Is clipping really necessary?

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Stamford

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Is it just me who is cringing at the sight of all those shivering fully clipped horses out there? I can perfectly understand the need to clip horses in full work or those with heavy coats but is it really necessary to fully clip a thin coated horse that only hacks out a couple of times a week at most? Horses grow a coat in winter for a very good reason, so please use your gut instinct when the yard 'know all' insists your horse needs clipping, he will certainly thank you for it.
 
Certainly I will be thinking about just how much I NEED to take off in future, rather than just whipping it all off because its the quickest and easiest.
 
I clipped my lad for the first time this year.

Last year he lived out the whole time with no rug at all, even in the snow, and was fine, but he grew one hell of a coat! But we were only lightly hacking at weekends, so not a problem.

This year, he is still in full work, being ridden 5 or 6 times a week. When he started to struggle with the work we gave him a bib clip. He still struggled so we took off the whole of his neck. Still struggled, so now he has a blanket clip and is comfortable when we work. So now he is also rugged in the stable and out.

But this is how I will always do it in future.
 
In some cases - absolutely yes! My cob is fully clipped and hogged year round. He is not "Shivering out there" because he is wrapped up lovely and warm in his stable, hopefully dreaming of a day hunting tomorrow - weather permitting.

Now he actually doesn't like being clipped. But if I don't clip him he grows the most enormous coat. Fine if I roughed him off over winter and left him out unridden. But he is in heavy work, ridden 6 days a week, hunted or competed at weekends. He sweats horribly with even a partial coat and his performance suffers. If I hunted him that way he would chill and risk a colic on the way home. Plus he is prone to mud fever so I have to take the leg hair off to manage it.

In his case it is a lessor cruetly to clip him - given that he is rugged and leg wrapped to a fair the well - than it would ever be to leave him au naturel.
 
[deleted user] said:
When he started to struggle with the work we gave him a bib clip. He still struggled so we took off the whole of his neck. Still struggled, so now he has a blanket clip and is comfortable when we work.
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This seems a sensible way to do it, if you take off too much you can't put it back on! At least this way you can assess if its necessary to do more. :)
 
Although my horse is only worked intermittently during the winter, due to work comittments, and this year due to the weather as well, when he is ridden he works quite hard. I usually ride in the afternoon, and he gets very sweaty and I then have to leave him for the night as I live 10 miles from the yard. Clipped out he does not sweat, or only very slightly which is quickly sponged off with warm water, he's then rugged and dry in no time, whereas if he wasn't clipped I would have to leave him damp and hairy and he would get chilled. So yes, in the right circumstances in my opinion it is necessary.
 
not really, but guess it's easier and cleaner. Must say though I haven't seen many shivering horses!! They are all rugged up to the eyeballs on our yard, clipped or not.
 
[deleted user] said:
This year, he is still in full work, being ridden 5 or 6 times a week. When he started to struggle with the work we gave him a bib clip. He still struggled so we took off the whole of his neck. Still struggled, so now he has a blanket clip and is comfortable when we work. So now he is also rugged in the stable and out.

But this is how I will always do it in future.
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Most sensible idea :)

I don't like seeing horses clipped out with more than a bib if they are in light work a few times a week. Yes its boring/hassle to hang around and wait for a horse to dry out, but I think there are too many horses around rugged up to the ears and unable to maintain a constant temperature because their coat has been unnecessarily taken away.

I have no problem with horses being clipped if they are in proper hard work, and are being properly managed.
 
Yes in the case of my old boy who only works at most twice a week, although hasn't been ridden since November because of the snow and ice. He has a full clip - just face and legs left on and he isn't shivering - he is wrapped up in his stable nice and warm. I have tried just doing blanket clips, but he grows a horrendous coat back in summer if I do - something to do with having had serious rainscald before I got him - each year that I take the full coat off, he grows a far better summer coat back. He also sweats profusely!
 
We don't clip because we don't do more than hack out and light schooling in winter, but if they were sweating up I suppose we'd do a bib or chaser clip.

But what has always puzzled me is, we clip out the neck and belly, then rug the back where they still have their coat. Aren't people strange.
 
Well I have a 13.2hh NF pony. She is worked 5-6 times a week and is worked hard. Generally on a sunday she is taken out for a very long hack - me and my friend generally go out for 4 or do hours. And so for her she needs to be clipped. Previously she's had a blanket clip and a tracer but this year she's in alot more work so she's had it all off! Other than the saddle patch and a heart on her bum! :p Dee needs it all off with her work load. And when shes turned out in lovely rugs and has equally snuggly stable rugs to compensate for the hair I've clipped off.
 
[deleted user] said:
I clipped my lad for the first time this year.

Last year he lived out the whole time with no rug at all, even in the snow, and was fine, but he grew one hell of a coat! But we were only lightly hacking at weekends, so not a problem.

This year, he is still in full work, being ridden 5 or 6 times a week. When he started to struggle with the work we gave him a bib clip. He still struggled so we took off the whole of his neck. Still struggled, so now he has a blanket clip and is comfortable when we work. So now he is also rugged in the stable and out.

But this is how I will always do it in future.
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Common sense, sadly lacking in a lot of people.
 
My arab is fully clipped, she gets to excited and sweats! She gets ridden most days and is wrapped up in loads of rugs :D If i tried to clip her and have to do lines.. i think they'd be so uneven it wouldn't even be funny, she just tries to kills us haha.

