When should I cut my horse in the spring?

When are horses clipped?

Most horses are clipped in September or October. however, depending on the amount of work you do with your horse and the breed; will depend on when you will want/need to clip. Some competition horses are clipped all year round to keep them cool, minimise sweating and keep them looking neat and tidy.

How often should you clip a competition horse?

Some competition horses are clipped all year round to keep them cool, minimise sweating and keep them looking neat and tidy. As the coat tends to grow very quickly between September and December you may need to clip every 3 to 4 weeks. For most people find two to three clips per winter is ample.

Should I give my Horse a full clip or hunter clip?

If giving your horse a full clip or hunter clip you may want to clip one half of his body and cover him up while you clip the other half, this will prevent him catching a chill.

Do you need to rug up a fully clipped horse?

A fully clipped horse will require rugging up and should usually be kept stabled overnight. 2. The hunter clip – suitable for horses in medium to heavy work. As the name suggests this type of clip is most common amongst hunters. The horse is fully clipped except for the legs and saddle area to provide extra protection.

How to trim a Cushing’s coat on a horse?

Pick the best clippers for your horse. Trimmers will scream and die when merely brought in the vicinity of a full-blown Cushing’s coat situation. These little clippers are for touch-ups, bridle paths, and basic trimming. Body clippers might be OK – it’s a fine line.

How often should you clip your horse’s mane?

This means that clipping isn’t a one time job! How often your horse will need clipping depends on a range of factors, such as their breed, workload and environment. As a general rule, most of us will be clipping every 3-5 weeks, but don’t be surprised if it’s more or less often.

What is a hunter clip used for on a horse?

The hunter clip provides protection from the saddle and leaving the hair on the legs provides warmth and protection. Blanket Clip – this clip leaves a blanket of coat from the withers to the point of the tail, half the head hair is removed and the legs are left on.

How do you protect your horse’s feet when flying?

“It’s not just about keeping the shoe on — they also protect your horse from overreach injuries. I find the long rubber boots are best; make sure they are big enough to drop down fully over the heel when the foot is in flight,” he advises.

What makes rugging different for each horse?

Combined with which rugging is very different for every horse as it depends on breed, weight, climate, his work load, and even their coats themselves. Horses that are used to the colder weather and have spent most of their time outside, tend to cope better with cooler temperatures than horses that are stabled all the time.

Should you clip your horse all year round?

If your horse is suffering from conditions such as Cushing’s or Equine Metabolic Syndrome (known as EMS) then clipping him all year round will help him to maintain a normal body temperature. You don’t need to give your horse a full clip, even a chaser or trace clip will allow him to cool enough.

What happens if a horse is fully clipped?

If a horse is fully clipped we have removed its natural thermal layer and water-repelling barrier, therefore it is common sense that we replace these with “sufficiently” warm and dry indoor and outdoor rugs. What constitutes “sufficient” is something we will come back to. The type of clip itself also needs to be taken into account.

When should you rug a horse?

Unless clipped and living out 24/7, most horses will not need rugging until temperatures dip to 5-10°C. Rug older, younger, thinner or clipped horses sooner.

Do horses have Cushing’s?

If you haven’t encountered it yet, it’s likely that you will. An estimated 10 percent of horses over 15 have Cushing’s, and with all the improvements in horse health care, horses are living longer and longer. That means there’s a good chance you’ll experience this disease sometime in your horse life.

What drugs are used to treat Cushing’s disease in horses?

Outside of pergolide, bromocriptine is another drug that has been used for managing Cushing’s disease in horses, though it is less popular than pergolide. Cyproheptadine is another drug that has been utilized for treating this condition as well.

What is the best treatment for Cushing’s disease?

Before pergolide, cyproheptadine was the drug of choice for Cushing’s, and in some cases a combination of cyproheptadine and pergolide is used to manage the condition. After diagnosis and starting medication for Cushing’s disease, there are other management practices one can implement to help a horse with this condition.

Should I clip my horse’s legs/face short?

Depending on the time of year, and your horse’s living situation, clipping the legs/face super short can expose sensitive pink skin to the sun and insects. I would suggest trying the body clipping blade for any pink-skinned areas and then going shorter if need be. As far as clippers go, I love light and cordless.

How often should you service your horse’s Clippers?

Your clippers should be in full working order, it is advisable to have them serviced once a year. Check the cables, blades and tensioning before clipping. Your clipper blades should be sharp and clean, blunt blades are a nightmare and make clipping slow and uncomfortable for your horse.

When should you clip your horse’s mane?

The short and sweet answer is to clip your horse when he needs it. This is usually before he starts to sweat under his winter coat, or when he’s not shedding fast enough for the warm weather returning. The more convoluted answer looks at a few factors. What is your climate like?

What is a hunter clip for a horse?

A popular clip for horses in medium to hard work. Although most of the coat is removed, the hunter clip gives the horse protection from the saddle and helps keeps the legs warm and protected.

Do horses need snow rim pads?

In areas that receive heavy snow, for instance, farriers might apply anti-snowball pads or snow rim pads to shod horses to keep snow and ice from building beneath their feet. But why should a horse need anything to come between hoof and shoe?

Should my horse wear pads?

Your horse only wears shoes, no pads. And he only wears them in the summer when the two of you are on the go most. What gives? Is your horse missing out? Should he be wearing pads, too? This is not a case of keeping up with the Joneses. Farriers apply pads to horses’ feet for a variety of reasons, most of them involving hoof problems.

Why should I buy horseshoe pads?

A wider selection allows us to offer comprehensive solutions for the variety of problems that may compromise the health of a horse’s hooves. Watch your horse’s hooves carefully and gauge their reactions to certain terrain, then grab the horseshoe pads you need to heal and ride on.

How do you protect a horse from blunt trauma?

This blunt trauma can be massive, causing substantial tendon damage. A cloth bandage is unlikely to offer much protection other than against the lightest of blows, but rigid boots can be life-saving. Limb coverings may also help with a horse’s proprioception.

How do I protect my horse’s legs?

Equipping your horse with shipping boots or wraps will protect his legs from being stepped on or kicked, either by the horse in the next stall or by one of his own legs.

When to put a rug on a post exercise horse?

Post-exercise rugging needs to be carefully considered and wisdom would suggest that a “wicking” type of rug is used until the horse has cooled down to its normal level before it’s usual night rugs/day rugs/turnout rugs are put on.

Do I need a turnout rug for my horse?

Most performance horses that are turned out in adverse weather conditions would probably benefit from a turnout rug particularly in wet and windy weather, especially if there is no field shelter available. Neck covers on a rug can also assist in keeping a horse “toasty” under such circumstances.