Clipping and blanketing when there's no ideal solution

[sweetsalute]

It’s currently summer here, however I’m thinking ahead to this winter and what I’m going to do clipping/blanket wise.

In theory, both horses will be in work at least 4 days a week. Mostly dressage, some trail riding and one will hopefully be starting some jumping this year. The climate where I live is extremely mild, during the day its usually in the 70-80s, nights rarely get below 40, average more like 50. There might literally be a handful of nights a year that get close to 30. We do occasionally get some nasty winds towards the end of winter. It does not snow, ever, and winters are fairly dry. June through August are the months I’m concerned about.

Both horses live out 24/7 and that is unlikely to change. The issue. Twice daily blanket changes are not possible for the whole winter (I can manage for the really cold nights). Leaving a medium weight on during the day is too much, and one horse runs hot. However, because of daytime temps, I’m reticent to leave them in winter coats as they’ll sweat too much.

What would you do? Options I’m looking at are:

1. Do a partial clip and leave them in cotton turnouts per usual, maybe a light extra blanket with no fill on the coldest nights
2. Fully clip, use a no fill turnout 24/7 and a heavier one on the coldest nights
3. Don’t clip at all and deal with the sweat best we can

[Willesdon]

What do your neighbours do?

[sweetsalute]

Do you mean neighbours as in other people at the barn? I keep my horses on my dads property so it’s just us (hence why the twice daily blanketing can’t happen, I can’t usually get out there once every day let alone twice).

Most people around here either board at a facility that will do blanket changes, or live on their own property and so can do it themselves.

[endlessclimb]

In this situation I might do a bib clip or a low trace and that’s it. At 70-80 even a lightweight blanket/sheet is way too much.

[Highflyer1]

I’d probably do a pretty extensive trace clip or even a full clip minus head and legs at the very beginning of the winter season so that the horse has time to regrow some hair and then just leave them naked on all but the coldest nights. The horses here that are clipped in late October almost always have grown enough coat by mid-November to be ok unblanketed in temps in the high 30s and up. Then you can always do a bib clip of some kind a bit later.

[Willesdon]

I was thinking what weight and type of rug do your neighbours use. Your climate doesn’t sound very extreme and if your horses have shelter available from wind and rain then you may not need to rug at all, even a horse with a bib clip. Over-rugging is a serious welfare issue in temperate, damp UK.

[Renn_aissance]

Do I understand correctly that it will be about 40 degrees overnight during the winter months, occasionally dropping into the 30s, plus or minus wind?

If that’s correct, I would trace clip midway through fall and plan that they simply wouldn’t need blankets for the majority of the time. A low of 40 degrees overnight is a comfortable temperature for a trace clipped horse in good health, plus a sheet if the horse runs cold or hasn’t regained his coat yet, and on days that drop below that, I trust that you will figure out how to rug them appropriately the same way we in the northern hemisphere figure out how to rug them for two days at -10 or whatever our unseasonable temperatures are, even if it means one day of extra effort twice daily changes.

[wildlifer]

I agree - I trace clip my horse in work, but I still don’t put any blankets on until it’s about 40-45 F (just depends on horse, if they run warm or not). So if you have a decent shelter, they probably don’t need anything most of the time. Especially if they have a buddy to stand next to.

[lenapesadie]

I also live in a mild climate, though not quite as mild as yours.

My horses are unclipped this year, but for whatever reasons don’t grow much in the way of hair. I would be hesitant to do much clipping if I couldn’t reliably blanket them. Even for low 40s F. If your horses grow big thick coats that would make it easier.

I wouldn’t leave any kind of blanket on during those daytime temps. Clipped or not.

A Bibb or Irish clip might be a good choice?

[Horselove5]

We’re in a similar climate (& situation) but out night temps drop down to 30ies for almost all winter. I don’t clip & don’t blanket. My horse is worked 6d/week and when sweaty, I just use a towel to soak off the sweat & let him back to his pasture. He’s (usually) hardly wet after a 45min dressage session in 70F. Horses regulate their body temperature better then us humans, and actually prefer cooler temps.

[ThatBayHorse]

I live in Louisiana where daytime temperatures can be in the 80s and then a cold front will blow in and drop the temperatures to below freezing in 24 hours. The weather sounds similar to yours. She does not get super duper wooly, but she gets a decent coat. Does she sweat sometimes when its in the 70s + 80s - yep. I don’t blanket her because it doesn’t get that cold here - lowest is 20s, usually is mid to low 30s or 40s. I have done a modified trace on her when she was in heavy work (neck and chest, no belly) and she was fine with that as well. I do plan extra time to cool her/dry her off with her full winter coat + no trace.

