Re: Re: clipping

["Whitney Bass" <bass@bigsky.net>]

> Particularly with interval training I would worry about the horse
sweating
> so heavily and getting dehydrated.  What do the others do?  Anyone else
> tried this sort of acclimatisation?  Tom what do you think?
> 
> Heather
> SW France
> 
I don't clip often because I don't like to keep my horses blanketed very
much.  I like them to grow a thick coat for the winter because they are
kept outside 24/7 and the wind tends to blow particularly cold where I keep
them.  So, when I start "training" in early spring, they usually have thick
winter coats that are VERY slow to shed (which is a good thing, since it's
almost ALWAYS either cold or chilly <g> at night -- even through most of
the summer).  They do sweat a lot  on conditioning rides, but never get
overly dehydrated.  I even take them to the first few rides of the year
with a coat that is still relatively thick, with no ill effects --
although, these rides are usually "cool-weather" rides anyway. . .  I DO
like to clip if I'm going to ride a hotter 100 (just lower half of body,
basically), and I really think my horses cool much quicker because of it. 
But as for a thicker coat causing "dehydration", I don't think it's much of
a concern (at least it hasn't shown itself to be one).  On the down side,
though,  it does increase grooming time by at least a good half hour!   =-)
> 
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