Would you give a full clip?

[ben456]

My mare is beginning to be quite fluffy. She is a cob and she going to start being ridden about 2 times a week. There will be weeks though where she isn't ridden. I also want to clip her because I find winter coats a nightmare to come off and make so much mess on clothes. What do you think about them being clipped so that they don't have to shed their winter coat next year?

 

[be positive]

I think that is clipping for totally the wrong reason, I believe you clip for the benefit of the horse, unless there are health implications, not just the owners convenience, all the extra rugging and feeding to keep them warm and up to weight can be just as much hassle as a few weeks of dealing with hair.

 

[muckypony]

I think that is clipping for totally the wrong reason, I believe you clip for the benefit of the horse, unless there are health implications, not just the owners convenience, all the extra rugging and feeding to keep them warm and up to weight can be just as much hassle as a few weeks of dealing with hair.

This!!

 

[AmyMay]

No, I'd give her a little chaser. Anything else is totally unnecessary.

 

[rachk89]

No doesn't seem fair on the horse. Only one person at my yard removes everything because her horse gets really itchy everywhere otherwise and it's not fair on him to be in pain after scratching so much. Much kinder to clip him all over. Although actually 1 or 2 of the others might have taken everything off but their horses do a lot of work and compete a lot.

 

[MissTyc]

The most I'd take off in your situation is a blanket.

That way the horse won't overheat during work, and you can also keep the rugs a bit lighter + don't need to faff with exercise sheet.

 

[Shooting Star]

Max I would take off would be a bib clip for twice a week with zero some weeks, they won't be fit on 2x a week so shouldn't be doing work that really needs a clip. Always clip for the horses needs, not your own.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

Iv upped for convenience for years, as well as for the horses comfort.

I clipped out my oldie the other day and what I found underneath his clean looking shiny coat was horrendous! He had racing stripes done (basically a trace with the belly left on) and I thought this was sufficient. He had horrid scurf starting on his bum which if left would probably made him sore and given him sweat scald shortly.

Yes he has cushings but he isn't the curly hairy type his coat has gotten softer rather than curly and coarse.

 

[Tnavas]

My mare is beginning to be quite fluffy. She is a cob and she going to start being ridden about 2 times a week. There will be weeks though where she isn't ridden. I also want to clip her because I find winter coats a nightmare to come off and make so much mess on clothes. What do you think about them being clipped so that they don't have to shed their winter coat next year?

Not a good reason to clip, you clip for the benefit of the horse, if you are only riding a couple of days a week a low trace will be more than sufficient to keep her comfortable.

Then once the days start to get longer and warmer, give her a full clip to get rid of winter coat.

 

[zaminda]

I've clipped a dozen horses recently that looked to have a great coat. Underneath they were covered in little sore spots. If your horse is that hairy, you won't realise if she is sweating at skin level. I tend to take more off, the only one of mine I haven't taken it all off, is a project pony that I will be selling. Although I'm debating on taking the lot off now.

 

[Tnavas]

Give your horses a good wash using Nizoral or Sebizol shampoo - use hand hot water with the shampoo and work it into the hair over the quarters. The active ingredient - Ketaconisol - will clear up the sore spots and clear any dandruff.

 

[Merlod]

Given that all clipping is pretty much for our convenience I see no harm in giving her a full clip providing that you are able to adequaltely rug (aqnd feed) her and if she's not in hard work you'll probably need to invest in an exercise sheet to keep her warm enough when ridden if she isn't generating the heat through exercise.

 

[Tnavas]

Given that all clipping is pretty much for our convenience I see no harm in giving her a full clip providing that you are able to adequaltely rug (aqnd feed) her and if she's not in hard work you'll probably need to invest in an exercise sheet to keep her warm enough when ridden if she isn't generating the heat through exercise.

Absolutely wrong!
Clipping is done for the benifit of the horse, to enable it to work without sweating heavily, to dry quickly to prevent chilling. Never should it be done for the riders convenience.

This attitude makes me really mad, clip the hair off, turn the horse out in cold wind, rain, snow and frost, that is mean!

 

[Shoei]

Absolutely wrong!
Clipping is done for the benifit of the horse, to enable it to work without sweating heavily, to dry quickly to prevent chilling. Never should it be done for the riders convenience.

This attitude makes me really mad, clip the hair off, turn the horse out in cold wind, rain, snow and frost, that is mean!

Just out of curiosity, provided horse is rugged and fed adequately, whty is it mean for a horse that is in minimal work but not for a horse in hard work?

 

[meleeka]

Just out of curiosity, provided horse is rugged and fed adequately, whty is it mean for a horse that is in minimal work but not for a horse in hard work?

Because no horse would choose to wear a rug rather than have its own coat!

You have to weigh it up for a horse in hard work. Being hot and sweaty every day is worse than being rugged.

I clip my boy in the spring when it warms up or he gets too hot with his winter coat. That solves the moulting issue.

 

[Merlod]

Absolutely wrong!
Clipping is done for the benifit of the horse, to enable it to work without sweating heavily, to dry quickly to prevent chilling. Never should it be done for the riders convenience.

