Why would a 13hh pony be Hunter Clipped & Live Out ?

[Tillyboo]

I'm struggling to find any possible reason for this. He lives out but currently wearing a 200g rug. Most people, with the exception of the people at the yard I've sort broached the subject to, are horrified to hear this. He does get fluffy & can get sweaty when ridden but surely now the nights are getting cold, even with a heavyweight (350-370g) combo rug for when it get's snowy etc., he'll notice ?

He's growing his coat back & his neck is quite fluffy now but I've been told he's due to be clipped again - not sure when though.

How can I best approach this without upsetting anyone, I only have the pony's best interest at heart. I cannot bear to think of him being cold & miserable.
(PS We have him on a part loan arrangement kept at his current yard)

If I clipped my lad now (haven't yet as he's at home and I can manage how sweaty he gets) I would prob have him in a 200g rug. I don't see that as cruel. The heavy weight comes out during the -15 weather. When living out ponies can move around to keep warm. Is it's owner new to having pony? To be honest id leave them with it unless you see dramatic weight loss, especially if you have him on part loan. I'd be really annoyed if I was them to be honest (especially if I'd had the pony a while and knew what I was doing). Think carefully before saying anything. All the best with your loan x

Is the pony losing weight/shivering/standing by the gate desperate to come in? If not I am not sure why you are worried? My horse is currently fully clipped and living out. I changed him into his heavy rug yesterday, from a medium one. He hasn't lost any weight, and isn't stood by the gate begging to come in, so I fully intend to leave him out as long as possible.

Are the stables heated? If it is not wet and windy, I'd have thought they would be colder forced to stand still in a stable, than out in the field where they can move around.

They're showing off. Do they also take a "steptoe & son" approach to bitting?

If the pony is not losing weight then he's absolutely fine.

I don't have a problem with horses living out with a hunter clip if they are well rugged and checked regularly. You know your pony and hopefully can make a judgement on his well being. Will he get any access to shelter as the weather gets worse - will he come in during December to Feb?

Why do they give it a hunter clip - is it doing plenty of work on a regular basis. I used to hunter clip my cob when he was ridden 5/6 days a week and hunting at least one day a week - certainly he appreciated it because he was a "hot" horse and used to need doing 3 times a Winter season. However he was stabled at night..

My TB is living out full time with a hunter clip and is absolutely fine - the right rugging and the right food keep him a very happy chappy, and he gets stressed when stabled anyway. We have an assortment of rugs and snuggy hoods to cope with the elements and I mix and match according to the weather. He had to be stabled at night last year and it didn't suit him at all. If he's got good shelter (and that means hedges and trees, not specifically a field shelter) he can gallop about to keep warm and find somewhere out of the wind and rain, they are a lot tougher than you think.

When the weather is bad he just needs checking and maybe have more food, maybe come in to dry off if it's consistently wet and windy. Generally wet on it's own is fine, wind, frost, snow likewise, when there's a combination of wind and rain then they can find it harder.

It will be much better for his state of mind to be out and about, they are not designed to be confined to a stable unless absolutely necessary.

I'd just watch his condition too

our pony was clipped (not that fully, a sort of chaser) and lived out comfortably and doesn't have a heavyweight rug and was still fat

A 13hh pony is quite possibly native, or at least part. It is actually very good for them (and natural) to lose some weight over winter, so that when the grass is good in the spring they have a margin for error ;). I clip my Shetland to help her lose weight, albeit not a hunter clip! Getting cold and wet though is not fair, so actually to me it sounds like a good combination.

200g is probably ample for a lot of horses. They hate to be too hot, and are in fact better to be cold (within reason), especially when living out as they can move around to keep warm.

I've clipped my 11.2hh native pony. He prefers to live out, rugged up, obviously. He hunts about 3-4 times a month, is ridden by 3 children, and sweats just standing still if the sun comes out. It's not fair to him to let him get cold when he has worked hard.

my dartmoor x 13.3hh pony has a full clip and lives out. if i don't clip her her huge fluffy winter coat takes so long to molt out that she gets uncomfortable in spring.

My very woolly 13hh cob x lives out, was full hunter clipped about 6 weeks ago and is already very woolly again and only has a lightweight turnout he was overweight. I am about to clip him and put him in a 300g rug. He has plenty of grass still and gets fed plenty of local chaff and a balancer. He's very healthy and happy

He hunts occasionally, does pony club every week and hacks twice a week. He was getting horribly sweaty before he was clipped. I'd tell your yard friends to wind their necks in

Sounds perfectly normal for a pony in work to me. Certainly ours are all bib or trace clipped usually with the biggest clipped fully because she hunts. They all lived out happily last year. This year they haven't been clipped yet for various reasons but they haven't needed any rugs at all until the last weeks temperature drop.

Rugging and clipping are one of those subjects yard bitches know it alls like to offer an opinion on unsolicited and it causes no end of tensions on yards. For everyone's sanity an attitude of only interfere if the animal is being caused suffering tends to be sensible. Even then concerns should be directed to the yard owner who is also responsible for their welfare.