How To Clip A Horse
During September and October you will notice that your horse's coat appears dull and rough. This indicates the onset of the change of coat, (most people call it moulting but birds moult, horses change their coat). Your horse is growing a winter coat.
Enough time should be allowed for the new coat to become well established
before it is clipped off. Horses vary greatly as to when their first
clip should be done; it also depends on the type of work they are doing.
The 'How much should I clip?'
page shows some of the common clips.
The first clip of the season is usually done in October, the hair continues to grow, so that it may be necessary to clip the horse more than once. The last clip must be done before the end of January; it is at this time that the summer coat starts to grow.
Removing part or all of a horse's winter coat allows him to carry out fast work without undue distress. Clipping also allows the horse to dry more quickly; it is easier to groom the horse and spot the first sign of any injury thus helping to prevent disease. It also improves the horse's appearance.
Clipping can be a lengthy process, so enough time must be set-aside for the task and a helper arranged.
TIP - The hair will stick to your cloths, so overalls can be a good idea.
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1. Clipper blades become blunt and will not run smoothly through dirty hair, so first give the horse a thorough brush to remove as much dirt and grease as possible. Make sure that the horse is dry.
This horse will continue to live out in a field so she is only being dandy brushed.
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2. This mare has been clipped before, so there is no necessity to familiarise her with the clippers. Always start on the horse's shoulder, it is smooth and flat and a non-ticklish area.
Providing the horse remains relaxed you can then proceed to any part to the horse's body.
However some horses object to having their heads clipped.
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On no account must hair be removed from the inside of the ears as it provides natural protection.
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3. Always clip in the opposite direction to the natural lie of the hair. Whenever the lie of the hair changes, change the direction of the clippers, so the blades keep cutting in the opposite direction.
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4. Make sure the back of the clippers lie flat against the horse's skin, this will ensure that the clippers work efficiently and you are less likely to dig the clippers into the horse.
Make long sweeps and you will have a smooth finish. Keeping the clippers cutting the hair will ensure an efficient and quick job is done.
5. When clipping the 'wrinkly' bits, i.e. the elbows use your other hand to gently stretch the skin to allow you to clip in between the wrinkles. This will also help to create a smooth clip.
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6. When clipping under the horse's chin undo the buckle on the head collar and work against the hair taking great care to keep the clipper blades parallel to the horse's jaw bone and watch out for the wrinkly skin!
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7. As you can see the mare has only had part of the coat removed, she does not do a lot of fast work, but has had enough removed to allow her to dry when she does get a little warm.
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If a horse is clipped, then it must be given a rug. Depending how cold the weather is will determine how many or how thick the rugs need to be. To leave the horse without a rug is unkind and he will not thrive.
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