Types of clip

It is important to choose the right clip for your horse. Consider what type of coat your horse has and how their hair grows. Also think about how much work they are in and whether they will be competing or hunting (or both).

Choosing where to clip

Light

– you need somewhere that is well lit, ideally with as much natural light as possible.

Electricity

– unless you have cordless clippers you will need somewhere near a power source. A decent extension lead will make most places accessible.

Safety

– clip somewhere where you and your horse are safe, pick somewhere secure with as few distractions as possible.

How to do a hunter clip

For a hunter clip the legs and saddle area are left on for protection and is most suitable for a horse in medium to hard work. The hunter clip is a variation of the full clip, but with leg and saddle patch hair. It’s good for horses who work hard but are likely to pick up thorns, knocks and cuts out hacking or hunting. Leaving the hair over the saddle patch helps keep sweat away from the skin. For a full clip, the whole coat is taken off. It can be used as a first clip and swapped for a different one later in the year. Great care must be taken to keep horses with a full clip warm, especially at night.

How to do a hunter clip:

– For a hunter clip, mark neat diagonal guidelines on the tops of the horse’s front and hind legs. - Place their saddle on and draw an outline around it, with a two-inch margin all around. Clip all other hair apart from the legs and saddle patch. For a full clip, take off all hair, including legs and face. - When clipping the inside of the hind legs, move the tail out of the way and clip from the opposite side. It’s easier to plait the tail and tie it up to keep it out of your way.

– Leave a neat ‘v’ of unclipped hair above the root of your horse’s tail. It will look like an upside down ‘v’ when you stand behind the horse with the point of the v pointing towards where your saddle sits. Take a point about six inches from each side of his tail and take a line up to his spine.

After clipping

The best way to clean your horse once you have finished clipping is to hot towel them. This is very simple and will only take a couple of minutes. Get some hot water with a drop of baby oil in and towel down their body. This will remove any clipped hairs and grease. Always sweep up all the hair once you have finished clipping, it may seem like the last thing you want to do but it’s a lot easier to tidy it up when it’s in one place and not blown across the whole yard.

Clean the clippers and the blades and put them safely away ready for the next time. If you don’t do this then the hair and oil will start to clog up the machine.

Put the extension lead and anything else you had out away safely and ready for the next time you are clipping. It’s a good idea to keep all of your clipping equipment together so you always know where it is. Once you have clipped your horse, you will most likely have to start using heavier rugs. Have your winter rugs ready. During the depths of a winter an under-blanket may need to be added to keep your horse warm. If you sedated your horse, keep a close eye on them. Rather than giving them a full feed, give them a bran mash and less hard feed.