This attitude makes me really mad, clip the hair off, turn the horse out in cold wind, rain, snow and frost, that is mean!

Wow, dramatic much. The weather is irrelevant as long as the horse is ADEQUATELY RUGGED AND FED. Is there a reason the management of rugging and feeding is acceptable for a horse in hard work but not a cob type in light work? As long as the management is the same I don't think so.. and personally I think all horses should be turned out every day whatever the weather so i'd hate to know what kind of life your fully clipped horses live.

And as much as you say it's for the horses benefit it's for ours too.. we could spend hours warm washing/drying/standing an unclipped horse under a solarium after hard work (which I have done for a clipper phobic eventer) to dry them but at the end of the day it's easier for US to clip their hair off.

 

[Shoei]

Because no horse would choose to wear a rug rather than have its own coat!

You have to weigh it up for a horse in hard work. Being hot and sweaty every day is worse than being rugged.

I clip my boy in the spring when it warms up or he gets too hot with his winter coat. That solves the moulting issue.

I presume your theory comes from the fact that horse naturally don't wear rugs but they naturally don't get ridden either...

In my opinion, if a horse gets hot and sweaty and uncomfortable, even for just one ride a week, it would be more comfortable clipped and rugged accordingly.

 

[Annagain]

I think that is clipping for totally the wrong reason, I believe you clip for the benefit of the horse, unless there are health implications, not just the owners convenience, all the extra rugging and feeding to keep them warm and up to weight can be just as much hassle as a few weeks of dealing with hair.

While I agree with this, I think there are exceptions where it works. I'll be giving my horse a full clip next weekend. He probably doesn't work hard enough to warrant it any more but neither does it do him any harm. Not having to clip straight lines is essential for me as I'm useless at it, I find it much easier to keep him clean (he's grey) and avoiding the moulting come the spring is a bonus. He's a very warm horse and even with a full clip, goes through most of winter in a 200g rug, only going up to 300g in very cold weather. He also has a very dense coat so even though he doesn't appear very fluffy, he takes ages to dry off if he gets sweaty (on areas where hair is left on). I have all the rugs and exercise sheets anyway from the days when he worked a lot harder so that's not costing me any extra and considering he's a 16.3hh hunter type he eats very little and never loses weight.

You know your horse so you're best placed to judge. If she's new to you, you could start with a chaser or a trace and take more off if you find she's still hot and sweaty?

 

[be positive]

I presume your theory comes from the fact that horse naturally don't wear rugs but they naturally don't get ridden either...

In my opinion, if a horse gets hot and sweaty and uncomfortable, even for just one ride a week, it would be more comfortable clipped and rugged accordingly.

Clipped appropriately and rugged accordingly would be a better way of putting it, not many horses need more than a blanket clip to be able to work comfortably without sweating, if they still sweat excessively then they are probably not fit enough, I am excluding horses in harder regular work from this, a hunter will require more off to be comfortable, the average horse hacking a few times a week should be fine with a trace or blanket clip.
There are always exceptions but my rule is to clip off as little as required for the horse to do it's job with minimal sweating, if that proves insufficient then more comes off next time, once you have had the horse through a winter you will have more idea what suits them best but I would never fully clip a new to me horse the first time.

 

[Leo Walker]

Surely having a horse in hard work is for our convenience?! I'm sure given the choice they would all live out hairy and naked on huge acreage. Id take it all off. Mine grows so much hair its ridiculous. He sweats just standing still. Even if only a little bit is taken off to start, hes fully clipped before he starts to shed

 

[scats]

Provided you are going to rug accordingly and you consider using an exercise sheet on days you are riding lightly (if horse isn't going to generate sufficient warmth through working) then personally I see nothing wrong with it. Other option is just to do a trace or blanket clip for the majority of the winter and then squeeze a last clip in during a Feb and whizz it all off, then you are only having to rug majorly for the last couple of months, but not have the masses of hair problem.

True, no horse would choose to be rugged, but no horse would choose to put a saddle and bridle on and go and do half an hour trotting around a manège with a human on its back, so we do need to keep things in perspective.

 

[Auslander]

I don't think it matters how much you clip off, providing the horse is well rugged and fed. I find it easier to manage rugging if my horse is full clipped -as he doesn't have fluffy/non fluffy extremes. Mine will be rugged whether he's clipped or not, as he is not quite man enough to live out unrugged. He sweats all over when he's worked, because he is a bit of a plonker, so I will probably whip everything off when I do get around to clipping him. You need to be prepared to spend decent money on good quality rugs though - I wouldn't keep a full clipped horse out in cheap rugs.

 

[ben456]

she would have to be rugged whether she is clipped or not so that doesnt really make a difference to her- just a heavyer rug. ofcourse before i clip im going to see how she copes with the work, she hasnt been worked much in the last 2 months. the cost or heavyer rugs dont really matter because ive been looking for new rugs and ive found some dicounts. however i think that if they have adequte rugging and feed its ok ?

