Do you ever body clip your foals?

[mtngirl]

My 3 1/2 month old Hanoverian filly still hasn't shed her winter coat. Bless her heart, she looks so moth eaten and ragged, but mostly she just looks miserable...as the temps got up into the 90's the last couple of days. :(

She has shed most of the hair off her head, but very little elsewhere. Normally I'd just wait and let nature take it's course..but with the summer temps getting higher..I wonder if I shouldn't go ahead and try and clip her to make her more comfortable? I've brushed and curried her until my arms shake but very little hair comes off.

You opinions? I haven't tried clippers on her yet, but I really don't think that will be a problem as she has handled everything else "in stride".

[Dazednconfused]

Absolutely. FWIW, most arab barns at least clip from the shoulders up, and many bodyclip as well. They look so much better and are a lot cooler.

[JoZ]

I am about to do just that! My February colt has sooooo much hair, and we are having unseasonably warm temperatures.

I intend to approach it matter-of-factly, as if it were just another thing he has to learn as a 3-month-old. I always wanted to add clipper training to my "things to do with babies" list though it generally doesn't get done till they are yearlings. This will be a first.

I haven't decided what parts of him to clip -- his back and rump are the hairiest so a trace-style clip wouldn't do the trick. Probably will try for his whole little body and see how I do!

[ise@ssl]

never.
I'm not sure what you mean by "winter coat" on a 3 1/2 month old foal. The first hair is usually referred to as "milk hair" and it will shed out - starting with the summer solstice on June 15th.

We've used one of those block shedders to clean them up for their inspections but I would never body clip them as babies.

[Carol Ames]

get a curry mitt and start currying her 30 minutes/ day:yes:; not only will she shed out;), but you will bring up a very deep:yes: "shine" as well as stimulate the circulation so, the muscles fill out, ie., "muscle :winkgrin:up"

[dbaygirl]

No...I never body clip anything. Hair is there for a reason. Feed her flax and oil and it will bring out the sheen in her coat. The hot temps will help her shed out. I hose my horses in the heat. They love it. You can also put a hose up on the top of a fence post with a spray attachment. They like to walk under it when it's hot and it keeps the dust down.

My 11 month old colt had a very thick winter coat and the remnants are still atop his butt. It's been quite a cold Spring but now the temps have come so fast, he has to do some fast hair adjustments. My stallion has shed out completely and he and my mare are producing those beautiful summer dapples already. Just love them.

[Dressage_Diva333]

Yep, I've done it.

I shaved my filly that was born early February about a month ago. Got it all done is about 45 minutes, and she just stood there like a good girl. Brought out a beautiful, short shiny coat :) My two month filly is next on the list, she has extremly thick hair, and is only shed out on her head and chest.

[JB]

Can't say I have, having only had 1 kidlet whom I bought at 6 months. But, having read this forum for many years, I've read MANY breeders regularly do it.

It's not going to hurt. "Hair is there for a reason" doesn't make much sense when the foal is bogged down in his foal coat in 90*+ weather. We body clip adult horses - why are foals different? The earlier you get them used to clipping, the better. Several breeders here have said they bc'd their foals and never, ever had clipping issues in the future.

I personally think it's a great idea to clip a foal even if you don't actually clip anything, or much, off. Early training, done well, sticks with them for a lifetime. I think it goes along with all the other stuff you can safely do with and to a foal - do it early while they are young and impressionable and they learn that is just one more thing that life is all about :)

[kookicat]

Far better to clip the hair before she winds up with heat stroke.

[alliekat]

I have body clipped my foals if they look miserable. I have always lived in Fl. where there were hardly any cool temp after March. I also have found that the ones that I clipped as babies were much easier to clip when they were older.
If I knew that I was going to clip them, I would bring out the clippers when I was grooming and turn them on and let the baby get used to the sound. The I would use them to massage over their bodies without clipping. Once they were good with this I would start clipping. I would also suggest breaking the clipping job into a few sessions. That way you can be sure to end on a good positive note. Good luck.

[Signature]

We do it every year religiously. It's so hot and humid here that we worry about them dehydrating/overheating. It's about that time right now, especially for the foals who are born earlier in the year and are fuzzier. They look 100x better, look great for inspections, plus they get good experience with the clippers! :)

[ljshorses]

We do it every year religiously. It's so hot and humid here that we worry about them dehydrating/overheating. It's about that time right now, especially for the foals who are born earlier in the year and are fuzzier. They look 100x better, look great for inspections, plus they get good experience with the clippers! :)

Ditto

[maybedog]

Always. About a month before the inspection.

[FriesianX]

Foals are pretty good at regulating body temperature, but if you are having really high temps and humidity, it is worth doing. HOWEVER - one warning - if your foal is going to be inspected, you're either going to have to clip again, or you are going to have a funny looking foal in a few months. The early body clips do grow out funky that first year.

At the inspections, I see a few body clipped, but mostly babies that have been groomed until the foal fur disappears. Usually it is the "late babies" that are body clipped.

[stoicfish]

Just wondering if a coat can actually be insulating from the heat and the sun? Most animal fibers breath very well and that is the aspect that keeps a body cool. If the ambient temp is above the body temp, the coat might actually have a purpose. Like the idea of wearing a hat, or people in the middle east wearing cotton from head to toe. Just a thought, I am sure the foal will be fine either way.

[Lesley Feakins]

We clip also. I would rather clip then than have then standing around with thick wet hair for days on end during the hot humid months.

[JB]

Just wondering if a coat can actually be insulating from the heat and the sun? Most animal fibers breath very well and that is the aspect that keeps a body cool. If the ambient temp is above the body temp, the coat might actually have a purpose. Like the idea of wearing a hat, or people in the middle east wearing cotton from head to toe. Just a thought, I am sure the foal will be fine either way.

There's a reason horses shed the longer, thicker Winter coat - it's too hot for Summer!

Horses are not very good at cooling themselves off. The need to get as little between their blood vessels and the outside air as possible.

Wearing a hat is like standing under a shelter - keeps the direct sun off the body. Wearing the layers of clothing like the Mid-Easterners do servers to keep the direct sun off their bodies, but also allows airflow between different layers.

The horse's coat isn't that sophisticated. It's not like a dog or cat where the layers of hair do serve to keep some of the outside heat off, but if they were animal that sweated, they would likely shed to a much greater extent than they currently do.