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Long Coats and Showing?

2K views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  verona1016 
#1 ·
So, I'm competing in an event within the next 2 months, and it grows rather cold during the winter months, so I don't clip or blanket my horses.
My horse and I are competing at beginner novice, but it's also a pony club rally and I'm a C1. I don't want to do too much to his coat so he'll still be able to stay warm, but I don't want to show up with him looking like a huge teddy-bear. Do you have any tips/advice for presenting him with a nice show coat but not any major clipping?
Thanks!
 
#2 ·
Subbing because I need the tips too! I can tell my girl is gonna fluff up and this fall/winter show season is gonna be a doozy.
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#3 ·
I know many people who stall under lights and use light sheets to keep the horse from growing too much of a coat. The coat grows in based on daylight, so if you give them artificial lights they will grow less fur. It may be too late in the year for that to work though.

You could try a blanket clip:
Clipping Your Horse - Different types of horse clip

I like doing a reverse trace clip. If you look at the high trace clip, I do the opposite and cut from the poll to the tail, but leave the bottom half of the horse. So the red area is what I cut, excluding the legs and head.

I like doing a reverse trace, as you can blanket the area you clipped. I don't know why people clip the belly if you can't blanket them there! I would think it would be cold!
 
#6 ·
I like doing a reverse trace, as you can blanket the area you clipped. I don't know why people clip the belly if you can't blanket them there! I would think it would be cold!
The trace clip gets all the areas that sweat the most so that those areas are able to stay cool during the ride and dry off quickly afterwards. Most horses are fine with these areas clipped even if the blanket doesn't cover it- a fully clipped horse is also bare in that area, after all.
 
#4 ·
If you don't want to blanket or do any clipping, I would just cut off his whiskers, and along the bottom of the jaw. The fuzzy long hairs on his legs would probably have to get cut back since they stick out and are noticeable. You can't really do more than that without planning on blanketing.
 
#5 ·
You are in a fix.

Unfortunately, you can't have it both ways. If you don't want to blanket during the winter, you can do nothing to stop the coat growing. You cannot clip anything, as it all has a purpose for warmth.

AND, you cannot work your horse to the point of sweating during the cold months. It will take forever for your horse to dry out and they could easily become hypothermic from being wet. I had a horse with a trace clip sweat after a long day of foxhunting in Colorado. I blanketed her, but when I unloaded her at the barn, she was shivering horribly. Thank goodness we had heat lamps, or she would have been in real trouble. Even a trace clip didn't help, once the rest of her was wet.

Not winter clipping/blanketing = no winter work, IMHO.
 
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