IF ANY OF YOU WORK YOUR HORSES OVER WINTER

[shane]

I PLAN TO WORK MY STALLION A LOT OVER WINTER, WHEN I DONE THIS LAST YEAR HE WAS REALLY BAD AT SWEATING, SO ID TO BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT DRYING HIM OFF,THIS YEAR IM THINKING ABOUT A TRACE CLIP TO HELP HIM, HE IS STABLED 24/7 IN A VERY COSY BARN AND IVE GOT SOME GOOD WARM RUGS,

SO SHOULD I TREAT HIM LIKE A BIG HORSE AND WALK HIM DRY AND RUG HIM WELL??

THANKS

 

[dancer31501]

what we do is chip there heads to there cheast an lever the rest a full coat

 

[Cairney]

Well since miniatures are just smaller versions of regular sized horses I should think that a trace clip would work well, just as it would for say a hunter or show jumper.

 

[Jitterbug]

I keep our horses clipped year round. In the winter I give them a hunter clip - I leave the hair on their legs so I can turn them out with their blankets

and hoods on during the cold days without precipitation.

This way I never have to worry about rain rot and it is so easy to keep the majority of their body clean.

I don't clip their entire head - just their cheeks - their throats and then on down their necks......

It only takes about 30-45 minutes to clip each one and I do them with a 10 blade.

It also helps me clearly see if one of them gains or loses weight.

Justine

 

[shane]

oh justine!!!!! that picture of your foal is adorable

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[HGFarm]

Our winters here in AZ are VERY mild compared to most of you folks.... but they still get heavy coats. If I am working a horse a LOT and getting up a good sweat, we usually do heads and necks here to the chest.

 

[disneyhorse]

It gets very hot here and the horses get a long coat anyway... we have 90 degree days in December. I usually clip the areas that get sweaty... chest, belly, and groin. That way if I hose the sweat off it dries quickly and they don't get a chill.

Andrea

 

[horsesmakeubroke]

We clip our competition horses out all over and rug them up well. A blanket or trace would suit your job. If the horses get very sweaty we hose the sweaty parts, scrape off well and leave them in coolers for 20 minutes to dry and then rug them again. If we only had one or two we'd walk them to dry them off but with 25+ it's not possible! Sweaty horses who are hosed down dry much quicker than horses left to dry in their own sweat too!

Kate

 

[Warpony]

when i had my driving pony I clipped the spots that tend to get really wet, the underside of her jaw, the front of the neck, chest, between her legs (front and back), and along the lowest part of her belly. Basically it was a really low minimal trace clip. It did not extend above or around her legs at all. This made keeping her from sweating too much a lot easier, but I was able to leave her unblanketed all winter here in Michigan and still work her. I still had to walk her down some and make sure she was nice and dry before turning her out again but it cut the time it took at least in half. If you plan to work the horse a lot, though, I would probably just opt for a normal trace or body clip and blanket them to keep them warm.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I would do a blanket clip but leave the legs on.

 

[keely2682]

Since I'm in Florida, I keep mine clipped close year round. I blanket them whenever its cold. (Stupid weather its 90 degrees here one day and 30 the next.)

If i work mine when its really cold I put a driving cooler on them. Afterwards, I put a fleece cooler on them while they dry. When dry they are blanketed again.

 

[Charlotte]

Ditto Rabbitsfiz.... sort of....we do a blanket clip but then don't reclip the legs so they get hairy, but not as heavy as if they hadn't been clipped.

Our barn doesn't get below freezing.

Charlotte

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

In Ca my horses were clipped year round and blanketed as needed. Here in ID I havent clipped in the winter yet but will be doing a trace clip on a couple this year. I realized that really starting to work horses in the spring just doesnt give me enough time to get them fit for show season so this year we will be working all winter long as well.

 

[irishmini]

ditto rabbit......i think blanket clips are great.. for big and small.

still retain a warm rug of hair.....but the sweaty bits are easy to dry.. especiallysince yours are kept in lynda!!!!!!