[yellowbritches]

I am about to do round 2 of clipping my shaggy monster of a horse. I have been all gung ho about clipping his legs (did that in round 1) because I do think it helps his skin (he has a host of skin issues and I kinda think keeping him as sleek as possible helps them...to an extent), but I am losing my resolve. Mostly because it is a time consuming task and the smaller clippers I use, while they do a good job, tend to heat blades up quickly for some reason (so lots of stopping and starting). I don't have the funds to buy new clippers, so I either need to suck it up and do it (I have multiple sets of blades, so I can switch), or suck it up and NOT do it and do my best to fight the crawling crud from getting too much of a hold on his furry legs.

So, talk me into or out of the job! Give me some resolve, one way or another!

(For the record, we're in VA, so not terrible winters. He is in at night, out during the day, and has a large variety of clothes. I'm not worried about keeping him comfortable. I can DO that...I just don't know if I really want to clip his legs!)

[littlecreek]

I actually had better luck with leaving the hair on legs, with both a giant Clyde X and my Paint. Both had 4 whites, and lots of hair. I think it helps to wick moisture away from the skin personally. I have had a much worse time with my slick legged TB with crud. I check all limbs carefully pretty much daily and hit anything I feel developing with Virkon asap, which seems to keep it in check.

[Herbie19]

Clip the legs! It really does help with crud IMO. Even though I probably clip 20 horses a year for other people I'm notoriously lazy about getting my own done (they are SUCH bad payers!) .

I sometimes break things up to make clipping the legs less painful--you could always clip from the knees down one day and then do the rest of the horse the next. That way you wouldn't overwork your small clippers or yourself.

My pinto horse has four white legs that stay clipped at all times. They will rot off otherwise and I'm pretty anal about keeping them clean. Any residue of shampoo and/or scrub that isn't completely removed tears his skin up--there's only so much you can do with super hairy legs.

[deltawave]

Be scientific. Clip the two left legs, leave the right ones hairy. Then you'll have an answer. And something to laugh about!

[msj]

Be scientific. Clip the two left legs, leave the right ones hairy. Then you'll have an answer. And something to laugh about!

Good one deltawave!

[FalseImpression]

I used to clip my mare`s feathers eons ago when my daughter was showing. I have not in years. She has never had scratches or anything. I also think it protects her skin. She spends all day outside in any kind of weather unless it is a blizzard or all day downpours. There is a bit of mud around the gate, but she does not get her feathers all muddy either.
The Belgians on the same farm are not clipped and always have issues.
Go figure!

[superD]

I just clipped my boy for the second time also. I decided to leave his legs hairy and clip the rest of him. We shall see how long till all the fur starts to drive me crazy and I just clip them also.

First time around I did a full clip including his legs.

[Highflyer]

I like to just clip the backs, along the tendon, and sort of blend things. Mine live out, though.

[yellowbritches]

dw, that made me snort!

I decided to clip. His skin took a nasty turn since Thursday (I was off yesterday, and while I said hi to him, I didn't have my hands on him). I can't keep up with it when they are hairy!

So, he's currently walking around with to clipped hind legs and a VERY furry body. I can clip his legs without sedation, but I'm waiting for the vet to bring me good drugs so I can do the rest of him.

This horse has a multitude of skin issues. I actually usually keep his legs clipped in the summer because I am constantly getting him wet. He does have a sweat allergy, so I think this is why his skin on his legs get so bad when left fuzzy. And, really, he's been allowed to get way fuzzier than he should have (he was on vacation), and his skin all over is paying a price. Of course, we won't talk about the fact that just clipping him comes with its own set of issues.

[Jocelynne]

When my mare gets clipped, she gets a full "show" clip from head to hoof.

In the time leading up to her first full clip of the season I always clip her legs (and my old mare's legs). I usually do their leg clips in groups of 2. They look a little funny for a day or 2 but they don't seem to mind

[MyssMyst]

My clyde cross has clipped legs in the winter. She is much happier out, so out she stays. She tends to get scratches, so just easier to leave her bald-legged in winter and let her grow out over spring and summer.

[gottagrey]

I used to ride a mare that had some skin issues, one year the poor thing nearly lost off of her hair. Then one summer I wised up and barely bathed or rinsed her off. So after a hot summer ride she got a really good curry and brushing to help w/ the sweat. The only time she got bathed was for showing. Once I stopped interfering w/ Mother Nature she never got rain rot or crude again. I'd do a trace clip and clip the fetlock areas to keep the mud off; but then again, I'm torn. A winter or so ago all the horses were getting their feet hosed off when they came in for the night - I'm not sure if this helped or made the crude worse - probably helped half of them, probably made the other half worse. Sometimes w/ these sensitive coats the more we try to help the worse we end up making.. and just when you think that, they turn around and get worse. argh