CLIPPING
This is one of my biggest irritations. It is very fashionable to clip for no reason, other than fashion. The horse is suffering as a result and to me it is basic cruelty if only done for this reason.
As a horse owner you must put yourself in your horse’s position, would you go out in winter with no trousers, tights or knickers? This is, in effect, what you are doing to your horse when you clip and then do not put protection back on their bellies or legs. When you shut your horse in a stable over winter with one net, that they finish by 8 o’clock, you take away their natural ability to keep warm. You try standing in a small box on a cold winter’s night with no central heating and no trousers.
A horse grows a thicker coat to keep warm, you must have really good reasons to remove that natural protection.
If you do remove his ability to keep himself warm you must make sure you provide that warmth when needed.
Many people clip because the horse sweats when worked once a week. By doing this, instead of taking care to make sure the horse does not chill while drying off this one time, or may be giving the horse an extra break, they remove the hair and cause the horse to be cold for the other 6 days of the week.
The studies that have been done in this area have concluded that a third of the horse’s feed goes into making his coat whilst shedding, so the less they have to do this the better.
If a horse is not cold it will not produce more coat. My personal horses, which have included cobs, appaloosas and thoroughbreds, do not produce much coat and I have not clipped any, even whilst riding 4 x a week and competing. These horses are also kept out at grass all winter. The reason they have not produced thick coats is because I keep a careful eye on the weather and rug accordingly. In autumn I am late to rug as I like them to have a good base coat, I then rug all winter with no neck so they can keep cool. If they produce more coat, I up the fill in the rug as they are obviously cold. Come spring I remove the rug as often as I can so they do not lose their coat too quickly, then get cold and have to produce another layer. They also have a constant supply of hay as the digestion process is their natural central heating system.
When I hear people saying “I can’t believe how much coat my horse grows, I have to clip every other week” it makes me mad. THE HORSE IS COLD it could not be clearer! Just keep them warm and they will not produce more coat- simple.
Sorry rant over!!
Reasons to clip
If you work your horse 3 times or more a week and they sweat, and not just because there is a surprise warm spell of weather that will pass in a few days, you should definitely clip because-
they are being unnecessarily stressed, it is like you exercising with your coat on.
keeping them warm whilst they dry off is difficult, and you definitely do not want them to catch a chill.
Also if your horse has a medical condition, for example cushings, that means they can not regulate their own shedding.
Types of clip
Points to consider
If you have not had much experience I would hire someone to clip your horse,as long as they come recommended. This is because they will have the best clippers and be experienced in achieving good straight lines. Please excuse my wobbly drawn lines, I do clip straighter I promise.
The ideal clip just removes the hair in areas where the horse sweats, so observe your horse and pick a clip that suits him best.
If clipping a line along the horse’s body, make sure it gently slopes upward from the quarters. This will make your horse look lighter in front.
The line on the top of the legs should start a hand span from the top of the back of the hock or knee, and slope upward following the line of muscle. The angle should also be the same on the front and back leg.
Generally clips just take off the hair under the chin but you can follow the bridle line or, if the horse is really brave, the whole face can be clipped.
At the back, often a line is followed up the side of the tail and cuts in at the top.
THE NECK CLIP
This is my favorite as the horse mostly sweats on their neck so this is removed, leaving the belly and everywhere else untouched.
THE BELLY AND NECK CLIP
This clip takes off the belly which is not covered by the rug and only a small section of the neck so I am not a fan.
THE CHASER CLIP
This is often called the belly and neck clip. This clip can be lower or higher. I really like this clip as it leaves a lot of the coat on where the horse does not often sweat.
THE TRACE CLIP
This used to be the most common seen, but as people are looking more at the effects on the horse, other clips are now becoming more popular.
THE BLANKET CLIP
THE HUNTER CLIP
This leaves the legs and saddle area on for protection.
THE FULL CLIP
This clip takes everything off and is often done for horses in heavy training or regularly hunting.
Some more points to consider
You can choose to do a fuller clip to start with and then one that leaves more hair on as the winter gets colder.
The first clip is done in the first weeks of autumn and the last just as spring breaks. If you clip later in the spring it can result in the horse being late to grow his summer coat.
Once the horse is clipped some of his natural ability to keep warm has gone, so you must make sure you keep him warm enough.
Some horses need sedation from the vet in order to clip, but often, if you take your time to acclimatize your horse to the noise and feeling, they will tolerate it quite well.
If the horse sweats whilst clipping you must stop as the hair will not clip well and could pull, hurting the horse.
Final Thoughts
You know your horse.
Do not be bullied into clipping when there is no need, but equally, if your horse is struggling with his thick coat, do not be worried about making that decision
JUST DO IT FOR THE RIGHT REASONS.