clipping question

[stormandsummer]

sorry i am embarrased to ask this, but feel as it is a forum no one will laugh me off the yard but why do we clip horses ??

i feel i should know this but been too embarrased to ask

Right off to hide in shame now :o :o

[No_Angel]

we clip them because they get to hot for the work we want them to do:)

dont run off, perfectly acceptable (if thats spelt right) question:)

[Shadowlark]

OIY! Perfectly reasonable question!!
no shame required :)

Splash is one of only 2 at our barn who are clipped they joke that he looks like rats chewed at him.. or that he has mange ;) However *I* am the one laughing where after 20 mins my horse is ready to go back out and they are still walking ;)

[Kira657]

It just makes them easier to manage, an unclipped horse in hard work gets sweaty and takes ages to dry off and could quite easily catch a chill whereas a clipped one dries so much faster and will be more comfortable. This is why you chose your type of clip according to the horses workload. It's not a silly question atall, no question is a silly question :D

[Mimi + Me]

I used to think exactly the same thing - why do we take off a horse's nice warm furry coat, just when they need it most!

Basically imagine wearing a really warm woolly jumper and then being asked to run around and do exercises in it. You'd soon feel really hot and uncomfortable and it's the same for horses. We take away their thick coats so that they are comfortable when being ridden, but have to make sure you replace it by putting on suitable rugs when they're not being exercised.

I don't know much but I did know that (hope I'm right)!

[stormandsummer]

thank you everyone that replied......... all makes sense now thank you, can i come out of my corner now LOL

I just thought why clip them then rug them up cause they might get cold, but i see it is a work related thing now, makes perfect sense :D

thank you

[Skib]

I dont think it is as simple as that. It has long been a matter of debate.

Even back in the First World War people were arguing about whether or not to clip and rug army horses. Trainers who thought it best to turn out polo ponies in winter didnt clip them. And recently with the influence of NH, even some dressage riders led by Lucinda MacAlpine turned out their horses and competed them unclipped.
Technology came into it too. The invention of the New Zealand rug (first world war period again) made it easier to clip and rug horses which were turned out, and electric clippers must have made a difference as well.

[stormandsummer]

Oh thanks Skib there is so much more to most things.. your explaination was interesting, I have always belived that clipping any animal, would promote thicker fur/hair the next winter season, so if you started then you need to continue with what you started. I was trying to make logical sense of it all :rolleyes: Native ponies never get clipped in the wild and surely mother nature promotes shedding in the warmer months and growth in the winter, surely if a working horses was unable to cope with not being clipped would a horses natural defence not promote shedding ??? Oh may this questions is not as simple as i thought, and i did not know it was "personal preference" either i thought it was a must :rolleyes:

[Mehitabel]

if a working horses was unable to cope with not being clipped would a horses natural defence not promote shedding ???

no - they dont; repsond that fast. hair growth is mostly goverend by light levels - this is something that has evolved over millions of years and the copmparatively short time we've been riding them will not affect it. growing a winter coat and then losing it again is mainly affected by daylight hours - so to stop a horse getting a winter coat, you put it under daylight lamps overnight to trick the body into thinking that it is still light from 6am to 9pm. rugging as well, but the light is what makes the major difference.
they can't shed every time they get warm - it's going to be cold again that night.

they can *cope* - but they will lose condition, get chilled, etc.
in the wild they would only run to the point of sweating heavily if in fear of their life - it is not remotely natural to ask a horse to trot and canter for an hour, so they don;t have natural coping mechanisms to deal with that state.

[jenren!!]

That is actually a very good question. I think lots of people out there actually don't know, hence why do people shave all their horse's fur off when they only hack a couple of times a week? Unless they had some kind of sweating disorder i think some people just think of clipping as a trend or a way 'to look good'. I certainly experience this at my yard. It's good you've brought this up, as now people are going to read and actually bring to mind the actual reason for clipping.

Jenny

[Shadowlark]

hahah EXACTLY!!

I wouldn't have TOUCHED Splash man with clippers had he come Into winter in the shape he is in now - I prefer to keep my horses naturally but the dry times were ridiculously impractical with a horse I was trying to get fit - so he was SWEATING Next winter will likely see him unclipped and un blankted.

