Why do we clip in winter?

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maggiestar

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Hi everyone,
As the question says really. I hope someone can help with their opinions etc.. I always wonder why horses are clipped in winter only to have a rug put on instead of their natural hair. I'm sure there's a good reason for it.
Thanks for your input and ideas
 
I clip (not fully) as my horse sweats badly in winter when worked. He takes ages to cool down and dry and clipping prevents this and stops him getting a chill.
 
If you think about horses that are in full work during the winter - hunt horses for example - they couldn't possibly do their job with a thick woolly coat. Not only would they never dry off at the end of a freezing cold day but would lose condition too.
 
Ah, that makes sense! I didn't think of that
smile.gif

Cheers xx
 
[ QUOTE ]
If you think about horses that are in full work during the winter - hunt horses for example - they couldn't possibly do their job with a thick woolly coat. Not only would they never dry off at the end of a freezing cold day but would lose condition too.

[/ QUOTE ]

Very true but I often find that people whose horses only do a bit of work at the weekends clip quite unnecessarily, I'm sure many of them have no real idea about why they are clipping. I once bought a rising 4 who was being kept inside (in a yard-type system) and not ridden, because there was no one available, who had been trace clipped. WTF?
 
would you go jogging in your winter coat?
no,better to take it off for exercise then put it back on when you have finished.
grin.gif
 
Not only to help with exercise / cooling but also sometimes to keep legs clear of feathers to assist in mud fever control.
 
taz gets ridden for about forty minutes a day tuesday to thursday two hours monday weds and sunday and gets saturday off and he's chaser clipped as when he does work he gets made to work hard as he holds onto weight alot and he's clipped so i dont have to wait for ages for him to dry off so he doesnt catch a chill
 
also to help weight control lol!!!
mine is clipped as works hard 6 days a week but she is fully clipped to help keep the weight off too - she is a very good doer!! so has medium weight rugs on. not heavy unless really cold and she s lives out with a shelter
 
A lot of people also clip so you get less moulting in the spring. A few people i know only ride horse for about 30 mins each weekend but fully clip their horse so it " looks nicer"!
 
My sec D grows a coat like a yeti, even a half hour hack in walk will have him sweating! So, the last 2 winters I have fully clipped him, as I have limited time due to work committments, and it is easier for me to juggle rugs than hang around while a hairy monster dries off!

He is, however (weather permitting) in quite hard work, including hunting.
 
Horses for courses.

My AA mare came home for the winter with a growing out blanket clip - before she was turned away she sweated up when in work.

My big mare is fully clipped because she's worked regularly and fairly hard, grows a heavy coat and gets hot, sweaty and uncomfortable.

Flynn is unclipped, he's worked regularly but he doesn't grow much coat and feels the cold.

Old Section D is unclipped, he grows a very heavy coat and isn't worked.

Section A is a little difficult, her rider takes her out roughly once a week and she goes for long slow work. If they work her too fast she sweats up as she grows a heavy coat, they are now trained to walk her home until she's dried. Arguably she could be clipped (that's what they argue anyway) but IMHO why clip a native pony that works for two hours a week which can be managed by sensible use? Clipping would require a major change in her management and the purchase of several additional rugs (she currently is only rugged if it's bitterly cold, wet and windy.)
 
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