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Like many animals, horses grow thicker coats to insulate them and keep them warm throughout the colder months. However, these thicker coats also require more grooming to keep your horse happy, healthy, and comfortable throughout winter.
This is where horse clips come in handy.
The Purpose of Horse Clipping
Horse clipping has been practised for hundreds of years. It came about when horse owners and riders realised that unclipped horses with their natural winter coats found it difficult to regulate their body temperatures when exercising.
Today’s equestrians clip their horses for a number of key reasons.
Firstly, clipping helps horses to keep their body temperatures stable and avoid overheating. Clipped coats dry off more rapidly, ensuring that horses dry quickly after exercise as well. Removing some of a horse’s thick winter coat can also prevent excessive sweating, limiting the risk of dehydration during riding activities.
Additionally, clipping helps to minimise the time you spend grooming your horse. It keeps their coats more manageable and is especially helpful if your horse will be spending large amounts of time inside during the colder months.
Using horse clips may even encourage the growth of a shinier, more glossy coat in the summer. Clipping your horse’s coat will encourage healthier growth in the future, ensuring they look their best when the weather starts to warm.
Different Types of Horse Clips
In today’s equestrian world, there are many different types of horse clipping styles and techniques to choose from. Some clips and techniques remove the majority of a horse’s winter coat, while others will only remove a thin layer where a horse sweats the most.
The most common types of horse clips include:
Full Body Clip: The full body horse clip removes an even layer of hair across your horse’s whole body, including their head, ears, body, and legs.
Blanket Clip Horse: This pattern leaves a thick coat layer similar to a blanket, spanning from your horse’s withers to its tail. It also retains the hair on your horse’s legs while removing some of the hair on their head.
Hunter Clip: The hunter clip removes a large portion of your horse’s coat, leaving a thicker layer only on the legs and under the saddle to protect against chafing.
Trace Clip: The trace clip leaves the majority of your horse’s head hair in place, only removing some from their necks to safeguard them against winter chills.
Bib Clip: This simple clipping pattern only removes hair from your horse’s chest and the front of their neck. You may also remove the hair under their girth and belly using the bib clip pattern.
Irish Clip Horse: This clipping pattern is one of the most straightforward available. It only removes hair from the areas where your horse sweats the most, including under their legs and their neck. Some owners also remove head hair and the hair between their horses’ polls and points of stifle.
Types of Horse Clips for Varying Levels of Exercise
The type of horse clip you choose will largely depend on factors like your horse’s age, breed, health status, and the intensity and frequency of exercise they perform.
Very Light Work
If your horse only does occasional or very light work in the winter, the simple bib clip will suit your purposes and keep them comfortable. Alternatively, you can opt for the apron clip, which is similar to the bib clip but removes additional hair from a horse’s girth line.
Light Work
Light winter workers can be kept cool and dry with the Irish clip horse pattern, which reduces sweating without leaving horses prone to catching chills. The low trace clip may also be ideal. This clip was originally used for carriage horses, following the lines of the harness left underneath their bellies and necks. It only removes hair from high-sweat areas like the neck and chest, fronts and undersides of the legs, the belly, and the lower barrel and quarters.
Moderate Work
If your horse engages in moderate exercise in the winter, the low trace clip is the best choice for most breeds. The medium trace clop can also be used to remove more of the coat higher up your horse’s body line and around their head.
Bear in mind that horses should always be rugged with the medium trace clip. This clip may not be the best choice for horses living outside in harsh winter weather conditions as it causes significant loss of body heat.
Fast or Intense Work
If your horse is a hard winter worker, there are a few different clip styles that may meet its needs. The high trace clip removes half its head hair and much of the coat higher up its flanks, keeping it cool during fast work and even seasonal competitions.
Then there’s the chaser clip, which is similar to the blanket clip horse pattern but retains hair along the upper parts of the neck for a touch of warmth. The blanket clip is also well suited to intense workers.
Very Intense Work
Extremely hard-working horses need specific winter clips to keep them comfortable. The hunter clip is a great choice, removing all excess hair except for a portion of the horse’s mane, their saddle area, above the tail, and their legs.
There’s also the full clip, which removes all excess hair. This horse clip is ideal for horses that are racing, competing, and regularly hunting and exercising. Remember to always rug your horse with both the hunter clip and the full clip to keep it protected from the elements when necessary.
How to Maintain a Well-Clipped Horse Throughout the Seasons
Successful horse clipping requires careful preparation. This will help ensure your horse is safe, comfortable, and healthy throughout the process and that you can achieve a sleek and even finish while clipping it.
Start by bathing your horse, ideally the day before you clip, to allow its coat to dry fully. Once your horse is clean and dry, band its mane and tail to protect it from accidental clipping.
You should also take time to prepare the area where you’ll be clipping your horse. Clipping should be done in a quiet, peaceful location with strong natural lighting and little to no wind. All the tools you need should be easily within reach, including your horse clippers and trimmers, a grooming brush, and a clean horse rug like our Storm Equine Combo Stable Rug to rug them with after clipping.
You may need to prepare your horse beforehand to ensure a smooth clipping process. Feed them just before clipping to calm them, and use chalk to outline your clipping pattern before you get started for an even and beautiful result. If your horse becomes easily agitated or distracted during clipping, consider entertaining them with a favourite treat or toy from our carefully selected range.
Clipping For Optimal Equine Health
Clipping your horse in winter is an essential process to keep them dry, cool, and comfortable during all levels of activity.
Use our guide to identify the best horse clips for your needs and find everything you need for effortless grooming at Ayr Equestrian.