I only clip if i need to tho!

x
 
[deleted user] said:
I clipped my lad for the first time this year.

Last year he lived out the whole time with no rug at all, even in the snow, and was fine, but he grew one hell of a coat! But we were only lightly hacking at weekends, so not a problem.

This year, he is still in full work, being ridden 5 or 6 times a week. When he started to struggle with the work we gave him a bib clip. He still struggled so we took off the whole of his neck. Still struggled, so now he has a blanket clip and is comfortable when we work. So now he is also rugged in the stable and out.

But this is how I will always do it in future.
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Thanks! This has answered a question I had today! Hugo is living out for the first time and has grown a magnificent woolly coat! He is rugged when out and seems just the right temperature. However, now we are managing to have a little lesson and he's got really hot and bothered - especially 'underneath'. I was wondering whether he should just have a bib clip (which is mainly the area in which he sweats), or more. I think we'll do as you suggest, and do the bib first and then see how we go.:)
 
I think if you have a very furry horse and want them to be comfortable when working then yes, even if you are not riding every day. Some horses suffer more than others due to being too hot.

My new forest grows a very thick coat and if not clipped stands and sweats in the field or even in just walk when being ridden if it is mild in autumn and it affects his breathing as he gets so hot. The vet suggested clipping would help him and it has helped him a lot as he can jump and canter and trot without getting really hot and puffing. The lady who comes to clip him says he must feel so much better being less hot.

He does not get clipped after end of november, so his coat grows back a bit in time for the deep winter months and he does not have a full body clip he has neck, bib and belly. He is rugged appropriately and lives out in a breathable rug.

He is not ridden every day two or three times a week max until xmas when I have 11 days off and then he is ridden most days during my holiday.

I have never seen him shivering. Obviously if your horse does not get really hot then not much point in clipping and it is not always necessarily to take off all their hair, I can't understand why people clip legs as there is no way to replace that hair with a rug.
 
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Probably not as often as it is done. I know more than one animal that hates being rugged (will roll in snow fully clipped at the joy of being naked!) and really isn't ridden at more than an occasional walk on frozen ground in winter. One of those also hates being clipped and is usually twitched or (if lucky!) sedated. Totally unnecessary and more about peer pressure and supposed 'fashion' than horse's well being. Obviously there are circumstances where horses should be clipped and rugged but there are probs more cases of unnecessary clipping than wooly horses crying out to be clipped IMHO.
 
What I find annoying is people acting superior because they have an unclipped horse- like it makes them a better owner.
My horse is clipped- fully clipped since the beginning on november. He is ridden most days and has weekly lessons where he works hard and gets very sweaty. I rug him up and he is fine. I had my grey pony in previous years fully clipped partly because he grew a very large coat and partly because he was competing and he was easier to keep clean. Again he was rugged and was just fine. Our other horse has a high trace but she isn't in very much work but when she is worked, she sweats. I would rather her be more comfortable and not drop condition. On the otherhand, our old horse was fully clipped in october time. He was in very limited work then and is not in any work now. However, he has cushings and has always been a very hot horse- he would sweat in the stable. His coat has grown back now and there is no need for him to be clipped again.

Does this make me a 'bad' owner as I have clipped and rugged a welsh cob, clipped for vanity and time saving, clipped a horse in very little work and clipped a light hack? I guess it shows that people don't know the circumstances and shouldn't really judge the way people choose to look after their horses. At my old yard, a lady used to clip her horse that was retired- I couldn't care less as the horse was happy and warm and wanted for nothing. I've yet to see a clipped, rugged horse shivering. Unclipped, unrugged horses on the otherhand...
 
Personally I clip/rug according to type and work done. As, I think, do most people here.





Am I being just a teensy bit suspicious thinking that the OP may being deliberately provocative ( as this was their 2nd ever post) in order to fulfil the requirements of another poster earlier this week asking for an entertaining troll?

If not, my bad, but the thought did trip trap across my mind....:rolleyes:
 
my horse has a full clip as he drips in sweat when hes jumping as he gets so excited, Also my yard owner (and some instructors) deems trace clips/blanket clips as "pony clips"

out little pony has bib as its not fare to clip small ponies out plus hes only worked 3 times a week
 
My welshie is *usually* ice premitting in full work and becomes very hot and sweaty, in nov I do a chaser and in jan it all somes off as I also show him and can't have lines come the spring shows!! My youngster will have a bib once he gets started as he has a coat like a yak, I will whip off more should he need it, and my semi retired cob isn't clipped at all!!
 
Holly Hocks said:
Yes in the case of my old boy who only works at most twice a week, although hasn't been ridden since November because of the snow and ice. He has a full clip - just face and legs left on and he isn't shivering - he is wrapped up in his stable nice and warm. - each year that I take the full coat off, he grows a far better summer coat back. He also sweats profusely!
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this excatly! my lad gets to hot and itchy with his winter coat so we clip him out and he is happy well rugged horse. he is looking better this year than he ever has (thanks to AP Veteran Vitality!)
 
My TB lives out 24/7 and is unclipped and rugged. I ride him about 4- 5 times a week in the winter (well I used to before all this snow) and he's managing fine. I'd rather he kept his coat as he lives out but if he starts to become uncomfortable I'll clip some off his neck and belly. I'm not anti-clipping, I just think you have to clip according to the needs of your horse and not merely to make your horse 'look smart' as I know some people do.
 
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