My point is horses do not their temperatures micromanaged as much as people think they do. I would personally leave her full coat on and quit messing with the blankets.

[sweetsalute]

Thanks for the input everyone! Over rugging can be a big problem here too, I used to know a girl who would pile 3-4 blankets on her I clipped horse all winter…totally unnecessary!

They have run in shelters. They don’t grow insane coats. Last year I did a very conservative trace clip on the older one and she was fine without blanketing. I’m not too concerned about her even if I take a bit more off, it’s the younger one I’m a bit more worried about. She sweats a lot very easily, but I have a funny feeling is also the sort who’d drop weight easily if she got cold. I think I might start with something similar on her and see how she goes.

I should note when I still lived at home, the older mare got fully clipped every year and only needed a 200g fill on the cold nights.

I can easily manage to blanket on the super cold nights if I need to, just can’t do the twice daily every day for 4 months. Not that I have alot planned for this year, but winter is also our show season here on account of the mild weather (summer is too damn hot).

[LovieBird]

I’d do a trace clip and make sure they have shelter and plenty of hay.

[Texarkana]

If it were me, I’d try to remove as little hair as possible to start. Either try to let them go without clipping and see how sweaty they get, or do a very minimal bib/strip/trace clip. You can always take off more hair as needed if they are getting too hot while working.

[wildlifer]

@Texarkana

If it were me, I’d try to remove as little hair as possible to start. Either try to let them go without clipping and see how sweaty they get, or do a very minimal bib/strip/trace clip. You can always take off more hair as needed if they are getting too hot while working.

Yes, this is what I do - I start with the most minimal clip to reduce my own blanket work. This year, since my horse is just 4, so we’re not doing heavy conditioning, I just clipped 1/2 his neck, front of chest, and sides of girth, leaving hair on belly (a new experiment for me). It’s working really well & I’ll start with that again next year.

[Postandrails]

With those kinds of temps, I’d want a good lightweight canvas rug like the Skye Park Foxfield rather than an unfilled synthetic. Canvas is so much more forgiving of temperature changes.

[sweetsalute]

Ah a fellow Aussie. We’re in Brisbane. I totally forgot the canvas ones exist, do you find you have any issues with rubs?

[Postandrails]

@sweetsalute

Ah a fellow Aussie. We’re in Brisbane. I totally forgot the canvas ones exist, do you find you have any issues with rubs?

I’m in Melbourne, so a different climate, but we have issues with changeable weather, so I’d never be without canvas rugs.

I never have problems with rubs, because I am pedantic about the fit. Canvas rugs are the same as cottons - you absolutely need to get the fit right. I’m sure you’re used to that already if you use cottons a lot. Do you already have any cotton brands which fit your horse/s really well and stay put in front of the wither? Chances are that the same brand of canvas will work, as they are usually all cut to the same pattern within each brand.

If you use canvas over a cotton, then it will just float over the top and will be more forgiving with the fit. If you use canvas without a cotton then you definitely need a great fit, the same way you do with cottons. I never use unlined without a cotton underneath, but I do quite often use lined canvas with no cotton.

I love, love, love canvas rugs. They are so much more breathable than even the best synthetics and they don’t heat the horse up if the sun comes out for a while. Stick with the lighter canvas though, and lighter wool linings if you want lined. Synthetics are still better than heavy canvas in the really horrid weather.

[Libby2563]

@wildlifer

Yes, this is what I do - I start with the most minimal clip to reduce my own blanket work. This year, since my horse is just 4, so we’re not doing heavy conditioning, I just clipped 1/2 his neck, front of chest, and sides of girth, leaving hair on belly (a new experiment for me). It’s working really well & I’ll start with that again next year.

I did something similar with one of mine last year (though it sounds like I might have taken off more around the shoulders than you) and it worked well too. I thought it might look weird to stop behind the girth but with the saddle on it really wasn’t distinguishable from more of a trace clip. Of course the girth line came out very different on one side than the other, but no one ever sees both sides of the horse at once, so…

[sweetsalute]

@Libby2563

Of course the girth line came out very different on one side than the other, but no one ever sees both sides of the horse at once, so…

Hahahaha yep the trace I did on my mare last year came out…definitely different on both sides. Apparently this is the best photo I have of said clip that is actually from the year before…this is the older mare that I’m not too worried about, she was fine that year totally unrugged.