Unrugged polo pony ... When do I start to rug

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travelmad

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Hey... Looks like I'm about to buy a polo pony... It has been turned out since october, no rug, looks like hairy mammoth! What happens once I try get it fit? Should I clip and start to rug? It will be a disaster once something this hairy sheds and I'm asthmatic. All my others are rugged, and I've never had something come to me completely unrugged, suggestions welcome :)
 
As you will need to do lots of walking to start with to get the horse fit, I wouldn't clip and just let the horse shed it's winter coat naturally.

My grey is losing her massive winter coat rapidly and I've found that a shedding blade and grooming outside with the wind blowing the hair away from me works best. :)

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Yeah pony has a fitness schedule, but at mo it's so unfit and hairy I think it will be sweating even at walk :) def need one of those shedding blades
 
Clip and rug. Im toying with doing my boy as hes sweating and uncomfy after a short trot and canter out the hack and taking ages to cool down and dry off even with a cooler and the nice temps here just now.
 
Get one! You won't regret it. They are quite expensive but if you have a good look about you can normally find them at a reasonable price, Amazon normally have them :-)
 
I'd start rugging now, and only clip once the pony starts to get do enough exercise to get sweaty.

Our polo ponies ( which have been rugged all winter) are back in work having had a break since Oct, they're two weeks into their walking regime now, no sweating yet.....! We might trace clip once they start trotting. At the moment they still have their manes, they look adorable ( and very fluffy!)
 
I have a shedding blade and a furninator and the furninator is miles better. The hair stays on the furninator rather than blowing away, in your face and on your clothes. You just peel the hair off before the next stroke. I wouldn't be without one at this time of year.
 
Furminator - amazing things! Don't clip or rug - hair is starting to come out now and if you clip now you run the risk of interfering with the summer coat.

Pony won't need a rug, although I suppose if you're riding you need a clean and dry pony to tack up so a no fill rug when turned out.

I'm afraid I'm going to say that you just have to put up with the moult - it won't last long.
 
YEs, Furminators are wonderful - they hold on to the hair, so you can pull it out of the teeth in clumps. Once the coat starts to shed, the Furminator actually pulls it out very fast - three or four days of Furminating takes out a whole winter coat. The shedding blades just flick loose hair everywhere. I have both, but I use the shedding blade as a mud removing tool :D

My hairy beastie is currently refusing to moult. He has a massive fur coat and lives out unrugged. The weather is warm at the moment, and he's rolling a lot (usually does this just before the moult) but still no hair coming out.

I just gradually increase exercise in line with temperature and how much hair he has :D
 
I probably wouldn't bother to clip or rug if he's come through the winter without - but obviously if its better for your asthma then go for it! If hes done nothing for a while then 4 weeks walking will see you into April, by which time most of his coat will have gone? The first thing I would do with a polo pony is get a decent physio involved - you probably already are, but from experience they are normally much required :D

Good luck :)
 
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