Horses living out fully clipped

J

JJ1987

Well-Known Member
Joined
22 November 2007
Messages
353
Visit site
Have a friend who's on about clipping her horse out completely but he lives out 24/7 so she's looking for some opinions to see if anyone else does this or if it's just too cruel? Obviously it'll be rugged up to the eyeballs as well lol
 
If the work justifies the clip then it is not a problem. Mine live out 24/7 with access to stables and are fully clipped. They are fine, fat and happy !!
 
Mine is clipped out & lives out 24/7. He is a TB. He is also a very hot horse by nature, so actually doesn't get rugged up to the eyeballs. Been in a MW since the weather warmed up, and was in a HW with half neck when it was very cold. He has actually put on weight over winter & is a bit fat at the moment :eek: So yes it is possible. He does also have both natural shelter & two field shelters to use, plus ad lib hay.
 
Mine is due to be fully clipped out again although he is not out 24/7 he could easily be out without problems. As Natalie said though mine too does have a tendency to get a bit too hot so I have to watch for over-rugging as he gets very miserable if he's too warm.
 
My boy its out 24/7 with a hunter clip! he's a fatty and a hotty too, so when it was really cold he had a 300gm rug with neck on, now its warmer he's in a m/w which is really too heavy, but i don't have a lightweight around at the mo, but if it carries on at this temperature he'll be naked soon ;) as i cannot afford for him to get too warm as he suffers with his skin.
 
mine lives out 24/7 365 hunter clipped with only natural shelter - we've not seen grass since nov (live on edge of highlands so snow covered at the mo) and she copes just fine :) in fact - as i can't ride due to the snow etc she's got fat and unfit on just ad lib hay and a handfull of nuts twice a day!!

ETA - to give you idea of rugs - my mare is not a hotty - when it was -18 over night and -14 during day here for about a week (and only a week after she was clipped again!) she got a full neck duvet under rug + belly flap, fleece and full neck 450gm storm buster rug - that kept her toasty - and the belly flap (bought from fal pro - attached to under rug) really stops her belly hair growing back - before i used that she used to grow back her belly hair v quickly :)
 
Last edited:
It's very difficult to comment as it really does depend on the horse.... It wouldn't matter how many rugs I put on mine if he was full clipped and out 24/7 he just wouldn't cope (wimpy WB)
 
Some are fine, some are not. i've had a 'proper' cob and a tb x welsh pony live out, both fully clipped and both suffered in the worst of the winter. I wouldn't do it again personally, would probably just blanket clip.
 
Bodey lives out fully clipped all year round, and is absolutely fine. However he is a cob and what I would describe as a 'hot' horse. He is currently living out in a MW (South East).
 
As long as the horse is rugged to suit the weather and its own needs thats fine, i have a fine araby looking youngster in light work and she got sweaty yesterday in a lightish middleweight, all other horses on yard are in full neck med-heavy necked rugs even though there horses are chunky native cobby types and are all fine where as my dainty little horse gets too hot in anything over 250g!!! even in the snow its crackers. Am considering giving her a quick bib clip to calm down the sweating around her chest. I use to have a super hairy cob who only ever wore a shower sheet to keep mud off him for riding was onyl a light hack and he had to have a full blnaket clip as he would sweat in winter in his stable with no blankets on.
 
Dibbs (cob) lives out all year round, fully clipped including legs, mane and tail.

This winter is an exception as he is not in work atm so I've left him naked and hairy.
 
Daft question, ive never had a horse ive clipped, but i want to clip my mare, someone said oooh dont clip her face is she's living out! is this true?
 
Mines a wimpy TB out 24/7 with access to field shelter, the only thing I would say is I personally wouldn't take the legs out & make sure you don't attack the hair inside the ears too much & I usually leave some on the outside of ears as his hair is very fine here, would look ridculous on hairy horse.

He has coped fine, just been re clipped is now in MW combo was in HW combo last week when still freezing at night & had MW full neck under HW full neck when it was really bitter. I started off with under rugs but they just rubbed him as he has very sensative skin!:eek: so one turnout on top of another worked best for him & if the top rug slipped slightly it didn't matter so much as waterproof!
 
My horse is TB x ID and hunter clipped, (legs and half face left on) has lived out 24/7 for the very first time this winter with only natural shelter in his field, mainly this is because we have recently taken a lovely fjord mare on loan who the owner wants stabled at night in winter, I only have one stable available to me, so, she comes in he stays out. he had three big rugs on when the weather was really cold and plenty of hay but only small amount of hard feed, i have to say he looks FAB, I re-clipped him again about 6 weeks ago and it has hardly grown back (I am guessing that means he isnt cold??) his weight is excellent, even verging on a bit porky due to lack of exercise in the bad weather, but overall he seems very happy, he can also be a quirky chap at times and his general disposition is so much better than when i have had him in at night over other winters. I guess as others have said depends on the horse, but I have to say, so far so good for us !!
 
my TB is very wimpy, and has a duvet, full neck and hood when it was very cold and he isnt clipped, but when he was he literally did have to be rugged up to the eyeballs.

But my friends TBxWB, and my ISHxcob are both hard as nails and domino needed nothing more than a MW when he first came to me and he was fully clipped and the my friends is very hot and never needs much on.
 
from what i can tell - horses do better and stay warmer if they are kept out as they are moving more.....
so long as you manage it well - ie good rugs, ad lib good hay and shelter

i can't recommend a belly flap high enough thoguh for all you peeps with coldies ;)
 
Brambridge04 said:
Daft question, ive never had a horse ive clipped, but i want to clip my mare, someone said oooh dont clip her face is she's living out! is this true?
Click to expand...

only only clip to cheekpeice line on my mare - and don't touch ears or legs - but all rest is whopped off :)
i prefer to keep head/legs on as these bits are not protected by her rug - and up here the weather can be pretty horrendous
but if you use a turnout hood then you could prob take the head off :)
 
MagicMelon said:
Personally I wouldnt clip TOTALLY if kept out 24/7. I've done hunter clips but I'd never take the legs off if living out as I think they need the protection.
Click to expand...

Ditto. I was going to clip mine (who live out 24/7 in scotland!) if the snow hadn't curtailed activities but he would have kept his legs and face on: he'd need it to keep the worse of the mud and wet off.
 
My TB mare lives out 24/7 (bar very occasionally when she's in overnight - about once a month!). She's fully clipped except her legs, which are mainly left for protection hunting and partly a little due to you would have to knock her out to clip those! as she can be a little orange madam and flat out refuses clippers near her legs! She did have a hood as her head is completely clipped, but 3 of these later (shredded!) I gave up.
 
Thanks for all your replies. I think she's gonna do a high blanket clip to start with then hunter clip after. Mine's having his first clip on Sunday, he's Irish so it might be entertaining lol. Hoping to have him fully clipped out in end cos he's so hairy but gonna start off with neck out and belly off just to cool him down. I'd prefer to have mine in but simply can't afford it
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top