 

[Merlod]

she would have to be rugged whether she is clipped or not so that doesnt really make a difference to her- just a heavyer rug. ofcourse before i clip im going to see how she copes with the work, she hasnt been worked much in the last 2 months. the cost or heavyer rugs dont really matter because ive been looking for new rugs and ive found some dicounts. however i think that if they have adequte rugging and feed its ok ?

Yup all will be fine with adequate rugs & feed and an exercise sheet when necessary. At the end of a day clipped rugged horse is a clipped rugged horse.. the horse doesn't have an understanding of the relevence of how much exercise it is doing. I hunter clipped my sec D, who only works 3 days a week, he is still living out with appropriate rugs and is happy as larry.

 

[huskydamage]

I don't get the point of a full clip at all unless the horse has some kind of hair/skin condition, medical problem. A horse in consistent hard work and/ or that gets very sweaty could have a hunter clip. I don't agree with clipping the entire body off a horse that is not ridden very much for fashion or rider convenience reasons. Leave the legs and bum on at least, just my opinion though. It seems to be the thing now to just full clip for no reason

 

[Paint Me Proud]

I'm an advocate for only clipping if truly needed. You see a lot of people clipping for the sake of it, or because everyone else is, and the horses just dont need it. My horse gets very sweaty when ridden so he has had a low blanket clip and if I find that isnt sufficient I then have the option of taking a little bit more off. I'd rather he has the benefit of his own coat rather than a man made one. Similarly I would rather be inconvenienced in the spring by shed hairs that my horse be inappropriately clipped for his work level.

 

[Tnavas]

Wow, dramatic much. The weather is irrelevant as long as the horse is ADEQUATELY RUGGED AND FED. Is there a reason the management of rugging and feeding is acceptable for a horse in hard work but not a cob type in light work? As long as the management is the same I don't think so.. and personally I think all horses should be turned out every day whatever the weather so i'd hate to know what kind of life your fully clipped horses live.

And as much as you say it's for the horses benefit it's for ours too.. we could spend hours warm washing/drying/standing an unclipped horse under a solarium after hard work (which I have done for a clipper phobic eventer) to dry them but at the end of the day it's easier for US to clip their hair off.

Firstly, I have worked in the equine industry for 5 decades, only horses in medium to hard work need to be fully clipped as they would sweat up terribly if worked, be hard to get clean enough to be healthy, and risk being chilled.

A horse being ridden, possibly no more than twice a week, will not be fit and therefore should not being worked to a point where it sweats.

Regardless of rugs, remove all the hair you have a horse with no means of being warm, rugs do slip, they leave areas on the neck, belly and at the tail without protection, they leak. Rugs and food are not a substitute for the horses coat.

We had up to 100 horses stabled year round, they got quality exercise and work and were actually quite happy stabled. I've even looked after horses that hated being out and would fence walk or hang around the gate to be brought back in.

Sadly these days there are many horse owners who do things for their own convenience and not for the horses welfare.

 

[Merlod]

Firstly, I have worked in the equine industry for 5 decades, only horses in medium to hard work need to be fully clipped as they would sweat up terribly if worked, be hard to get clean enough to be healthy, and risk being chilled.

A horse being ridden, possibly no more than twice a week, will not be fit and therefore should not being worked to a point where it sweats.

Regardless of rugs, remove all the hair you have a horse with no means of being warm, rugs do slip, they leave areas on the neck, belly and at the tail without protection, they leak. Rugs and food are not a substitute for the horses coat.

We had up to 100 horses stabled year round, they got quality exercise and work and were actually quite happy stabled. I've even looked after horses that hated being out and would fence walk or hang around the gate to be brought back in.

Sadly these days there are many horse owners who do things for their own convenience and not for the horses welfare.

I don't think you are in any position to penalise someone for fully clipping for convience when you are stabling horses for 23hours a day all year round for your convenience, that's a much bigger welfare concern IMHO.

 

[only_me]

Why don't you just give her a full clip in February/march.

If you clip her now you will have a winter coat to get rid off in spring unless you re clip over winter.

Lots of people clip their horses all year round so don't see what all the fuss is about.
Imo riding twice a week doesn't really need a clipped horse, but you could always do a trace if she sweats easily.

 

[milliepops]

Why don't you just give her a full clip in February/march.

If you clip her now you will have a winter coat to get rid off in spring unless you re clip over winter.
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^^ this. I've sometimes whizzed off a long winter coat at the end of the winter to avoid the hideous moulting - I'm allergic to horses so its a great help to me and little consequence to the horse if they have a decent wardrobe.

As for whether a horse in light or heavy work needs clipping, it depends on the individual surely. My old girl grows an incredibly dense and long coat, always has done, she's doing 30 mins light schooling or an hour hacking most days which I would consider light work but I've had to clip her out because she's a hot bod and I can't keep on top of her skin when she's covered in all that hair. She ends up with manky scabs... I take her head and legs off for the same reason.

Others cope perfectly well with a trace or blanket.. I tried that, no good for me.