Keeping A Racehorse Warm
Taking care of race horses during the off season is one of the things race owners are concerned about. The off season brings a lot of variables into the horses racing condition which is why many owners take great concerns in caring for them. One item is whether or not to let race horses grown their hair long or cover them in beddings or use a blanket?
For horse breeders and the management team, this is a case to case basis since race horses have their own quirks. The answer is very individualized and cannot be given a general answer.
One factor to consider is if the horse is going to participate in events in the winter season. If the most type of exercise or activities that a horse would do is eat, sleep and an occasional trot, then the best thing is not to clip the hair and let it grow until racing season. The hair of the horse usually a heavy factor when it grows and can therefore provide lots of warmth and heat retaining factor in the months to come. If the horse lays out further in a barn, all the more the hair would keep the horse warm and toasty.
If owners opt to let the hair grow, blankets are an other option to consider. Fr the different types and breeds or horses, some would require thicker, more robust blankets. Horse breeds like Morgan breeds need to be sheltered and pampered slightly while other thinner breeds need to be constantly warmed all the time.
Another factor to consider is that when the horse works or does physical activities, the horse would sweat and this would result in a wet coat. A wet coat poses many ills to the horse such as cold and tends to lessen the resistance of the horse to the point of being susceptible to illnesses.
A working horse in the cold season is to be clipped since it would eliminate any series of illnesses stemming from a wet coat.
Type of clip to use
With the many clips available, it primarily depends on how much the horse sweats. Most trainers have a preferred set of clips but beginners may choose from the most basic and work themselves up to others.
Most owners tend to favor the clips designed to cut the manes of the horse short and the hair on the upper chest areas for it is the place where most horses sweat a lot and accumulate. As with any point of safety, one has to be careful not to cut or nick the horse for bacteria breeds heavily in the areas and it could open the horse up to any form of sickness.