To clip or not to clip

Winters100

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Hi,
I am totally confused about this issue and wondering if I should clip or not. I will ride all winter, maybe 5 / 6 days a week, and my new horse sweats a lot. I have booked the 'hairdresser' for him, but I am now getting cold feet. A friend told me that they feel pain after clipping as the coat grows, and someone else told me that they feel itchy. I had originally decided on a full clip for the new horse and a trace clip for my mare, but now I am not sure. For me how they look is not important, but my gelding takes a long time to dry after work, and I worry that this is not healthy for him.

I would very much appreciate advice on this.
Thank you.
 

Lyle

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I've always found that clipping a heavy coated horse gives them a lot of relief! They can feel a bit fresh for a couple of days as they get used to the feel of the wind on their skin. It is no different to clipping human hair, you are simply cutting the end of the hair shaft off. I like to hot oil regularly for skin health and to stop the end of the clipped coat 'burring' and catching. If the work load requires it, and you can manage through rugging/boxing, then I can't see why you wouldn't.
 

Winters100

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I've always found that clipping a heavy coated horse gives them a lot of relief! They can feel a bit fresh for a couple of days as they get used to the feel of the wind on their skin. It is no different to clipping human hair, you are simply cutting the end of the hair shaft off. I like to hot oil regularly for skin health and to stop the end of the clipped coat 'burring' and catching. If the work load requires it, and you can manage through rugging/boxing, then I can't see why you wouldn't.

Thank you very much! Could you tell me the brand of the hot oil that you use?
 

Kat

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Horses feel pain after clipping? What a load of absolute balls. Do you feel pain when you get a hair cut or shave your legs?

Your horse will be much more comfortable clipped so he doesn't sweat as much and dries more quickly when he does. Providing you rug the horse appropriately it will be more comfortable clipped if it is in work.
 

be positive

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Thank you very much! Could you tell me the brand of the hot oil that you use?

I think they mean hot cloth rather than hot oil, possibly different meaning in Aus, get a bucket of very hot water, so you can just about put your hand in to remove the cloth, with a splash of baby oil or dettol in it, using a well wrung out cloth, tea towel is ideal, go over the whole horse, use a circular motion, keep rinsing and wringing out the cloth, it will lift out the grease and dried sweat without making the horse too wet or at risk of getting cold, if you do it with a rug over the bits you are not clothing it should remain warm enough even in the coldest weather.
 

Leandy

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A friend told me that they feel pain after clipping as the coat grows, and someone else told me that they feel itchy.

This is rubbish. No idea why anyone would think this. I'm not a fan of clipping for the sake of appearance only ie people who fully clip a horse which is barely in work because they think it looks better without regard for what is best for the horse, but if he is working hard enough to sweat a lot 5 or 6 days a week then it is perfectly sensible to clip for the reasons you say and of course it does smarten them up too. Whatever type of clip you prefer will be fine so long as he is appropriately rugged and managed so he does not get cold when not working. I wouldn't give a full clip (ie everything off including head and legs) personally unless the horse is largely stabled. I would tend towards no more than a trace if they largely live out. If they are part stabled then anything in between is fine also. I'd leave some back covering on a flighty or cold backed horse also for my own safety!
 

twiggy2

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Being clipped is just having their hair cut, it's no more painful than you having your hair cut.
As for getting itchy it can happen to some as some react to the clipping oil. The best way to combat it is to hot cloth with a dash of white vinegar in the hot water. I don't like the idea of dettol as I would expect it to be to aggressive for a very sensitive skin and you won't know till you have tried it. Also quite a few horses appear to react to pig oil and it don't see the point in hot clothing and removing natural oils to replace them with another.
Personally I would clip off as little as possible but enough to stop him coming back from a ride still wet after a ten minute cool down.
Keep the rug closest to his skin clean and don't over rug also prevents itching.
 

claret09

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Horses feel pain after clipping? What a load of absolute balls. Do you feel pain when you get a hair cut or shave your legs?

Your horse will be much more comfortable clipped so he doesn't sweat as much and dries more quickly when he does. Providing you rug the horse appropriately it will be more comfortable clipped if it is in work.
totally agree. never heard such rubbish
 

Winters100

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This is rubbish. No idea why anyone would think this. I'm not a fan of clipping for the sake of appearance only ie people who fully clip a horse which is barely in work because they think it looks better without regard for what is best for the horse, but if he is working hard enough to sweat a lot 5 or 6 days a week then it is perfectly sensible to clip for the reasons you say and of course it does smarten them up too. Whatever type of clip you prefer will be fine so long as he is appropriately rugged and managed so he does not get cold when not working. I wouldn't give a full clip (ie everything off including head and legs) personally unless the horse is largely stabled. I would tend towards no more than a trace if they largely live out. If they are part stabled then anything in between is fine also. I'd leave some back covering on a flighty or cold backed horse also for my own safety!

Thank you. This is good advice to not go for a full clip at once. I have now changed my mind and will do it in stages starting with a trace clip. If he needs more we can go from there. The horses go out from dawn to dusk, where we are this is about 6.30am to 4pm, but with rugs and appropriate shelter, and at night they live in a barn style stable block, so that is pretty warm. Thank you very much for the advice.
 
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