A grooming conundrum - the Old Man Horse

[endlessclimb]

I’m looking for suggestions.

My Old Man horse is 80% retired. I get him out and moving regularly, but for very short stints. He also can do shorter trail rides.

My Old Man horse also has an outrageous winter coat. He always has had this outrageous coat, since he was a youngster. It floofs around when he’s getting his 10 minutes of work 5x a week, almost looks like fat jiggling but nope it’s hair.

My Old Man horse stinks like piss because of said coat and the fact that he sleeps in his pee spot overnight. He has always done this, as well. They’re turned out from ~7am to ~4pm. I groom him multiple times a week, and spray liberally with laser/show sheen. He gets blown out with a blower every two weeks or so. But still, the smell is in the hair itself.

In the past, I would just clip him. But now that he’s not in any serious work anymore, I don’t know if that’s the right answer.

Question: Has anyone done a “clip” but with something longer than a #10 blade? Or used a guard to clip some but not all of the hair off? Would there be any benefit to this, or is it better just to take it all? He’s a chestnut so turns that… “lovely” clipped chestnut color.

Any other suggestions to prevent him from stinking like piss would be appreciated. It’s not killing him, I know, but good lord he smells like a dumpster some days.

[trubandloki]

I would think the easiest solution is to bed his stall differently.

I had one who I swear held it all day and then would pee a huge amount in his stall when he came in and then want to lay down and take a nap right there.

I used ample shavings and then put straw on top. The pee would go right thru the straw and then as it soaked into the bedding the straw layer kept the old man much cleaner.

[endlessclimb]

I 100% agree with you, but this horse has a stall habit of shuffling around, shoving all of his bedding up against the edges and leaving his piss-bowl exposed. I try to pick and level as late as I can to help the situation, but all it takes is once or twice of him sleeping in the pee and the smell is there to stay.

Right now it’s warm enough to bathe him, but getting him dry is a nightmare with that hair.

[S1969]

I’d probably confirm he doesn’t have Cushings at some point if you haven’t already.

Do you need to blanket him if not clipped? If you blanket anyway, it can’t hurt to clip him, although I am not sure how that really helps keep him from stinking like pee all winter if you don’t bathe him. Or, maybe just the blankets stink?

Do you need to stall overnight? Maybe just leave them out.

[endlessclimb]

He does not have Cushings per the vet testing, checked that this spring just in case. He’s always grown this coat, it doesn’t look exceptionally shaggy compared to usual.

I do not blanket him if he’s not clipped. If I clip him he stays blanketed, which does assist with the coat stinking. The stall is well bedded, but there’s nothing you’re going to be able to do to prevent him from getting coat-to-skin contact with urine soaked bedding, due to his shuffle-stall rearranging.

That said, I really don’t mind blanketing - I’ve got them for him anyways, might as well use them? I don’t know. I was hoping to leave him naked, but I can’t stand his smell.

I don’t have control over the stalling overnight. I’d love to have them out 24/7, but haven’t been able to find a place around that has the amenities I want + safe fencing + 24 turn out. I’m sure his arthritis would appreciate more outside time! In the near future, I plan to purchase property so I can bring them home - I’m not sure if this guy will be there (he’s 24 this year) when that time comes, but I can only hope.

[Simkie]

I’d really just clip him and blanket.

Or, does he do okay with a sheet or 100g on top of his coat? Maybe clipping isn’t necessary, and just blanketing will keep him from soaking in pee.

[luvmyhackney]

I would just keep a revolving door of sheets/blanket for when indoors and wash them.

Not sure if clipping is worth the hassle.

[RedHorses]

It’s okay to blanket for your own convenience. I know everyone likes to justify blankets with. “My horse needs blankets because…” but it is okay to blanket because you want to, provided you do so with care for the horse’s comfort. When you have two horses blanketing can make your horse time more enjoyable, easier, and you’re paying the bills anyway.

[endlessclimb]

@RedHorses

It’s okay to blanket for your own convenience.

That fair, I didn’t really think about it that way. I am leaning towards clipping, because I think that will make the blanketing more straightforward as well. I don’t know how to effectively blanket a yak.

