What are the benefits of clipping my horse? Does he need to be clipped?

Question

Hi there,

My horse is in moderate work but once a week we go for a 2-3 hour ride through the forest with inches of deep sand, steep hills and logs. All of the horses (not JUST mine) are dripping in sweat at the end. So this is not a case of fitness...

Somebody suggested clipping but I don't know enough about it.

The climate where I live is usually humid and rarely cold (except from when the wind comes which can sting as we are on a hill) and there is very little shelter here.

What are the pros and cons of clipping?

Would I need to rug him up more?

Will it make him feel cooler and sweat less?

Any extra maintenance required?

Thanks.

Answer 1

Unless you are showing in a very rigid showing situation, forget it.  No clipping.  It doesn't serve any real purpose.

Answer 2

Horses are mainly only clipped for shows. If you clip you need to wait like a week before you ride again (so your horse gets use to it), don't be suprised if your horse acts a little bit differently after being shaved, rugs and saddle will feel different to your horse.

You need extra rugs if you shave (an extra cotton rug and/or fleece should do depending on the weather).

Clipping also stuffs up the winter coat so you'll need to do it every year after getting it done this year for the next winter coat.

A clipped coat should mean that your horse won't get as hot and less sweaty during rides and he/she will look better (no fuzz).

Check out:

http://www.eques.com.au/general/march200...

Answer 3

I assume you are referring to a full body clip?  Is your horse particularly long haired currently?

It's very time consuming to body clip a horse and depending on how close you clip him he will not have that protection again the sun, wind, rain. cold, and insects. Then you would need to sheet him more for the protection that would provide. Sounds from your description that he is sweating from the exertion (since all the horses are) not from too much hair.  Good luck with your horse.

Answer 4

Pro's:

He will look good ;)

It will make grooming easier

He will cool off faster

Con's:

If you do it wrong, he won't look good

He may get chilled if you don't take care of him properly

If it is cold out, you should rug him.

It will make him feel cooler, and can make him sweat less.

However, you don't have to clip him. He will shed out as needed if you groom him well.

Edit: We have a Troll going around and putting thumbs down...

Answer 5

Many people clip their horse for appearance. You can go as far as to body clip a horse. See, I show my horse around the country and always like him to look good. Beings he has a nice short coat anyways (from blanketing in cool weather) I dont have to body clip him. But what I do is, clip his whiskers on  his nose, his "beard" and jaw line, his fetlocks, bridlepath, and ears. Now some people clip right inside the ears but i pinch them together and just shave the access hair. The hair inside is for a reason, keeps all the dirt and junk out that shouldn't be! Same with the hairs by their eyes, helps keep dirt and hay ect. out of their eyes.

Other then making them look good, it desensitizes them to the sound of the clippers. Its a good way to get them used to things. Especially when they stand quiet for you to clip right next to their ears. Remember to take it slow with them the first couple times. You will have to progress to their ears and such... Maybe just clip his/her nose the first time and go further along.

The bridlepath is very important on my horses because it keeps from getting their hair caught on the bridle and it makes it easier to bridle and unbridle. Rule of thumb when clipping bridlepaths... Lay your horses ear back and where the tip of it lands, clip that far. Some like a longer bridlepath (miniatures, arabs, ect.) But for your everyday horse that is a good rule to go by!

Answer 6

this is summer, so don't clip him now.

if that intense ride is only once a week, I wouldn't bother clip.

for your questions:

1. pro: easier in winter

     con: more maintaince

2. yes in winter

3. yes

4. yes; blanketing in winter. besides the actual clipping is a big project

Answer 7

Well Im all about clipping but I have show horses. For the average folks normal shedding out for summer should be perfectly fine. If your horse has a longer thicker coat and its warm out talk to your vet about cushings. If your horse is healthy then instead of a full body clip you could do a trace clip this includes the chest, underside of neck and stomach and leaves hair over vital organs. this will help in cooling off not getting so hot. Ill include a link to a trace clip

http://www.peasridge.co.uk/clipper-advic...

Answer 8

Pros:

-keeps the horse cooler

-easier to rub them out when they are done working

Con:

-takes forever to body clip

-can look really bad if you mess up

-some horses are scared of the clippers

Summer is the perfect time to clip your horse!  Their hair grows back very quickly.  We have to clip ours once a month.      No extra maintenance requirements!

Answer 9

Pros of body clipping are that when you work your horse he will be able to "breathe"...in other words his coat will not get saturated with sweat.

It will take away the time spent in drying your horses coat.

Having a hot horse and wet coat that doesn't dry &cool down can also cause a horse colic.

You will need to buy some blankets...a regular turnout rain sheet. If it gets chilly then a medium or heavy blanket would be necessary.

Weatherbeeta and Rambo make nice durable blankets.

Answer 10

I'm with you! i am starting to clip my horse because my trainer told me i should cause my horse was getting over heated. yes it will help him stay cooler. He might look funny at first but he will look better and much easier to wash! Good Luck!

My trainer said it will take all summer for my horse to grow his fur out! Same with yours!

Answer 11

when clipping a rug has to be on most of the time as they get REALLY cold but i suggest a blanket clip. the blanket clip is when you clip off like a blanket on your horse so his legs r left fluffy so your horse wont be REALLY cold as he has fluffy legs but when u go on a long ride he does not get REALLY sweaty!!!!        Make sure though you get your horse accustomed to the clippers as most horses are scared of the sound!!!!! Hope i helped!!!!*-*                                                     To see how to do a blanket clip go to www.newrider.com/Library/Horse_Care/clip... - 24k