clipping for sweet itch rug?

[juliecwuk]

Bitsnpieces - was it you who was going to clip to get rid of winter coat in prep for the sweetitch rugs?

I am debating clipping Rosie - she has been out all winter un-rugged so has a really long winter coat. I dont want to risk her being cold though if the weather turns (although could use Moets rugs on Rosie if this does happen). I dont care at all about clip lines etc (she would be full clipped anyway and is just a field ornament)

My friend suggested i get some thicker clipper blades (perhaps 6-10mm thick) so that i am basically cutting off the majority of the fluff but leaving a good amount of hair so that she shouldnt feel the cold but will have less hair to moult under the sweetitch rug which she will be wearing from March onwards. Last year i tried really hard to de-rug her every day from march-june to groom her to get rid of the winter coat moult, but this year i dont think i will have that much time esp depending on when baby makes an appearance.

can any of you think of problems with this plan? I havent bought the blades yet as i cant decide whether its a good plan or just a waste of time/money!

she does get very itchy when the hair moults and gets stuck under the rug...

 

[Wally]

If 'twas me, and it was for the comfort of a sweet itchy horse I'd just take the lot off and rug up as for any clipped horse.

Sweet itch is mysery for the poor lambs, At least starting the year with a nice clean, fresh unscurfy skin will be a help for them. Means you can get any medication down to the skin early if needs be. Moulting IME can start off the itch scratch, itch cycle in an itchy horse annnnnnnnnd away you go for the summer.

 

[juliecwuk]

thanks Wally! Thats what i keep thinking, take it off (may not buy thicker blades then), but because she's been naked all winter - and she prefers it that way, i worry that clipping now and rugging would confuse her (or piss her off!), but i figured i am game to try anything to reduce my time constraints this spring, and if its successful i could easily do it every spring