clipping, rugs, living out (again, sorry)

[TenderlyLovinglyByAGoat]

think we have had threads on this, but clipping today (prob just low trace? really need to decide as vet here soon) and wondering do I immediately increase rug weight as has been wearing no fill most days all nights for a week or so, or stay as is until signs of weight loss? He is actually still a bit fat although have to give small feed just to get supplements in.

there is of course option to bring in but Project Learn to Love Your New Stable is not going well AT ALL and would prefer to leave that until too muddy for choice (have been warned about area around haylage thing in field, think will be not good for old legs)

Dpony has a low trace; despite being a native he doesn't get super hairy (didn't clip last year as an experiment) so tends to feel the cold. He's still out at night but is wearing a mediumweight turnout with a neck and seems to be about right. He comes in during the day (has had weight issues all summer!) and has been ok in a fleece in the stable but was too cold with nothing on ata ll.

We've not clipped any of ours yet but we've swapped Sec A from thin Rhino to medium weight. Sec B has also started wearing medium weight rug because he's just been turned out having lived in stable for last month at show livery. Connie just has lightweight Rhino on but we've just bought her a medium weight with neck for when weather really deteriorates (cold but dry and sunny here). Cob has no rug yet because is very furry and not ridden.

I would put a medium weight rug on as soon as you've clipped. I have no problem with ponies/horses going into winter with a bit of extra fat on them - it is nature's way after all. Horses can drop weight very quickly if they can't keep warm and the weather has gone from very warm to seriously cold in a matter of days. Also, it is much cheaper to rug properly than to have to feed loads to compensate iyswim.

thanks everyone, low trace it was (depends which side you look at actually, haha) and I put medium weight on - don't really have as many rugs as I thought, feel that need at least three in each category but have a lot of categories so perhaps being silly

he looks beautiful :) sedation was £holyFUCK though, needed a lot and was still v difficult to do neck, not a hope of getting anywhere near his head so was not neatest job in world but thank goodness is over for a while

I'm pretty sure I'd have to have dhorse sedated if I wanted to clip him, he can be seriously nasty if he doesn't like something. The only thing is, when he is sedated to have his sheath cleaned he gets quite sweaty just standing there, and I'm worried I wouldn't be able to clip a damp coat. Do other horses sweat when they are sedated or is it just mine?

it is a thing about sedation isn't it, multiple free gallons of sweat every time vet tops it up

I feel vindicated after erupting in fury when someone said 'why sedate? Just get on with it, he will only dance about a bit' - there's only so much sedative you can give isn't there, and he was horribly alert and, um, reactive when doing chest and neck, was half expecting him to rear but still a bit shocked given how much dope, and he was in bridle. He would kill someone if they attempted it just with twitch or whatever, no question.

just assumed it would be obvious that nobody goes to expense, trouble (and risk of side effects) if not necessary? Pony, on other hand, totally unfazed so prob won't even need to twitch.

Was £100+ though, about £9 of which my share of call out. Ouch. But he is bigger I think, is by weight isn't it?

We had a young TB come in to the yard for breaking a while back who had been doped for absolutely everything, farrier, mane pulling, to be turned out. Ridiculous and as a result he had no idea what was going on, was frightened of everything and had a complete phobia of the farrier.

So yes, people do dope for the wrong reasons and for me it would always be an absolute last resort.

ok so probably bit unreasonable for me to have been quite so annoyed, but have known this person for AGES, you'd think my lazy do absolute minimum of anything approach would speak for itself - hassle organising vet, extra pairs of hands, clippers, spare clippers (ok I didn't organise those but we needed them because they broke down leaving potential new 'jagged half shoulder' clip) and the ££££ of which I have none spare

but she always says 'why do you worm? Why do you vaccinate? Why do you give cats and dogs toxic flea treatments?' etc so is just her way

so cold this morning, lovely fresh hack now :)

We managed to clip little mare on one side without any trouble at all, she was an angel, didn't even need bribing with carrots. Then we tried to do the other side and she wouldn't have any of it! Happy to have her neck done from underneath (from her 'happy' side) but not willing to allow clippers anywhere near from her 'unhappy' side. How weird is that?

I think I'm going to try Sedalin, but should I give it a go with a twitch first? She now has one side with a lovely trace clip, and one side with a small square patch off her shoulder. Gd is mortified at the prospect of riding her in public like that!

you could start a new trend?

I don't know about twitches and sedalin, only have two extremes - the pony who stood happily in a head collar while clipped for over forty minutes and the horse who fought sedation like mad because he was so stressed

(maybe that started it all?)

Tbh, if he is a pain to clip and you need to spend a fortune on vet then I would rug well up to avoid another clip being needed.

My two aren't clipped yet (despite me threatening to do it weeks ago!) And both wear a medium weight nz rug with half neck all the time (stabled at night, out most of the day)

My completely bombproof mare has to be sedated to be clipped. She almost kills me under sedation, god help me if she wasn't!