Re: body clipping

["S. Brown" <sbrown@wamedes.com>]

>I was wondering if it would cause problems to body clip her.  I do
>have a blanket available for her if I should do that also.  Will it cause
>her summer coat to be damaged?  Will it change her body schedule so that she
>grows hair at the wrong time of year? 

It's too late in the year to clip...it'll ruin her summer coat which is
already in and under the remains of her winter coat.  She's probably
sweating so much because she's out of shape besides not having shed all of
the winter coat yet.  Try shorter, lighter work-outs and don't get her
soaking wet.  Just enough to get her warm, then go to walking until she
cools, then add a bit more...but not enough again to get her too hot.  As
time goes by, she'll sweat less...as she's getting in better shape.  

I brought a mare in from the pasture some time ago to get into shape and we
had relatively short sessions for quite a while.  (She tends to sweat more
anyway.)  It has taken a year and a half to get her to a good weight in
good condition...and she rarely sweats during regular, moderate workouts
any more, except on hot days.  My ArabX gelding hardly sweats...even when
he's fat and out of shape.  He's in pretty good condition now and doesn't
hardly make a damp spot on the pad, but that wasn't always the case...altho
he wasn't bad.

I think some horses will always sweat more...but I wouldn't mess with their
coats now.  I usually use the first of the year as a cut-off point.
Clipping now would give them an ugly stubbly coat.  My mare spent a lot of
days with a cooler on drying off.  Even now, when we go out for a long,
more physically demanding ride, she comes back looking like a curly since
she still has some winter coat and still sweats on the harder rides.  Just
something you have to put up with when bringing a pasture potato back.

Sue 
sbrown@wamedes.com
Tyee Farm
Marysville, Wa.