You wrote:
> I tend to clip (strip or trace - rarely body clip) anything with 4 legs
> that I'm riding.
> However..... I am very suprised to see that not many people, at least in
> this region, seem to clip - at least not yet, anyway. I would think that
> this sport, most of all, would necessitate some clipping
SNIP
> I just think it makes conditioning and cooling out soooo much easier
We clip for fall rides (at least a trace if not a total clip except for saddle
area), but we usually don't have too many late fall rides planned.
We generally clip in the spring (& keep touching up!) since the wooly
bears don't loose their coats until well after the first ride! In
the fall, we clip only if we are attending a ride after mid October
or if we plan to fox hunt thru Jan/Feb.
We do get a bit colder here, and a clipped horse that is turned out
is a lot more trouble! We will double blanket them & bring them in
to stalls at night. If they were unclipped, they could live without
a blanket for almost the entire winter here.
Clipping is the ONLY way for us to clean them up & dry them in the
"wooly months". This was NOT a problem when we lived in FLA, though.
I suspect that your local climate will play a big factor in whether
you clip or not.
I always remind folks to never clip the legs - their "fur" will help protect
them from scratches & cuts when moving thru brush & undergrowth.
Linda Flemmer
ABF Challenger ("Rocket") & Eternal Point ("Major")
Blue Wolf Ranch Chesapeake, Virginia, USA
"In case of emergency - Fur side up, steel side down!"