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> It is entirely personal experience (I have yet to get anybody to agree
> with me...but the counter argument that they always provide is that they
> clip their horses all of the time...which is exactly the point I am trying
> to make, once you start clipping, you have to clip all the time because
> the next year's coat grows back longer....yes, I have observed this).
Well you have found someone to disagree with you that does not clip theirhorses all
the time. Now maybe the horses hair that grew back longer did
because of poorer nutrition or less worm medicine, but that will not happen
from clipping the coat. You can not turn a short haired cat into a long haired
cat by clipping the coat, it is not genetically possible. There are people who
acquire a dog that has been clipped all of their lives and they decide to
grow the coat out and the coat grows out beautifully. The coat does not
continue to have to be clipped in order to be nice.
> People are constantly asking me, "How come my horse didn't get all shaggy
> when you had him __x__ years ago, and now he's like a wooly bear?"
> Invariably they have clipped their horse sometime during the interim.
Or maybe you gave the horse better nutrition and more frequent worming.Those two
things will make a big difference in the shape and condition in
the coat.
A few years ago we had sold an Arabian gelding to another family. I did
not body clip this horse but I did some clipping on him plus my horses
get proper nutrition and wormed every 6 weeks and I did shampoo and
condition him regularly. Well this fall we bought the horse back and his
coat is shaggy and in terrible shape. He was very dirty and has cinch sores
from not being properly groomed. It will probably take a year to get his
coat back into good shape, but with regular shampooing, conditioning,
worming, and care I will have his coat white and beautiful again. I am not
saying that this horse did not have good care, he just did not have the same
care that I give. Most people around here worm their horses twice a year
with the cattle. If they wormed their horses 6 times a year they would see
an improvement in their coats. I imagine it is the same around you.
> It is entirely possible that horses around me just don't grow long winter
> coats (it is an advantage being in So. Cal). I am CONSTANTLY asked, "How
> do you get your horse's coats so....shiny, short, clean, nice....etc.?"
Proper nutrition, worming and knowing how to groom your horses right.Those three
things will keep the skin in better shape so the horse is less
itching and will roll and rub LESS. So their coats stay shiny, short, and
clean.
> The only answer I can give is I never shampoo, never clip, never put any
> type of coat conditioner on, never blanket (except if I go to the Death
> Valley Ride or some other location that is significantly colder and wetter
> than home), and apply nothing but elbow grease (with nice natural fiber
> brushes). It has been my experience that once you start in on these
> things, you have to do it forever or go through a few years of having a
> horse with an "ucky" coat.
If shampoo and conditioning was bad for the hair and not doing it good,then if I
just started to brush my hair everyday and not shampoo it then
I should have beautiful clean hair, right?
It does make a difference on what you use to shampoo your horses or
pets. Always use a good brand of shampoo that is made for the horse
or pet. Don't use a cheap human shampoo because it is not balanced
right, and do not use Ivory or Dawn because they will dry the coat
out. But a good cleaning with a proper shampoo is good for any
animal!
>
>
> kat
>
> p.s. I was also asked this about my bright white, loud Paint Stallion
> that I showed as a halter horse. And I was asked this by the show people
> (who have very exacting standards). They also complained that I didn't
> clip my horse's whiskers, ears, etc (but I told them it wasn't common
> practice in England).
I have went the show route and just because someone shows a horsedoes not
necessarily mean that they understand how to properly care
for their horse.
> I can't speak to dogs, but I suspect that if I started clipping my
> Rottweilers they would have quickly developed razor stubble.
If you are referring to razor burn, I doubt it because Rottweilersskin in darker and
tougher and would not razor burn unless you
used a very dull, short blade. But why would you want to? It
is not necessary for keeping the dog healthy. But some people
clip their horses because they believe that it is healthier for the
horse. It is the same with dogs. Some people have longer haired
dogs but they do not have the time to keep it brushed out so
they keep if clipped to a shorter length. The dog is happier and
so is the owner. There is nothing wrong with that.
Lynette
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