SAw the strangest thing earlier...

[StormyMoments]

driving to the feed shop and on the main road we passed a gypsy cob pulling a trap... nothing strange about that... except it was clipped... again nothing wrong with that...except the clip was the wrong way up... as in it had a blanket clip but where you would normally clip was super hairy and the top was all clipped now i had to do a tripple take with that but it was how it was clipped! it had very straight lines although it did have some "racing stripes" but i was just a bit baffled by the clip

any idea why it may be clipped like this? new fashion statement maybe?

 

[ebonyallen]

No idea what so ever, will keep an eye on replies to see if anyone does know the reason why. Very strange.

 

[PonyIAmNotFood]

I'm sure someone on here said they clipped their horses in a similar way, leaving belly on for protection from mud and whatever else. It made sense when they explained it

 

[kerrieberry2]

my friend got a mare last year and she had scabs all over her back, we think it was rain scald, we clipped her top half to treat it but she looked so stupid we ended up fully clipping her and getting her some good rugs!

 

[DayleAshley]

I leave my boys belly even when he's fully clipped coz taking clippers near his belly turns him into devil pony!

 

[hamper05]

I'm sure someone on here said they clipped their horses in a similar way, leaving belly on for protection from mud and whatever else. It made sense when they explained it

That was Kallibear me thinks. Quite sensible imo!

 

[Tickles]

Could it have been clipped that way as part of a treatment for e.g. rain-scald?

 

[Flicker51]

I have to say i've always thought it odd that a blanket clip leaves the bit most exposed uncovered and the but with most hair covered effectively by a rug !! :

 

[The Jakenator]

I think doing a clip this way can be done for aiding weight loss while keeping the main organs covered. I'm not sure though

 

[Mike007]

I have to say i've always thought it odd that a blanket clip leaves the bit most exposed uncovered and the but with most hair covered effectively by a rug !! :

Yes I can see the logic in that. Odd. Never thought about it before.And which bit do we want to dry out quickly so we can put a night rug on ,Durrrr ,the bit we normaly leave hairy.

 

[Emsarr]

Hmm logical in the respect of keeping the unrugged bit warmer, totally agree with Flicker51's point about the blanket clip though! Have always thought that!

 

[Tonks]

Maybe their clippers broke half way through?? Ha, ha, need something to cheer me up as eventing season started and I can't see any decernible event horsey in sight in my yard!!!

 

[misterjinglejay]

I have to say i've always thought it odd that a blanket clip leaves the bit most exposed uncovered and the but with most hair covered effectively by a rug !! :

Always thought that too

 

[JillA]

Heat rises so the point in a blanket clip is to retain the body heat. Much like us wearing a hat, which according to those who know is the important thing you can do to keep warm. Maybe they wanted the pony to lose calories/weight?

 

[Luci07]

or maybe it just had a lot of cat hairs!

 

[1stclassalan]

Most gypsies clip this way - if they clip at all - it's completely ridiculous to them to clip the bits that aren't covered by a normal rug - there's an entire tribe up the lane that race around here and they're all clipped out top half only.

After reading the posts about heat rising - all I can think of - is a little knowledge being a dangerous thing! A horse is exoergic - it created it's own heat by "burning" oxygen in it's muscles - the excess heat is carried away by conduction within it's body and leaves by evaporation from the skin in the process we call sweating - the difference in heat loss from the top to underside of a working animal is neglible.

 

[JillA]

A horse is exoergic - it created it's own heat by "burning" oxygen in it's muscles - the excess heat is carried away by conduction within it's body and leaves by evaporation from the skin in the process we call sweating - the difference in heat loss from the top to underside of a working animal is neglible.

Not strictly true, as I understand it a lot of heat is generated in the intestines, especially the large intestine, by the process of bacterial breakdown of fibre. This heat needs to be retained in cold weather, and the fastest route for it to escape is upwards. The exoergic process you describe surely applies to humans too - but we need insulation to stop it escaping too quickly. The discussion related to retaining heat, not disposing of excess?

 

[Cobber]

Makes complete sense to me. If I ever have to clip my hairy cob when she starts working ill be doing the same as she lives out and can't see the point in leaving the bits that are clipped exposed and covering the hairy bits with a rug. Should be easier for the horse to maintain the body temperature and not be too hot or cold when rugged in a field which is 95% of the time. Don't care what others think of how we look so ill be doing it and ignore the funny looks!

 

[1stclassalan]

Not strictly true, as I understand it a lot of heat is generated in the intestines, especially the large intestine, by the process of bacterial breakdown of fibre. This heat needs to be retained in cold weather, and the fastest route for it to escape is upwards. The exoergic process you describe surely applies to humans too - but we need insulation to stop it escaping too quickly. The discussion related to retaining heat, not disposing of excess?

Well, yes and no. Some heat is generated by the bacteria but not as much as they do in the muck heap - different flora in any case and don't forget that the intestines are a huge muscle too - they crimp and push the food along until it comes out the other end! Obviously some of the body heat must be retained and that's why horses have evolved to grow longer coats in winter - we clip it off because of the expected work - I've never seen an proper research done on the likely passage of heat barring the odd thermal image but feel that there would very little difference between up or down - it's about blood flow rather than anything else.