[endlessclimb]

He doesn’t need any sheet or anything. He’s toasty warm. His short 10 minute workouts make his hair lie down, and just a titch of sweat on flanks and chest. But overall, he’s an easy keeper with a kick ass Montana winter coat. (that he doesn’t really need, lol)

[Simkie]

@RedHorses

It’s okay to blanket for your own convenience.

Hear hear!

It’s also okay to clip only the parts that need clipping. Like, if a sheet keeps most of his body clean, but his belly is still getting piss soaked, you can just clip the belly.

Blanketing horses with coats isn’t particularly difficult. In general, they’re one step down from a clipped horse. If he’s particularly yak-y and runs warm, he might be just fine in a sheet all winter…and, bonus, those fit in most washing machines, so you can just rotate his clothes through when they get manky.

[Simkie]

@endlessclimb

He doesn’t need any sheet or anything.

It’s okay to blanket a horse who doesn’t “need” a blanket to keep warm, as long as you’re not making him sweat. Blanketing to keep him clean is a perfectly reasonable thing.

[RedHorses]

Yeah, I actually typed “Clip and blanket him.” at the end of my post and then deleted that bit before posting then after posting realized i had no other mention of clipping.

For future reference though, if you want a mid length/slightly longer than close clipped coat then clip earlier in the growth cycle. Where I am winter coats grow August to the end of December, with no significant coat growth after that. Clipping early/mid October is sometimes necessary if we get a warm fall, and I’ll have to clip again in November to have the clipped areas short enough for winter riding.

However, since your concern is the stink I’d hazard a guess that the mid length would be just as prone to get soaked and stinky.

[MadTrotter]

Maybe you could get a couple of these and rotate them out as they get stinky? Would be easier than horse blankets in the laundry

https://www.statelinetack.com/item/horseware-rambo-slinky-full-body/E022926%20L%20BLK/?srccode=GPSLT&gclid=CjwKCAjw8JKbBhBYEiwAs3sxN6SRZm9dRk4e0Hyk8eyRqFFs5YC94oCS6AoNWsklG0LQkSscs9NhxBoChQkQAvD_BwE

[endlessclimb]

I normally am lazy and clip mid-November for everyone to avoid having to clip twice. Because of my young mare’s inspection this year, she got clipped early October and definitely will need to be done again. I’m going to put it on my calendar to try clipping early October with the Old Man next year.

The young one is getting re-clipped this weekend, maybe I’ll make it a full blown clip party and do the bulk of the Old Man, too. If I’m donning Tyvek we’ve got to blitz it out!

[Jarpur]

I’ve clipped with a 7, although not often or very recently. In our climate. I don’t blanket in the winter - even after clipping - and do a high trace clip.

Normally, I clip with a 10; my old man (also been hairy all his life; this is my horse with a mane to his knees), while not the tidiest of horses, doesn’t sleep in his wet spot and doesn’t stink. As long as he gets a week or too head start on his coat growing back out after clipping, he’s fine unblanketed during our winters.

Clipping with the 7 gave pretty much the same effect as a week or two post clipping with a 10 on my guy, so I liked it for that reason. When he was in full work, I’d clip him three times during the winter.

Adding that his first clip would have usually occurred a few weeks ago, but we’ve had rain (Yay!), so I’ve put it off. Also, he’s been off work until after his dental appointment, which was rescheduled by the dentist due to bad weather, so didn’t require clipping at this time.

[candyappy]

What about the waterless shampoo used for spot cleaning? That way you can leave him hairy and un-blanketed? Just wash that one area?

If you clip and blanket then his blanket is going to reek of pee and him as well.

[Jarpur]

Also, have you tried a product like Bye Bye Odor in his stall, to try and control the urine smell? Wonder if it would help his aroma if the wet spot didn’t smell so bad.

[Casey09]

Have you thought about something like Coat Defense powder? In my experience it smells like peppermint, and you can brush it in. It is kind of messy.

[Calvincrowe]

I’d bet you could use a 3 or 6 mm guard on clippers to shorten his floof, much like a dog groomer does for a doodle or terrier type dog. I know they have guards/guides for the standard brands of clippers we use on our horses. I just blanket my boys–both retired, both treated for Cushings, but still…a lot of hair (especially my Paint) with light sheets. I’m in the PNW so wet, wet, wet. And I’m in a windy area, too.