horse clipping

how do you know whether they are worked "enough" or "need" clipped??

im sure many would say that seeing as my mare is only ridden at the weekends through the winter due to lack of light before and after work, that she is not worked enough to warrant clipping... :rolleyes:

through the winter even if i WALK my mare for 20 mins on the road she sweats on her neck and shoulder... she's always been the same- hot headed Arab x! if she is to be ridden at all then she needs clipped.

she now has her winter doo, and will live out happily all winter too.
 
because it makes them look pretty and you dont have to brush a clipped horse do you? and when they get sweaty, you don't have to wait for ages for them to cool off before putting them to bed so you have more time and money to spend on going out and have a good time. :p
 
The thing is you don't know whether a horse "needs" clipping. You would probably think mine didn't need clipping, because no one on the yard has seen her ridden for weeks, but she is worked 4-6 times a week and gets very sweaty so as soon as she will let me I'll be clipping so I'm not waiting for ages for her to dry! And so she isn't hot and itchy!
 
whisp&willow said:
well maybe it is lunged/long reined regularly?

i find it strange, dont get me wrong but....

at the end of the day it is not your horse, and its not your concern. as long as the horse is kept rugged suitably then what does it matter? :confused:
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the horse is only 1 1/2 years old. shouldnt be lunged or long reined coz its too young, it puts to much strain on them.
 
Love the defensive posts if you ride your horse this does not refer to you!
Several on our yard are clipped and never ridden, one a poor doer that fells the cold, however they are all healthy so if it makes their owners happy and they are willing to rug and buy extra food so be it!
 
lannerch said:
Love the defensive posts if you ride your horse this does not refer to you!
Several on our yard are clipped and never ridden, one a poor doer that fells the cold, however they are all healthy so if it makes their owners happy and they are willing to rug and buy extra food so be it!
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well that exactly my point! ;) its the owners perogative to clip- for whatever reason they see fit. As long at the horse is rugged accordingly and condition is not affected then who cares?

the "defensive" posts are purely to show the op that you cannot just make a blanket sweeping statement about clipping and the need (or lack of one) for doing so.
 
lannerch said:
I'm just jealous of all those able to clip!
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well i literally cant ride my horse for 20 mins in walk without a blanket clip in the winter! (hot head of an arab, with the coat of a welsh/connemara...) :p

ive tried in the past... bib, high chaser, trace... all needed to be extended into a blanket in the end as they were not effective! :rolleyes:

she lives out as normal, and needs no extra feeding... so im a bit smug on all fronts... fashionable, and cheap...:p ha ha ha!
 
My boy was a yearling when I had him for his first winter. I clipped him, only a small bib & moved onto a low chaser - to get him used to clippers. Clipped him every year. He's an angel with them now because of that.

At the mo due to full time work, dark evenings & no facilities, I only ride weekends. He sweats in his stable unclipped & a chaser isn't enough for him when ridden those 2 days ad they're proper rides. So he's blanket clipped & only in weekend work - happy & comfortable rugged to suit.
 
My 30 year old retired pony has a trace clip, he literally goes round the block once in a blue moon. I clipped some off him because he grows such a thick coat that I cant tell whether he is warm enough (literally had a full winter coat in September), and the last 2 winters he has got scabby skin and I think its because he was too hot and uncomfortable. This way I can check his armpits to make sure whether hes warm enough/too hot.
 
KristmasKatt said:
Me too! I'm looking longingly even at bib clips at the moment!

I can't even be smug on the cheap front as she still needs rugging and we're pumping hay and feed into her to keep her weight on.....
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well mine is rugged! i dont leave her out naked. :p she was in a 2oog until yestrday when i upped her into her starter heavy weight. not getting any hay or feed yet though, other than a net while im grooming/tacking up etc.
 
Am with you bensababy - our old pony has cushings, I am just about to go and give him his second full clip of the winter - he is not worked at all, but he would be horribly uncomfortable left hairy, and I have a rug fetish, so he has a rug for all occasions!! And while I have the clippers out, the big pony will have his third clip of the winter (full again) as he is in work!:D
 
My welsh D resembles a yak at the moment and she is being clipped Saturday. Having a chaser from stifle to ear and is doing walk work 3 times a week and hacked out once. As she'll get fitter she'll obviously do more, and then in Jan/Feb she'll have a full clip so it doesn't affect her summer coat coming back.

So she's being clipped this year for the first in many
1. because she's actually going to be worked this winter
2. it makes the spring moult soooo much easier to deal with!!

and she's got rugs to make up for her loss of hair so she'll be fine.

if people want to shave their ponies let 'em do it!! :p:p:p
 
ive never needed to clip my horse until this year, his winter coat came in quite early and as a result he was sweating up just standing in his stable. i dont know anyone that gets their horse clipped when the horse hasnt needed it.
 
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