Horses living out and clipping??

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MrsMagoo

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Ok so my mare is coming home and i may have found a livery option but will be only grazing for 2 months until the new stables come available, sooooo:

1. Do you think she will be ok living out with about 10 other horses, when she's been used to coming in etc and in small groups? Worry about her getting kicked etc...she's a competition horse...
2. would it be ok if i still clipped her but rugged her up to the eyeballs, as id be wanting to compete her still?

Thanks guys
 
When I first had my boy he was used to being turned out alone so the YO made a small pen with electric tape in the boy's field so he could talk to the other boys over the tape but could get away if he wanted to. After a few weeks, the YO extended the area he was in and three of the boys went in with him and the other 4 were still on the other side of the tape. After another 2 weeks the tape came down and they all went in together. He adapted fine. Can you ask the YO if you can so something similar?

As for clipping- a few horses on my yard have been fully clipped already as they were super hairy. They are still living out in middle weight rugs with neck hoods at night and are all doing fine. Up here it has been getting down to around 5oC at night.
 
I'd hope that you could electric fence off an area of the grazing for her and introduce her gradually???

As for clipping and living out - I clipped last year and my boy lived out - he wore a Weatherbeta medium weight half neck rug with a Mark Todd heavy weight full detachable neck on top. If it was warmer then he only wore the heavy weight and a fleece.

I'll be doing the same this year but I don't clip until December as he gets turned away when the clocks alter until I get my Xmas leave. (Although turned away now until Xmas as currently lame).

Hope that helps?
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As long as you introduce your horse very slowly in with the other horses, she should be fine. Make sure she's booted up really well and she should be fine. I have always turned most of mine out together (incl. competition horses) with no problems.

Yes, its perfectly fine to clip a turned out horse as long as she's rugged and fed well. I have 2 with hunter clips over the winter (they both compete), both live out 24/7 (although with access to stables/shelter whenever they choose). They both have combo rugs on and are fed lots of hay and good feed. Never had any problems, even with my VERY woosy TB x - he shivers at the sight of rain without a rug on in the summer!
 
This post is such a relief as i was just away to make a post asking if i was silly thinking about clipping my mare outfully[she lives out]
She takes way too long to lose her coat so i want to get rid of it all[apart from legs and face]
Also she is a very good do-er which may help too.
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My hunter hates being in so she lives out all winter fully clipped. I make sure she is well rugged and has enough food and she could get into her stable if she wanted to, although she never does. Because she is so much more chilled out doing this she does better than when I used to stable overnight.
 
[ QUOTE ]
This post is such a relief as i was just away to make a post asking if i was silly thinking about clipping my mare outfully[she lives out]
She takes way too long to lose her coat so i want to get rid of it all[apart from legs and face]
Also she is a very good do-er which may help too.
smile.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

She will be fine, its not cold at all... Jan/Feb is cold
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Michelle73- where abouts are you?

I'm thinking of having one of my boys fully clipped (hunter) for the start of the hunting season, but i'm unsure which rug to put him in. His heavy Fal viking i keep for nov/dec/jan months, ie cold!!
And he only has a weathebeeta landa standard neck as a medium rug, perhaps i should get him a combo rug. Plus can you layer with fal vikings, or does that mess up the silver interactive system?

Confused! Thanks
 
My TBX mare was hunter clipped last year and lived out happily with cosy rugs. She did drop a little weight towards the end of winter but a change in diet easily corrected the problem. Overall, I think she was a far happier and fitter horse due to living outside.
 
No idea about layering with Fal rugs as I don't use them. I'm in Wiltshire. My boy won't be rugged at all until he's clipped in December as he's turned away now (earlier than expected due to lameness). But I would probably have a medium weight with a neck on if he was clipped now. When he is clipped in December it will be a very shallow blanket clip. Hope that helps?
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Overall, I think she was a far happier and fitter horse due to living outside.

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I couldn't agree more with this statement. My horse has only been stabled once in the time that I've had him. He lost so much weight through sweating and box walking! He had to be in because of being ill but as soon as he was able to be out he was and he hasn't been stabled since.
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Fal have brought out special turnout underrugs for layering under any Fal rug. They are 200g. You can buy them in silver interactive so that your horse still gets the benefits they claim, or normal equitex - see new products brochure on their website.
 
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