[Merle]

I'm taking my horse to someone to consign her to be sold and she requested she be full body clipped. Does anybody full body clip but leave an unclipped area by their withers/back for extra protection for the saddle?

I have never left a spot of unclipped hair there before but a vet this past winter said she didn't leave any unclipped hair and her saddle left behind permanent white marks of hair just behind her withers (and it was a custom fitted saddle so it fits her mare well).

If anyone does leave some unclipped hair there, please show pics! Thanks!

[dawglover]

Depends on how big of a hurry I'm in when I'm clipping. I'll sometimes leave a saddle pad shaped area of hair, sometimes not.

I don't care what that vet says about her custom saddle, if it's leaving white marks it's not properly fitted.

[Merle]

I don't care what that vet says about her custom saddle, if it's leaving white marks it's not properly fitted.

That's what I thought too!

I am sending her down to be sold and owner of consignment horses don't leave tack there so they will be using their tack on her. It is a fabulous place so they should be using well fitting tack, I hope!

[Watermark Farm]

The woman who taught me to body clip said that saddle patch is left there because the pressure of saddle pad, saddle and blanket can cause the short hairs to become ingrown. Same principle with leaving a tuft of long hair at the withers when you roach a horse's mane. Not sure if it's true, but I've always left a patch under the saddle even when doing a full body clip.

[Princeton]

I always leave a patch by the withers.

[deltawave]

I leave a small saddle-shaped patch because I think it looks cool, not because I think it actually protects anything.

Hair or no, custom fitted or no, a properly fitted saddle should never, ever leave scarring or white hairs.

[PNWjumper]

I always leave a saddle shaped (or half-pad shaped, rather) area of hair on an otherwise fully clipped horse. I've had several horses over the years who would get rub marks under the cantle of the saddle without that pad area of hair (no white hairs, though). And these are horses with saddles that are regular looked at and adjusted by my saddle fitter, and don't get rub marks with the extra hair. So I've always figured it's the effect of having the short stubbly hairs from the clip job.

[Hampton Bay]

I did it once, but didn't find it did much for my horse.

However, is the vet sure the blanket didn't leave the white marks on the horse's withers? Or maybe the horse changed shape after the saddle was fitted, and thus it no longer fit.

[Highflyer]

My horse HATES having his back clipped, so I do leave a patch. (Keep in mind this is a DIY clip job, yours would be tidier.)
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...&id=1463420557

[yellowbritches]

Depends on the horse and how much attention I'm paying. Like dw, I think it looks kinda cool (and I have a neat way of doing it that I think makes it look kinda sleek and streamline). I do not leave one on Vernon because leaving hair actually causes issues more than anything (why I clip him 8 million times a winter ). Another reason I USUALLY leave them is because I find a lot just hate the sensation of the clippers across their spine there. I hate doing anything that makes them drop their backs like that! Yikes!

[yellowbritches]

Here's one of my favorite clip jobs ever- http://pets.webshots.com/photo/28073...DWv?vhost=pets

[lauriep]

Never do.

[kingpin]

I don't for my own horses, because I don't like how it looks, or the extra sweat it causes.

When I am clipping other people's horses, I leave a saddle patch, simply because that is what is 'done' at the one barn I clip at. I'll also leave square patches where the leg/spur lies if I know the horse's owner is prone to giving rubs (or the horse is prone to getting rubs). Looks ridiculous but I'd rather protect their sides...

[Rockfish]

I leave a saddle pad patch when I know we aren't going to be stripping down and jogging for ribbons at a shows in the near future. If we are (like this winter) I won't leave a patch.

[DMK]

I wonder if the white hairs are less related to saddle/saddle pad irritation and maybe more related to friction/irritation caused by the blanket? (let's face it, that's on a lot longer than the saddle)

[Go Fish]

However, is the vet sure the blanket didn't leave the white marks on the horse's withers?

That's what I'd suspect, too.

I take it all off. Never had a problem.

[Merle]

Okay, we did it! And left a saddle patch, a lot like the ones posted except it is a bit more rounded in the back. In fact, she even looks very similar to the horse in yellowbritches picture - she is a Dutch Warmblood/Belgian cross. She looks very sharp! Hopefully I can get one last pic of her with her fancy "do" tomorrow when I ride her and drop her off.

Highflyer, I think your clip job looks fabulous, DIY or not.

[mypaintwattie]

I have found it around here to be more of a discipline specific thing- when I was at a dressage barn we did leave a half pad shape of hair while clipping, but now that I'm at a H/J barn the horses are completely clipped unless they are very sensitive.

[kookicat]

From the first clip, nope. Everything comes off. After that, I sometimes do.

[Amwrider]

I completely shave my saddlebreds, Morgans and Arabians and we show without saddle pads, never had a saddle leave any white marks.....