I think like sooo many things people see it and think they have to do it. Someone at my barn JUST shaved thier horse, who they are planning on showing this year. Sad thing is that they have likely now damaged the coat for this year because they didn't stop to ask anyone if they SHOULD clip. They did it because my horse is ready to put away sooner. and they don't want to spend any more time on the "boring" stuff then they need to. I know it sounds from my first post that I do mind.. but realisticaly I just ride out bareback until he is dry. Nothing unpleasant about it :)

So now, there are 3 at the farm who are clipped ;)

[lizzy]

So we can pay out £££££'s on rugs;)

[LouHarvey]

There are several reasons -

1. To allow a horse to work hard in the winter months without being at risk of catching a chill or similar when they go back from work covered in sweat. A long winter coat is hellish to dry out and the horse could become over-heated in all that fluff.
2. For cosmetic reasons. I clip both of my horses all year round because it keeps them looking neat, tidy and comfortable. They are well rugged in the winter and it provides welcome relief in the summer.
3. For medical reasons. Sometimes horses need to be clipped because they have Cushings disease, for example. Horses with Cushings grow a dense, heavy coat all year round, and can become very distressed in the summer if they are just left to their own devices.
4. To keep the horse in good condition. Sweating promotes weight loss - not ideal if your horse isn't a very good doer!
5. It is surprising how much time and labour is saved when you don't have to spend hours trawling away at the mud on a big winter coat! Clipped horses stay much cleaner, and look much healthier, than the hairies!

[stormandsummer]

I am sort of getting confused now, so for instant a riding school horse would be clipped for many reasons then, one being because of the sweat issues as they are really working horses but it could also be down to the fact that they need less grooming in winter is that right ???? :rolleyes:

Also if it was a non working horse and just hacked out occasionally slow hacks apart from the grooming side there would be no reason to clip right ?:rolleyes:

Once a horse is clipped one year does this mean due to possible more growth of hair that a person would need to clip every year ?:rolleyes:

If you didn't clip your horse would you still need to rug when stabled or out in winter ?? :rolleyes:

I see many cob type horse living out and hardly ever see them in rugs in winter unless it is snows i know they are not clipped and look gorgeous so is this wrong ??

[LouHarvey]

I am sort of getting confused now, so for instant a riding school horse would be clipped for many reasons then, one being because of the sweat issues as they are really working horses but it could also be down to the fact that they need less grooming in winter is that right ???? :rolleyes:
Yes, that would definatley be taken into account during the winter. It makes life easier for the staff, and also helps to keep their horses looking neat and tidy to make a good impression with clients.

Also if it was a non working horse and just hacked out occasionally slow hacks apart from the grooming side there would be no reason to clip right ?:rolleyes:
Unless it was known to sweat badly, I wouldn't bother to clip it. The horse's natural coat is a great insulator and helps to keep it warm. Unless there was a medical reason (such as a skin disease) I would see no reason why it would need clipping.

Once a horse is clipped one year does this mean due to possible more growth of hair that a person would need to clip every year ?:rolleyes:
If the horse needed to be clipped (because of any of the reasons mentiond before) it would probably need to be clipped every year to keep it comfortable. But clipping a horse won't make it's hair grow back any thicker or faster, but obviously it will grow back.

If you didn't clip your horse would you still need to rug when stabled or out in winter ?? :rolleyes:
It depends on the horse. If it kept weight on well, or was a cobby/native type, then it probably wouldn't need to be rugged. That is if you don't mind waiting whilst your rain-soaked horse dries out so you can ride! However if your horse didn't keep weight on well, or didn't naturally grow such a good coat, you may need to consider rugging it. It really depends on the individual.

I see many cob type horse living out and hardly ever see them in rugs in winter unless it is snows i know they are not clipped and look gorgeous so is this wrong ??
No, it's not wrong. Obviously they don't do much work, and as they are cob horses and likely to be good doers they don't need extra help to stay warm and keep weight on during the colder months. My two show cobs are clipped and rugged all year.

[Wally]

I have some of the hairiest horses in the country, Icelandics imported who grow fur for the British Fur growing championships. They live out is harsh conditions. Even if they lived in at night I wouldn't clip them for the amount of work they do.

All can do a reasonably fast hack with a full fur coat twice a week and not be too hot to turn back out again.

However, our problem is different, they tend to hold onto their winter coats longer than most, so in June we might have a heat wave and I will be clipping then, where most of you will have summer coats.

[stormandsummer]

:D Again thank you to everyone, i have a much better understanding now :D