Confusion with my groom, how to blanket a bib clip?

[Lunabear1988]

So last year I had a groom do a modified clip on my horse. He gets very hairy and he tends to like to lay in his pee spot, so his gross area always got really crusty and gross in the winter. Plus he tends to get hot easy. So we did like a modified bib clip last year. Basically his chest grith area, and some of his abdomen.

I thought it worked perfectly.

Anyways this year I had her out to do the same thing but I think there is a little bit of a miscommunication? I stepped outside to grab another horse and when it came back and she was shaving from his throat latch down his neck. She did stop just after his girth area.

Well this is the first horse I’ve ever had to clip at all and I’m not super savvy I’m blanketing clipped horses. He does live outside with a run in a private pen at night.

None of my blankets have hoods. He didn’t seem to need one last year and actually with the clip I thought he seemed more comfortable. But now that his neck has some clipping, I’m thinking he needs a hood. But at what temperatures?
I live in Colorado. I’m a part of a blanketing group so he kind of needs to fit in with the blanket procedures. Typically we’ve only been putting sheets on if it’s 45 and under while also being rainy or snowy… otherwise we only blanket with mediums at 30° and under. Heavier blankets at 15 degrees or below.

Any advice? I use tough one blankets because they fit them well but unfortunately getting a hood for it it’s going to be difficult. I’ll have to see if I can order one from Amazon.

[Highflyer1]

If he runs warm and it’s only a part of his neck I’d probably just do the hood with the heavy. Hoods weren’t really a thing when I was a kid and traceclipped horses survived outside just fine in their horrible New Zealand rugs.

[Lunabear1988]

Okay that’s kind of what I was thinking too. Because I think he would get too hot otherwise even with a little bit of a clip on his neck. We’re in Colorado and the sun can be really mighty!

He has a lot of hair otherwise.

[IPEsq]

Just the underside of the neck won’t be that different than last year’s clip.

[Lunabear1988]

Thank you! He’s by far the hairiest horse I’ve ever owned and I’ve never had to clip before. Last year I thought it made a significant difference and his comfort level though.

[Cowboy_Girl]

Also spent many years in Colorado and rode through the winter. My version of the bib clip was from the back of the jaw, down the jugular, a diamond on the chest and the arm pits where the girth sat.
Liked it for multiple reasons: I never had to blanket (they had run in sheds) and my wholly mammoths didn’t get wringing wet when schooling, for those that tended to get more sweaty it was easier to clip a little more, those in serious work just stayed blanketed for the winter. Their hair stayed short-ish and slick and I didn’t have to clip multiple horses.
Hoods are a serious pain and dangerous in turn out - they get snagged on everything. High neck or turtle neck blankets are much easier. Schneider’s has great products and prices.
BTW this worked great last year even with the subzero temps we have after Christmas.

[endlessclimb]

Same, bib clip in my mind is a small line from the jaw to the chest, and the chest.

I’m curious what last year’s clip looked like?!

[Lunabear1988]

Okay yeah that sounds pretty similar to what she did this year! He’s usually very low maintenance blanketing wise, so my hope was to keep him that way but also comfortable.

[Lunabear1988]

It was definitely just our own little version. Not something that I had seen done before but it worked.

[endlessclimb]

My Old Man might benefit from this, since the vet sentenced him to Fat Camp and he’s a yak. Thanks for sharing!

[Lunabear1988]

It was very perfect for him. He never seemed cold although like I said above we do blanket a little bit. And he was in light work for a little.

[SuzieQNutter]

You can use a combo, which has a neck rug attached that goes up to the poll. I HATE hoods and refuse to have them on my property.

[Lunabear1988]

[RedHorses]

I put a Wug style midweight (200g) blanket on this clip for the whole winter, except for storms or very cold snaps (-30c for several days).

[Lunabear1988]

I guess I’ll stop worrying about him ha ha! Thank you for the reassurance.

[trubandloki]

I would assume that however you blanketed last year will work fine this year. That amount of hair on his neck should not make a difference.

I assume if he has a different opinion he will let you know.

He looks adorable, BTW.

[BroncoMo]

I’m a bit north of you in Wyoming. I just put a bib clip on mine today (last decent weather until, what, next May?). I’ve done trace clips on him before. I’m just a bit more careful to keep him blanketed on time before bad weather hits, though he probably doesn’t think he needs it. He’ll get a neck cover tomorrow and for the next couple days during this cold snap. But in the past with his trace clips, he never complained about being cold. So unless the horse is a wuss, he’ll probably be fine with standard blanketing procedures.