorry being factious!!

See your point, none of the yards I'm looking at allow 24/7 turnout in the winter so would never be a option/problem for me!!
 
I have done this in the past but I do like to leave legs on and the front half of the face. I used a good rug and in bad weather added a neck cover and a belly cover to keep her snug as a bug.
 
My mare will be fully clipped, well rugged and out. I'll also be taking her legs off in the first clip (tomorrow) and leaving them on in the other clips, so that she has protection when the weather gets bad, but they are not so hairy as to be difficult for her to lift!
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My TB for the last 11yrs has had a full clip with the legs and saddle patch in. He has a light, medium and heavy weight standard neck rug and stays out 24/7. I have to swap and change them according to the weather as if he gets too hot he removes the rug. We have now got a field shelter and some big trees in the field which he shelters under. We may just bring him in at night in Jan / Feb if it gets really cold. My other TB whch I got last year also stayed out last winter 24/7 not clipped but has a thin coat and he only needed a medium weight - I did get him rugs with high necks though to keep him snug.

The only time they come to the gate is when its been wet and windy for a day or so - in which case I bring them in just to get them out of the wet
 
In my opinion, ANY horse can live outside 24/7 all winter, even fully clipped ones (I assume with legs left though?). As long as your horse is rugged really well, a medium full neck is fine right now even at night. Obviously when it gets colder then you'll need a heavyweight, and maybe another layer underneath.

As long as the horse gets as much hay as he likes, good feed (maybe a conditioning feed over the winter just in case) and a proper shelter he'll be fine!

3 of mine have a full clip (except the legs) now. They'll live out permanently. Ive never had any problem clipping any past horses over the winter who live out, which includes a woosy TB, a WB, an anglo arab, natives, arab x's, trakhener x etc.! I think the Anglo Arab was the ONLY one to ever loose a little weight over the winter but I think that was more because she was a windsucker so spent most of her time doing that rather than eating!!
 
My 22 year old lives out and is fully clipped as he grows quite a coat and is very highly strung so gets very sweaty when ridden and takes an age to dry and would not want him to catch a chill by not being completely dry when putting him back out. He has umpteen rugs and 2 of every one so will always have a dry one on. He is wearing a medium weight with full neck at night and a lightweight during the day at the moment as it is dropping to around 11 degress at night and is 19 degrees during the day. He is absolutely fine and in stunning condition for his age. I just make sure he's always warm to the touch and use a blanket over his hindquarters when exercised if it's chilly. And I only use medium blades to clip him so it's not too close.
 
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