How much clipping/trimming in winter?

[Hawks_Eye_Minis]

I dont clip my minis at all all winter and i usually braid and bag there tails to keep them up and nice.... ( still need to do that this winter i HAD them up but took them down to brush them... LOL)

I had nemos tail up with some mane and tail conditioner in les then a month i had nearly 4 inches of growth and hawks tail i ended up having to trim since it drug on the ground a foot behind him.. I liked it but the judges at the shows arround here said they DIDNT

 

[Riverrose28]

From the middle of November to the first of Feb. my guys are on horsey vacation, no work, no clipping. Now after the first of Feb. I'll pull the show string into the indoor and do some light cliping to assess body condition, do heads and necks and begin sweating and exercising. It's warm in there, and after the first of March I'll wait for a warm day and bath the ones that look a little chunky so I can clip shorter to see if their diet needs to be adjusted, then blanket. But, for now they are not even seeing clippers, all natural, beards, whiskers, feathers you name it they have, but boy they sure are cute all fuzzy.

 

[mydaddysjag]

Im trying to let my guys go al' natural this winter, but its driving me nuts. Normally I throw a 3/4" blade guard over my clippers and take some of the beard off, and trim the wiskers back to about 1/2". Reason for the wiskers is I still want them as protection in the winter, but when they get too long, they end up with ice balls in them. Seems with them shorter and closer, their body heat and breath keeps the water from freezing on wiskers. Imaging what a terrible horse mom I felt like years ago when I walked into the old boarding barn to find my QH mare with ice hanging in her wiskers. It had to hurt, you could see it was tugging on her wiskers. Since then, I try to keep them tidied up a little. Actually hoping to do a quick "upkeep" this coming weekend. My weanling will have to go natural this winter, we recently got him and are still trying to get him halter broke and not scared of people. He was out being a baby and not handled much prior to me getting him, so I dont want his early experiences with me to all be unpleasant.

 

[chandab]

I did go ahead a scissor clip my woolie mammoth girl; she got her hooves trimmed, then I did her bridle path and trimmed up her fetlocks some (the hair was so long, I couldn't see her hooves). I'd like to clip her beard a bit, but don't have any attachments for my clippers, so it'll have to wait a bit. Now, to remember the scissors tonight when I feed, so I can trim the bridle path on the gelding who's hooves I trimmed this morning.

 

[markadoodle]

Just the bridle paths for my guys! It's way to cold up here in Maine to do anything else

Yup.

 

[Wings]

I'm too lazy to do anything other then chuck extra large halters on them

:rofl

 

[Jean_B]

Why destroy what Mother Nature has determined they need? There is a REASON they have all that hair in winter.

 

[Equuisize]

I used to be a stickler for everyone to be neat and tidy all year long.

They always had to be 'dressed' for company.

Since we moved down here, just 85 miles from where we were, the weather

is very different. It is wetter and cooler (the last 3 days we've had

freezing fog in the mornings), so nowdays I leave them be, for their own

protection.

I dislike long fetlock hairs but we also have crazy moles here and our

farrier suggested leaving the hair long so that if they step into a divot

they will pull their foot up quickly, when the hairs get tickled.

This year they started getting their winter coats in early August.

Weird summer, as summer had hardly arrived in early August, this year,

so now in mid December they are all in wooly mammoth mode.

I'm adjusting

 

[tagalong]

and a strip down the back along with the V at the tail.

Also do the broodmares belly, this is usually done Sept - Nov. so still have some coat growth when the nasty snow comes to stay for a long cold winter here.

This helps us to be able to see their backbone to access their weight, and the V is so it is not so thick when springs comes and need to clip for early show season.

You clip a strip down their backs so you can see their backbone to know if their weight is good? Reble - you can do that by simply putting your hands on them. I would hesitate to clip any protective hair off the topline where snow and rain collect the most. I have never heard of anyone who does that and IMO it is not a good idea.

Horses in heavy work often get a trace clip low along their sides and belly (I just did two of these clips for a friend on her big horses)... that way their topline is still protected and yet they can sweat/cool off easier...

Nor would I clip bellies off unless they are in heavy work. I have a pregnant mare who will reach 300 days on January 25th - around then I will clip part of her belly and a bit off her flanks - and that is it.

During the winter, I only clip bridle pths and maybe tidy up the yak beards a bit.

 

[Matt73]

Just their beards and bridle paths and keeping tails banged at the fetlock.

 

[midnight star stables]

Bridle paths here.

 

[horsehug]

Absolutely nothing in the winter. Where I live...... the wind chill is below zero MOST winter days and/or nights.......literally!

I'm with whoever said they are CUTE with their winter fuzzys

At least Mine are.

Susan O.

 

[mini horse mania]

I actually scissor trimmed today- the bridle path, and the beards on all of my minis. One of my mares had a 6 inch beard. It HAD to go!! they were looking like Chewbacca, and I just couldnt take it anymore. My stallions mane is 4 inches thick at th poll. I was thinking of thinning scissors to take some of that weight off for him.